CN111713177A - Processing of SMTC information at a user equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A technique is provided for: determining that carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same, the at least two measurement objects including a first measurement object configured based on first measurement timing configuration information received from a first network node and a second measurement object configured based on second measurement timing configuration information received from a second network node; and based on the determination, generating third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information.

Description

Processing of SMTC information at a user equipment

Technical Field

This specification relates to wireless networks.

Background

A communication system may be a facility in which communication is effectuated between two or more nodes or devices, such as fixed or mobile communication devices. The signals may be carried on wired or wireless carrier waves.

An example of a cellular communication system is the architecture standardized by the third generation partnership project (3 GPP). Recent developments in this area are commonly referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology. E-UTRA (evolved UMTS terrestrial radio Access) is the air interface for the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) upgrade path for mobile networks. In LTE, a base station called an enhanced node b (enb) provides radio access within a coverage area or cell. In LTE, a mobile device or mobile station is referred to as User Equipment (UE). LTE includes many improvements or developments.

5G New Radio (NR) development is part of a continuous mobile broadband evolution process to significantly improve wireless performance, which may include new levels of data rate, latency, reliability, and security. The 5G NR can also scale to efficiently connect large-scale internet of things (IoT) and can provide new types of mission critical services. The BS in 5G/NR may be referred to as gNB.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless network according to an example implementation.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a dual-connectivity wireless network in accordance with an example implementation.

Fig. 3A illustrates an SMTC configuration according to an example implementation.

Fig. 3B illustrates an SMTC configuration according to another example implementation.

Fig. 3C illustrates an SMTC configuration according to yet another example implementation.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of a mobile station according to one example implementation.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating operation of a mobile station according to another example implementation.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a wireless station (e.g., a BS or MS) in accordance with an example implementation.

Detailed Description

According to an example implementation, a technique is provided for generating a measurement timing configuration at a mobile station. The method comprises the following steps: determining, by a User Equipment (UE) or a Mobile Station (MS), that carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same, the at least two measurement objects including a first measurement object configured based on first measurement timing configuration information received from a first network node and a second measurement object configured based on second measurement timing configuration information received from a second network node; and based on the determination, generating, by the UE, third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information.

Another example implementation may include: receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), first measurement timing configuration information from a first network node and second measurement timing configuration information from a second network node; determining, by the UE, that carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same, the at least two measurement objects including a first measurement object configured based on the first measurement timing configuration information and a second measurement object configured based on the second measurement timing configuration information; based on the determination, generating, by the UE, third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information; performing, by the UE, signal measurements for signals received from at least one of the first network node and the second network node based on at least the third measurement timing configuration information and on a carrier frequency that is the same as the carrier frequencies of the two measurement objects; and transmitting the signal measurements to the first network node and/or the second network node.

According to another example implementation, one or more of the first, second, and third measurement timing configuration information includes Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) information.

According to another example implementation, the generating the third measurement timing configuration information comprises: selecting the first measurement timing configuration information or the second measurement timing configuration information as the third measurement timing configuration information.

According to another example implementation, the generating the third measurement timing configuration information comprises: creating third measurement timing configuration information based on the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information.

According to another example implementation, the method further comprises: first measurement timing configuration information from a first network node and/or second measurement timing configuration information from a second network node is received.

According to another example implementation, the method further comprises: performing, by the UE, signal measurements for signals received from at least one of the first network node and the second network node based on at least the third measurement timing configuration information and based on a carrier frequency that is the same as the carrier frequency of the two measurement objects.

According to another example implementation, the method further comprises: the signal measurements are transmitted to the first network node and/or the second network node.

According to another example implementation, the first, second and third measurement timing configuration information comprise one or more of: duration, periodicity, and offset associated with the carrier frequency of the measurement object.

According to another example implementation, the method further comprises: determining that a first periodicity of the first measurement timing configuration information is different from a second periodicity of the second measurement timing configuration information, and wherein the generating further comprises: selecting a lower periodicity of the first periodicity and the second periodicity as the periodicity of the third measurement timing configuration information.

According to another example implementation, the method further comprises: determining that a first duration of the first measurement timing configuration information is different from a second duration of the second measurement timing configuration information, and wherein the generating further comprises: the higher of the first duration and the second duration is selected as the duration of the third measurement timing configuration information.

According to another example implementation, the determining further comprises: determining that a first offset of the first measurement timing configuration information is different from a second offset of the second measurement timing configuration information, and wherein the generating further comprises: selecting an offset having the least amount of overlap with other target carriers between the first offset and the second offset as an offset of the third measurement timing configuration information.

According to another example implementation, the configuration of the measurement object includes an identifier associated with the carrier frequency and/or reference signal configuration information.

According to another example implementation, the first network node is a primary node or a secondary node and the second network node is a secondary node or a primary node.

According to another example implementation, a UE is configured to operate with a first network node and a second network node in a multi-radio access technology dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode.

According to another example implementation, the first network node is an eNB or a gNB and the second network node is a gNB or an eNB.

According to another example embodiment, a UE is configured to operate with a first network node and a second network node in a new radio-new radio dual connectivity (NR-NR DC) mode.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless network 130 according to an example implementation. In the wireless network 130 of fig. 1, user equipment 131, 132, 133, and 135 (which may also be referred to as Mobile Stations (MSs) or User Equipment (UEs)) may connect (and communicate) with a Base Station (BS)134 (which may also be referred to as an Access Point (AP), an enhanced node b (enb), or a New Radio (NR) or 5G node b (gnb) or network node). At least a portion of the functionality of an Access Point (AP), Base Station (BS), or (e) node b (enb)/5G node b (gnb) may also be performed by any node, server, or host that may be operably coupled to a transceiver, such as a remote radio head. BS (or AP)134 provides radio coverage within cell 136, including to user devices 131, 132, 133, and 135. Although only four user devices are shown connected or attached to BS 134, any number of user devices may be provided. BS 134 is also connected to core network 150 via S1 interface 151. This is only a simple example of a wireless network and other wireless networks may be used.

User equipment (user terminal, User Equipment (UE), or mobile station) may refer to portable computing devices, including wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: by way of example, Mobile Stations (MSs), mobile phones, handsets, smart phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), handsets, devices using wireless modems (alarms or measurement devices, etc.), laptop and/or touch screen computers, tablet handsets, game consoles, notebook computers, and multimedia devices. It should be appreciated that the user device may also be the almost exclusive uplink-only device, an example of which is a camera or camcorder that loads images or video clips to the network.

In LTE (as an example), the core network 150 may be referred to as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), which may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) that may handle or assist in the movement/handover of user equipment between BSs, one or more gateways that may forward data and control signals between BSs and a packet data network or the internet, and other control functions or blocks.

Additionally, by way of illustrative example, the various example implementations or techniques described herein may be applied to various types of user equipment or data service types, or may be applied to user equipment that may have multiple applications running thereon (which may have different data service types). New radio (5G) development may support many different applications or many different data service types, such as, for example: machine Type Communication (MTC), enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), large scale Machine Type Communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), narrowband IoT user equipment, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), wireless relays including self-backhauls, D2D (device-to-device) communication, and ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC). These scenarios may cover both licensed and unlicensed band operation or a combination thereof.

IoT may refer to an ever-growing group of objects that may have internet or network connectivity such that these objects may send and receive information to and from other network devices. For example, many sensor type applications or devices may monitor physical conditions or states and may send reports to a server or other network device, for example, when an event occurs. For example, machine-type communication (MTC or machine-to-machine communication) may be characterized by fully automatic data generation, exchange, processing, and actuation between intelligent machines with or without human intervention. Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) may support much higher data rates than are currently available in LTE.

Ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) is a new data service type or new usage scenario that new radio (NR or 5G) systems can support. This enables new emerging applications and services such as industrial automation, autodrive, vehicle safety, electronic health services, etc. By way of illustrative example, 3GPP intends to provide a network having a network interface of 10^-5Corresponding to a reliability and a connection of U-plane (user/data plane) delays of up to 1 ms. Thus, for example, URLLC user equipments/UEs may require a much lower block error rate and low delay (with or without simultaneous high reliability) than other types of user equipments/UEs.

Various example implementations may be applied to various wireless technologies or wireless networks, such as LTE, LTE-A, NR/5G, cmWave, and/or mmWave band networks, IoT, MTC, eMTC, MTC, eMBB, URLLC, etc., or any other wireless network or wireless technology. These example network, technology, or data service types are provided as illustrative examples only.

In one example implementation, the MS may operate in a multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode, where the MS may be connected to nodes or BSs of multiple RATs (e.g., two RATs). An MS connected to multiple RATs (MR-DC) may have advantages, such as possibly having, for example, higher overall data throughput or higher data rates, higher data transmission reliability, improved handover procedures, reduced handover interruption time, less connection interruption, and the like. Thus, for example, when an MS is operating in a MR-DC session (or MR-DC mode), the MS may have a first connection with a first BS (or node) of a first RAT and a second connection with a second BS of a second RAT. In an illustrative example implementation of MR-DC, an MS may have a first connection with an EUTRAN/LTE BS and a second connection with an NR (5G) BS. This type of MR-DC may be referred to as EUTRAN NR dual connectivity (EN-DC). In the illustrative example of EN-DC, an LTE BS (eNB) may be considered a primary node or master BS, while an NR BS (gNB) may be considered a secondary node or secondary BS. For example, the UE may first establish a connection with the LTE BS, and the LTE BS may help coordinate the setting or establishment of a second connection between the UE and the NRBS. In another illustrative example of an EN-DC such as an NR-NR DC, a first NR (gnb) may be considered a primary node or master BS, and a second NR (gnb) may be considered a secondary node or secondary BS. For example, the UE may first establish a connection to a first NR BS, and the first NR BS may help coordinate the setup or establishment of a second connection between the UE and a second NR BS.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a dual-connectivity wireless network 230, according to an example implementation. In wireless network 230 of fig. 1, Mobile Station (MS)132 (of fig. 1), which may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE), may connect to (and communicate with) multiple Base Stations (BSs), which may be enbs and/or gnbs. MS132 may connect to (and communicate with) a master node 234 (also referred to as a master Base Station (BS)), which master node 234 provides radio coverage within a master cell 236. MS132 may also be simultaneously connected to and/or in communication with a secondary node 238 (also referred to as a secondary BS), which secondary node 238 provides radio coverage within a secondary cell 240.

Thus, according to one example implementation, a dual-connectivity wireless network allows an MS, such as MS132, to simultaneously connect to multiple nodes (or base stations), such as primary node (or MN)234 and Secondary Node (SN) 238. A dual-connectivity wireless network, such as the network 2130 shown in fig. 2, may have several advantages, such as, for example, reducing signaling load to the core network, sharing traffic/packet processing among multiple base stations, and benefiting from flexible resource usage, where one or more carriers may be used on the radio link between the MS and each BS, e.g., inter-site carrier aggregation (although carrier aggregation is not required). Although it is advantageous for an MS to be simultaneously connected to two or more BSs, such a dual-connection arrangement may provide opportunities in which, for example, at least some sort of event, function, or operation may be coordinated for the MS between the connected BSs. In one example implementation, the primary node may be an eNB and the secondary node may be a gNB. In another example implementation, the primary node may be a gNB and the secondary node may be an eNB. In another example implementation, the primary node and the secondary node may be a gNB. Although dual connectivity is described herein as an example, a user equipment may generally be configured to operate in a multi-connectivity (MC) mode, wherein the user equipment or UE may be connected to two or more BSs, e.g., two BSs (dual connectivity mode), three BSs, four BSs, etc.

The MS may monitor (e.g., receive and/or measure one or more parameters) multiple carriers (carrier frequencies). In order to perform monitoring/measurement of multiple carriers (or carrier frequencies), a node (or BS) may transmit measurement timing configuration information to an MS. Based on measurement timing configuration information received from one or more nodes, the MS may configure one or more Measurement Objects (MOs) to monitor/measure carrier frequencies. Thus, in one example implementation, an MS (or UE) configured for dual connectivity may, for example, receive measurement timing configuration information for one or more MOs for each of a plurality (e.g., 7) of carriers.

In another example implementation in which the MS132 is configured in a Dual Connectivity (DC) mode (e.g., EN-DC mode), the MS132 may be capable of monitoring multiple frequency carriers, e.g., at least 7 frequency carriers, as defined in 3GPP TS 38.133. However, in this DC mode, the primary and secondary nodes may send separate and distinct measurement timing configuration information and provide measurement timing configuration information for one or more MOs (or for one or more carrier frequencies to be measured).

According to an example implementation, the measurement timing configuration information may include information that may be used by the MS to receive and measure signals (e.g., where the signals to be measured may be identified by a Measurement Object (MO)). For example, the measurement timing configuration information may include information identifying one or more carrier frequencies of the signal to be measured, and/or one or more parameters that may be used by the MS to perform signal measurements, such as, for example, the periodicity of the signal, an offset of the signal (e.g., a time offset and/or a frequency offset of the carrier frequency), a duration of the measurement timing configuration information, or other parameters. The user equipment may perform measurements of signals including measuring signal strength or signal power (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) or signal quality (e.g., Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) or other signal measurement parameters. The signal measurements may also include MS measurements or obtaining time synchronization, frequency synchronization, slot and frame timing, and/or other signal measurements.

In one example implementation, the signal to be measured by the MS may include reference signal(s). In another example implementation, the signal that may be measured may include a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB). In an example implementation, an SS (synchronization signal) block may include, for example, one or more or all of the following: primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), physical broadcast control channel (PBCH), and demodulation reference signal (DMRS). By way of illustrative example, PSS and SSS may allow a UE to obtain initial system acquisition, which may include, for example, obtaining initial time synchronization (e.g., including symbol and frame timing), initial frequency synchronization, and cell acquisition (e.g., including obtaining a physical cell ID for the cell based on PSS and SSS). Also, the MS may determine slot and frame timing using DMRS and PBCH. In addition, the PBCH may provide one or more important parameters (e.g., system frame number, information on how to receive the remaining system information/RMSI) for the MS to access the cell, and may also include slot and frame timing. The DMRS may allow the MS to coherently demodulate the PBCH and may also convey slot timing information. These are some illustrative examples of how the MS may use various control information within a synchronization signal block (SS block).

Also, in an example implementation, the measurement timing configuration may include an SS block-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) (e.g., may be an SS block-based RRM (radio resource measurement) measurement timing configuration) to allow the MS to measure the SSB or one or more signals included as part of the SSB. For example, the SMTC may include configuration information for configuring (or allowing) the MS to receive and measure SSBs (or portions thereof). For example, the SMTC may include an SS block timing configuration, which may include, for example, an SSB periodicity (a period of the SSB), an SSB offset (e.g., a time offset and/or a frequency offset of an SSB carrier), a duration of the SMTC, a frequency of the repeating SS block, and/or other parameters related to the SSB measurements. For example, the SMTC configuration may indicate when a synchronization signal block on a carrier is to be transmitted or available for measurement. Although SSBs and SMTCs are provided as examples herein, other types of signals (or reference signals) to be measured and other types of measurement timing configuration information may be used.

A problem may arise in which the primary node instructs the MS to measure a carrier at frequency X and then the secondary node also instructs the MS to measure the same carrier at frequency X. Different measurement timing configuration information (e.g., SMTC configuration) may be provided by each node for the same carrier frequency X to be measured. In some cases, this may cause the MS to perform two carrier measurements for the same carrier frequency, e.g., using different measurement timing configuration information, which may not be an efficient use of resources. Thus, at least in some cases, a single measurement of the carrier frequency may be sufficient, and it is not necessary to measure the same carrier frequency twice. The measurement timing configuration information for measuring the carrier frequency may be determined based on two different measurement timing configuration information (received from the primary node and the secondary node), and/or one of the received measurement timing configuration information may be selected to measure the carrier.

Accordingly, the MS (or user equipment or UE) may be configured with Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) based Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement timing configuration information or SSB based measurement timing configuration information (SMTC). Since the measurement timing configuration information received by the MS 134 from the primary node 234 and the secondary node 238 for a carrier frequency (e.g., f1) may be different, the MS132 may be caused to configure two Measurement Objects (MOs) with the same carrier frequency (f1) at the MS. The configuration of the MO may further include reference signal configuration information.

After configuring the two MOs with the same carrier frequency, the MS132 may treat the two MOs as two layers or one layer for performing signal measurement. The signal measurements may be associated with measurement signals of other target carriers transmitted from the secondary node 138 or any other node. In one implementation, the MS132 may treat the two MOs as two layers or carrier frequencies and perform signal measurements that may be used by the MS132 to perform handover, call setup, etc. twice (once per MO). However, this is inefficient because it not only wastes valuable resources (e.g., measurement gaps), but the MS132 will be able to measure one less carrier frequency since the MS132 is only required to be able to monitor/measure up to seven carriers. Therefore, better or more efficient techniques/mechanisms are needed.

In one example implementation, the MS132 may be able to consider (or interpret) two (or more) MOs configured with the same carrier frequency as one layer and perform signal measurements only once (rather than twice). This may be possible because some parameters of the MO (configured with the same carrier frequency) may be different without making different physical measurements. One such example parameter is SMTC configuration, also referred to as SSB measurement timing configuration information or timing configuration. In one example implementation, the SMTC configuration may include one or more of an SMTC duration (also referred to as a duration), an SMTC periodicity (also referred to as a periodicity), and an SMTC offset (also referred to as an offset). In one example implementation, the SMTC duration may be 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 ms. In another example implementation, the SMTC periodicity may be 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 ms.

In one example implementation, after the MS132 receives SMTC configuration information for carrier frequency f1 from the primary and secondary nodes, the MS132 may generate new SMTC configuration information for performing signal measurements. Details regarding generating new SMTC configuration information for performing signal measurements are described in detail with reference to fig. 3A to 3C. The above-described techniques/mechanisms provide flexibility for network configuration without compromising MS performance. In one example implementation, the MS132 may treat the carrier frequency as one carrier and may perform measurements based on using one or two measurement opportunities and scaling the results accordingly.

Fig. 3A illustrates selecting (or generating) an SMTC configuration 300 according to an example implementation.

For example, in one example implementation, MS132 may receive measurement timing configuration information 302 from primary node 134. The measurement timing configuration information 302 may indicate a SMTC periodicity of 10 ms. The MS132 may also receive measurement timing configuration information 304 from the secondary node 138. The measurement timing configuration information 304 may indicate a 20ms SMTC periodicity. Based on the measurement timing configuration information 302 and the measurement timing configuration information 304, the MS132 may select a 10MS SMTC periodicity to perform signal measurements at the MS 132. In other words, the MS132 may select a lower value of the SMTC duration as the SMTC periodicity for performing the signal measurements.

Fig. 3B illustrates selecting (or generating) an SMTC configuration 320 according to another example implementation.

For example, in one example implementation, the MS132 may receive the measurement timing configuration information 312 from the master node 134. The measurement timing configuration information 312 may indicate a SMTC offset of 1 ms. The MS132 may also receive measurement timing configuration information 314 from the secondary node 138. The measurement timing configuration information 314 may indicate a 5ms SMTC offset. Based on the measurement timing configuration information 312 and the measurement timing configuration information 314, the MS132 may select a SMTC offset of 1MS as shown at 316 or 5MS as shown at 318. In yet another example implementation, the MS132 may select another SMTC offset (e.g., 3MS or 4MS) for performing the signal measurements. The MS132 may select a 3MS or 4MS SMTC offset because they are not occupied by another target carrier (e.g., 314 illustrates a 2MS SMTC offset occupied by another target carrier).

Fig. 3C illustrates selecting (or generating) an SMTC configuration 320 according to yet another example implementation.

For example, in one example implementation, the MS132 may receive measurement timing configuration information 322 from the master node 134. The measurement timing configuration information 322 may indicate a SMTC duration of 1 ms. The MS132 may also receive measurement timing configuration information 324 from the secondary node 138. The measurement timing configuration information 324 may indicate an SMTC duration of 2 ms. Based on the measurement timing configuration information 322 and the measurement timing configuration information 324, the MS132 may select a 2MS SMTC duration for performing signal measurements at the MS 132. In other words, the MS132 may select a higher value of the SMTC duration as the SMTC duration for performing the signal measurement.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of a mobile station according to one example implementation.

In 400, a method for generating measurement timing configuration information is provided. The method comprises the following steps: operation 410 includes determining that the carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same. The at least two measurement objects comprise a first measurement object configured based on first measurement timing configuration information received from the first network node and a second measurement object configured based on second measurement timing configuration information received from the second network node. Operation 420 comprises generating third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating operation of a mobile station according to another example implementation.

At 500, a method for generating measurement timing configuration information is provided. The method comprises the following steps: operation 510 comprises receiving first measurement timing configuration information from a first network node and second measurement timing configuration information from a second network node. Operation 520 includes determining that carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same. The at least two measurement objects include a first measurement object configured based on the first measurement timing configuration information and a second measurement object configured based on the second measurement timing configuration information. Operation 530 comprises generating third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information. Operation 540 comprises performing signal measurements for signals received from at least one of the first network node and the second network node based at least on the third measurement timing configuration information and on a carrier frequency that is the same as the carrier frequency of the two measurement objects. Operation 550 comprises transmitting the signal measurements to the first network node and/or the second network node.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a wireless station (e.g., BS or MS)600 according to an example embodiment. For example, wireless station 600 may include two RF (radio frequency) or wireless transceivers 602A, 602B, where each wireless transceiver includes a transmitter to transmit signals and a receiver to receive signals. The wireless station also includes a processor 604 for executing instructions or software and controlling the transmission and reception of signals and a memory 606 for storing data and/or instructions.

Processor 604 may also make decisions or determinations, generate frames, packets, or messages for transmission, decode received frames or messages for further processing, and other tasks or functions described herein. Processor 604, which may be a baseband processor for example, may generate messages, packets, frames, or other signals for transmission via wireless transceiver 602. Processor 604 may control transmission of signals or messages over the wireless network and may receive signals or messages, etc. via the wireless network (e.g., after being down-converted by wireless transceiver 602). The processor 604 may be programmable and capable of executing software or other instructions stored in memory or on other computer media to perform the various tasks and functions described above, such as one or more of the tasks or methods described above. For example, processor 604 may be (or may include) hardware, programmable logic, a programmable processor executing software or firmware, and/or any combination of these. For example, using other terminology, processor 604 and transceiver 602 may together be considered a wireless transmitter/receiver system.

Additionally, referring to fig. 6, a controller (or processor) 608 may execute software and instructions and may provide overall control of the station 600, and may provide control of other systems not shown in fig. 6, such as controlling input/output devices (e.g., display, keyboard), and/or may execute software of one or more applications that may be disposed on the wireless station 600, such as, for example, an email program, audio/video applications, a word processor, voice over IP application, or other applications or software.

Additionally, a storage medium may be provided that includes stored instructions, which when executed by a controller or processor may cause processor 604 or other controllers or processors to perform one or more of the functions or tasks described above.

Implementations of the various techniques described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Embodiments may be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program, such as the computer program(s) described above, can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

Method steps may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output. Method steps also may be performed by, and an apparatus may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

A processor adapted to execute a computer program comprises: such as general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of a computer may include at least one processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including: such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices), magnetic disks (e.g., an internal hard disk or a removable disk), magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments may be implemented on a computer having: a display device, such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor, for displaying information to a user; and a keyboard and a pointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, by which a user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may also be used to provide for interaction with a user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Implementations may be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front-end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation), or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a Local Area Network (LAN) and a Wide Area Network (WAN), e.g., the internet.

While certain features of the described embodiments have been illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the various embodiments.

In an example embodiment, an apparatus, such as a user equipment or a base station, may comprise means for performing the above embodiments and any combination thereof.

In another example embodiment, an apparatus, such as a user equipment or a base station, may include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the above embodiments and any combination thereof.

In another exemplary embodiment, the computer program product may be configured to control an apparatus to perform a process according to the above embodiments and any combination thereof. The computer program product may be embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium.

Claims (20)

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a User Equipment (UE), that carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same, the at least two measurement objects including a first measurement object configured based on first measurement timing configuration information received from a first network node and a second measurement object configured based on a second measurement timing configuration received from a second network node; and

generating, by the UE, third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first, second, and third measurement timing configuration information comprises Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) information.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein generating the third measurement timing configuration information comprises:

selecting the first measurement timing configuration information or the second measurement timing configuration information as the third measurement timing configuration information.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein generating the third measurement timing configuration information comprises:

creating the third measurement timing configuration information based on the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information.

5. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

receiving the first measurement timing configuration information from the first network node and/or the second measurement timing configuration information from the second network node.

6. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

performing, by the UE, signal measurements for signals received from at least one of the first network node and the second network node based on at least the third measurement timing configuration information and on the carrier frequency that is the same as the carrier frequency of the two measurement objects.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting the signal measurements to the first network node and/or the second network node.

8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first, second and third measurement timing configuration information comprises one or more of: a duration, a periodicity, and an offset associated with the carrier frequency of the measurement object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining that a first periodicity of the first measurement timing configuration information is different from a second periodicity of the second measurement timing configuration information, and wherein the generating further comprises:

selecting a lower periodicity of the first periodicity and the second periodicity as a periodicity of the third measurement timing configuration information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining that a first duration of the first measurement timing configuration information is different from a second duration of the second measurement timing configuration information, and wherein the generating further comprises:

selecting a higher duration of the first duration and the second duration as a duration of the third measurement timing configuration information.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises: determining that a first offset of the first measurement timing configuration information is different from a second offset of the second measurement timing configuration information, and wherein the generating further comprises:

selecting an offset having a least amount of overlap with other target carriers between the first offset and the second offset as an offset of the third measurement timing configuration information.

12. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the configuration of the measurement object comprises an identifier associated with the carrier frequency and/or reference signal configuration information.

13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first network node is a primary node or a secondary node and the second network node is a secondary node or a primary node.

14. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the UE is configured to operate with the first and second network nodes in a multi-radio access technology dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first network node is an eNB or a gNB and the second network node is a gNB or an eNB.

16. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the UE is configured to operate with the first and second network nodes in a new radio-new radio dual connectivity (NR-NR DC) mode.

17. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-16.

18. An apparatus comprising a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and storing executable code that, when executed by at least one data processing apparatus, is configured to cause the at least one data processing apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 16.

19. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1-16.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), first measurement timing configuration information from a first network node and second measurement timing configuration information from a second network node;

determining, by the UE, that carrier frequencies of at least two measurement objects are the same, the at least two measurement objects including a first measurement object configured based on first measurement timing configuration information and a second measurement object configured based on the second measurement timing configuration information;

generating, by the UE, third measurement timing configuration information based on at least the first measurement timing configuration information and the second measurement timing configuration information based on the determination;

performing, by the UE, signal measurements for signals received from at least one of the first network node and the second network node based at least on the third measurement timing configuration information and on the carrier frequency that is the same as the carrier frequency of the two measurement objects; and

transmitting the signal measurements to the first network node and/or the second network node.

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