CN112956150B

CN112956150B - Network access node and client device handling data transmission during measurement gaps

Info

Publication number: CN112956150B
Application number: CN201880099129.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柴塔尼亚·图木拉; 拉马·库马尔·莫匹代韦; 何青春; 常俊仁; 本特·林多夫; 冯淑兰
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-30
Filing date: 2018-10-30
Publication date: 2022-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-30
Also published as: WO2020088744A1; EP3864787A1; CN112956150A

Abstract

The invention relates to handling data transmission during measurement gaps. With a new control message (510), the network access node (100) may configure the client device (300) to skip a measurement gap and also receive data during the skipped measurement gap. Thus, when the network access node (100) transmits a data packet to the client device (300) during a measurement gap, the client device (300) may skip the measurement gap and instead receive the data packet during the measurement gap. Thus, strict delay and reliability requirements can be met. The invention also relates to a corresponding method and a computer program.

Description

Network access node and client device handling data transmission during measurement gaps

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a network access node and a client device for handling data transmission during measurement gaps. Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding method and computer program.

Background

Radio quality measurements are required to provide universal coverage for User Equipments (UEs) in a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network configures the UE to measure downlink quality and report the measurement results. The measurements may be intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and/or Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements. Depending on the capability of the UE, the UE may need measurement gaps for inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements. During the measurement gap, the UE performs measurements without scheduling any uplink or downlink transmissions other than messages related to random access. Depending on the configuration, the measurement gap length in Long Term Evolution (LTE) varies between 1.5 ms and 6 ms. Similar measurement gap lengths are being considered for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) -New Radio (NR) -dual connectivity UEs and NR-independent UEs, i.e. the measurement gap lengths vary between 1.5 ms and 6 ms.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a solution which alleviates or solves the disadvantages and problems of conventional solutions.

The above and further objects are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims provide further advantageous embodiments of the invention.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects are fulfilled by a network access node for a wireless communication system, the network access node being adapted to:

providing a first control message to a client device configured with measurement gaps, wherein the first control message comprises information instructing the client device to skip at least one measurement gap.

In the present invention, the client device skipping a measurement gap is understood to mean that the client device does not make measurements during the measurement gap.

An advantage of the network access node according to the first aspect is that by instructing the client device to skip a measurement gap, the network access node may further instruct the client device to perform another action during the skipped measurement gap. Thereby, time resources are allowed to be used in a flexible manner.

In one implementation form of the network access node according to the first aspect, the first control message further comprises information indicating that the client device receives or transmits data packets during the skipped measurement gap, and the network access node is further configured to:

sending data packets to the client device during the measurement gap or receiving data packets from the client device (300) during the measurement gap.

In the present invention, a data packet may be understood as corresponding to data associated with a transport block.

An advantage of this implementation form is that by instructing the client device to receive data packets during the skipped measurement gaps, the network access node may, for example, send or receive data packets associated with low latency services during the measurement gaps. Thereby, a better quality of service is provided for the client device.

In an implementation form of the network access node according to the first aspect, the network access node is further configured to perform at least one of:

transmitting the data packet in a slot of a first aggregate set of slots prior to the measurement gap;

determining that transmitting the data packet in remaining slots of the first aggregate set of slots conflicts with the measurement gap;

transmitting the data packet in the remaining time slot during the measurement gap;

providing an upstream grant to receive the data packet from the client device in a second set of aggregation timeslots;

determining that receiving the data packet in a time slot of the second set of aggregation time slots conflicts with the measurement gap;

receiving the data packet in the time slot during the measurement gap.

In the present invention, an aggregated set of timeslots may be understood as a plurality of timeslots aggregated based on an aggregation of timeslots greater than one aggregation factor. Each aggregation slot may span 14 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. However, the symbol allocation for data in each aggregated slot may occupy 2, 4, 7, or 14 OFDM symbols.

The upstream grant may correspond to a dynamic grant or a configured grant.

When using time slot aggregation to transmit the data packet, the network access node need only transmit downlink control information to the client device in the first time slot of the aggregated set of time slots. Thus, by sending the data packet in a slot of the aggregated set of slots before the measurement gap, the network access node may implicitly inform the client device of the duration of the total transmission time. The network access node may send the data packet to the client device during the measurement gap if any of the remaining time slots of the aggregated set of time slots overlap with the measurement gap. An advantage of this implementation form is that the network access node can send the data packet without interruption due to measurement gaps. Thus, the network access node may provide better quality of service for the client device.

Likewise, in the uplink, after providing a grant (dynamic or configured) for data transmission using time slot aggregation, the network access node may determine whether any time slots of the aggregated set of time slots in which the data packet is to be received from the client device overlap with the measurement gap during which the network access node may receive the data packet.

In an implementation form of the network access node according to the first aspect, the data packet is associated with an ultra-reliable low-latency communication service.

An advantage of this implementation form is that the network access node may apply the aspects proposed by the present invention to data packets associated with an ultra-reliable low-delay communication service. Thus, a trade-off between measurement report quality and quality of service is achieved.

In one implementation form of the network access node according to the first aspect, the first control message is provided using at least one of:

the radio resource control signaling is sent to the mobile station,

a medium access control-control element, and

and downlink control information.

This implementation provides the flexibility to provide the first control message semi-statistically or dynamically depending on the available control channel resources.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects are fulfilled by a client device for a wireless communication system, the client device being adapted to:

when the client device is configured with measurement gaps, obtaining a first control message from a network access node, wherein the first control message comprises information instructing the client device to skip at least one measurement gap;

skipping at least one measurement gap in accordance with the information in the first control message.

An advantage of the client device according to the second aspect is that the client device may skip a measurement gap and possibly perform another high priority action during the skipped measurement gap. Thereby, time resources are allowed to be used in a flexible manner.

In an implementation form of the client device according to the second aspect, the first control message further comprises information instructing the client device to receive or transmit data packets during the skipped measurement gap, and the client device is further configured to:

receive a data packet from the network access node during the measurement gap or transmit a data packet to the network access node during the measurement gap.

An advantage of this implementation form is that the client device may achieve a better quality of service by receiving or transmitting data packets during the skipped measurement gaps.

In an implementation form of the client device according to the second aspect, the client device is further configured to perform at least one of:

receiving the data packet in a slot of a first set of aggregated slots prior to the measurement gap;

determining that receiving the data packet in remaining slots of the first set of aggregated slots conflicts with the measurement gap;

receiving the data packet in the remaining time slot during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message;

obtaining an uplink grant to send the data packet to the network access node in a second aggregation time slot set;

determining that transmitting the data packet in a time slot of the second set of aggregation time slots conflicts with the measurement gap;

transmitting the data packet in the time slot during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message.

By receiving the data packet in a time slot of the aggregated set of time slots before the measurement gap, the client device may obtain information about the number of time slots in which transmission of the data packet is to continue. If the client device determines that at least one of the remaining timeslots of the aggregated set of timeslots conflicts with a measurement gap, it may skip the measurement gap and continue to receive the data packet.

Likewise, after receiving a grant to send a data packet in an aggregated set of time slots, the client device may skip a measurement gap and send the data packet if the client device determines whether any time slots in the aggregated set of time slots overlap with the measurement gap.

This implementation has the advantage that the client device can receive or transmit the data packet without interruption due to measurement gaps. Thereby, the client device may achieve a better quality of service.

In one implementation form of the client device according to the second aspect, the data packet is associated with an ultra-reliable low-latency communication service.

This implementation form has the advantage that the client device can achieve a trade-off between measurement report quality and delay-free reception/transmission of high priority data packets.

In one implementation form of the client device according to the second aspect, the first control message is obtained using at least one of:

the radio resource control signaling is sent to the mobile station,

a medium access control-control element, and

and downlink control information.

This implementation form provides the flexibility to semi-statistically or dynamically acquire the first control message depending on the available control channel resources.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects are achieved by a method for a network access node, the method comprising:

The method according to the third aspect may be extended to implementations corresponding to the implementations of the network access node according to the first aspect. An implementation form of the method therefore comprises the features of a corresponding implementation form of the network access node.

The advantages of the method according to the third aspect are the same as the advantages of the corresponding implementation form of the network access node according to the first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects are achieved by a method for a client device, comprising:

The method according to the fourth aspect may be extended to an implementation form corresponding to the implementation form of the client device according to the second aspect. An implementation form of the method therefore comprises the features of a corresponding implementation form of the client device.

The advantages of the method according to the fourth aspect are the same as the advantages of the corresponding implementation form of the client device according to the second aspect.

The invention also relates to a computer program, characterized in comprising program code which, when run by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform any of the methods according to embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the invention relates to a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and the computer program, wherein the computer program is comprised in the computer readable medium and comprises one or more of the group of: read-only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), flash memory, Electrically Erasable PROM (EEPROM), and hard drives.

Further applications and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification:

fig. 1 illustrates a network access node according to an embodiment of the invention;

figure 2 illustrates a method for a network access node according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a client device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for a client device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 illustrates a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 shows a timeline for multi-slot transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The new air interface (NR) is designed to support mainly three types of services: enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), mass machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). URLLC services have very stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements on user plane delay and reliability.

In NR, to meet the strict delay and reliability requirements of URLLC services, it is common to transmit URLLC data in the downlink using minislot (resource mapping type B) and multi-slot transmission with an aggregation factor greater than 1. The slot in NR is defined as 14 OFDM symbols. For example, one micro-slot includes 2, 4, or 7 symbols. The minislots are contained in slots of 14 symbols. A 14 symbol slot may contain a plurality of minislots. When the UE is configured with multi-slot transmission, the same symbol allocation is applied across multiple consecutive 14-symbol slots, where the number of consecutive slots is determined by the aggregation factor. The UE may desire to repeat the transport block with the same symbol allocation between each of a plurality of consecutive 14-symbol slots. The symbol allocation in each of the 14 symbol slots may occupy one minislot (2, 4 or 7 OFDM symbols) or 14 symbols. Different redundancy versions to be applied across symbol allocations in a slot of 14 consecutive symbols are predefined. In downlink, for multi-slot transmission, Downlink Control Information (DCI) is transmitted only in the first 14-symbol slot of the multi-slot transmission to reduce signaling overhead. Even though the current NR specification limits the slot aggregation feature to be applied across 14 symbol slots, in future versions of the NR specification, slot aggregation using symbol allocations occupying minislots may occur within 14 symbol slots, and the embodiments proposed by the present invention are equally applicable in this scenario.

When multi-slot transmission is used, the initial transmissions and/or the corresponding repetitions of the transmissions associated with URLLC data may collide, i.e., overlap in time, with measurement gaps that result in QoS degradation for URLLC services. For example, assume that URLLC data arrives at a network access node and should be transmitted using a multi-slot transmission with an aggregation factor set to 3. Further assume that URLLC data transmission in the third time slot collides with the measurement gap. According to the current 3GPP Medium Access Control (MAC) specification TS 38.321. During the measurement gap, the UE may not receive data in the downlink, and during the measurement gap, the network access node may not transmit data. In a possible first scenario, the network access node may skip the URLLC data transmission in the third time slot. In this case, the UE receives only two transmissions of URLLC data in the first two time slots before the measurement gap, and thus receives URLLC data with lower reliability. Further, at the beginning of the measurement gap, the counter associated with counting the number of slots of the multi-slot (slot aggregation) transmission is reset to 0. In a possible second scenario, the network access node may delay URLLC data transmission in the third time slot until after the measurement gap. That is, the third transmission associated with the multi-slot transmission of data is performed in a slot following the measurement gap. In this case, the delay requirement for URLLC data may be violated. Note that in the second case, the counter associated with counting the number of slots of a multi-slot (slot aggregation) transmission should pause during the measurement gap (after the first two slots are received) and resume counting after the measurement gap.

Thus, in conventional wireless communication systems, data arriving for downlink transmission or scheduled for downlink transmission during a measurement gap may not meet delay and/or reliability requirements. This may cause problems for services with strict delay and/or reliability requirements, such as URLLC services. One possible solution may be that the network access node configures the measurement gaps so that they do not overlap with URLLC transmission occasions. However, for sporadic URLLC data arrivals, it may not be possible to obtain a priori knowledge of the URLLC data arrival pattern and select the appropriate measurement gap configuration.

The present invention therefore proposes a mechanism by which data may be transmitted by a network access node and received by a UE during a measurement gap.

Fig. 1 shows a network access node 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the network access node 100 comprises a processor 102, a transceiver 104 and a memory 106. The processor 102 is coupled to the transceiver 104 and the memory 106 by a communication device 108 as is known in the art. The network access node 100 may be used for wireless and wired communications in wireless and wired communication systems, respectively. The wireless communication capability is provided by an antenna or antenna array 110 coupled to the transceiver 104, while the wired communication capability is provided by a wired communication interface 112 coupled to the transceiver 104.

In the present invention, the network access node 100 being arranged to perform certain actions may be understood to mean that the network access node 100 comprises suitable means, such as a processor 102 and a transceiver 104, for performing said actions.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the network access node 100 is configured to provide a first control message 510 to the client device 300 (see fig. 5). The first control message 510 includes information instructing the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. The first control message 510 may be provided to the client device 300 when the client device 300 is configured with a measurement gap. Accordingly, the first control message 510 may instruct the client device 300 to skip one or more of the configured measurement gaps.

Fig. 2 shows a flow diagram of a corresponding method 200 that may be performed in, for example, the network access node 100 shown in fig. 1. The method 200 includes providing 202 a first control message 510 to the client device 300. The first control message 510 includes information instructing the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap.

Fig. 3 shows a client device 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, client device 300 includes a processor 302, a transceiver 304, and a memory 306. The processor 302 is coupled to the transceiver 304 and the memory 306 by a communication device 308 as is known in the art. The client device 300 further comprises an antenna or antenna array 310 coupled to the transceiver 304, which means that the client device 300 is used for wireless communication in a wireless communication system.

In the present invention, the use of the client device 300 for performing certain actions may be understood to mean that the client device 300 includes suitable means, such as a processor 302 and a transceiver 304, for performing the described actions.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the client device 300 is configured to obtain the first control message 510 from the network access node 100 when the client device 300 is configured with a measurement gap. The first control message 510 includes information instructing the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. The client device 300 is further configured to skip at least one measurement gap in accordance with the information in the first control message 510.

Fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of a corresponding method 400 that may be performed in, for example, the client device 300 shown in fig. 3. The method 400 comprises, when the client device 300 is configured with a measurement gap, obtaining 402 a first control message 510 from the network access node 100. The first control message 510 includes information instructing the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. The method 400 further includes skipping 404 at least one measurement gap based on the information in the first control message 510.

Fig. 5 illustrates a wireless communication system 500 according to one implementation. The wireless communication system 500 comprises a network access node 100 and a client device 300 for operation in the wireless communication system 500. For simplicity, the wireless communication system 500 shown in fig. 5 includes only one network access node 100 and one client device 300. However, the wireless communication system 500 may include any number of network access nodes 100 and any number of client devices 300 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the network access node 100 may configure the client device 300 to skip the measurement gap by providing a first control message 510 to the client device 300. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the network access node 100 provides the first control message 510 to the client device 300 by sending the first control message 510 to the client device 300. The first Control message 510 may be transmitted by the network Access node 100 and thus obtained/received by the client device 300 using at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Media Access Control-Control element (MAC CE) and Downlink Control Information (DCI). In other words, the first control message 510 may be included in an existing signaling message or element. The first control message 510 may be provided semi-statistically in an RRC message or dynamically in a MAC-CE or DCI, e.g., depending on the available control channel resources.

In an embodiment, the first control message 510 may also be specified in a specification/standard and predefined or preconfigured, for example, in the client device 300. In this case, certain types of client devices 300, e.g., client devices 300 that support some types of services such as URLLC services, may be predefined or preconfigured to skip one or more measurement gaps when they are ready to receive data during the one or more measurement gaps.

The first control message 510 includes information instructing the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the client device 300 has been configured with measurement gaps by the network access node 100 or another network access node using known procedures before receiving the first control message 510. Thus, when the client device 300 is configured with a measurement gap, the client device 300 receives the first control message 510 from the network access node 100. Based on the information in the first control message 510, the client device 300 skips at least one measurement gap, e.g., one or more measurement gaps of the configured set of measurement gaps. In the present invention, the client device 300 skipping the measurement gap may be understood to mean that the client device 300 does not make measurements during the measurement gap. Thus, during the skipped measurement gap, the client device 300 ignores the measurement configuration of the measurement gap and does not make measurements according to the measurement configuration. Thus, the duration of the measurement gap may be used for other tasks, which may have a higher priority than taking measurements.

The first control message 510 may also include information instructing the client device 300 to receive data packets during the skipped measurement gap. In this case, the network access node 100 may send a data packet to the client device 300 during the measurement gap. The data packets may correspond to data associated with a transport block. When multi-slot transmission is used, the transport block may be repeated with the same symbol allocation in a plurality of consecutive slots having different redundancy versions applied across the symbol allocations in the consecutive slots. Further, according to the information in the first control message 510, the client device 300 may receive a data packet from the network access node 100 during the measurement gap.

In an embodiment, a configuration parameter is introduced which the network access node 100 may use to configure the client device 300 to skip and/or receive data packets during the measurement gap. The configuration parameters may, for example, determine whether the client device 300 may receive data packets from the network access node 100 during the measurement gap. In such embodiments, the information included in the first control message 510 may be information that sets or activates/enables configuration parameters. When the client device 300 has been configured with configuration parameters, e.g. has received the first control message 510 from the network access node 100, the client device 300 may receive data packets from the network access node 100 during the measurement gap.

The data packets received during the measurement gap may be associated with URLLC service according to the information in the first control message 510. The URLLC service may be associated with URLLC applications that sporadically generate data. For URLLC applications with periodic traffic patterns, network access node 100 may configure measurement gaps to not conflict with data transmission and/or reception. However, for URLLC applications with sporadic traffic patterns, network access node 100 may be unable to configure measurement gaps that do not conflict with data transmission and/or reception. Thus, for URLLC applications with sporadic traffic patterns, downlink URLLC data arrivals may conflict with measurement gaps.

According to embodiments of the present invention, when sending data packets to the client device 300 using multi-slot transmission, the network access node 100 may configure the client device 300 to receive data packets during a measurement gap. In multi-slot transmission, the same data packet may be repeated using different redundancy versions in a number of consecutive slots, where the number of consecutive slots may be determined by an aggregation factor associated with the multi-slot transmission. In other words, the data packet may be transmitted using an aggregated set of time slots, where the aggregated set of time slots includes a plurality of consecutive time slots aggregated based on an aggregation of time slots greater than an aggregation factor.

As previously described, the network access node 100 uses the first control message 510 to configure the client device 300 to receive data packets during the measurement gap. Upon determining that a data packet should be sent to the client device 300 using multi-slot transmission (aggregation of slots greater than one aggregation factor), the network access node 100 determines a set of aggregated slots for transmission of the data packet. The network access node 100 sends a data packet in a time slot of the aggregated set of time slots before a measurement gap, e.g., an initial time slot of the aggregated set of time slots. The network access node 100 may send data packets in other time slots before the measurement gap according to the time period between the initial time slot and the measurement gap of the aggregated set of time slots, as described below with reference to fig. 6. The network access node 100 also determines or derives or infers that sending a data packet in the remaining time slots of the aggregated set of time slots collides with a measurement gap. Collisions here are understood to mean that the transmission of data packets in the remaining time slots overlaps in time with the measurement gaps, i.e. the transmission of data packets in the remaining time slots will occur during the measurement gaps. The network access node 100 may determine the collision by comparing the timing of the transmission during the aggregate set of time slots to the timing of the measurement gap configured for the client device 300. Timing information associated with transmission and measurement gaps during the set of aggregated time slots is known to the network access node 100 or may be obtained by the network access node 100. Based on the comparison of the timing information, the network access node 100 may determine that a collision, i.e., a transmission in one of the slots of the aggregated set of slots, will overlap in time with one of the measurement gaps configured for the client device 300.

After determining the collision, the network access node 100 may determine whether the data packet should be sent in the remaining time slot. The network access node 100 may make this determination based on, for example, the type of service associated with the data packet. For example, if the data packet is associated with a low latency service, such as a URLLC service, the network access node 100 may determine to send the data packet in the remaining time slot. On the other hand, if the data packet is not associated with a low latency service, e.g., an eMBB service, the network access node 100 may determine not to send the data packet in the remaining time slot. The type of service associated with the data packet may be determined, for example, based on the DCI associated with the data packet or based on the logical channel through which the data packet is generated.

Based on the determination of collision and optionally the determination that the data packet should be sent in the remaining time slot, the network access node 100 sends the data packet in the remaining time slot during the measurement gap. Thus, the network access node 100 may continue to transmit data packets in all consecutive slots of the aggregated set of slots despite the remaining slots of the aggregated set of slots colliding with the measurement gap. Further, after providing the first control message to the client device 300, and optionally based on a determination that the data packet should be sent in the remaining time slot, the counter at the network access node 100 associated with counting time slots of the multi-slot transmission is not suspended during the measurement gap, thus continuing to count time slots sent during the measurement gap.

When receiving a data packet in a multi-slot transmission from the network access node 100, the client device 300 receives the data packet according to the information in the first control message 510. Thus, prior to the measurement gap, the client device 300 receives the data packet in a slot of the aggregate set of slots. The client device 300 also determines or derives or infers that receiving the data packet in the remaining time slots of the aggregate set of time slots conflicts with the measurement gap. The client device 300 determines the collision based on timing information associated with transmissions and measurement gaps in the set of aggregated time slots, as described above for the network access node 100. The client device 300 may obtain/derive timing information associated with transmissions in the set of aggregated slots from the transmission of the data packet in the initial slot of the set of aggregated slots by, for example, decoding the DCI. Timing information associated with the measurement gap is configured in the client device 300 and is therefore known to the client device 300.

After determining the collision, client device 300 may further determine whether the data packet should be received in the remaining time slot. The client device 300 may make this determination based on, for example, the type of service associated with the data packet. For example, if the data packet is associated with a low latency service, such as a URLLC service, the client device 300 may determine to receive the data packet in the remaining time slot. On the other hand, if the data packet is not associated with a low latency service, e.g., an eMBB service, the client device 300 may determine not to receive the data packet in the remaining time slot. The type of service associated with the data packet may be determined, for example, based on the DCI associated with the data packet.

Based on the determination of the collision and optionally the determination that the data packet should be received in the remaining time slot, the client device 300 receives the data packet in the remaining time slot during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510. In this way, the client device 300 may continue to receive transmissions of data packets in all slots of the aggregate set of slots despite the remaining slots of the aggregate set of slots colliding with the measurement gap. Further, after obtaining the first control message from the network access node 100, and optionally based on a determination that the data packet should be received in the remaining time slot, the counter at the client device 300 associated with counting time slots of the multi-slot transmission is not suspended during the measurement gap, thus continuing to count time slots transmitted during the measurement gap.

Fig. 6 shows a timeline for multi-slot transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the network access node 100 has configured the client device 300 to expect to receive data from the network access node 100 during the measurement gap by sending a first control message 510 to the client device 300 (not shown in fig. 6). At time instance t0, the packet arrives at network access node 100. The network access node 100 determines that data packets sent to the client device 300 should be transmitted using micro-and multi-slot transmissions with an aggregation factor set to three. Thus, the packet is scheduled to be sent in an aggregate set of timeslots including the first minislot MS1, the second minislot MS2, and the third minislot MS 3. As shown in fig. 6, three minislots MS1, MS2, and MS3 are located in three consecutive slots, and each minislot occupies a portion of a 14-symbol slot. The network access node 100 transmits the data packet in the first micro-slot MS1 in a first time interval T1. Although the network access node 100 determines that the transmission opportunity of the third micro-slot MS3 collides with the measurement gap in the third time interval T3, the network access node 100 continues to transmit data packets to the client device 300. Thus, the network access node 100 transmits data packets in the second micro-slot MS2 in a second time interval T2 before the measurement gap and transmits data packets in the third micro-slot MS3 in a third time interval T3 during the measurement gap.

When the client device 300 receives a data packet in the first micro-slot MS1, the client device 300 detects that the data packet is part of a multi-slot transmission, for example, by decoding DCI associated with the data transmission. As previously described, the client device 300 also determines that the transmission opportunity of the third micro-slot MS3 in the third time interval T3 collides with the measurement gap based on the timing information. Thus, the client device 300 skips the measurement gap and instead receives the data packet in the third minislot MS 3.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the data packet is sent in two minislots MS1, MS2 before the measurement gap. However, depending on the number of slots in the aggregate set of slots, the transmission time of the slots, and the measurement gap interval and duration, any number of slots in the aggregate set of slots may be transmitted before the measurement gap. Furthermore, when the measurement gap length is greater than the slot length, more than one data transmission may collide with the same measurement gap.

In one embodiment, the first and second micro-slot MS1 and MS2 may be transmitted in a single 14 symbol slot and during a first time interval T1. The third minislot MS3 may be in a second 14-symbol slot that collides with the measurement gap during a second time interval T2. Information relating to the location of the aggregated minislots is transmitted to the client device 300 by the network access node 100, for example using DCI. Although the network access node 100 determines that the transmission opportunity of the third micro-slot MS3 collides with the measurement gap in the second time interval T2, the network access node 100 continues to transmit data packets to the client device 300. Thus, the network access node 100 transmits data packets in the first and second micro-slot MS1, 2 in a first time interval T1 before the measurement gap and in the third micro-slot MS3 in a second time interval T2 during the measurement gap.

When the client device 300 receives a data packet in the first micro-slot MS1, the client device 300 detects that the data packet is part of a multi-slot transmission, for example, by decoding DCI associated with the data transmission. As previously described, the client device 300 also determines that the transmission opportunity of the third micro-slot MS3 in the second time interval T2 collides with the measurement gap based on the timing information. Thus, the client device 300 skips the measurement gap and instead receives the data packet in the third minislot MS 3.

Even though various embodiments of the present invention describe aspects related to data reception in the downstream at the client device 300 during the measurement gap, those skilled in the art may equally apply the principles of the present invention to data transmission in the upstream from the client device 300 during the measurement gap. That is, the network access node 100 may be configured to provide the first control message 510 to the client device 300. The first control message 510 includes information instructing the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap.

The first control message 510 may also include information instructing the client device 300 to send data packets during the skipped measurement gaps. As such, the network access node 100 may receive a data packet from the client device 300 during the measurement gap. The data packets may correspond to data associated with a transport block. Further, according to the information in the first control message 510, the client device 300 may send a data packet to the network access node 100 during the measurement gap.

The data packets sent from the client device 300 during the measurement gap may be associated with URLLC service according to the information in the first control message 510.

According to an embodiment of the invention, when sending data packets from the client device 300 using multi-slot transmission, the network access node 100 may configure the client device 300 to send data packets upstream during the measurement gap.

The network access node 100 uses the first control message 510 to configure the client device 300 to send data packets during the measurement gap. Upon providing upstream authorization from the client device 300 associated with multi-slot transmission in the upstream (aggregation of slots by more than one aggregation factor), the network access node 100 determines a set of aggregated slots for receiving data packets. The network access node 100 also determines or derives or infers that receiving the data packet in at least one of the time slots of the aggregated set of time slots collides with a measurement gap. After determining the collision, the network access node 100 decides to receive a data packet from the client device during the multi-slot transmission. Thus, the network access node 100 receives the data packet in at least one time slot during the measurement gap.

When sending a data packet in a multi-slot transmission to the network access node 100, the client device 300 sends the data packet according to the information in the first control message 510. After obtaining the uplink grant associated with the multi-slot transmission in the uplink, the client device 300 also determines or derives or infers that sending the data packet in at least one slot of the aggregate set of slots conflicts with the measurement gap. The client device 300 determines the conflict based on timing information associated with the set of aggregated slots and the measurement gap. Based on the determination of the collision and according to the information in the first control message 510, the client device 300 sends the data packet in all slots of the aggregated set of slots, i.e. in consecutive slots, by skipping the measurement gap.

The client device 300 may be referred to herein as a User Equipment (UE), a mobile station, an internet of things (IoT) device, a sensor device, a wireless terminal, and/or a mobile terminal, and is capable of wireless communication in a wireless communication system, sometimes referred to as a cellular wireless system. The UE may also be referred to as a mobile phone, cellular phone, tablet or laptop with wireless capabilities. In this case, the UE may be, for example, a portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted mobile device capable of voice and/or data communication with another entity, such as another receiver or server, via the wireless access network. The UE may be a Station (STA), which is any device that contains a Medium Access Control (MAC) compliant with the IEEE 802.11 specification and a physical layer (PHY) interface to the Wireless Medium (WM). The UE may also be used for communication in LTE and LTE-advanced related to 3GPP, in WiMAX and its evolution, and in fifth generation wireless technologies such as new air interface.

The network access node 100 herein may also be denoted as a radio network access node, access point or base station, e.g. a Radio Base Station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as a transmitter, "gbb", "gdnodeb", "eNB", "eNodeB", "NodeB" or "BB node", depending on the technology and terminology used. The wireless network access nodes may be of different classes, such as macro, home or pico base stations, based on transmission power and cell size. A wireless network access node may be a Station (STA), which is any device that contains a Medium Access Control (MAC) compliant with the IEEE 802.11 specification and a physical layer (PHY) interface to the Wireless Medium (WM). The wireless network access node may also be a base station corresponding to a fifth generation (5G) wireless system.

In addition, any of the methods according to embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a computer program having code means which, when run by processing means, causes the processing means to perform the method steps. The computer program is embodied in a computer readable medium of a computer program product. The computer-readable medium may include substantially any memory, such as ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), flash memory, EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory), and a hard disk drive.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art realize that embodiments of the network access node 300 and the client device 100 comprise necessary communication capabilities, e.g. in the form of functions, means, units, elements, etc. for performing the solution. Examples of other such devices, units, elements and functions are: processors, memories, buffers, control logic, encoders, decoders, rate matchers, de-rate matchers, mapping units, multipliers, decision units, selection units, switches, interleavers, de-interleavers, modulators, demodulators, inputs, outputs, antennas, amplifiers, receiver units, transmitter units, DSPs, MSDs, TCM encoders, TCM decoders, power supply units, power feeders, communication interfaces, communication protocols, etc., suitably arranged together to perform the solution.

In particular, the processors of network access node 100 and client device 300 may comprise, for example, one or more instances of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), processing unit, processing circuit, processor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), microprocessor, or other processing logic that may interpret and execute instructions. The term "processor" may thus refer to a processing circuit that includes a plurality of processing circuits, examples of which are any, some, or all of the items listed above. The processing circuitry may further perform data processing functions: input, output, and process data, including data buffering and device control functions, such as call processing control, user interface control, and the like.

Finally, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but relates to and incorporates all embodiments within the scope of the appended independent claims.

Claims

1. A network access node (100) for a wireless communication system (500), characterized in that the network access node

The point (100) comprises a processor (102) and a transceiver (104);

the processor (102) is configured to provide a first control message (510) to a client device (300), wherein the first control message (510) comprises information instructing the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap; the first control message (510) further comprises information instructing the client device (300) to receive or transmit a data packet during the measurement gap;

the transceiver (104) is configured to transmit data packets to the client device (300) during the measurement gap or receive data packets from the client device (300) during the measurement gap;

the processor (102) is configured to perform at least one of:

providing an upstream grant to receive the data packet from the client device (300) in a second set of aggregation timeslots;

receiving the data packet in the time slot during the measurement gap.

2. The network access node (100) of claim 1, wherein the data packet is associated with a hyper-variable

With low latency communication service association.

3. Network access node (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least the following are used

Providing the first control message (510) to the client device (300):

the radio resource control signaling is sent in a radio resource control,

a medium access control-control element, and

and downlink control information.

4. A client device (300) for a wireless communication system (500), characterized in that the client device

(300) Comprising a processor (302) and a transceiver (304);

the transceiver (304) is configured to obtain a first control message (510) from a network access node (100), wherein the first control message is transmitted via a first transmission channel

The first control message (510) comprises information instructing the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap; the first control message (510) further comprises information instructing the client device (300) to receive or transmit a data packet during the measurement gap;

the processor (302) is configured to skip at least one measurement gap in accordance with the information in the first control message (510);

the transceiver (304) is configured to receive data packets from the network access node (100) during the measurement gap or to transmit data packets to the network access node (100) during the measurement gap;

the processor (302) is configured to perform at least one of:

receiving the data packet in the remaining time slot during the measurement gap;

5. The client device (300) of claim 4, wherein the data packet is associated with an ultra-reliable packet

Low latency communication services.

6. The client device (300) of claim 4 or 5, wherein the client device is configured to perform the method

The first control message (510) is obtained using at least one of:

the radio resource control signaling is sent to the mobile station,

a medium access control-control element, and

and downlink control information.

7. A method (200) for a network access node (100), the method (200) comprising:

providing (202) a first control message (510) to a client device (300), wherein the first control message (510) comprises information instructing the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap

The first control message (510) further comprises instructing the client device (300) to receive during the measurement gap

Or transmit information of a data packet, wherein the network access node (100) is configured to:

transmitting data packets to the client device (300) during the measurement gap or receiving data packets from the client device (300) during the measurement gap;

the network access node is configured to perform at least one of:

receiving the data packet in the time slot during the measurement gap.

8. A method (400) for a client device (300), the method (400) comprising:

obtaining (402) a first control message (510) from a network access node (100), wherein the first control message (510) comprises information instructing the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap;

-skipping (404) at least one measurement gap in accordance with the information in the first control message (510);

Or transmit a data packet, wherein the client device (300) is configured to:

receiving data packets from the network access node (100) during the measurement gap or sending data packets to the network access node (100) during the measurement gap;

the client device is configured to perform at least one of:

9. Computer program having a program code for performing the method according to claim 7 or 8, when the computer program runs on a computer.

10. A communication system comprising a network access node according to any of claims 1-3 and a client device according to any of claims 4-6.