CN115088290A - Inter-radio access technology cell measurement - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of an apparatus and method for inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) cell measurement are disclosed. In one example, a request to measure a cell of a second RAT is received using a first RAT. It is determined whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met. The first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device. In the mode, the terminal device supports the second RAT dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. The condition is independent of measuring cells of the second RAT. Skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

Description

Inter-radio access technology cell measurement

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present disclosure claims priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/967,462 entitled "UE POWER saving in LTE RRC IDLE SCENARIO WITH NR MEASUREMENT (UE POWER SAVING IN LTE RRC IDLE capability WITH NR MEASUREMENT)" filed on 29/1/2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for wireless communication.

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Radio Access Technology (RAT) is the basic physical connection method for Radio-based communication networks. Many modern end devices (e.g., Mobile devices) support multiple RATs in one device, such as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), or New Radio (NR) Generation (5th-Generation, 5G). The mobile device performs inter-RAT (inter-RAT) neighbor cell measurements and sends measurement reports to the network while using RAT connectivity. Based on measurement reports provided by the mobile device, the network may initiate a handover from one RAT to another.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of an apparatus and method for inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) cell measurement are disclosed herein.

In one example, an apparatus is disclosed that includes at least one processor and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to receive a request to measure a cell of a second RAT using a first RAT. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to determine whether a first criterion and a second criterion are satisfied. The first criterion is based on a mode of the apparatus. In the mode, the apparatus supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. The condition is independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to skip measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first criterion and the second criterion being met.

In another example, a method for wireless communication is disclosed, implemented by a terminal device. A request to measure a cell of a second RAT is received using a first RAT. It is determined whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met. The first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device. In the mode, the terminal device supports the second RAT dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. The condition is independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT. Skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

In yet another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is disclosed that is encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a terminal device, perform a process. The process includes receiving, using a first RAT, a request to measure a cell of a second RAT. The process further includes determining whether a first criterion and a second criterion are satisfied. The first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device. In the mode, the terminal device supports the second RAT dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. The condition is independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT. The process further includes skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first criterion and the second criterion being met.

In yet another example, an apparatus is disclosed that includes a request receiving module, a criterion determining module, and a measuring module. The request receiving module is configured to receive a request to measure a cell of a second RAT using a first RAT. The criterion determination module is configured to determine whether a first criterion and a second criterion are satisfied. The first criterion is based on a mode of the apparatus. In the mode, the apparatus supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. The condition is independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT. The measurement module is configured to skip measurement of cells of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the disclosure.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example wireless network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example multi-RAT wireless network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate example use cases of inter-RAT cell measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example terminal device for inter-RAT cell measurements, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a detailed block diagram of an exemplary criteria determination module of the terminal device shown in fig. 4, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6A and 6B illustrate example signaling patterns in inter-RAT cell measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for inter-RAT cell measurements, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8A and 8B illustrate example timing diagrams for inter-RAT cell measurements, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an example node, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT (S) OF INVENTION

While specific configurations and arrangements are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other configurations and arrangements can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that the present disclosure may also be used in a variety of other applications.

It should be noted that references in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," "some embodiments," and "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the relevant art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

In general, terms may be understood at least in part from the context in which they are used. For example, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or may be used to describe a feature, structure, or combination of features in the plural, depending, at least in part, on the context. Similarly, terms such as "a," "an," or "the" may also be understood to refer to a singular use or to a plural use, again depending at least in part on the context. Further, the term "based on" may be understood to not necessarily be intended to convey an exclusive set of factors, but may allow for the presence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again depending at least in part on the context.

Various aspects of a wireless communication system will now be described with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods are described in the following detailed description and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, units, components, circuits, steps, operations, procedures, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, firmware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication networks, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. The CDMA network may implement a RAT, such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), CDMA 2000, and so on. A TDMA network may implement a RAT, such as GSM. The OFDMA network may implement a RAT, such as LTE or NR. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and RATs described above, as well as other wireless networks and RATs.

In some multi-RAT networks, a user equipment connects to more than one type of wireless communication network, and the user equipment performs inter-RAT cell measurements in response to requests received from the network. For example, in an LTE-NR dual RAT network, when a user equipment is in an IDLE state (e.g., LTE RRC IDLE), an LTE base station may configure the user equipment to periodically perform NR neighbor cell measurements, which may result in additional power consumption by the user equipment in the IDLE state.

Some user equipment may adjust the measurement rate based on certain criteria (e.g., the speed of the user equipment). For example, when the speed of the user equipment is low, NR neighbor cell measurement may be performed less frequently. The NR neighbor cell measurement may be performed more frequently when the speed of the user equipment is higher. By performing NR cell measurements at a slower rate, power consumption may be reduced. However, such a solution can only reduce power consumption in certain situations, but cannot eliminate power consumption due to unnecessary measurements. Furthermore, for some user equipment that benefit from NR cell measurements, performing measurements at a slower rate may impact the user experience. For example, the cell reselection time may be extended, or the user equipment may display the 4G icon even within a 5G coverage area.

Various embodiments according to the present disclosure provide a set of criteria that help a user device decide whether it is beneficial to perform the following operations: performing inter-RAT cell measurements and skipping those unnecessary measurements despite a request from the network. For example, for some user equipments that cannot operate in an NR standalone networking operation mode (NR stand alone operation mode) or user equipments that do not use NR measurements to switch the 5G icon display, the NR cell measurement result may be useless for LTE RRC _ IDLE state operation. In some embodiments, the user equipment may skip cell measurements of the other RAT in response to whether two criteria are met, wherein one criterion is based on the operating mode of the user equipment and the other criterion is based on the operator's and/or manufacturer's conditions for triggering events associated with the other RAT. Thus, additional power consumption due to unnecessary inter-RAT measurements may be eliminated, thereby extending battery life and improving end user experience without any performance loss.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example wireless network 100 in which some aspects of the disclosure may be implemented, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, wireless network 100 may include a network of nodes including, for example, User Equipment (UE)102, access nodes 104, and core network elements 106. The user device 102 may be any terminal device, such as a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a Vehicle computer, a game console, a printer, a positioning device, a wearable electronic device, a smart sensor, or any other device capable of receiving, processing, and transmitting information, such as any member of a Vehicle to entertainment (V2X) network, a cluster network, a smart grid node, or an Internet of Things (IoT) node. It should be understood that the user device 102 is shown as a mobile telephone for illustration only and not for limitation.

The access Node 104 may be a device that communicates with the user equipment 102, such as a wireless access point, a Base Station (BS), a Node B (Node B), an Enhanced Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a Next-generation Node B (gnnodeb or gNB), a cluster master Node, and so on. The access node 104 may have a wired connection to the user device 102, a wireless connection to the user device 102, or any combination thereof. The access node 104 may connect to the user equipment 102 through multiple connections, and the user equipment 102 may connect to the access node 104 as well as other access nodes. The access node 104 may also be connected to other user equipment. It should be understood that access node 104 is shown as a wireless tower for illustration and not limitation.

The core network element 106 may serve the access node 104 and the user equipment 102 to provide core network services. Examples of the core Network element 106 may include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (SGW), or a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW). These are examples of Core network elements of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) system, which is the Core network of an LTE system. Other core network elements may be used in LTE and other communication systems. In some embodiments, the core network element 106 comprises an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) device, a Session Management Function (SMF) device, or a User Plane Function (UPF) device in the core network of the NR system. It is to be appreciated that the core network element 106 is shown as a set of rack-mounted servers for illustration and not limitation.

The core network element 106 may be connected to a large network, such as the Internet 108 or other Internet Protocol (IP) network, for transmitting packet data between any distances. In this manner, data from user device 102 may be transferred to other user devices connected to other access points, including, for example, computer 110 connected to internet 108 through a wired or wireless connection, or tablet 112 wirelessly connected to internet 108 through router 114. Thus, computer 110 and tablet 112 provide additional examples of possible user devices, and router 114 provides an example of another possible access node.

A general example of a rack-mounted server is provided as an illustration of the core network element 106. However, there may be multiple elements in the core network, including database servers (e.g., database 116), and security and authentication servers (e.g., authentication server 118). For example, the database 116 may manage data related to a user's subscription to network services. A Home Location Register (HLR) is an example of a standardized database of subscriber information for a cellular network. Likewise, authentication server 118 may handle authentication of users, sessions, and the like. In the NR system, an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) device may be a specific entity that performs Authentication of a user equipment. In some embodiments, a single server rack may handle multiple such functions, such that the connections between the core network elements 106, the authentication server 118, and the database 116 may be local connections within the single rack.

As described in detail below, in some embodiments, in an IDLE state (e.g., LTE RRC IDLE), when a set of criteria is met, the user equipment 102 ignores requests for inter-RAT cell measurements (e.g., NR neighbor cell measurements) from the access node 104 and skips the inter-RAT cell measurements to avoid unnecessary power consumption.

Each of the elements of fig. 1 may be considered a node of wireless network 100. More details on possible implementations of the node are provided as an example in the description of node 900 in fig. 9. The node 900 may be configured as the user equipment 102, the access node 104 or the core network element 106 in fig. 1. Similarly, node 900 may also be configured as computer 110, router 114, tablet 112, database 116, or authentication server 118 in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 9, node 900 may include a processor 902, a memory 904, a transceiver 906. These components are shown as being interconnected by a bus, but it is also possible to interconnect these components by other connection types. When node 900 is user device 102, additional components may also be included, such as User Interfaces (UIs), sensors, and the like. Similarly, when node 900 is configured as a core network element 106, node 900 may be implemented as a blade (blade) in a server system. Other implementations are also possible.

The transceiver 906 may include any suitable device for transmitting and/or receiving data. Node 900 may include one or more transceivers, although only one transceiver 906 is shown for simplicity of illustration. Antenna 908 is shown as a possible communication mechanism for node 900. Multiple antennas and/or antenna arrays may be used. Additionally, examples of node 900 may communicate using wired techniques rather than (or in addition to) wireless techniques. For example, the access node 104 may communicate wirelessly with the user equipment 102 and may communicate with the core network element 106 over a wired connection (e.g., over fiber optic or coaxial cables). Other communication hardware, such as a Network Interface Card (NIC), may also be included.

As shown in fig. 9, node 900 may include a processor 902. Although only one processor is shown, it will be understood that multiple processors may be included. The Processor 902 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Application-specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), state machine, Gate control Logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. The processor 902 may be a hardware device having one or more processing cores. The processor 902 may execute software. Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Software may include computer instructions written in an interpreted language, a compiled language, or machine code. Other techniques for indicating hardware are also permitted under a broad category of software.

As shown in fig. 9, node 900 may also include memory 904. While only one memory is shown, it is to be understood that multiple memories may be included. The memory 904 may broadly include memory and storage. For example, Memory 904 may include Random-access Memory (RAM), Read-only Memory (ROM), static RAM (sram), dynamic RAM (dram), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical Disk storage, Hard Disk Drive (HDD) (e.g., magnetic Disk storage or other magnetic storage devices), flash Memory Drive, Solid-state Drive (SSD), or any other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions that may be accessed and executed by processor 902. Broadly speaking, the memory 904 can be implemented by any computer-readable media, such as non-transitory computer-readable media.

In some embodiments, processor 902, memory 904, and transceiver 906 of node 900 are implemented (e.g., integrated) on a System-on-chip (SoC). For example, the processor 902, the memory 904, and the transceiver 906 may be integrated on a baseband SoC (also referred to as a modem SoC, or baseband model chipset) that may run an Operating System (OS), such as a Real-time Operating System (RTOS), as its firmware. Various aspects of the disclosure relating to inter-RAT cell measurements may be implemented as software and/or firmware elements in a baseband SoC of the user equipment 102. It should be understood that in some examples, one or more of the software and/or firmware elements may also be implemented as dedicated hardware elements in the SoC. Mapped to LTE layer architecture, the present disclosure may be implemented at the protocol stack layer or the physical layer.

Referring back to fig. 1, in some embodiments, the wireless network 100 may be an inter-RAT wireless network, and the user equipment 102 supports multiple RATs, such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, or NR, in the same device. The user equipment 102 may perform inter-RAT neighbor cell measurements and send measurement reports to the access node 104 while using the first RAT connection. Based on the measurement reports provided by the user equipment 102, the access node 104 may initiate a handover from a first RAT to a second RAT, e.g., a handover from LTE to NR, or a handover from NR to LTE. Once the handover with the second RAT is completed, the channel used by the first RAT may be released. For example, the NR network may support two modes between RATs with LTE, i.e., a stand-alone networking (SA) mode and a Non-stand-alone Networking (NSA) mode. The NR SA mode refers to the use of NR cells for signaling and information transmission, i.e., in the control plane and the user plane. The NR SA mode may include a 5G Core (5G Core, 5GC) architecture, rather than relying on LTE EPC, to allow deployment of NR without LTE network. That is, the terminal device and the NR base station in the SA mode can establish connection and operate without an LTE infrastructure (e.g., EPC). In contrast, the NR NSA mode refers to an option of NR deployment that relies on the control plane of the existing LTE network to implement control functions, while NR focuses only on the user plane.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example multi-RAT wireless network 200, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The multi-RAT wireless network 200 may be an example of the wireless network 100, the wireless network 100 being in an inter-RAT NSA mode for use between LTE and NR. As shown in fig. 2, a multi-RAT wireless network 200 may include a terminal device 202, an LTE base station 204 (e.g., eNB), an NR base station 206 (e.g., gNB), and an LTE EPC 208. Terminal device 202 (e.g., a mobile phone) may be an example of user device 102 of wireless network 100 in fig. 1. LTE base station 204 and NR base station 206 may be examples of access node 104 of wireless network 100 in fig. 1. LTE EPC208 may be an example of core network element 106 of wireless network 100 in fig. 1. In some embodiments, the multi-RAT wireless network 200 is in a multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC) configuration in which a primary access node (e.g., LTE base station 204) serves as a controlling entity, utilizing a secondary access node (e.g., NR base station 206) to obtain additional data capacity.

As shown in fig. 2, a terminal device 202 in NSA mode may camp on or connect to an LTE cell 210, i.e. a first cell of a first RAT. To enable an E-UTRAN-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) configuration, LTE EPC208 may support connection to NR base station 206. The NR base station 206 may be connected to the LTE EPC208 in the user plane (e.g., including SGWs and PGWs), but not in the control plane (e.g., including MMEs). NR base station 206 may also connect to LTE base station 204 to receive requests to activate and deactivate NR bearers. In an EN-DC configuration, terminal device 202 may be connected to both LTE base station 204 and NR base station 206. In some embodiments, LTE base station 204 periodically sends a request to terminal device 202 to measure NR cell 212 (i.e., the second cell of the second RAT) for possible cell reselection.

While in the RRC IDLE state, a user equipment (e.g., terminal device 202) may need to perform inter-RAT measurements on the NR frequency layer to detect candidate NR cells for possible cell reselection, as required by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS)36.133 section 4.2.2.5.6 "measurement of NR cell". In addition to the reasons specified by 3GPP, the operator and/or manufacturer of the user equipment may also decide whether to indicate 5G on the user equipment by the NR measurement, e.g. by displaying a 5G icon on the screen. Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate example use cases of inter-RAT cell measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 3A, inter-RAT NR cell measurements may be beneficial for a terminal device 302 in SA mode to reselect NR cells. Terminal device 302 (example of user device 102 in fig. 1) may camp on an LTE cell of LTE base station 304 (example of access node 104 in fig. 1). By performing inter-RAT cell measurements, e.g., NR neighbor cell measurements, in the RRC _ IDLE state, the terminal device 302 may reselect and camp on an NR cell of an NR base station 306 (another example of an access node 104 in fig. 1). Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3B, inter-RAT NR cell measurements may also be beneficial for terminal devices 308 in NSA mode, in order to indicate the NR-RAT on the terminal device 308. For example, as shown in fig. 3B, some operators or manufacturers of terminal device 308 may require that a 5G icon be displayed on the screen of terminal device 308 when terminal device 308 is camped on an LTE cell and an NR cell is detected. In another example, some operators or manufacturers of user equipment (e.g., terminal 302 in fig. 3A) may require that the 5G icon be displayed only when the terminal equipment 302 in SA mode is camped on an NR cell. In yet another example, some operators or manufacturers of user equipment (e.g., terminal equipment 202 in fig. 2) may require that a 5G icon be displayed when adding an NR-RAT in an EN-DC configuration.

As described above, inter-RAT NR cell measurements may facilitate NR cell reselection or indicate NR-RAT on the user equipment when a NR cell is detected (e.g., by displaying a 5G icon). That is, whether inter-RAT cell measurements are necessary may be determined by evaluating a set of criteria. The set of criteria may include a first criterion based on a mode of the user equipment. In this mode, the user equipment supports a non-NR-RAT dependent NR-RAT. For example, the first criterion is: the user equipment is in NSA mode supporting LTE dependent NR. The set of criteria may also include a second criterion based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the NR-RAT. The condition is independent of NR cell measurements. For example, the second criterion is: the conditions provided by the operator and/or manufacturer of the user equipment for indicating the NR-RAT on the user equipment and the NR cell measurements are not relevant. By evaluating the set of criteria based on the relevant information of the user equipment, inter-RAT cell measurements can be skipped or performed to avoid unnecessary power consumption without compromising user experience and device performance.

As one example of a user equipment implementing the above-described inter-RAT cell measurement scheme, fig. 4 shows a block diagram of an exemplary terminal device 400 for inter-RAT cell measurement according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The terminal device 400 may include a processor 402, a memory 404, and a transceiver 406, the processor 402, the memory 404, and the transceiver 406 may be examples of the processor 902, the memory 904, and the transceiver 906 described in detail above with respect to fig. 9. In some embodiments, some or all of the processor 402, memory 404, and transceiver 406 are integrated on a baseband SoC (also referred to as a modem SoC or baseband model chipset).

As shown in fig. 4, terminal device 400 may include a number of modules implemented as software and/or firmware modules executed by processor 402, including, for example, a state transition module 412, a request receipt module 414, a criterion determination module 416, and a measurement module 418. As described above, the processor 402 may run an operating system, such as an RTOS, that executes instructions stored in the memory 404 (e.g., on-chip RAM) to implement the software and/or firmware modules described above. It will be appreciated that in some examples, one or more of the software and/or firmware modules described above may also be implemented as dedicated hardware elements in a SoC. Mapping to an LTE layer architecture, and the implementation of the modules can be in a protocol stack layer or a physical layer. Terminal device 400 may also include various databases stored in memory 404 (e.g., off-chip RAM or external storage) that store information about the operating mode of terminal device 400 (UE mode 420) and information about event trigger conditions from the operator and/or manufacturer of terminal device 400 (operator/manufacturer conditions 422).

The transceiver 406 may be configured to receive signals from a network (e.g., the access node 104 in fig. 1). In some embodiments, the network is an inter-RAT wireless network having a first RAT (e.g., LTE) and a second RAT (e.g., NR). It should be understood that the first RAT is not limited to LTE and the second RAT is not limited to NR, and that the first RAT and the second RAT may include any other suitable RAT, such as GSM or UMTS for cellular networks, and bluetooth or Wi-Fi for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), and any suitable combination thereof. The terminal device 400 may be camped on an LTE cell of an LTE base station (e.g., eNB) and the transceiver 406 may communicate with the LTE base station, e.g., by receiving Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages and paging messages based on an RRC protocol when the terminal device 400 is in an IDLE state (e.g., RRC IDLE). In some embodiments, transceiver 406 may also communicate with NR base stations (e.g., gnbs), e.g., by transmitting Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) signals for NR cell detection, measurement and measurement reporting, e.g., when terminal device 400 is in SA mode, or when terminal device 400 is in NSA mode and the inter-RAT wireless network is in EN-DC configuration.

The state transition module 412 may be configured to cause the terminal device 400 to enter an idle state. In some embodiments, the terminal device 400 is camped on an LTE CELL using an LTE RAT, and the state transition module 412 implements an RRC protocol in an RRC layer (part of the protocol stack layers) between the terminal device 400 and the LTE base station to change states between various RRC states, such as an IDLE state (e.g., RRC IDLE) and various CONNECTED states (e.g., RRC CONNECTED, CELL _ PCH, CELL _ DCH, CELL _ FACH, and URA _ PCH). For example, 3GPP TS 36.331 provides various ways to transition to RRC IDLE, e.g., through cell reselection or connection release. In some embodiments, the state transition module 412 causes the terminal device 400 to enter RRC IDLE in response to a cell reselection or connection release by monitoring LTE paging messages received by the transceiver 406 in each paging cycle.

The request receiving module 414 may be configured to receive a request to measure a cell of a second RAT using a first RAT. In some embodiments, during the IDLE state (e.g., RRC IDLE), an access node of the first RAT (e.g., an LTE base station) in which the terminal device 400 is camped may send a request to measure a cell of the second RAT (e.g., an NR cell) for possible cell reselection or other purposes. The request receiving module 414 may receive a second RAT cell measurement request (e.g., NR cell measurement), for example, in a paging message that is part of the RRC protocol, while the terminal device 400 is in the idle state.

The criterion determination module 416 may be configured to determine whether a set of criteria is met in order to decide whether to perform or skip the second RAT cell measurement. The set of criteria may include at least two criteria related to a second RAT (e.g., NR). In some embodiments, the first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device 400 in which the terminal device supports a second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT; the second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT, wherein the condition is independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT. It will be appreciated that although two criteria for evaluating whether to perform or skip second RAT cell measurements are described in detail below, any other suitable criteria related to the second RAT may also be included in the set of criteria.

The mode of the terminal device 400 in which the terminal device 400 supports a second RAT that depends on the first RAT may include an inter-RAT mode, e.g., NSA mode, of the terminal device 400 between the first RAT and the second RAT (e.g., LTE and NR). That is, the first criterion may evaluate whether the terminal device 400 may establish a connection with a second RAT access node (e.g., NR base station) independently of a first RAT core network element (e.g., LTE EPC) when a second RAT cell (e.g., NR cell) is detected by cell reselection. Since there may be a mix of terminal devices 400 in SA mode and terminal devices 400 in NSA mode, the LTE base station may need to serve both modes of terminal devices 400 simultaneously. To allow a terminal device 400 in SA mode to identify and reselect NR cells, the LTE base station may need to configure NR neighbor cells in a broadcast message (e.g., paging message) addressed to terminal devices 400 (including terminal devices 400 in NSA mode that cannot reselect NR cells independently of LTE). In one example, the first criteria may include: the terminal device 400 is in NSA mode, i.e. a mode in which no LTE-independent reselection of NR cells is supported.

The event associated with the second RAT may comprise indicating the second RAT on the terminal device 400. The conditions for triggering the indication of the second RAT on the terminal device 400 may be independent of measuring the second RAT cell. That is, according to some embodiments, there is no need to measure the second RAT cell to indicate the second RAT cell on the terminal device 400. In some embodiments, indicating the second RAT on the terminal device 400 comprises: an icon, logo, text or any other suitable symbol (e.g. the words "5G", "NR" or "5G NR", or 5G icon) representing the second RAT is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 400. For example, a 5G icon may be displayed in the upper right corner of the information bar of the mobile device. An operator (e.g., a mobile operator) of the terminal device 400 or a manufacturer of the terminal device 400 may set one or more conditions for displaying the 5G icon on the terminal device 400. In some embodiments, the condition is pre-agreed between the operator and the manufacturer of the terminal device 400. In one example, for example, as shown in fig. 3B, some operators or manufacturers of terminal device 400 may require a 5G icon to be displayed on the screen of terminal device 400 when terminal device 400 is camped on an LTE cell and an NR cell is detected. In another example, as shown in fig. 3A, some operators or manufacturers of terminal device 400 may require that the 5G icon be displayed only when terminal device 400 in SA mode resides on an NR cell. In yet another example, as shown in fig. 2, some operators or manufacturers of terminal devices 400 may require that a 5G icon be displayed when adding an NR-RAT in an EN-DC configuration. That is, the second criterion may evaluate whether measurements of the second RAT cell (e.g. NR cell measurements) are a prerequisite for the operator or manufacturer of the terminal device 400 to enforce certain functions (e.g. indicating a RAT on the second terminal device 400). The second criterion may include: the measurements of the cell of the second RAT are independent of the conditions on the terminal device 400 indicating the second RAT. For example, the performance of NR cell measurement may not affect the display of the 5G icon on the screen of the terminal apparatus 400. In other words, neither the operator nor the manufacturer requires inter-RAT NR cell measurements to be made in RRC IDLE state to display the 5G icon. It should be understood that the event associated with the second RAT is not limited to indicating the second RAT on the terminal device 400 and may include any suitable event associated with the second RAT. Thus, the condition may be any suitable condition that may trigger an event associated with the second RAT, independent of measuring the second RAT.

Fig. 5 illustrates a detailed block diagram of an exemplary criteria determination module 416 of the terminal device 400 shown in fig. 4, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. To perform the criterion determination function, the criterion determination module 416 may include an information retrieval unit 502, a mode determination unit 504, a condition determination unit 506, AND logic 508, an output unit 510, AND a condition update monitoring unit 512. Each element in criteria determination module 416 may be implemented as a software and/or firmware unit.

The information retrieval unit 502 may be operatively coupled to the memory 404 and configured to retrieve information about the UE mode 420 and the condition 422 stored in the memory 404. In some embodiments, the information about UE mode 420 includes: inter-RAT mode of the terminal device 400, e.g. SA mode or NSA mode. The inter-RAT mode may be constant throughout the life cycle of the terminal device 400, and thus, the inter-RAT mode may be stored in the ROM once it is manufactured by the manufacturer or initialized by the operator, and cannot be changed later. In some embodiments, the condition 422 includes a condition for indicating the second RAT on the terminal device 400, which may be set by the manufacturer, the operator, or both, e.g., in a pre-agreed manner between the manufacturer and the operator. In one example, the conditions are constant throughout the life of the terminal device 400, and thus, the conditions may be stored in ROM once they are initialized by the manufacturer or the operator, and cannot be changed later. In another example, one or more conditions may be updated during the life cycle of the terminal device 400 and thus stored in a non-volatile read-write memory, such as a flash memory, after which the one or more conditions may be updated.

The mode determining unit 504 is operatively coupled to the information retrieving unit 502 and is configured to determine whether a first criterion based on a mode of the terminal device 400 is fulfilled, in which mode of the terminal device 400 supports a second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT. In some embodiments, the first criterion is that the terminal device 400 is in NSA mode, and the mode determination unit 504 checks the retrieved information about the UE mode 420 (e.g. inter-RAT mode of the terminal device 400) to determine whether the terminal device 400 is in NSA mode. The first criterion is fulfilled if the mode of the terminal device 400 supporting the second RAT is the NSA mode.

Similarly, the condition determining unit 506 is operatively coupled to the information retrieving unit 502 and configured to determine whether a second criterion based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT is fulfilled, wherein the condition is independent of measuring the second RAT cell. The conditions may be provided by the operator and/or manufacturer of the terminal device 400. In some embodiments, the second criterion is that the measurement of the cell of the second RAT is not related to a condition on the terminal device 400 indicating the second RAT, and the condition determining unit 506 checks the retrieved information on the condition 422 (including the condition on the terminal device 400 indicating the second RAT (e.g., displaying a 5G icon)) to determine whether the measurement of the cell of the second RAT is not related to the condition. The second criterion may be met if the measurements of the cells of the second RAT are not related to the conditions in condition 422 (e.g., by not performing NR cell measurements to display a 5G icon).

The determination results (i.e., whether each of the first AND second criteria is satisfied) from the mode determination unit 504 AND the condition determination unit 506 may be output to the AND logic 508. The AND logic 508 returns a true value (positive, "1") only when both the first AND second criteria are satisfied. Otherwise, AND logic 508 may return a false value (negative, "0"). It should be understood that in some examples, additional determination units for checking additional criteria may also be included in criteria determination module 416.

The output unit 510 may be configured to forward the result of the AND logic 508 to the measurement module 418. In some embodiments, the output unit 510 may also send the results to the results database 514 to update the previously stored results obtained from the last criteria determination session. In some embodiments, the criterion determination module 416 performs the criterion determination session each time in response to receiving a request to measure the second RAT cell. That is, the request may automatically trigger the criteria determination module 416 to perform a criteria determination session and output a new determination result. As described above, the UE mode 420 supporting the second RAT (e.g. the inter-RAT mode of the terminal device 400) may be constant, which means that the result from the mode determining unit 504 may also be constant. The result from the condition determining unit 506 may be changed only when the operator and/or manufacturer of the terminal device 400 updates the condition 422. In some embodiments, the condition update monitoring unit 512 is configured to determine whether a condition 422 associated with the second RAT is updated, and to notify the condition determining unit 506 after determining that the condition 422 is updated. As a result, the condition determining unit 506 may determine whether the second criterion is satisfied in response to the condition 422 being updated. Otherwise, the result of the condition determination unit 506 AND the result output of the AND logic 508 may remain the same as the previous result stored in the result database 514. In some embodiments, if the condition update monitoring unit 512 does not detect an update to the condition 422, the output unit 510 retrieves the final result from the result database 514 instead of receiving the new result from the AND logic 508 AND forwarding the final result to the measurement module 418.

Referring back to fig. 4, the measurement module 418 may be configured to perform or skip measurements of the second RAT cell based on the determination from the criterion determination module 416. In some embodiments, in response to the first AND second criteria being met (e.g., the result of AND logic 508 is true), the measurement module 418 is configured to skip measurement of the second RAT cell. For example, if the terminal device 400 is unable to reselect an NR cell independently of the first RAT (e.g., in NSA mode) and does not need to display a 5G icon based on NR measurements (i.e., the NR measurements and 5G icon display are not relevant), there may not be any impact on the end user experience. Therefore, NR measurements may be skipped to reduce power consumption. In some embodiments, in response to at least one of the first criterion AND the second criterion not being satisfied (e.g., the result of the AND logic 508 is false), the measurement module 418 is configured to measure the second RAT cell. For example, when either one of the first and second criteria is not met, or neither of the first and second criteria is met, the measurement module 418 may cause the terminal device 400 to perform NR cell measurements and send the measurement results in a measurement report to an access node of the first RAT (e.g., an LTE base station) via the transceiver 406.

Fig. 6A and 6B illustrate example signaling patterns in inter-RAT cell measurements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6A and fig. 6B, in the RRC _ IDLE state, the terminal device 400 may wake up in a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) manner in each LTE paging occasion 602 according to a paging cycle, where the paging cycle ranges from 32 radio frames, 64 radio frames, 128 radio frames, and up to 256 radio frames. The NR measurement may be performed in response to each inter-RAT cell measurement request when at least one of the first and second criteria is not met, e.g., when the terminal device 400 is in SA mode and/or when inter-RAT cell measurements are required to indicate the second RAT on the terminal device 400. For example, as shown in fig. 6A, an NR cell measurement request may be transmitted in each LTE paging occasion 602 in an RRC _ IDLE state, and the terminal device 400 may wake up in each SSB 604 to make NR cell measurements. Since the SSB 604 may not overlap in time with the LTE paging occasion 602, additional wake-up in RRC IDLE state for receiving the SSB 604 may consume additional battery power of the terminal device 400. In contrast, as shown in fig. 6B, when the first and second criteria are met, e.g., when the terminal device 400 is in NSA mode and when inter-RAT cell measurements are not needed to indicate the second RAT on the terminal device 400, NR cell measurements may be skipped such that SSB 604 is not needed for NR measurements, thereby saving battery power of the terminal device 400.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 700 for inter-RAT cell measurements, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 8A and 8B illustrate example timing diagrams for inter-RAT cell measurements, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 7, 8A, and 8B will be described together. Examples of means by which the operations of method 700 may be performed include, for example, terminal device 400 (or a baseband SoC therein) depicted in fig. 4, or any other means disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the operations shown in method 700 are not exhaustive, and that other operations may be performed before, after, or in between any of the operations shown. Further, some of the illustrated operations may be performed concurrently, or in a different order than that shown in FIG. 7.

Referring to fig. 7, the method 700 begins at operation 702, and in operation 702, an idle state is entered. In some embodiments, the IDLE state is an IDLE state of the first RAT, e.g., LTE RRC IDLE. A state transition module 412 implemented on the processor 402 may cause the terminal device 400 to enter an idle state. As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, an LTE base station 802 and a user equipment 804 (e.g., terminal device 400) may implement an RRC protocol at an RRC layer, and the user equipment 804 may enter an RRC IDLE state at timing 806 to reduce power consumption. The entire process of method 700, including operations 702, 704, 706, 708, 710, and 712 described below, may be performed in the idle state of the terminal device.

As shown in fig. 7, the method 700 proceeds to operation 704 where a request to measure a cell of a second RAT is received using a first RAT in operation 704. The request may be sent from a network (e.g., an access node of a first RAT). In some embodiments, the first RAT comprises LTE and the second RAT comprises NR. A request receiving module 414 implemented on the processor 402 may receive a request to measure a cell of a second RAT using a first RAT. As in fig. 8A and 8B, in the RRC _ IDLE state, the LTE base station 802 may send an NR cell measurement request to the user equipment 804 in an LTE paging occasion at timing 808.

As shown in fig. 7, the method 700 proceeds to operation 706, and in operation 706, the following information stored in the terminal device is acquired: information about a mode of the terminal device in which the terminal device supports a second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT; and information on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT, wherein the condition is independent of a cell measuring the second RAT. In some embodiments, the mode of the terminal device comprises: an inter-RAT mode, e.g., NSA mode, of the terminal device between the first RAT and the second RAT. In some embodiments, the condition comprises a condition indicating the second RAT on the terminal device (e.g. displaying a 5G icon on the screen). A criteria determination module 416 implemented on the processor 402 may obtain information from the operator and/or manufacturer of the terminal device 400 about the mode and conditions of the terminal device 400 stored in the memory 404.

As shown in fig. 7, the method 700 proceeds to operation 708, where it is determined whether a first criterion based on the mode of the terminal device and a second criterion based on the condition are satisfied in operation 708. In some embodiments, the first criterion comprises: the terminal device is in NSA mode. In some embodiments, the second criterion comprises: the measurements of the cell of the second RAT are independent of the conditions for indicating the second RAT on the terminal device. A criterion determination module 416 implemented on the processor 402 may determine whether the first criterion and the second criterion are satisfied.

As shown in fig. 7, the method 700 proceeds to operation 710, where measurements of cells of a second RAT are skipped in response to satisfying a first criterion and a second criterion in operation 710. Optionally, in operation 712, a cell of the second RAT is measured in response to at least one of the first criterion and the second criterion not being met. The measurement results may be sent via a measurement report to the network (e.g., an access node of the first RAT) that sent the measurement request. Depending on the determination of the first criterion and the second criterion, a measurement module 418 implemented on the processor 402 may skip or perform measurements of cells of the second RAT.

In one example as shown in fig. 8A, the user equipment 804 may first check at timing 810 whether the user equipment 804 is in NSA mode, i.e., a non-standalone networked user equipment. If the result is negative (answer "no," one criterion for skipping NR cell measurement is not satisfied), the user equipment 804 may perform NR cell measurement at timing 812 and return the NR measurement result to the LTE base station 802 through measurement reporting at timing 814. If the result is positive (answer "yes", one criterion for skipping NR measurements is met), the user equipment 804 may further check at timing 816 whether NR cell measurements are not needed to display a 5G icon on the user equipment 804. If the result is negative (another criterion for skipping NR cell measurements is not satisfied), the user equipment 804 may perform NR cell measurements at timing 812 and return NR cell measurements to the LTE base station 802 through measurement reports at timing 814. Otherwise, the user equipment 804 may ignore the NR cell measurement request and skip the NR cell measurement at timing 818. In this case, no NR cell measurement results may be returned to LTE base station 802.

In another example shown in fig. 8B, the user equipment 804 may first check at timing 816 whether NR cell measurement is not required to display a 5G icon on the user equipment 804. If the result is negative, the user equipment 804 may perform NR cell measurement at timing 812 and return NR measurement result to the LTE base station 802 through measurement report at timing 814. If the result is positive, the user equipment 804 may further check at timing 810 whether the user equipment 804 is in NSA mode. If the result is negative, the user equipment 804 may perform NR cell measurement at timing 812 and return NR cell measurement results to the LTE base station 802 through measurement reports at timing 814. Otherwise, the user equipment 804 may ignore the NR cell measurement request and skip the NR cell measurement at timing 818. In this case, no NR cell measurement results may be returned to LTE base station 802.

Fig. 8A and 8B show different examples of checking the first criterion and the second criterion in sequence, i.e. one after the other. Since skipping NR cell measurements requires that both criteria be met, if one criterion checked first is not met, another criterion checked later may be skipped. It is to be appreciated that although not shown in fig. 8A and 8B, in some examples, the first criterion and the second criterion can be checked simultaneously at the same time.

In various aspects of the disclosure, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or encoded as instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Computer readable media includes computer storage media. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computing device (e.g., node 900 in fig. 9). By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, HDD (e.g., magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices), flash drives, SSDs, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a processing system (e.g., a mobile device or computer). Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, DVD and floppy disk wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus may include at least one processor and memory including stored instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to receive a request to measure a cell of a second RAT using a first RAT. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to determine whether a first criterion and a second criterion are satisfied. The first criterion is based on a mode of the apparatus. In the mode, the apparatus supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. The condition is independent of measuring cells of the second RAT. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to skip measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to satisfying a first criterion and a second criterion.

In some embodiments, the first RAT comprises LTE and the second RAT comprises NR.

In some embodiments, the first criteria comprises: the device is in NSA mode.

In some embodiments, the event associated with the second RAT comprises: indicating, on the apparatus, the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the condition is provided by at least one of: an operator of the device and a manufacturer of the device.

In some embodiments, execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to enter an idle state prior to receiving the request to measure cells of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, execution of the instructions further causes the device to obtain information stored in the device about the mode of the device and the condition.

In some embodiments, execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to measure cells of the second RAT in response to at least one of the first criterion and the second criterion not being satisfied.

In some embodiments, execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to determine whether the condition is updated, and determine whether the second criterion is satisfied after determining that the condition is updated.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method for wireless communication is disclosed, implemented by a terminal device. A request to measure a cell of a second RAT is received using a first RAT. It is determined whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met. The first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device. In this mode, the terminal device supports the second RAT which is dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. This condition is independent of measuring cells of the second RAT. Skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

In some embodiments, the first RAT comprises LTE and the second RAT comprises NR.

In some embodiments, the first criteria comprises: the terminal device is in NSA mode.

In some embodiments, the event associated with the second RAT comprises: indicating the second RAT on the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the condition is provided by at least one of: an operator of the terminal device and a manufacturer of the terminal device.

In some embodiments, entering an idle state prior to receiving the request to measure cells of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, information about the mode of the apparatus and the condition stored in the terminal device is obtained.

In some embodiments, the cell of the second RAT is measured in response to at least one of the first criterion and the second criterion not being met.

In some embodiments, it is determined whether the condition is updated, and it is determined whether the second criterion is satisfied after it is determined that the condition is updated.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a terminal device, perform a process. The process comprises the following steps: a request to measure a cell of a second RAT is received using the RAT. The process further comprises: it is determined whether a first criterion and a second criterion are satisfied. The first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device. In this mode, the terminal device supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. This condition is independent of measuring cells of the second RAT. The process further comprises: skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

In some embodiments, the first RAT comprises LTE and the second RAT comprises NR.

In some embodiments, the first criteria comprises: the terminal device is in NSA mode.

In some embodiments, the event associated with the second RAT comprises: indicating the second RAT on the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the condition is provided by at least one of: an operator of the terminal device and a manufacturer of the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the process further comprises: entering an idle state prior to receiving the request to measure cells of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the process further comprises: information about a mode of the device and the condition stored in the device is acquired.

In some embodiments, the process further comprises: measuring a cell of the second RAT in response to at least one of the first and second criteria not being met.

In some embodiments, the process further comprises: determining whether the condition is updated, and determining whether the second criterion is satisfied only in response to the condition being updated.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus includes a request receiving module, a criteria determining module, and a measuring module. The request receiving module is configured to receive a request to measure a cell of a second RAT using a first RAT. The criterion determination module is configured to determine whether a first criterion and a second criterion are satisfied. The first criterion is based on a mode of the apparatus. In this mode, the apparatus supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT. The second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT. This condition is independent of measuring cells of the second RAT. The measurement module configured to skip measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first criterion and the second criterion being met.

In some embodiments, the first RAT comprises LTE and the second RAT comprises NR.

In some embodiments, the first criterion comprises: the device is in NSA mode.

In some embodiments, the event associated with the second RAT comprises: indicating, on the apparatus, the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the condition is provided by at least one of: an operator of the device and a manufacturer of the device.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a state transition module configured to enter an idle state prior to receiving the request to measure cells of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the criterion determination module is further configured to obtain information stored in the apparatus about the mode of the apparatus and the condition.

In some embodiments, the measurement module is further configured to measure the cell of the second RAT in response to at least one of the first criterion and the second criterion not being met.

In some embodiments, the criterion determination module is further configured to determine whether the condition is updated, and determine whether the second criterion is satisfied after determining that the condition is updated.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will reveal the general nature of the invention so that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without undue experimentation and without departing from the general concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present disclosure is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.

Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships between the specified functions. Boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified function and relationships between the specified functions are appropriately performed.

The summary and abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all exemplary embodiments of the disclosure as contemplated by the inventors and are therefore not intended to limit the disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

Various functional blocks, modules, and steps have been disclosed above. The particular arrangements provided are illustrative and not limiting. Accordingly, the functional blocks, modules, and steps may be reordered or combined in a manner different from the examples provided above. Also, some embodiments include only a subset of the functional blocks, modules, and steps, and allow for any such subset.

The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (20)

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receiving, using a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), a request to measure a cell of a second RAT;

determining whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met, wherein the first criterion is based on a mode of the apparatus in which the apparatus supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT, and wherein the second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT, the condition being independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT; and

skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first RAT comprises Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the second RAT comprises New Radio (NR).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first criterion comprises: the device is in a non-independent Networking (NSA) mode.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the event associated with the second RAT comprises: indicating, on the apparatus, the second RAT.

5. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the condition is provided by at least one of: an operator of the device and a manufacturer of the device.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to: entering an idle state prior to receiving the request to measure cells of the second RAT.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1-6, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to: information about a mode of the device and the condition stored in the device is acquired.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to: measuring a cell of the second RAT in response to at least one of the first and second criteria not being met.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1-8, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to:

determining whether the condition is updated; and

determining whether the second criterion is satisfied after determining that the condition is updated.

10. A method for wireless communication, implemented by a terminal device, comprising:

receiving, using a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), a request to measure a cell of a second RAT;

determining whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met, wherein the first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device in which the terminal device supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT, and wherein the second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT, the condition being independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT; and

skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first RAT comprises Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the second RAT comprises New Radio (NR).

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the first criterion comprises: the terminal device is in a non-independent Networking (NSA) mode.

13. The method of any of claims 10-12, wherein the event associated with the second RAT comprises: indicating the second RAT on the terminal device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the conditions are provided by at least one of: an operator of the device and a manufacturer of the device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the method further comprises: entering an idle state prior to receiving the request to measure cells of the second RAT.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, further comprising: information about the mode of the terminal device and the condition stored in the terminal device is acquired.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that the method further comprises: measuring a cell of the second RAT in response to at least one of the first and second criteria not being met.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, further comprising:

determining whether the condition is updated; and

determining whether the second criterion is satisfied after determining that the condition is updated.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a terminal device, perform a process comprising:

receiving, using a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), a request to measure a cell of a second RAT;

determining whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met, wherein the first criterion is based on a mode of the terminal device in which the terminal device supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT, and wherein the second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT, the condition being independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT; and

skipping measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

20. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a request receiving module configured to receive a request to measure a cell of a second Radio Access Technology (RAT) using a first RAT;

a criterion determination module configured to determine whether a first criterion and a second criterion are met, wherein the first criterion is based on a mode of the apparatus in which the apparatus supports the second RAT that is dependent on the first RAT, and wherein the second criterion is based on a condition for triggering an event associated with the second RAT, the condition being independent of measuring a cell of the second RAT; and

a measurement module configured to skip measurement of a cell of the second RAT in response to the first and second criteria being met.

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