EP4275381A1 - Ue capability support for multiple concurrent and independent measurement gap configurations - Google Patents

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5G NR) network may be configurable for supporting multiple concurrent and independent measurement gaps. The UE may decode a NeedForGapsConfigNR information element (IE) received from a generation Node B (gNB) that may indicate one or more target NR frequency bands and may request the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information (i.e., MG requirements) for the one or more target NR frequency bands. The UE may encode a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE for transmission to the gNB that may be encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands.

Description

UE CAPABILITY SUPPORT FOR MULTIPLE CONCURRENT AND

INDEPENDENT MEASUREMENT GAP CONFIGURATIONS

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application claims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/134,910, filed January 7, 2021 [reference number AD4275-Z] which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) and fifth-generation (5G) networks including 5G new radio (NR) (or 5G-NR) networks. Some embodiments relate to sixth-generation (6G) networks. Some embodiments pertain to measurement gaps (MGs).

BACKGROUND

[0003] Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today’s highly sophisticated integrated communication platform. With the increase in different types of devices communicating with various network devices, usage of 3GPP 5GNR systems has increased. The penetration of mobile devices (user equipment or UEs) in modem society has continued to drive demand for a wide variety of networked devices in many disparate environments. 5G NR wireless systems are forthcoming and are expected to enable even greater speed, connectivity, and usability, and are expected to increase throughput, coverage, and robustness and reduce latency and operational and capital expenditures. 5G-NR networks will continue to evolve based on 3 GPP LTE- Advanced with additional potential new radio access technologies (RATs) to enrich people’s lives with seamless wireless connectivity solutions delivering fast, rich content and services. As current cellular network frequency is saturated, higher frequencies, such as millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency, can be beneficial due to their high bandwidth.

[0004] The time duration during which a UE suspends it communication with its serving cell for measurements (e.g., to measure an inter-frequency neighbor or other RAT neighbors) is known as Measurement Gap (MeasGap). One issue with a conventional measurement gap pattern is that it may be insufficient for performing certain measurements required to be performed by a UE.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 A illustrates an architecture of a network, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0006] FIG. IB and FIG. 1C illustrate a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some embodiments.

[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates the use of one or more measurement gap patterns in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a MeasGapConfig information element in accordance with some embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of a wireless communication device, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates a procedure 500 performed by a user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5G NR) network and configurable for supporting multiple concurrent and independent measurement gaps, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims. [0012] In 5G NR also radio-resource control (RRC) signalling is responsible for providing a measurement gap pattern configuration to UE. This may be done using the MeasGapConfig IE which may be carried by RRC Reconfiguration message which may have two parts. The first part may specify the control setup/release of the measurement gap and second part may specify the measurement gap configuration and may control the setup/release. This conventional measurement gap configuration may be insufficient for performing certain measurements required to be performed by a UE.

[0013] Some embodiments are directed to a user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5GNR) network. The UE may be configurable for supporting multiple concurrent and independent measurement gaps. In these embodiments, the UE may decode a NeedF orGapsConfigNR information element (IE) received from a generation Node B (gNB). The NeedForGapsConfigNR IE may indicate one or more target NR frequency bands and may request the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information (i.e., MG requirements) for the one or more target NR frequency bands. In these embodiments, the UE may encode a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE for transmission to the gNB. The NeedForGapsInfoNR IE may be encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands.

[0014] In these embodiments, the UE may also decode a MeasGapConfig IE received from the gNB. The MeasGapConfig IE may configure the UE with two or more concurrent and independent MG configurations. The two or more concurrent MG configurations may be based on the reported MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands. In these embodiments the UE may be configured to measurements in accordance with each of the two or more concurrent MG configurations. In these embodiments, for each target NR frequency band, the UE may be configured with two or more MG configurations for each target NR band. These embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0015] In some embodiments, the NeedF orGapsConfigNR IE received from the gNB includes a requestedTargetBandFilterNR field that indicates the one or more target NR frequency bands for which the UE is requested to report the MG requirement information, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0016] In these embodiments, the NR frequency bands for FR1 may include bands ranging from nl - n99, and the NR frequency bands for FR2 include bands n257 through n262.

[0017] In some embodiments, the UE may encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to include at least one of: an intraFreq-needForGap field to indicate a measurement gap requirement information for intra-frequency measurements for each a NR serving cell, and an interFreq-needForGap field to indicate measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements.

[0018] In some embodiments, the interFreq-needForGap field may be encoded to include measurement gap requirement information for interfrequency measurements for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands when the UE is responding to (i.e., configured with) the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE. In these embodiments, the interFreq-needForGap field may be encoded to include measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements for each supported NR frequency band when the UE is not responding to (i.e., configured with) the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE.

[0019] In some embodiments, the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE received from the gNB may also include a serving cell ID field (servCellld) that indicates a serving cell which contains a target Sync Signal/PBCH block (SSB) associated with an initial downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP), to be measured and an intrafrequency gap indication field (gaplndicationlntra) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE to perform intra-frequency SSB based measurements on the serving cell. In these embodiments, the Value gap indicates that a measurement gap is needed if any of the UE configured BWPs do not contain the frequency domain resources of the SSB associated to the initial DL BWP. Value no-gap indicates a measurement gap is not needed to measure the SSB associated to the initial DL BWP for all configured BWPs, no matter the SSB is within the configured BWP or not.

[0020] In some embodiments, the UE may encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to further include a NeedForGapsNR field. The NeedForGapsNR field may include: a field (bandNR) to indicate an NR target band to be measured and a field (gapindication) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE to perform SSB based measurements on the NR target band while either NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) or NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC) are not configured. In these embodiments, the UE determines this information based on the resultant configuration of the RRCReconfiguration oxRRCResume message that triggers this response. Value gap indicates that a measurement gap is needed, value no-gap indicates a measurement gap is not needed.

[0021] In some embodiments, in response to receipt of a needForGapsPerBWP ConfigNR IE from the gNB, the UE may encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to provide the MG requirement information per bandwidth part (BWP) for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands. In these embodiments, the network may ask the UE to report a need for gap per BWP.

[0022] In some embodiments, the UE may encode a capabilities information message that indicates whether or not the UE is capable of supporting multiple concurrent measurement gap (MG) configurations. In these embodiments, when configured, the UE may activate one of the two or more concurrent MG configurations in response to a downlink control information (DCI) a BWP switch or RRC reconfiguration message.

[0023] In some embodiments, each of the two or more current MG configurations may be associated with a MG pattern having a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) and a measurement gap length (MGL). In these embodiments, at least one of the two or more current MG configurations may be configured to the UE for measurement of positioning reference signals (PRS) and at least another one of the two or more MG patterns may be configured to the UE for radio-resource management (RRM) (e.g., for Sync Signal/PBCH block (SSB) measurements), although the scope of the embodiments in not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, at least one of the two or more current MG configurations may be configured to the UE for measurement of channel-state information reference signals (CSI-RS), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0024] In some embodiments, the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE may be received by the UE from the gNB via radio resource control (RRC) signalling comprising an RRC reconfiguration message. The RRC reconfiguration message may configure the UE to provide the MG information for the target NR frequency band. In these embodiments, the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE may be transmitted by the UE to the gNB via RRC signalling. In these embodiments, the UE may be configured to refrain from providing the MG information for the target NR frequency band via the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE unless the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE is received by the UE in the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0025] Some embodiments are directed to a generation Node B (gNB) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5GNR) network. In these embodiments, the gNB may encode a NeedForGapsConfigNR information element (IE) for transmission to a user equipment (UE). The NeedForGapsConfigNR IE may indicating one or more target NR frequency bands and may request the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands. In these embodiments, the gNB may decode a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE received from the UE. The NeedForGapsInfoNR IE may be encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands. In these embodiments, the gNB may also encode a MeasGapConfig IE for transmission to the UE that may configure the UE with two or more concurrent MG configurations. The two or more concurrent MG configurations may be based on the reported MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands. In these embodiments, the gNB may decode measurement information from the UE based on measurements performed in accordance with each of the two or more concurrent MG configurations. These embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0026] Some embodiments are directed to a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5GNR) network. In these embodiments, the UE may be configurable for supporting multiple concurrent measurement gaps. These embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0027] FIG. 1 A illustrates an architecture of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The network 140 A is shown to include user equipment (UE) 101 and UE 102. The UEs 101 and 102 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks) but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, drones, or any other computing device including a wired and/or wireless communications interface. The UEs 101 and 102 can be collectively referred to herein as UE 101, and UE 101 can be used to perform one or more of the techniques disclosed herein.

[0028] Any of the radio links described herein (e.g., as used in the network 140A or any other illustrated network) may operate according to any exemplary radio communication technology and/or standard.

[0029] LTE and LTE- Advanced are standards for wireless communications of high-speed data for UE such as mobile telephones. In LTE- Advanced and various wireless systems, carrier aggregation is a technology according to which multiple carrier signals operating on different frequencies may be used to carry communications for a single UE, thus increasing the bandwidth available to a single device. In some embodiments, carrier aggregation may be used where one or more component carriers operate on unlicensed frequencies.

[0030] Embodiments described herein can be used in the context of any spectrum management scheme including, for example, dedicated licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum (such as Licensed Shared Access (LSA) in 2.3-2.4 GHz, 3.4-3.6 GHz, 3.6-3.8 GHz, and further frequencies and Spectrum Access System (SAS) in 3.55-3.7 GHz and further frequencies).

[0031] Embodiments described herein can also be applied to different Single Carrier or OFDM flavors (CP-OFDM, SC-FDMA, SC-OFDM, filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.) and in particular 3GPP NR (New Radio) by allocating the OFDM carrier data bit vectors to the corresponding symbol resources.

[0032] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 and 102 can comprise an Intemet-of-Things (loT) UE or a Cellular loT (CIoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power loT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 and 102 can include a narrowband (NB) loT UE (e.g., such as an enhanced NB- loT (eNB-IoT) UE and Further Enhanced (FeNB-IoT) UE). An loT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or loT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An loT network includes interconnecting loT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Interet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The loT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the loT network.

[0033] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 and 102 can include enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs or further enhanced MTC (FeMTC) UEs.

[0034] The UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN) 110. The RAN 110 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), aNextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs 101 and 102 utilize connections 103 and 104, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections 103 and 104 are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to- Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth-generation (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

[0035] In an aspect, the UEs 101 and 102 may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0036] The UE 102 is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP) 106 via connection 107. The connection 107 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as, for example, a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, according to which the AP 106 can comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi) router. In this example, the AP 106 is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0037] The RAN 110 can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 103 and 104. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), Next Generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, and the like, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). In some embodiments, the communication nodes 111 and 112 can be transmission/reception points (TRPs). In instances when the communication nodes 111 and 112 are NodeBs (e.g., eNBs or gNBs), one or more TRPs can function within the communication cell of the NodeBs. The

RAN 110 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro-RAN node 111, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node 112.

[0038] Any of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 101 and 102. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 110 including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management. In an example, any of the nodes 111 and/or 112 can be a new generation Node-B (gNB), an evolved node-B (eNB), or another type of RAN node. [0039] The RAN 110 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120 via an SI interface 113. In embodiments, the CN 120 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN (e.g., as illustrated in reference to FIGS. 1B-1C). In this aspect, the SI interface 113 is split into two parts: the Sl-U interface 114, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 122, and the Sl-mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and MMEs 121.

[0040] In this aspect, the CN 120 comprises the MMEs 121, the S-GW 122, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 123, and a home subscriber server (HSS) 124. The MMEs 121 may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs 121 may manage mobility embodiments in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 124 may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of communication sessions. The CN 120 may comprise one or several HSSs 124, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 124 can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

[0041] The S-GW 122 may terminate the SI interface 113 towards the RAN 110, and routes data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. In addition, the S-GW 122 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities of the S-GW 122 may include a lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0042] The P-GW 123 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 123 may route data packets between the EPC network 120 and external networks such as a network including the application server 184 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. The P-GW 123 can also communicate data to other external networks 131 A, which can include the Internet, IP multimedia subsystem (IPS) network, and other networks. Generally, the application server 184 may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this aspect, the P-GW 123 is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server 184 via an IP interface 125. The application server 184 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over- Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs 101 and 102 via the CN 120.

[0043] The P-GW 123 may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 126 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, in some embodiments, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with a local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP- CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within an HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the P- GW 123.

[0044] In some embodiments, the communication network 140 A can be an loT network or a 5G network, including 5G new radio network using communications in the licensed (5GNR) and the unlicensed (5GNR-U) spectrum. One of the current enablers of loT is the narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT).

[0045] An NG system architecture can include the RAN 110 and a 5G network core (5GC) 120. The NG-RAN 110 can include a plurality of nodes, such as gNBs and NG-eNBs. The core network 120 (e.g., a 5G core network or 5GC) can include an access and mobility function (AMF) and/or a user plane function (UPF). The AMF and the UPF can be communicatively coupled to the gNBs and the NG-eNBs via NG interfaces. More specifically, in some embodiments, the gNBs and the NG-eNBs can be connected to the AMF by NG- C interfaces, and to the UPF by NG-U interfaces. The gNBs and the NG-eNBs can be coupled to each other via Xn interfaces. [0046] In some embodiments, the NG system architecture can use reference points between various nodes as provided by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 (e.g., V15.4.0, 2018-12). In some embodiments, each of the gNBs and the NG-eNBs can be implemented as a base station, a mobile edge server, a small cell, a home eNB, and so forth. In some embodiments, a gNB can be a master node (MN) and NG-eNB can be a secondary node (SN) in a 5G architecture.

[0047] FIG. IB illustrates a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to FIG. IB, there is illustrated a 5G system architecture 140B in a reference point representation. More specifically, UE 102 can be in communication with RAN 110 as well as one or more other 5G core (5GC) network entities. The 5G system architecture 140B includes a plurality of network functions (NFs), such as access and mobility management function (AMF) 132, session management function (SMF) 136, policy control function (PCF) 148, application function (AF) 150, user plane function (UPF) 134, network slice selection function (NSSF) 142, authentication server function (AUSF) 144, and unified data management (UDM)/home subscriber server (HSS) 146. The UPF 134 can provide a connection to a data network (DN) 152, which can include, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. The AMF 132 can be used to manage access control and mobility and can also include network slice selection functionality. The SMF 136 can be configured to set up and manage various sessions according to network policy. The UPF 134 can be deployed in one or more configurations according to the desired service type. The PCF 148 can be configured to provide a policy framework using network slicing, mobility management, and roaming (similar to PCRF in a 4G communication system). The UDM can be configured to store subscriber profiles and data (similar to an HSS in a 4G communication system).

[0048] In some embodiments, the 5G system architecture 140B includes an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 168B as well as a plurality of IP multimedia core network subsystem entities, such as call session control functions (CSCFs). More specifically, the IMS 168B includes a CSCF, which can act as a proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) 162BE, a serving CSCF (S-CSCF) 164B, an emergency CSCF (E-CSCF) (not illustrated in FIG. IB), or interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 166B. The P-CSCF 162B can be configured to be the first contact point for the UE 102 within the IM subsystem (IMS) 168B. The S-CSCF 164B can be configured to handle the session states in the network, and the E-CSCF can be configured to handle certain embodiments of emergency sessions such as routing an emergency request to the correct emergency center or PSAP. The I-CSCF 166B can be configured to function as the contact point within an operator's network for all IMS connections destined to a subscriber of that network operator, or a roaming subscriber currently located within that network operator's service area. In some embodiments, the I-CSCF 166B can be connected to another IP multimedia network 170E, e.g. an IMS operated by a different network operator.

[0049] In some embodiments, the UDM/HSS 146 can be coupled to an application server 160E, which can include a telephony application server (TAS) or another application server (AS). The AS 160B can be coupled to the IMS 168B via the S-CSCF 164B or the I-CSCF 166B.

[0050] A reference point representation shows that interaction can exist between corresponding NF services. For example, FIG. IB illustrates the following reference points: N1 (between the UE 102 and the AMF 132), N2 (between the RAN 110 and the AMF 132), N3 (between the RAN 110 and the UPF 134), N4 (between the SMF 136 and the UPF 134), N5 (between the PCF 148 and the AF 150, not shown), N6 (between the UPF 134 and the DN 152), N7 (between the SMF 136 and the PCF 148, not shown), N8 (between the UDM 146 and the AMF 132, not shown), N9 (between two UPFs 134, not shown), N10 (between the UDM 146 and the SMF 136, not shown), N11 (between the AMF 132 and the SMF 136, not shown), N12 (between the AUSF 144 and the AMF 132, not shown), N13 (between the AUSF 144 and the UDM 146, not shown), N14 (between two AMFs 132, not shown), N15 (between the PCF 148 and the AMF 132 in case of a non-roaming scenario, or between the PCF 148 and a visited network and AMF 132 in case of a roaming scenario, not shown), N16 (between two SMFs, not shown), and N22 (between AMF 132 and NSSF 142, not shown). Other reference point representations not shown in FIG. IB can also be used.

[0051] FIG. 1C illustrates a 5G system architecture 140C and a servicebased representation. In addition to the network entities illustrated in FIG. IB, system architecture 140C can also include a network exposure function (NEF) 154 and a network repository function (NRF) 156. In some embodiments, 5G system architectures can be service-based and interaction between network functions can be represented by corresponding point-to-point reference points Ni or as service-based interfaces.

[0052] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, service-based representations can be used to represent network functions within the control plane that enable other authorized network functions to access their services. In this regard, 5G system architecture 140C can include the following service-based interfaces: Namf 158H (a service-based interface exhibited by the AMF 132), Nsmf 1581 (a service-based interface exhibited by the SMF 136), Nnef 158B (a service-based interface exhibited by the NEF 154), Npcf 158D (a service-based interface exhibited by the PCF 148), aNudm 158E (a service-based interface exhibited by the UDM 146), Naf 158F (a service-based interface exhibited by the AF 150), Nnrf 158C (a service-based interface exhibited by the NRF 156), Nnssf 158A (a service-based interface exhibited by the NSSF 142), Nausf 158G (a service-based interface exhibited by the AUSF 144). Other service-based interfaces (e.g., Nudr, N5g-eir, and Nudsf) not shown in FIG. 1C can also be used.

[0053] In some embodiments, any of the UEs or base stations described in connection with FIGS. 1 A-1C can be configured to perform the functionalities described herein.

[0054] Mobile communication has evolved significantly from early voice systems to today’s highly sophisticated integrated communication platform. The next generation wireless communication system, 5G, or new radio (NR) will provide access to information and sharing of data anywhere, anytime by various users and applications. NR is expected to be a unified network/system that targets to meet vastly different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. Such diverse multi-dimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, NR will evolve based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced with additional potential new Radio Access Technologies (RATs) to enrich people's lives with better, simple, and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. NR will enable everything connected by wireless and deliver fast, rich content and services.

[0055] Rel-15 NR systems are designed to operate on the licensed spectrum. The NR-unlicensed (NR-U), a short-hand notation of the NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, is a technology that enables the operation of NR systems on the unlicensed spectrum.

[0056] In some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) configured for operation in a 5^th generation (5G) network may be configured with an initial measurement gap (MG) configuration (i.e., gapUE (see FIG. 3)) for measurement of radio-resource management (RRM) signals. In these embodiments, the UE may request a new MG configuration from a generation node B (gNB) for measurement of positioning reference signal (PRS) in response to a location procedure initiated by a location measurement function (LMF) in the network (see FIG. 2). In these embodiments, the UE may decode a measurement gap configuration (MeasGapConfig) information element (IE) from the gNB (see FIG. 2). The MeasGapConfig IE may configure (i.e., grant) the UE with the new MG configuration (i.e., newgapUE (see FIG. 3)). In these embodiments, the UE may be configured for performing at least PRS measurements in accordance with the new MG configuration (see FIG. 2).

[0057] FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of a wireless communication device, in accordance with some embodiments. Wireless communication device 400 may be suitable for use as a UE or gNB configured for operation in a 5G NR network. The communication device 400 may include communications circuitry 402 and a transceiver 410 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from other communication devices using one or more antennas 401. The communications circuitry 402 may include circuitry that can operate the physical layer (PHY) communications and/or medium access control (MAC) communications for controlling access to the wireless medium, and/or any other communications layers for transmitting and receiving signals. The communication device 400 may also include processing circuitry 406 and memory 408 arranged to perform the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the communications circuitry 402 and the processing circuitry 406 may be configured to perform operations detailed herein. [0058] In accordance with some embodiments, the communications circuitry 402 may be arranged to contend for a wireless medium and configure frames or packets for communicating over the wireless medium. The communications circuitry 402 may be arranged to transmit and receive signals. The communications circuitiy 402 may also include circuitry for modulation/demodulation, upconversion/downconversion, filtering, amplification, etc. In some embodiments, the processing circuitiy 406 of the communication device 400 may include one or more processors. In other embodiments, two or more antennas 401 may be coupled to the communications circuitry 402 arranged for sending and receiving signals. The memory 408 may store information for configuring the processing circuitry 406 to perform operations for configuring and transmitting message frames and performing the various operations described herein. The memory 408 may include any type of memory, including non-transitoiy memory, for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, the memory 408 may include a computer-readable storage device, read-only memory (ROM), randomaccess memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices and other storage devices and media.

[0059] In some embodiments, the communication device 400 may be part of a portable wireless communication device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer with wireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a smartphone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, a digital camera, an access point, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), a wearable computer device, or another device that may receive and/or transmit information wirelessly.

[0060] In some embodiments, the communication device 400 may include one or more antennas 401. The antennas 401 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments, instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multiple apertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may be considered a separate antenna. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas may be effectively separated for spatial diversity and the different channel characteristics that may result between each of the antennas and the antennas of a transmitting device.

[0061] In some embodiments, the communication device 400 may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, a non-volatile memoiy port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, an application processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. The display may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

[0062] Although the communication device 400 is illustrated as having several separate functional elements, two or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements, such as processing elements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other hardware elements. For example, some elements may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of various hardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functions described herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of the communication device 400 may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements. [0063] In NR R15/R16, only one MG pattern can be configured per-UE or per-FR (subject to capability). Lack of support for more than one MG pattern per measurement period creates undesired inflexibility in scheduling on the NW side as well as prolonged measurement delay on the UE side. For typical intrafrequency and inter-frequency neighbor cell measurements, NW has to ensure that the SMTC corresponding to all configured measurement objects fall within the same measurement gap. Moreover, UE will have to share the same measurement gap pattern for all measurements resulting in longer measurement delays. Moreover, with additional features and enhancements in NR requiring gap-based measurements, even more measurements will compete for the same measurement gap pattern. Often, the features needing gap-based measurements have different and even contradicting requirements (e.g., low latency positioning requirements necessitating the need for shorter measurement delays vs. legacy measurements for mobility or low duty cycle inter-RAT measurements).

Furthermore, the reference signal used by UE for measurements are typically of different nature and periodicity (e.g., CSI-RS, SSB, PRS,...) which makes it difficult for NW to align them in time so they can be shared with the same gap pattern. To address diverse measurement requirements using same or different reference signals, both NW and UE can significantly benefit from multiple (or at least two) independent MG patterns.

[0064] Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to UE capability signaling to support the multiple concurrent and independent gap.

[0065] In legacy systems, the UE reports if gap is needed if needForGapsConfigNR is configured. If it is configured, the UE will report intraFreq-needForGap and interFreq-needForGap information according to the configuration. The UE can report need for gap for the following: o Each intra frequency of the serving cells o Each configured band list for measurement for inter-frequency

1> if the RRCReconfiguration message includes the needForGapsConfigNR:

2> if needForGapsConfigNR is set to setup:

3> consider itself to be configured to provide the measurement gap requirement information of NR target bands;

2> else:

3> consider itself not to be configured to provide the measurement gap requirement information of NR target bands;

2> if the UE is configured to provide the measurement gap requirement information of NR target bands:

3> include the NeedForGapsInfoNR and set the contents as follows:

4> include intraFreq-needForGap and set the gap requirement information of intra-frequency measurement for each NR serving cell;

4> if requestedTargetBandFilterNR is configured, for each supported NR band that is also included in requestedTargetBandFilterNR, include an entry in interFreq-needForGap and set the gap requirement information for that band; otherwise, include an entry in interFreq-needForGap and set the corresponding gap requirement information for each supported NR band;

- NeedForGapsConfigNR

The IE NeedForGapsConfigNR contains configuration related to the reporting of measurement gap requirement information.

[0066]

NeedForGapsConfigNR information element

- ASN1 START

- TAG-NeedForGapsConfigNR-START

NeedForGapsConfigNR-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { requestedTargetBandFilterNR-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxBands)) OF FreqBandlndicatorNR OPTIONAL — Need R }

-- TAG-NeedForGapsConfigNR-STOP

- ASN1STOP

[0067]

[0068]

NeedF orGapslnfoNR

The IE NeedForGapsInfoNR indicates whether measurement gap is required for the UE to perform SSB based measurements on an NR target band while NR-DC or NE-DC is not configured.

[0069]

NeedForGapsInfoNR information element

[0070]

Embodiment 1: Network may ask the UE to report need for gap per BWP

Below shows an example for a procedure text:

1> if the RRCReconfiguration message includes the needF orGapsPerB WP ConfigNR :

2> if needForGapsPerBWP ConfigNR is set to setup.

3> consider itself to be configured to provide the measurement gap requirement information per BWP of NR target bands;

2> else:

3> consider itself not to be configured to provide the measurement gap requirement information per BWP of NR target bands;

2> if the UE is configured to provide the measurement gap requirement information per BWP of NR target bands:

3> include the NeedForGapslnjbNR and set the contents as follows:

4> include intraFreq-needForGap and set the gap requirement information of intra-frequency measurement for each NR serving cell BWP;

4> if requestedTargetBandF'ilterNR is configured, for each supported NR band that is also included in requestedTargetBandFilterNR, include an entry in interFreq-needForGap and set the gap requirement information for that band; otherwise, include an entry in interFreq-needForGap and set the corresponding gap requirement information for each supported NR band per serving cell BWP;

[0071]

Embodiment 2:

UE can indicate support of multiple measurement gaps (may be preconfigured and activates when UE switch BWP or by DCI or RRC). [0072]

Embodiment 3:

In addition to the UE indicating support of such a feature, the UE may also indicate need a gap for intra-frequency and inter-frequency measurement as per BWP (e.g., when the UE switches to that BWP, if the UE requires measurement gap to perform measurement for intra-frequency and per band inter-frequency measurement).

[0073] Below shows an example IE for the network to report NeedForGapInfoNR-rl7 to support if gap is needed per BWP.

NeedForGapsInfoNR information element

- ASN1 START

-- TAG-NeedForGapsInfoNR-START

NeedForGapsInfoNR-rl7 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (L. maxNrofBWPs)) OF NeedF orGapsPerBWP-r 17

NeedForGapsPerBWP-rl7 ::= SEQUENCE { bwp-ID BWP-Id, needF orGapPerBWP-r 17 NeedF orGapsInfoNR-r 16

}

NeedForGapsInfoNR-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { intraFreq-needForGap-rl 6 NeedForGapsIntraFreqlist-rl6, interFreq-needF orGap-r 16 NeedForGapsBandlistNR-rl 6 }

NeedForGapsIntraFreqlist-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1.. maxNrofServingCells)) OF NeedForGapsIntraFreq-rl6 NeedForGapsBandlistNR-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxBands)) OF NeedF orGapsNR-r 16

NeedForGapsIntraFreq-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { servCellId-rl6 ServCelllndex, gaplndicationlntra-rl6 ENUMERATED {gap, no-gap } }

NeedForGapsNR-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { bandNR-rl6 FreqBandlndicatorNR, gaplndication-rl6 ENUMERATED {gap, no-gap } }

-- TAG-NeedForGapsInfoNR-STOP

[0074] Embodiment 4: UE capability for the number of simultaneous supporting measurement gaps. UE can report the number of simultaneous supporting measurement gaps to the network. No reporting or reporting 1 will be the same as legacy.

-Option 1 : UE reports one value for simultaneous supporting multiple measurement gaps

-Option 2: UE reports one value per frequency for simultaneous supporting multiple measurement gaps

-Option 3: UE reports one value per UE gap, one value per FR gap -Option 4: UE reports one value per UE gap, one value per FR1 gap, one value per FR2 gap

[0075] Examples:

[0076] Example 1 may include a method of operating a wireless network wherein a network may ask the UE to report need for gap per BWP.

[0077] Example 2 may include UE can indicate support of multiple measurement gaps (may be preconfigured and activates when UE switch BWP or by DCI or RRC).

[0078] Example 3 may include an addition of UE indicating supporting such feature, UE may also indicate need for gap for intra-frequency and inter- frequency measurement as per BWP (e.g., when the UE switches to that BWP, if the UE requires measurement gap to perform measurement for intra-frequency and per band inter-frequency measurement). [0079] Example 4 may include UE capability for the number of simultaneous supporting measurement gaps.

[0080] Example 5 may include a UE can report the number of simultaneous supporting measurement gaps to the network. No reporting or reporting 1 will be the same as legacy:

[0081] Option 1 : UE reports one value for simultaneous supporting multiple measurement gaps;

[0082] Option 2: UE reports one value per frequency for simultaneous supporting multiple measurement gaps;

[0083] Option 3 : UE reports one value per UE gap, one value per FR gap;

[0084] Option 4: UE reports one value per UE gap, one value per FR1 gap, one value per FR2 gap.

[0085] FIG. 5 illustrates a procedure 500 performed by a user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5G NR) network and configurable for supporting multiple concurrent and independent measurement gaps. Operation 502 includes decoding a NeedForGapsConfigNR information element (IE) received from a generation Node B (gNB). The NeedForGapsConfigNR IE may indicate one or more target NR frequency bands and may request the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands. Operation 504 include encoding a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE for transmission to the gNB. The NeedForGapsInfoNR IE may be encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands. Operation 506 includes decoding a MeasGapConfig IE received from the gNB. The MeasGapConfig IE may configure the UE with two or more concurrent and independent MG configurations. The two or more concurrent MG configurations may be based on the reported MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands. Operation 508 includes performing measurements in accordance with each of the two or more concurrent MG configurations. [0086] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incoiporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5GNR) network, the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory, the UE configurable for supporting multiple concurrent measurement gaps, wherein the processing circuity is configured to: decode a NeedForGapsConfigNR information element (IE) received from a generation Node B (gNB), the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE indicating one or more target NR frequency bands and requesting the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands; encode a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE for transmission to the gNB, the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands; decode a MeasGapConfig IE received from the gNB, the MeasGapConfig IE to configure the UE with two or more concurrent MG configurations, the two or more concurrent MG configurations based on the MG requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands; and configure the UE to perform measurements in accordance with each of the two or more concurrent MG configurations, wherein the memory is configured to store the MeasGapConfig IE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE includes a requestedTargetBandFilterNR field that indicates the one or more target NR frequency bands for which the UE is requested to report the MG requirement information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to include at least one of: an intraFreq-needForGap field to indicate a measurement gap requirement information for intra-frequency measurements for a NR serving cell; and an interFreq-needForGap field to indicate measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the interFreq-needForGap field is encoded to include measurement gap requirement information for interfrequency measurements for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands when the UE is responding to the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE, and wherein the interFreq-needForGap field is encoded to include measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements for each supported NR frequency band when the UE is not responding to the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE further includes: a serving cell ID field (servCellld) that indicates a serving cell which contains a target Sync Signal/PBCH block (SSB), associated with an initial downlink bandwidth part (DL B WP), to be measured, and an intra-frequency gap indication field (gaplndicationlntra) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE to perform intra-frequency SSB based measurements on the serving cell.

6. The apparatus of claim 3-5, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to further include a NeedForGapsNR field, the NeedForGapsNR field to include: a field (bandNR) to indicate an NR target band to be measured and a field (gapindication) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE to perform SSB based measurements on the NR target band while either NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) orNR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC) are not configured.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to receipt of a needForGapsPerBWP ConfigNR IE from the gNB, the processing circuitry is configured to encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to provide the MG requirement information per bandwidth part (BWP) for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode a capabilities information message that indicates whether the UE is capable of supporting multiple concurrent measurement gap (MG) configurations, wherein when configured, the UE is to activate one of the two or more concurrent MG configurations in response to a downlink control information (DCI).

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the two or more current MG configurations is associated with a MG pattern having a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) and a measurement gap length (MGL), wherein at least one of the two or more current MG configurations is configured to the UE for measurement of positioning reference signals (PRS), and at least another one of the two or more MG patterns is configured to the UE for radio-resource management (RRM).

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE is received by the UE from the gNB via radio resource control (RRC) signalling comprising an RRC reconfiguration message, the RRC reconfiguration message to configure the UE to provide the MG information for the target NR frequency band; and wherein the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE is transmitted by the UE to the gNB via RRC signalling, wherein the processing circuity is to refrain from configuring the UE to provide the MG information for the target NR frequency band via the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE unless the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE is received by the UE in the RRC reconfiguration message.

11. An apparatus of a generation Node B (gNB) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5G NR) network, the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory, wherein the processing circuity is configured to: encode a NeedForGapsConfigNR information element (IE) for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE indicating one or more target NR frequency bands and requesting the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands; decode a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE received from the UE, the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands; encode a MeasGapConfig IE for transmission to the UE, the MeasGapConfig IE to configure the UE with two or more concurrent MG configurations, the two or more concurrent MG configurations based on the MG requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands; and decode measurement information from the UE based on measurements performed in accordance with each of the two or more concurrent MG configurations, wherein the memory is configured to store the MeasGapConfig IE.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE includes a requestedTargetBandFilterNR field that indicates the one or more target NR frequency bands for which the UE is requested to report the MG requirement information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE includes at least one of: an intraFreq-needForGap field to indicate a measurement gap requirement information for intra-frequency measurements for a NR serving cell; and an interFreq-needForGap field to indicate measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the interFreq-needForGap field includes measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands when the UE is responding to the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE, and wherein the interFreq-needForGap field includes measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements for each supported NR frequency band when the UE is not responding to the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE further includes: a serving cell ID field (servCellld) that indicates a serving cell which contains a target Sync Signal/PBCH block (SSB), associated with an initial downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP), to be measured, and an intra-frequency gap indication field (gaplndicationlntra) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE to perform intra-frequency SSB based measurements on the serving cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 13-15, wherein the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE further includes a NeedForGapsNR field, the NeedForGapsNR field to include: a field (bandNR) to indicate an NR target band to be measured and a field (gapindication) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE to perform SSB based measurements on the NR target band while either NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) or NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC) are not configured.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in response to transmission of the needForGapsPerBWP ConfigNR IE to the UE, the processing circuitry is configured to decode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to provide the MG requirement information per bandwidth part (BWP) for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: decode a capabilities information message that indicates whether the UE is capable of supporting multiple concurrent measurement gap (MG) configurations; encode a downlink control information (DCI) to cause the UE to activate one of the two or more concurrent MG configurations, wherein each of the two or more current MG configurations is associated with a MG pattern having a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) and a measurement gap length (MGL), wherein at least one of the two or more current MG configurations is configured to the UE for measurement of positioning reference signals (PRS), and at least another one of the two or more MG patterns is configured to the UE for radio-resource management (RRM).

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured for operating in a fifth-generation new radio (5G NR) network, the UE configurable for supporting multiple concurrent measurement gaps, wherein the processing circuity is configured to: decode a NeedForGapsConfigNR information element (IE) received from a generation Node B (gNB), the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE indicating one or more target NR frequency bands and requesting the UE to report measurement gap (MG) requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands; encode a NeedForGapsInfoNR IE for transmission to the gNB, the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE encoded to include the MG requirement information for each of the one or more target NR frequency bands; decode a MeasGapConfig IE received from the gNB, the MeasGapConfig IE to configure the UE with two or more concurrent MG configurations, the two or more concurrent MG configurations based on the MG requirement information for the one or more target NR frequency bands; and configure the UE to perform measurements in accordance with each of the two or more concurrent MG configurations, wherein the memory is configured to store the MeasGapConfig IE.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the NeedForGapsConfigNR IE includes a requestedTargetBandFilterNR field that indicates the one or more target NR frequency bands for which the UE is requested to report the MG requirement information, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to encode the NeedForGapsInfoNR IE to include at least one of: an intraFreq-needForGap field to indicate a measurement gap requirement information for intra-frequency measurements for a NR serving cell; and an interFreq-needForGap field to indicate measurement gap requirement information for inter-frequency measurements.