EP4674163A1

EP4674163A1 - Method, apparatus and computer program

Info

Publication number: EP4674163A1
Application number: EP24705603.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lars Dalsgaard; Riikka Karoliina DIMNIK; Jani-Pekka KAINULAINEN; Tero Henttonen
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-02-27
Filing date: 2024-02-08
Publication date: 2026-01-07
Also published as: GB202302846D0; JP2026508292A; KR20250153261A; WO2024179799A1; MX2025009947A; GB2627533A; CN120752955A

Abstract

There is provided a user equipment comprising means for: performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement

Description

METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

FIELD

The present application relates to a method, apparatus, system and computer program and in particular but not exclusively to reporting validated measurements.

BACKGROUND

A communication system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as user terminals, base stations and/or other nodes by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communications path. A communication system can be provided for example by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and/or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet.

In a wireless communication system at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems comprise public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

A user can access the communication system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. A communication device of a user may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user device. A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting apparatus for enabling communications, for example enabling access to a communication network or communications directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station, for example a base station of a cell, and transmit and/or receive communications on the carrier.

The communication system and associated devices typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. Communication protocols and/or parameters which shall be used for the connection are also typically defined. One example of a communications system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the long-term evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio-access technology and so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

SUMMARY

According to an aspect, there is provided a user equipment comprising means for performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

The means may be further configured for: receiving, from the network, information associated with the at least one resource.

The means may be further configured for storing, at the user equipment, the received information associated with the at least one resource.

The information associated with the at least one resource may be received from the network via an access node providing a primary cell connection for the user equipment, and wherein the information associated with the at least one recourse may comprise information associated with a secondary cell different to the primary cell.

The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise: cell configuration information for one or more cells in the network; and/or carrier measurement configuration information for one or more carriers of one or more cells in the network.

The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise the cell configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement may comprise information indicating at least one cell that has validated measurements, the at least one cell being associated with the cell configuration information. The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise the cell carrier measurement configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement may comprise information identifying at least one carrier that has validated measurements, the at least one carrier being associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration information.

The information indicating the at least one validated measurement may comprise one or more of: identity information of one or more cells that have validated measurements; a bitmap that indicates one or more cells that have validated measurements; identity information of a cell with a highest validated measurement; and/or carrier identification information.

The means may be further configured for: determining that a trigger condition is satisfied; and sending the message in response to determining that the trigger condition is satisfied.

Determining that the trigger condition is satisfied may comprise determining that a mobile originated or mobile terminated call associated with the user equipment is initiated.

The means may be further configured for: receiving, from the network, an indication to perform additional measurement validation; and performing the additional measurement validation in response to the indication.

According to an aspect, there is provided a network comprising means for: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

The means may be further configured for sending, to the user equipment, information associated with the at least one resource.

The information associated with the at least one resource may be sent by the network via an access node providing a primary cell connection for the user equipment, and wherein the information associated with the at least one recourse may comprise information associated with a secondary cell different to the primary cell. The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise: cell configuration information for one or more cells in the network; and/or cell carrier measurement configuration information for one or more carriers of one or more cells in the network.

The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise the cell configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement may comprise information indicating at least one cell that has validated measurements, the at least one cell being associated with the cell configuration information.

The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise the cell carrier measurement configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement may comprise information identifying at least one carrier that has validated measurements, the at least one carrier being associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration information.

The means may be further configured for: determining, based on the received message, that at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration have validated measurements; and based on the determining, activating, for the user equipment, the at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or the at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration.

The information indicating at least one validated measurement may comprise one or more of: identity information of one or more cells that have valid measurements; a bitmap that indicates one or more cells that have valid measurements; identity information of a cell with a highest valid measurement; and/or carrier identification information.

The means may be further configured for: sending, to the user equipment, an indication to perform additional measurement validation.

According to an aspect, there is provided a user equipment comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user equipment at least to: perform one or more measurements on at least one resource; determine at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, send, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the user equipment to: receive, from the network, information associated with the at least one resource.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the user equipment to store, at the user equipment, the received information associated with the at least one resource.

The information indicating the at least one validated measurement may comprise one or more of: identity information of one or more cells that have validated measurements; a bitmap that indicates one or more cells that have validated measurements; identity information of a cell with a highest validated measurement; and/or carrier identification information. The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the user equipment to: determine that a trigger condition is satisfied; and send the message in response to determining that the trigger condition is satisfied.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the user equipment to determine that a mobile originated or mobile terminated call associated with the user equipment is initiated.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the user equipment to: receive, from the network, an indication to perform additional measurement validation; and perform the additional measurement validation in response to the indication.

According to an aspect, there is provided a network comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network at least to: receive, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network to send, to the user equipment, information associated with the at least one resource.

The information associated with the at least one resource may be sent by the network via an access node providing a primary cell connection for the user equipment, and wherein the information associated with the at least one recourse may comprise information associated with a secondary cell different to the primary cell.

The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise: cell configuration information for one or more cells in the network; and/or cell carrier measurement configuration information for one or more carriers of one or more cells in the network.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network to: determine, based on the received message, that at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration have validated measurements; and based on the determining, activate, for the user equipment, the at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or the at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration.

The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network to: send, to the user equipment, an indication to perform additional measurement validation.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method comprising: performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

The method may comprise: receiving, from the network, information associated with the at least one resource.

The method may comprise storing, at the user equipment, the received information associated with the at least one resource.

The method may comprise: determining that a trigger condition is satisfied; and sending the message in response to determining that the trigger condition is satisfied.

The method may comprise: receiving, from the network, an indication to perform additional measurement validation; and performing the additional measurement validation in response to the indication.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

The method may comprise sending, to the user equipment, information associated with the at least one resource.

The method may comprise: determining, based on the received message, that at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration have validated measurements; and based on the determining, activating, for the user equipment, the at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or the at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration.

The method may comprise: sending, to the user equipment, an indication to perform additional measurement validation.

According to an aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

The instructions, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the apparatus to further perform: receiving, from the network, information associated with the at least one resource.

The instructions, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the apparatus to further perform storing, at the user equipment, the received information associated with the at least one resource.

The instructions, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the apparatus to further perform: determining that a trigger condition is satisfied; and sending the message in response to determining that the trigger condition is satisfied.

The instructions, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the apparatus to further perform: receiving, from the network, an indication to perform additional measurement validation; and performing the additional measurement validation in response to the indication.

According to an aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

The instructions, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the apparatus to further perform sending, to the user equipment, information associated with the at least one resource. The information associated with the at least one resource may be sent by the network via an access node providing a primary cell connection for the user equipment, and wherein the information associated with the at least one recourse may comprise information associated with a secondary cell different to the primary cell.

The instructions, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the apparatus to further perform: sending, to the user equipment, an indication to perform additional measurement validation. According to an aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method according to any of the preceding aspects.

In the above, many different embodiments have been described. It should be appreciated that further embodiments may be provided by the combination of any two or more of the embodiments described above.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a representation of a network system according to some example embodiments;

Figure 2 shows a representation of a control apparatus according to some example embodiments;

Figure 3 shows a representation of an apparatus according to some example embodiments;

Figure 4 shows methods according to some examples; and

Figure 5 shows a signalling exchange according to some examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A non-exhaustive list of abbreviations used herein is provided below for reference:

CA Carrier Aggregation

CSI Channel State Information

CSI-RS CSI Reference Symbol

CQI Channel Quality Information

DC Dual Connectivity

DCI Downlink Control Information

DL Downlink eNB evolved Node-B gNB 5G Node-B

FR1 Frequency Range 1

FR2 Frequency Range 2

LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Medium Access Control

MCG Master Cell Group

MO Mobile Originated

MT Mobile Terminated

NR New Radio

PCell Primary Cell

PSCell Primary Secondary Cell

RAN Radio Access Network

RRC Radio Resource Control

RS Reference Signal

RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

SCell Secondary Cell

SCG Secondary Cell Group

SIB System Information Block

SSB Synchronization Signal and PBCH Block

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

Wl Work Item

In the following certain embodiments are explained with reference to mobile communication devices capable of communication via a wireless cellular system and mobile communication systems serving such mobile communication devices. Before explaining in detail the exemplifying embodiments, certain general principles of a wireless communication system, access systems thereof, and mobile communication devices are briefly explained with reference to Figures 1 , 2 and 3 to assist in understanding the technology underlying the described examples.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a 5G system (5GS). The 5GS may be comprised by a terminal or user equipment (UE), a 5G radio access network (5GRAN) or next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), a 5G core network (5GC), one or more application function (AF) and one or more data networks (DN). While a 5GS is shown in Figure 5, it should be understood that examples of the present disclosure are not limited to use in 5GS, but may be applied in other systems, such as but not limited to LTE and 6G. The 5G-RAN may comprise one or more gNodeB (GNB) or one or more gNodeB (GNB) distributed unit functions connected to one or more gNodeB (GNB) centralized unit functions.

The 5GC may comprise the following entities: Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF); Network Exposure Function; Network Repository Function (NRF); Policy Control Function (PCF); Unified Data Management (UDM); Application Function (AF); Authentication Server Function (AUSF); an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); and Session Management Function (SMF). Figure 1 also shows the various interfaces (N1 , N2 etc.) that may be implemented between the various elements of the system.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of a control apparatus 200 for controlling a function of the 5GRAN or the 5GC as illustrated on Figure 1 . The control apparatus may comprise at least one random access memory (RAM) 21 1 a, at least on read only memory (ROM) 211 b, at least one processor 212, 213 and an input/output interface 214. The at least one processor 212, 213 may be coupled to the RAM 21 1 a and the ROM 21 1 b. The at least one processor 212, 213 may be configured to execute an appropriate software code 215. The software code 215 may for example allow to perform one or more steps to perform one or more of the present aspects. The software code 215 may be stored in the ROM 211 b. The control apparatus 200 may be interconnected with another control apparatus 200 controlling another function of the 5GRAN or the 5GC. In some embodiments, each function of the 5GRAN or the 5GC comprises a control apparatus 200. In alternative embodiments, two or more functions of the 5GRAN or the 5GC may share a control apparatus.

Figure 3 illustrates an example of a terminal 300, such as the terminal illustrated on Figure 1 . The terminal 300 may be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples comprise a user equipment, a mobile station (MS) or mobile device such as a mobile phone or what is known as a ’smart phone’, a computer provided with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facility (e.g., USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or a tablet provided with wireless communication capabilities, a machine-type communications (MTC) device, an Internet of things (loT) type communication device or any combinations of these or the like. The terminal 300 may provide, for example, communication of data for carrying communications. The communications may be one or more of voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia, data, machine data and so on. The terminal 300 may receive signals over an air or radio interface 307 via appropriate apparatus for receiving and may transmit signals via appropriate apparatus for transmitting radio signals. In Figure 3 transceiver apparatus is designated schematically by block 306. The transceiver apparatus 306 may be provided for example by means of a radio part and associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

The terminal 300 may be provided with at least one processor 301 , at least one memory ROM 302a, at least one RAM 302b and other possible components 303 for use in software and hardware aided execution of tasks it is designed to perform, including control of access to and communications with access systems and other communication devices. The at least one processor 301 is coupled to the RAM 302b and the ROM 302a. The at least one processor 301 may be configured to execute an appropriate software code 308. The software code 308 may for example allow to perform one or more of the present aspects. The software code 308 may be stored in the ROM 302a.

The processor, storage and other relevant control apparatus can be provided on an appropriate circuit board and/or in chipsets. This feature is denoted by reference 304. The device may optionally have a user interface such as key pad 305, touch sensitive screen or pad, combinations thereof or the like. Optionally one or more of a display, a speaker and a microphone may be provided depending on the type of the device.

3GPP has been working on improving CA/DC setup delays in LTE and NR for a number of releases and the work has continued in Rel-18. To this end, in some examples a UE may perform validation of available measurements during RRC setup/resume which may continue in connected mode. The UE may initiate validation of measurements at MO or MT RRC setup/resume initiation. The measurements may comprise any type of measurements, such as UE EMR measurements and any other available idle/inactive mode measurements for non-EMR and/or EMR UEs may be used. After validation, the UE may report validated measurements to the network.

Hence, the UE may perform validation/verifying of some available measurements (on UE side) during the RRC setup/resume. For example, validating/verifying measurements may comprise verifying that a particular cell is detectable, that a particular index is unchanged, or that particular measurement values (e.g. SS-RSRP) are within a particular range. Such measurements may continue for a period of time also after UE has entered connected mode (hence, during connected mode). There may be different UE implementations and capabilities related to measurements during Idle mode. Some example capabilities are shown below in Table 1 : Table 1 - example UE capabilities

In some cases (e.g. when operating in FR2, which may be defined as a frequency range of

24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz) there may be additional delays during CA/DC setup due to the assumed need for beam forming on both UE and network side (which may be to ensure the link quality and link budget). Use of beam forming on network side and assumed multiple panels and beams (resulting in different spatial settings) on UE side may lead to certain procedures being prolonged due to the need for UE sweeping different panels/DL Rx spatial settings (i.e. different Rx beams). These procedures may include for example cell detection, measurements and SSB Index reading, however it should be understood that other procedures may also be included.

This may mean that the assumed time it takes for the UE to perform some procedures e.g., detect and measure for example a first new cell can be rather long, which means that setting up CA/DC, when entering connected mode from idle mode, is not efficient.

In some examples (in CA in particular) the network may need to have information related to which DL to use for scheduling the UE. In such examples there may be a need a need for relaying such information from the UE to the network prior network being able to schedule the UE in a cell, for example an SCell, PSCell, or other cell type. Relaying this information to the network may add additional delay to overall CA/DC setup in addition to the basic measurements.

In some examples, when the UE enters connected mode (for example from idle or inactive mode), if there is a long delay before the cell (e.g. SCell) can be taken into use due to the inherited delays described above, there may be a chance that data transmission needed between the UE and network may be finalized prior to CA/DC setup being finalized. Hence, it may not be possible for the network to use CA/DC in practical deployments.

Therefore it may be beneficial to have a method that enables faster setup of RRC connection for a UE, which may be particularly helpful for CA and/or DC.

Reference is made to Figure 4, which shows methods according to some examples. Steps 400-404 show method steps that may be performed by a user equipment. Step 406 shows a method step that may be performed by a network. In some examples the steps described below with respect to the network may be performed by or at one or more network nodes, such as but not limited to an access node/base station (e.g. gNB).

At 400, the method comprises performing one or more measurements on at least one resource. At 402, the method comprises determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria.

At 404, the method comprises, based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

At 406, the method comprises receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

In some examples, the UE send, to the network, information indicating that the UE has validated measurements available on a specific resource (e.g., a specific cell, specific carrier, SSB Index etc.). The information may be sent during a connection setup/resume phase. In some examples, the UE may send the information in a RRC message, such as a RRCSetupComplete or RRCResumeComplete,

The validated measurements may comprise validated measurements for any cell, which in some examples could be for a stored cell (e.g. SCell or PSCell) configuration. In some examples, only one carrier may be configured. In other examples, more than one carrier may be configured.

The measurements may be validated according to specified and/or network-configured validation conditions.

The information indicating that the UE has validated measurements may include information about one or more cells, such as one or more of the following:

Identity information (e.g. SCell index, PCI + frequency, SSB index) of the cells for which UE has validated measurements;

A bitmap that indicates which of the stored cells have validated measurements;

Identity information of cell with the best (e.g. measurement with highest signal strength) validated measurement; and/or

Carrier identification information. In some examples, the network may configure the UE with information for performing idle/inactive mode measurements. In some examples, the network may send information associated with at least one resource to the UE. The information may comprise a cell configuration and/or a carrier measurement configuration. In some examples the UE may store the information associated with the at least one resource while in or when entering inactive (or idle) mode). In other examples, the UE may use information associated with a resource (e.g. a cell index, SSB index, SSB frequency, PCI etc.) from connected mode and store this information during idle mode.

When the UE includes information indicating at least one valid measurement in the RRC message, the network may be aware that UE has validated measurement for the stored cell and/or carrier. Additionally, the network may assume that the one or more reported indexes can be used by UE in DL in the cell (e.g. PCell or PSCell).

The network may use this information for further actions as needed, for example adding or activating the cell/carrier as needed.

Reference is made to Figure 5, which shows a method according to some examples.

At 500, the UE is in connected mode, and may be for example operating in CA and/or DC.

At 502 the network may send, to the UE, information associated with at least one resource. The information associated with the at least one resource may comprise information for performing one or more measurements while in idle and/or inactive mode. In some examples, the information associated with the at least one resource may comprise a cell configuration or a cell carrier measurement configuration. The network may send the information to the UE via an access node (e.g. gNB). The access node may be an access node providing a PCell connection for the UE. The network may send the information to the UE via other signalling, such as but not limited to, SIB.

The cell configuration may be an SCell configuration or an PSCell configuration. The cell carrier configuration may identify a carrier of a particular cell (e.g. SCell or PSCell), or the UE may select a carrier for example based on SIB configuration.

At 504 the network releases the connection for the UE. In response, the UE stores the information received at 502. At 506, the UE enters idle/inactive mode once the connection is released and remains in idle/inactive mode.

At 508, the UE performs one or more measurements. The one or more measurements may be based on the stored information - i.e. the cell configuration information or the cell carrier measurement configuration information. For example, the UE may perform one or more measurements for a cell corresponding to the stored cell configuration, or for a particular carrier according to the cell carrier measurement configuration information.

The UE may perform one or more measurements at step 508 while in idle/inactive mode (i.e. after connection release) as shown in Figure 5. In other examples, the UE may perform the one or more measurements while in active mode (i.e. prior to connection release).

At 510, the UE determines that a trigger condition is satisfied. For example, the trigger condition may be that a MO call is initiated or a MT call is received. The UE, in response to determining that the trigger condition is satisfied, sends a connection setup request (e.g. RRC connection setup request) to the network at 512. In response to the request, at 514 the network sends a response message (e.g. a RRC response message, such as a RRC resume message).

The message sent by the network to the UE at step 514 may also optionally include an indication to the UE to start additional measurement validation and/or reporting. The indication may be implicitly or explicitly signalled. The additional measurement reporting may be performed using Msg5. The indication may indicate which information is reported, or request to continue validation even after Msg5 transmission.

At 516 the UE determines at least one validated measurement - for example the UE determines if one or more of the measurements performed at 508 are validated, i.e. whether the measurements fulfill one or more validation criteria or conditions. The one or more validation criteria or conditions may be sent along with the information associated with at least one resource in step 502. The validation criteria may for example include that the cell index is known, that a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) is better than threshold etc. It should be understood that in some examples, different validation criteria may be used. It should also be understood that step 516 may be performed at a different stage to that shown in Figure 5, as long as it is performed after step 508 and before step 518. In some examples, step 516 may be performed in response to determining the trigger condition at step 510. That is to say, when the UE performs the evaluation at 516 may be implementation specific.

At 518, the UE sends a message (e.g. a RRC reconfiguration complete message) to the network. When the evaluation at 516 is successful, the message may comprise information indicating the one or more validated measurements (i.e. the one or more measurements that fulfil the validation criteria). When the evaluation at 516 is not successful, the UE may not include such information when sending the message at 518.

The information indicating the one or more validated measurements may comprise an identity of at least one cell that has validated measurements (the cell being associated with the stored cell configuration) and/or information indicating an identity of at least one carrier that has validated measurements (the carrier being associated with the stored cell carrier measurement configuration).

At 520, the network determines, based on the information included in the message sent by the UE at 518, whether the cell corresponding to the stored cell configuration and/or a carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration can be assumed having valid measurements and being validated or not.

For example, when the information included in the message sent at 518 comprises information identifying a first cell (e.g. a SCell), the network may assume that the measurements for the first cell are validated. As another example, when the information included in the message sent at 518 comprises information identifying a first carrier, the network may assume that the measurements for the first carrier are validated.

Based on the information included in the received message, the network may take appropriate actions. For example, the network may activate the cell corresponding to the stored cell configuration based on the received information from the UE or may configure and potentially activate a cell on the carrier corresponding to the cell carrier measurement configuration for the UE based on the received information from the UE.

In some examples, based on the fact that the network is aware of the stored cell/carrier in the UE and the configuration together with the information about the validated measurements and the cell/carrier identity (e.g. SSB Index), the network can schedule the UE directly on the cell/carrier once the cell/carrier has been activated.

Some examples may use stored cell configuration information and/or stored cell carrier measurement configuration information. In some examples, there may be multiple carriers per cell. The multiple carriers may be indicated to the UE either in dedicated signalling or in broadcasted information.

Some examples may allow the UE and the network to create association of valid cell/carrier measurements, without UE needing to transmit any measurements. This may result in a reduction to the cell setup time when compared to some methods (e.g. current rel-16 based EMR framework) where the network needs to request measurements from the UE after security has been established.

Some examples may also apply in situations where the UE does not support rel-16 idlemode measurements. However, UEs that do support rel-16 idle-mode measurements may find aspects of the present disclosure more beneficial as they may be able to retain the association longer than UEs not supporting rel-16 EMR framework.

In some examples, there is provided a user equipment comprising means for: performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement

In some examples the user equipment may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user equipment at least to: perform one or more measurements on at least one resource; determine at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, send, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

In some examples, there is provided a network comprising means for: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

In some examples, the network may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network at least to: receive, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

It should be understood that the apparatuses may comprise or be coupled to other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or for transmission and/or reception. Although the apparatuses have been described as one entity, different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

It is noted that whilst some embodiments have been described in relation to 5G networks, similar principles can be applied in relation to other networks and communication systems. Therefore, although certain embodiments were described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies and standards, embodiments may be applied to any other suitable forms of communication systems than those illustrated and described herein.

It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

In general, the various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuitry, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the disclosure is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) with software/fi rmware and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.”

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

The embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of the mobile device, such as in the processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or program, also called program product, including software routines, applets and/or macros, may be stored in any apparatus-readable data storage medium and they comprise program instructions to perform particular tasks. A computer program product may comprise one or more computerexecutable components which, when the program is run, are configured to carry out embodiments. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions of it. Further in this regard it should be noted that any blocks of the logic flow as in the Figures may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on such physical media as memory chips, or memory blocks implemented within the processor, magnetic media such as hard disk or floppy disks, and optical media such as for example DVD and the data variants thereof, CD. The physical media is a non-transitory media.

The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal ) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

The memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The data processors may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may comprise one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), FPGA, gate level circuits and processors based on multi core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

Embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

The scope of protection sought for various embodiments of the disclosure is set out by the independent claims. The embodiments and features, if any, described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the disclosure.

The foregoing description has provided by way of non-limiting examples a full and informative description of the exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this disclosure will still fall within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims. Indeed, there is a further embodiment comprising a combination of one or more embodiments with any of the other embodiments previously discussed.

Claims

1 . A user equipment comprising means for: performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

2. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the means is further configured for: receiving, from the network, information associated with the at least one resource.

3. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the means is further configured for storing, at the user equipment, the received information associated with the at least one resource.

4. The user equipment of claim 2 or 3, wherein the information associated with the at least one resource is received from the network via an access node providing a primary cell connection for the user equipment, and wherein the information associated with the at least one recourse comprises information associated with a secondary cell different to the primary cell.

5. The user equipment of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the information associated with the at least one resource comprises: cell configuration information for one or more cells in the network; and/or carrier measurement configuration information for one or more carriers of one or more cells in the network.

6. The user equipment of claim 5, wherein: the information associated with the at least one resource comprises the cell configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement comprises information indicating at least one cell that has validated measurements, the at least one cell being associated with the cell configuration information; and/or the information associated with the at least one resource comprises the cell carrier measurement configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement comprises information identifying at least one carrier that has validated measurements, the at least one carrier being associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration information.

7. The user equipment of any preceding claim, wherein the information indicating the at least one validated measurement comprises one or more of: identity information of one or more cells that have validated measurements; a bitmap that indicates one or more cells that have validated measurements; identity information of a cell with a highest validated measurement; and/or carrier identification information.

8. The user equipment of any preceding claim, wherein the means is further configured for: determining that a trigger condition is satisfied; and sending the message in response to determining that the trigger condition is satisfied.

9. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein determining that the trigger condition is satisfied comprises determining that a mobile originated or mobile terminated call associated with the user equipment is initiated.

10. The user equipment of any preceding claim, wherein the means is further configured for: receiving, from the network, an indication to perform additional measurement validation; and performing the additional measurement validation in response to the indication.

11. A network comprising means for: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

12. The network of claim 11 , wherein the means is further configured for: sending, to the user equipment, information associated with the at least one resource.

13. The network of claim 11 or 12, wherein the information associated with the at least one resource is sent by the network via an access node providing a primary cell connection for the user equipment, and wherein the information associated with the at least one recourse comprises information associated with a secondary cell different to the primary cell.

14. The network of claim 12 or 13, wherein the information associated with the at least one resource comprises: cell configuration information for one or more cells in the network; and/or cell carrier measurement configuration information for one or more carriers of one or more cells in the network.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein: the information associated with the at least one resource comprises the cell configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement comprises information indicating at least one cell that has validated measurements, the at least one cell being associated with the cell configuration information; and/or the information associated with the at least one resource comprises the cell carrier measurement configuration information, and the information indicating the at least one validated measurement comprises information identifying at least one carrier that has validated measurements, the at least one carrier being associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration information.

16. The network of any of claims 14 to 15, wherein the means are further configured for: determining, based on the received message, that at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration have validated measurements; and based on the determining, activating, for the user equipment, the at least one cell associated with the cell configuration information and/or the at least one carrier associated with the cell carrier measurement configuration.

17. The network of any of claims 1 1 to 16, wherein the information indicating at least one validated measurement comprises one or more of: identity information of one or more cells that have valid measurements; a bitmap that indicates one or more cells that have valid measurements; identity information of a cell with a highest valid measurement; and/or carrier identification information.

18. The network of any of claims 11 to 17, wherein the means is further configured for: sending, to the user equipment, an indication to perform additional measurement validation.

19. A user equipment comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user equipment at least to: perform one or more measurements on at least one resource; determine at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, send, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

20. A network comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network at least to: receive, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.

21 . A method comprising: performing one or more measurements on at least one resource; determining at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement of the one or more measurements that fulfil one or more validation criteria; and based on the determining, sending, to a network, a message comprising information indicating the at least one validated measurement.

22. A method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising information indicating at least one validated measurement, the at least one validated measurement being at least one measurement on at least one resource that fulfils one or more validation criteria.