WO2020088744A1

WO2020088744A1 - Network access node and client device for handling data transmissions during measurement gaps

Info

Publication number: WO2020088744A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/079686
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chaitanya TUMULA; Rama Kumar MOPIDEVI; Qingchun He; Junren Chang; Bengt Lindoff; Shulan Feng
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2018-10-30
Filing date: 2018-10-30
Publication date: 2020-05-07
Also published as: CN112956150B; CN112956150A; EP3864787A1

Abstract

The invention relates to handling of data transmissions during measurement gaps. With a new control message (510), a network access node (100) can configure a client device (300) to skip measurement gaps and further receive data during the skipped measurement gap. Thus, when the network access node (100) transmits a data packet to the client device (300) during a measurement gap, the client device (300) can skip the measurement gap and instead receive the data packet during the measurement gap. Thereby, stringent latency and reliability requirements can be meet. Furthermore, the invention also relates to corresponding methods and a computer program.

Description

NETWORK ACCESS NODE AND CLIENT DEVICE FOR HANDLING DATA

TRANSMISSIONS DURING MEASUREMENT GAPS

Technical Field

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

Background

Radio quality measurements are required to provide ubiquitous coverage for a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network configures the UE to measure downlink quality and report the measurement results. The measurements can be intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and/or inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements. Depending on the capability of the UE, measurement gaps can be required for the UE to perform inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements. During the measurement gaps the UE performs measurements and no uplink or downlink transmissions are scheduled except for messages related to random access. The measurement gap length in long term evolution (LTE) varies between 1 .5 ms and 6 ms depending on the configuration. For an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA)-new radio (NR) dual connectivity UE and a NR standalone UE, a similar measurement gap length is under consideration, i.e. a measurement gap length varying from 1 .5 ms to 6 ms.

Summary

An objective of embodiments of the invention is to provide a solution which mitigates or solves the drawbacks and problems of conventional solutions.

The above and further objectives are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a network access node for a wireless communication system, the network access node being configured to

provide a first control message to a client device configured with measurement gaps, wherein the first control message includes information to instruct the client device to skip at least one measurement gap.

That the client device skips a measurement gap can in this disclosure be understood to mean that the client device does not perform measurements during the measurement gap. An advantage of the network access node according to the first aspect is that by instructing the client device to skip a measurement gap, the network access node may further instruct the client device to perform another action during the skipped measurement gap. Thereby, allowing time resources to be used in a flexible manner.

In an implementation form of a network access node according to the first aspect, the first control message further includes information to instruct the client device to receive or transmit a data packet during the skipped measurement gap, and the network access node is further configured to

transmit a data packet to the client device during the measurement gap or receive a data packet from the client device (300) during the measurement gap.

A data packet can in this disclosure be understood to corresponds to data associated with a transport block.

An advantage with this implementation form is that by instructing the client device to receive a data packet during the skipped measurement gap, the network access node can for example transmit or receive a data packet associated with a low-latency service during the measurement gap. Thereby, providing a better quality of service for the client device.

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

transmit the data packet in a slot of a first set of aggregated slots before the measurement gap;

determine a collision of the transmission of the data packet in a remaining slot of the first set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap;

transmit the data packet in the remaining slot during the measurement gap; and provide an uplink grant to receive the data packet from the client device in a second set of aggregated slots;

determine a collision of the reception of the data packet in a slot of the second set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap;

receive the data packet in the slot during the measurement gap.

A set of aggregated slots can in this disclosure be understood to be a number of slots aggregated based on slot aggregation with aggregation factor larger than one. Each of aggregated slots may span 14 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. However the symbol allocation for data in each of the aggregated slots can occupy one of 2, 4, 7 or 14 OFDM symbols.

An uplink grant can correspond to either dynamic grant or a configured grant.

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

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

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

An advantage with this implementation form is that the network access node can apply the proposed aspects of the invention to data packets associated with ultra-reliable low-latency communication services. Thereby, achieving a trade-off between measurement report quality and quality of service.

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

radio resource control signalling,

medium access control-control element, and

down link control information. This implementation form provides the flexibility of providing the first control message semi- statistically or dynamically depending on the available control channel resources.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a client device for a wireless communication system, the client device being configured to

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

skip at least one measurement gap according to the information in the first control message.

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

In an implementation form of a client device according to the second aspect, the first control message further includes information to instruct the client device to receive or transmit a data packet during the skipped measurement gap, and the client device is further configured to receive a data packet from the network access node during the measurement gap or transmit a data packet to the network access node during the measurement gap.

An advantage with this implementation form is that by receiving or transmitting a data packet during the skipped measurement gap, the client device can achieve a better quality of service.

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

receive the data packet in a slot of a first set of aggregated slots before the measurement gap;

determine a collision of the reception of the data packet in a remaining slot of the first set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap;

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

obtain an uplink grant to transmit the data packet to the network access node in a second set of aggregated slots; determine a collision of the transmission of the data packet in a slot of the second set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap;

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

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

Similarly, after receiving a grant to transmit a data packet in a set of aggregated slots, if the client determines that if any slot of the set of aggregated slots overlap with a measurement gap, it can skip the measurement gap and transmit the data packet.

An advantage with this implementation form is that the client device can receive or transmit the data packet without interruption due to measurement gaps. Thereby, the client device can achieve a better quality of service.

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

An advantage with this implementation form is that the client device can achieve a trade-off between measurement report quality and receiving/transmitting high priority data packets without latency.

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

radio resource control signalling,

medium access control-control element, and

down link control information.

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

According to a third aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a method for a network access node, the method comprises providing a first control message to a client device configured with measurement gaps, wherein the first control message includes information to instruct the client device to skip at least one measurement gap.

The method according to the third aspect can be extended into implementation forms corresponding to the implementation forms of the network access node according to the first aspect. Hence, an implementation form of the method comprises the feature(s) of the corresponding implementation form of the network access node.

The advantages of the methods according to the third aspect are the same as those for the corresponding implementation forms of the network access node according to the first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a method for a client device, the method comprises

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

skipping at least one measurement gap according to the information in the first control message.

The method according to the fourth aspect can be extended into implementation forms corresponding to the implementation forms of the client device according to the second aspect. Hence, an implementation form of the method comprises the feature(s) of the corresponding implementation form of the client device.

The advantages of the methods according to the fourth aspect are the same as those for the corresponding implementation forms of the client device according to the second aspect.

The invention also relates to a computer program, characterized in program code, which when run by at least one processor causes said at least one processor to execute any method according to embodiments of the invention. Further, the invention also relates to a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and said mentioned computer program, wherein said computer program is included in the computer readable medium, and comprises of one or more from the group: ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), Flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) and hard disk drive. Further applications and advantages of the embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The appended drawings are intended to clarify and explain different embodiments of the invention, in which:

- Fig. 1 shows a network access node according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Fig. 2 shows a method for a network access node according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Fig. 3 shows a client device according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Fig. 4 shows a method for a client device according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Fig. 5 shows a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the invention;

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

Detailed Description

New Radio (NR) is being designed to support mainly three types of services: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low- latency communications (URLLC). URLLC services have very stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements on user plane latency and reliability.

In NR, to meet the stringent latency and reliability requirements of URLLC services, URLLC data in downlink is typically transmitted using mini-slots (resource mapping type B) and multi slot transmission with an aggregation factor larger than 1 . A slot in NR is defined as 14 OFDM symbols. A mini-slot, as an example, comprises 2, 4 or 7 symbols. A mini-slot is contained in a 14-symbol slot. A 14-symbol slot may contain more than one mini-slot. When the UE is configured with multi-slot transmission, the same symbol allocation is applied across a number of consecutive 14-symbol slots, where the number of consecutive slots is determined by the aggregation factor. The UE may expect that the transport block is repeated with the same symbol allocation among each of the number of consecutive 14-symbol slots. The symbol allocation in each of the 14-symbol slot may occupy a mini-slot (2, 4 or 7 OFDM symbol) or 14-symbols. The different redundancy versions to be applied across the symbol allocations in consecutive 14-symbol slots are predefined. In the downlink, for a multi-slot transmission, downlink control information (DCI) will be transmitted only in the first 14-symbol slot of the multi-slot transmission to reduce the signaling overhead. Even though the current NR specification limits that the slot aggregation feature is applied across 14-symbol slots, in future releases of the NR specification, slot aggregation using symbol allocations occupying mini slots may occur within a 14-symbol slot and the proposed embodiments of the invention are equally applicable in such scenarios as well.

When using multi-slot transmission, the initial transmission and/or corresponding repetitions of the transmission associated with URLLC data may collide, i.e. overlap in time, with a measurement gap leading to a degradation of the QoS of the URLLC service. For example, assume that URLLC data arrive at a network access node and should be transmitted using multi-slot transmission with an aggregation factor set to three. Further assume that the URLLC data transmission in the third slot collides with a measurement gap. According to the current 3GPP medium access control (MAC) specification, TS38.321 , a UE is not expected to receive data in the downlink during measurement gaps and the network access node may not transmit during the measurement gap. In a possible first scenario, the network access node may skip the URLLC data transmission in the third slot. In this case, the UE receives only two transmissions of the URLLC data in the first two slots before the measurement gap and the URLLC data is hence received with lower reliability. Furthermore, the counter associated with counting the number slots of the multi-slot (slot aggregation) transmission is reset to 0 at the start of the measurement gap. In a possible second scenario, the network access node may delay the URLLC data transmission in the third slot until after the measurement gap. That is, the third transmission associated with the multi-slot transmission of the data is carried out in a slot after the measurement gap. In this case, the latency requirement may be violated for the URLLC data. Note that, in the second scenario, the counter associated with counting the number of slots of the multi-slot (slot aggregation) transmission should be suspended during the measurement gap (after receiving the first two slots) and should resume counting after the measurement gap.

Consequently, in a conventional wireless communication system, data arriving for downlink transmission or scheduled for downlink transmission during a measurement gap may not meet latency and/or reliability requirements. This can cause problems for services with stringent latency and/or reliability requirement such as e.g. URLLC services. A possible solution could be that network access node configures measurement gaps such that they do not overlap with URLLC transmission occasions. However, for sporadic URLLC data arrival, obtaining prior knowledge of URLLC data arrival pattern and choosing a suitable measurement gap configuration may not be possible.

The invention therefore proposes a mechanism by which data can be transmitted by the network access node and received by the UE during measurement gaps. Fig. 1 shows a network access node 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the network access node 100 comprises a processor 102, a transceiver 104 and a memory 106. The processor 102 is coupled to the transceiver 104 and the memory 106 by communication means 108 known in the art. The network access node 100 may be configured for both wireless and wired communications in wireless and wired communication systems, respectively. The wireless communication capability is provided with an antenna or antenna array 1 10 coupled to the transceiver 104, while the wired communication capability is provided with a wired communication interface 1 12 coupled to the transceiver 104.

That the network access node 100 is configured to perform certain actions can in this disclosure be understood to mean that the network access node 100 comprises suitable means, such as e.g. the processor 102 and the transceiver 104, configured to perform said actions.

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

Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a corresponding method 200 which may be executed in a network access node 100, such as the one shown in Fig. 1 . The method 200 comprises providing 202 a first control message 510 to a client device 300. The first control message 510 includes information to instruct the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap.

Fig. 3 shows a client device 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the client device 300 comprises a processor 302, a transceiver 304 and a memory 306. The processor 302 is coupled to the transceiver 304 and the memory 306 by communication means 308 known in the art. The client device 300 further comprises an antenna or antenna array 310 coupled to the transceiver 304, which means that the client device 300 is configured for wireless communications in a wireless communication system. That the client device 300 is configured to perform certain actions can in this disclosure be understood to mean that the client device 300 comprises suitable means, such as e.g. the processor 302 and the transceiver 304, configured to perform said actions.

According to embodiments of the invention the client device 300 is configured to obtain a first control message 510 from a network access node 100 when the client device 300 is configured with measurement gaps. The first control message 510 includes information to instruct the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. The client device 300 is further configured to skip at least one measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510.

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a corresponding method 400 which may be executed in a client device 300, such as the one shown in Fig. 3. The method 400 comprises obtaining 402 a first control message 510 from a network access node 100 when the client device 300 is configured with measurement gaps. The first control message 510 includes information to instruct the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. The method 400 further comprises skipping 404 at least one measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510.

Fig. 5 shows a wireless communication system 500 according to an implementation. The wireless communication system 500 comprises a network access node 100 and a client device 300 configured to operate in the wireless communication system 500. For simplicity, the wireless communication system 500 shown in Fig. 5 only comprises one network access node 100 and one client device 300. However, the wireless communication system 500 may comprise any number of network access nodes 100 and any number of client devices 300 without deviating from the scope of the invention.

According to embodiments of the invention the network access node 100 can configure the client device 300 to skip measurement gaps by providing a first control message 510 to the client device 300. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the network access node 100 provides the first control message 510 to the client device 300 by transmitting the first control message 510 to the client device 300. The first control message 510 may be transmitted by the network access node 100 and hence obtained/received by the client device 300 using at least one of radio resource control (RRC) signalling, medium access control-control element (MAC CE), and down link control information (DCI). In other words, the first control message 510 may be comprised in an existing signalling message or element. The first control message 510 may e.g. be semi-statistically provided in a RRC message or dynamically provided in a MAC-CE or DCI depending on available control channel resources.

In embodiments, the first control message 510 may instead be specified in a specification/standard and e.g. pre-defined or pre-configured in the client device 300. In this case, certain types of client devices 300, e.g. client devices 300 supporting certain types of services such as e.g. URLLC services, may be pre-defined or pre-configured to skip one or more measurement gaps when they expect to receive data during one or more measurement gaps.

The first control message 510 includes information to instruct the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap. According to an embodiment of the invention, before receiving the first control message 510, the client device 300 has been configured with measurement gaps by the network access node 100 or another network access node using known procedures. Hence, the client device 300 receives the first control message 510 from the network access node 100 when the client device 300 is configured with measurement gaps. According to the information in the first control message 510 the client device 300 skips at least one measurement gap, e.g. one or more measurement gaps in a set of configured measurement gaps. That the client device 300 skips a measurement gap can in this disclosure be understood to mean that the client device 300 does not perform measurements during the measurement gap. Hence, during a skipped measurement gap the client device 300 ignores the measurement configuration for the measurement gap and does not measure according to the measurement configuration. The duration of the measurement gap is thereby made available for other tasks, which may have higher priority than performing measurements.

The first control message 510 may further include information to instruct the client device 300 to receive a data packet during the skipped measurement gap. In this case, the network access node 100 may transmit a data packet to the client device 300 during the measurement gap. The data packet may correspond to data associated with a transport block. When using multi slot transmission, the transport block may be repeated with the same symbol allocation among a number of consecutive slots with different redundancy versions applied across the symbol allocations in the consecutive slots. Furthermore, the client device 300 may receive the data packet from the network access node 100 during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510.

In embodiments a configuration parameter is introduced, with which the network access node 100 can configure the client device 300 to skip and/or receive data packets during measurement gaps. The configuration parameter may e.g. determine whether the client device 300 can receive a data packet from the network access node 100 during a measurement gap or not. In such embodiments, the information included in the first control message 510 may be information which sets or activates/enables the configuration parameter. When the client device 300 has been configured with the configuration parameter, i.e. has received the first control message 510 from the network access node 100, the client device 300 can receive the data packet from the network access node 100 during the measurement gap.

The data packet received during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510 may be associated with an URLLC service. The URLLC service may be associated with a URLLC application which generates data sporadically. For URLLC applications with periodic traffic pattern, the network access node 100 may configure measurement gaps to not collide with data transmission and/or reception. However, for URLLC applications with sporadic traffic pattern, the network access node 100 may not be able to configure measurement gaps that do not collide with data transmission and/or reception. Thus, for URLLC applications with sporadic traffic pattern the URLLC data arrival in downlink may collide with a measurement gap.

According to embodiments of the invention the network access node 100 can configure the client device 300 to receive a data packet during measurement gaps, when multi-slot transmission is used to transmit the data packet to the client device 300. In multi-slot transmission, the same data packet can be repeated possibly using different redundancy versions in a number of consecutive slots, where the number of consecutive slots may be determined by an aggregation factor associated with the multi-slot transmission. In other words, a set of aggregated slots can be used to transmit the data packet, where the set of aggregated slots comprises a number of consecutive slots aggregated based on slot aggregation with aggregation factor larger than one.

The network access node 100 configures the client device 300 to receive data packets during measurement gaps using the first control message 510, as previously described. Upon determining that a data packet should be transmitted to the client device 300 using multi-slot transmission (slot aggregation with aggregation factor larger than one), the network access node 100 determines a set of aggregated slots for the transmission of the data packet. The network access node 100 transmits the data packet in a slot of the set of aggregated slots before the measurement gap, e.g. an initial slot of the set of aggregated slots. The network access node 100 may transmit the data packet in further slots before the measurement gap depending on the time period between the initial slot of the set of aggregated slots and the measurement gap, as will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. The network access node 100 further determines or derives or infers a collision of the transmission of the data packet in a remaining slot of the set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap. A collision can herein be understood to mean that the transmission of the data packet in the remaining slot overlap in time with the measurements gap, i.e. the transmission of the data packet in the remaining slot will occur during the measurement gap. The network access node 100 may determine the collision by comparing the timing of the transmission of the set of aggregated slots with the timing of the measurement gaps configured for the client device 300. The timing information associated with the transmission of the set of aggregated slots and the measurement gaps is known to the network access node 100 or can be obtained by the network access node 100. Based on the comparison of the timing information, the network access node 100 may determine a collision, i.e. that the transmission of one of the slots of the set of aggregated slots will overlap in time with one of the measurement gaps configured for the client device 300.

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

Based on the determination of the collision and optionally the determination that the data packet should be transmitted in the remaining slot, the network access node 100 transmits the data packet in the remaining slot during the measurement gap. Thus, the network access node 100 may continue the transmission of the data packet in all the consecutive slots of the set of aggregated slots, although the remaining slot of the set of aggregated slots collides with the measurement gap. Furthermore, after providing the first control message to the client device 300 and optionally based on the determination that the data packet should be transmitted in the remaining slot, the counter at the network access node 100 associated with counting the slots of the multi-slot transmission is not suspended during the measurement gap and hence continues to count the slots transmitted during the measurement gap. When receiving a data packet in a multi-slot transmission from the network access node 100, the client device 300 receives the data packet according to the information in the first control message 510. Hence, the client device 300 receives the data packet in the slot of the set of aggregated slots before the measurement gap. The client device 300 further determines or derives or infers a collision of the reception of the data packet in the remaining slot of the set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap. The client device 300 determines the collision based on timing information associated with the transmission of the set of aggregated slots and the measurement gaps, as described above for the network access node 100. The client device 300 may obtain/derive the timing information associated with the transmission of the set of aggregated slots from the transmission of the data packet in the initial slot of the set of aggregated slots, e.g. by decoding DCI. The timing information associated with the measurement gaps is configured in the client device 300 and hence known to the client device 300.

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

Based on the determination of the collision and optionally the determination that the data packet should be received in the remaining slot, the client device 300 receives the data packet in the remaining slot during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510. In this way, the client device 300 may continue to receive the transmissions of the data packet in all the slots of the set of aggregated slots, although the remaining slot of the set of aggregated slots collides with the measurement gap. Furthermore, after obtaining the first control message from the network access node 100 and optionally based on the determination that the data packet should be received in the remaining slot, the counter at the client device 300 associated with counting the slots of the multi-slot transmission is not suspended during the measurement gap and hence continues to count the slots transmitted during the measurement gap. Fig. 6 shows a timeline for a multi-slot transmission according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the network access node 100 has configured the client device 300 to expect to receive data from the network access node 100 during measurement gaps by transmitting the first control message 510 to the client device 300 (not shown in Fig. 6). At the time instance to, a data packet arrives at the network access node 100. The network access node 100 determines that the data packet should be transmitted to the client device 300 using mini-slots and multi-slot transmission with the aggregation factor set to three. Hence, the data packet is scheduled to be transmitted in a set of aggregated slots comprising a first mini-slot MS1 , a second mini-slot MS2 and a third mini-slot MS3. The three mini-slots MS1 , MS2, MS3 are located in three consecutive slots and each mini-slot occupies a portion of a 14-symbol slot, as shown in Fig. 6. The network access node 100 transmits the data packet in the first mini-slot MS1 in a first time interval T1 . Although the network access node 100 determines that the transmission occasion of the third mini-slot MS3 in a third time interval T3 collide with a measurement gap, the network access node 100 continues to transmit the data packet to the client device 300. Thus, the network access node 100 transmits the data packet in the second mini-slot MS2 in a second time interval T2 before the measurement gap and in the third mini-slot MS3 in the third time interval T3 during the measurement gap.

When the client device 300 receives the data packet in the first mini-slot MS1 , the client device 300 detects that the data packet is part of a multi-slot transmission, e.g. by decoding DCI associated with the data transmission. The client device 300 further determines that the transmission occasion of the third mini-slot MS3 in the third time interval T3 collide with a measurement gap based on timing information as previously described. The client device 300 hence skips the measurement gap and instead receives the data packet in the third mini-slot MS3.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the data packet is transmitted in two mini-slots MS1 , MS2 before the measurement gap. However, depending on the number of slots in the set of aggregated slots, the transmission times for the slots, and the measurement gap interval and duration, any number of slots in the set of aggregated slots may be transmitted before the measurement gap. Furthermore, when the measurement gap length is longer than the slot length more than one data transmission may collide with the same measurement gap.

In an embodiment, the first mini-slot MS1 and the second mini-slot MS2 may be in a single 14- symbol slot and transmitted during the first time interval T1 . The third mini-slot MS3 maybe in a second 14-symbol slot that is colliding with a measurement gap during the second time interval T2. The information regarding the positions of the aggregated mini-slots is communicated to the client device 300 by the network access node 100, for example using DCI. Although the network access node 100 determines that the transmission occasion of the third mini-slot MS3 in the second time interval T2 collide with the measurement gap, the network access node 100 continues to transmit the data packet to the client device 300. Thus, the network access node 100 transmits the data packet in the first mini-slot MS1 and the second mini-slot MS2 in the first time interval T1 before the measurement gap and in the third mini-slot MS3 in the second time interval T2 during the measurement gap.

When the client device 300 receives the data packet in the first mini-slot MS1 , the client device 300 detects that the data packet is part of a multi-slot transmission, e.g. by decoding DCI associated with the data transmission. The client device 300 further determines that the transmission occasion of the third mini-slot MS3 in the second time interval T2 collides with a measurement gap based on timing information as previously described. The client device 300 hence skips the measurement gap and instead receives the data packet in the third mini-slot MS3.

Even though the various embodiments of the disclosure describe aspects related to data reception in the downlink at the client device 300 during measurement gaps, those skilled in the art may equally apply the principles of the disclosure to data transmission in the uplink from the client device 300 during measurement gaps i.e., the network access node 100 may be configured to provide a first control message 510 to the client device 300. The first control message 510 includes information to instruct the client device 300 to skip at least one measurement gap.

The first control message 510 may further include information to instruct the client device 300 to transmit a data packet during the skipped measurement gap. In this case, the network access node 100 may receive a data packet from the client device 300 during the measurement gap. The data packet may correspond to data associated with a transport block. Furthermore, the client device 300 may transmit the data packet to the network access node 100 during the measurement gap according to the information in the first control message 510.

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

According to embodiments of the invention the network access node 100 can configure the client device 300 to transmit a data packet in the uplink during measurement gaps, when multi slot transmission is used to transmit the data packet from the client device 300. The network access node 100 configures the client device 300 to transmit data packets during measurement gaps using the first control message 510. Upon providing an uplink grant associated with a multi-slot transmission (slot aggregation with aggregation factor larger than one) in the uplink from the client device 300, the network access node 100 determines a set of aggregated slots for the reception of the data packet. The network access node 100 further determines or derives or infers a collision of the reception of the data packet at least one of the slots of the set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap. Upon determining the collision, the network access node 100 decides to receive the data packet during the multi-slot transmission from the client device. Hence, the network access node 100 receives the data packet in the at least one slot during the measurement gap.

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

The client device 300 herein, may be denoted as a user device, a User Equipment (UE), a mobile station, an internet of things (loT) device, a sensor device, a wireless terminal and/or a mobile terminal, is enabled to communicate wirelessly in a wireless communication system, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system. The UEs may further be referred to as mobile telephones, cellular telephones, computer tablets or laptops with wireless capability. The UEs in this context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer- comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the radio access network, with another entity, such as another receiver or a server. The UE can be a Station (STA), which is any device that contains an IEEE 802.1 1 -conformant Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) interface to the Wireless Medium (WM). The UE may also be configured for communication in 3GPP related LTE and LTE-Advanced, in WiMAX and its evolution, and in fifth generation wireless technologies, such as New Radio. The network access node 100 herein may also be denoted as a radio network access node, an access network access node, an access point, or a base station, e.g. a Radio Base Station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as transmitter,“gNB”,“gNodeB”,“eNB”, “eNodeB”,“NodeB” or“B node”, depending on the technology and terminology used. The radio network access node may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size. The radio network access node can be a Station (STA), which is any device that contains an IEEE 802.1 1 -conformant Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) interface to the Wireless Medium (WM). The radio network access node may also be a base station corresponding to the fifth generation (5G) wireless systems.

Furthermore, any method according to embodiments of the invention may be implemented in a computer program, having code means, which when run by processing means causes the processing means to execute the steps of the method. The computer program is included in a computer readable medium of a computer program product. The computer readable medium may comprise essentially any memory, such as a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), a Flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), or a hard disk drive.

Moreover, it is realized by the skilled person that embodiments of the network access node 100 and the client device 300 comprises the necessary communication capabilities in the form of e.g., functions, means, units, elements, etc., for performing the solution. Examples of other such means, units, elements and functions are: processors, memory, buffers, control logic, encoders, decoders, rate matchers, de-rate matchers, mapping units, multipliers, decision units, selecting units, switches, interleavers, de-interleavers, modulators, demodulators, inputs, outputs, antennas, amplifiers, receiver units, transmitter units, DSPs, MSDs, TCM encoder, TCM decoder, power supply units, power feeders, communication interfaces, communication protocols, etc. which are suitably arranged together for performing the solution.

Especially, the processor(s) of the network access node 100 and the client device 300 may comprise, e.g., one or more instances of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a processing unit, a processing circuit, a processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or other processing logic that may interpret and execute instructions. The expression“processor” may thus represent a processing circuitry comprising a plurality of processing circuits, such as, e.g., any, some or all of the ones mentioned above. The processing circuitry may further perform data processing functions for inputting, outputting, and processing of data comprising data buffering and device control functions, such as call processing control, user interface control, or the like.

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

Claims

1 . A network access node (100) for a wireless communication system (500), the network access node (100) being configured to

provide a first control message (510) to a client device (300), wherein the first control message (510) includes information to instruct the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap.

2. The network access node (100) according to claim 1 , wherein the first control message (510) further includes information to instruct the client device (300) to receive or transmit a data packet during the measurement gap, and wherein the network access node (100) is configured to

transmit a data packet to the client device (300) during the measurement gap or receive a data packet from the client device (300) during the measurement gap.

3. The network access node (100) according to claim 2, configured to perform at least one of transmit the data packet in a slot of a first set of aggregated slots before the measurement gap;

transmit the data packet in the remaining slot during the measurement gap; and provide an uplink grant to receive the data packet from the client device (300) in a second set of aggregated slots;

receive the data packet in the slot during the measurement gap.

4. The network access node (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the data packet is associated with an ultra-reliable low-latency communication service.

5. The network access node (100), according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first control message (510) is provided to the client device (300) using at least one of

radio resource control signalling,

medium access control-control element, and

down link control information.

6. A client device (300) for a wireless communication system (500), the client device (300) being configured to

obtain a first control message (510) from a network access node (100), wherein the first control message (510) includes information to instruct the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap;

skip at least one measurement gap according to the information in the first control message (510).

7. The client device (300) according to claim 6, wherein the first control message (510) further includes information to instruct the client device (300) to receive or transmit a data packet during the measurement gap, and wherein the client device (300) is configured to

receive a data packet from the network access node (100) during the measurement gap or transmit a data packet to the network access node (100) during the measurement gap.

8. The client device (300) according to claim 7, configured to perform at least one of

receive the data packet in the remaining slot during the measurement gap; and obtain an uplink grant to transmit the data packet to the network access node in a second set of aggregated slots;

determine a collision of the transmission of the data packet in a slot of the second set of aggregated slots with the measurement gap;

9. The client device (300) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the data packet is associated with an ultra-reliable low-latency communication service.

10. The client device (300) according to any of claim 6 to 9, wherein the first control message (510) is obtained using at least one of

radio resource control signalling,

medium access control-control element, and

down link control information.

1 1. A method (200) for a network access node (100), the method (200) comprising providing (202) a first control message (510) to a client device (300), wherein the first control message (510) includes information to instruct the client device (300) to skip at least one measurement gap.

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

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

skipping (404) at least one measurement gap according to the information in the first control message (510).

13. A computer program with a program code for performing a method according to claim 1 1 or 12 when the computer program runs on a computer.