IP Library Granted Patent US 12,035,159
Granted Patent B2
US 12,035,159 · App. 17/429,720 · Granted Jul 9, 2024

Measurement gap design for NE-DC mode

Inventors: Jie Cui (Santa Clara, CA); Yang Tang (Santa Clara, CA); Qiming Li (Beijing, CN); Yuhan Zhou (Santa Clara, CA); Hong He (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04W24/08H04W56/0045
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,035,159
App. No.
17/429,720
Granted
Jul 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for determining a starting point of a measurement gap. For example, the present disclosure is directed to a user equipment (UE) that includes a memory and processor circuitry coupled to the memory. The processor circuitry may be configured to receive an indication of a measurement gap timing advance. The processor circuitry may be further configured to, based on the indication of the measurement gap timing advance, determine a starting point of a measurement gap in a dual connectivity mode that provides dual connectivity with a new radio (NR) and an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (EUTRA). The NR may serve as a master Radio Access Network (RAN) and the EUTRA may serve as a secondary RAN. The processor circuitry may also be configured to perform a signal quality measurement during the measurement gap, wherein the signal quality measurement is performed on a target cell of the NR or EUTRA.

Claims (31)

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a radio front end circuitry; and

processor circuitry coupled to the radio front end circuitry, and configured to:

receive an indication of a measurement gap timing advance;

based on the indication of the measurement gap timing advance, determine a starting point of a measurement gap in a dual connectivity mode that provides dual connectivity with a new radio (NR) network and an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) network, wherein the NR network serves as a master Radio Access Network (RAN) and the EUTRA network serves as a secondary RAN, wherein in response to the measurement gap being a first frequency range (FR1) measurement gap and the measurement gap timing advance equal to zero, the starting point of the FR1 measurement gap is determined based on a latest NR serving cell subframe boundary among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes in a second frequency range (FR2); and

perform, using the radio front end circuitry, a signal quality measurement during the measurement gap, wherein the signal quality measurement is performed on a target cell of the NR network or the EUTRA network.

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cease transmissions and receptions during the measurement gap.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the indication of the measurement gap timing advance is received from an access node.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being a per-UE measurement gap, the processor is further configured to determine the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest NR subframe among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes that occurs before the measurement gap.

5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being for a frequency range and the UE uses a NR serving cell in the frequency range, the processor is further configured to determine the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest NR subframe among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes in the frequency range that occurs before the measurement gap.

6. The UE of claim 1 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being for a frequency range and the UE does not use a NR serving cell in the frequency range, the processor is further configured to determine the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest EUTRA subframe among secondary cell group (SCG) serving cell subframes that occurs before the measurement gap.

7. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the measurement gap timing advance is zero.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment (UE), an indication of a measurement gap timing advance;

based on the indication of the measurement gap timing advance, determining, by the UE, a starting point of a measurement gap in a dual connectivity mode that provides dual connectivity with a new radio (NR) network and an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) network, wherein the NR network serves as a master Radio Access Network (RAN) and the EUTRA network serves as a secondary RAN, wherein in response to the measurement gap being a first frequency range (FR1) measurement gap and the measurement gap timing advance equal to zero, the starting point of the FR1 measurement gap is determined based on a latest NR serving cell subframe boundary among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes in a second frequency range (FR2); and

performing, by the UE, a signal quality measurement during the measurement gap, wherein the signal quality measurement is performed on a target cell of the NR network or the EUTRA network.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising ceasing transmissions and receptions, by the UE, during the measurement gap.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the indication of the measurement gap timing advance is received from an access node.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being a per-UE measurement gap, the determining the starting point comprises determining the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest NR subframe among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes that occurs before the measurement gap.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being for a frequency range and the UE uses a NR serving cell in the frequency range, determining the starting point comprises determining the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest NR subframe among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes in the frequency range that occurs before the measurement gap.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being for a frequency range and the UE does not use a NR serving cell in the frequency range, determining the starting point comprises determining the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest EUTRA subframe among secondary cell group (SCG) serving cell subframes that occurs before the measurement gap.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the measurement gap timing advance is zero.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions to cause a user equipment (UE), upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the UE, to perform one or more operations, the operations comprising:

receiving an indication of a measurement gap timing advance;

based on the indication of the measurement gap timing advance, determining a starting point of a measurement gap in a dual connectivity mode with a new radio (NR) network and an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) network, wherein the NR network serves as a master Radio Access Network (RAN) and the EUTRA network serves as a secondary RAN, wherein in response to the measurement gap being a first frequency range (FR1) measurement gap and the measurement gap timing advance equal to zero, the starting point of the FR1 measurement gap is determined based on a latest NR serving cell subframe boundary among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes in a second frequency range (FR2); and

performing a signal quality measurement during the measurement gap, wherein the signal quality measurement is performed on a target cell of the NR network or the EUTRA network.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising ceasing transmissions and receptions, by the UE, during the measurement gap.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the indication of the measurement gap timing advance is received from an access node.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being a per-UE measurement gap, the determining the starting point comprises determining the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest NR subframe among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes that occurs before the measurement gap.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being for a frequency range and the UE uses a NR serving cell in the frequency range, determining the starting point comprises determining the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest NR subframe among master cell group (MCG) serving cell subframes in the frequency range that occurs before the measurement gap.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein in response to the measurement gap being for a frequency range and the UE does not use a NR serving cell in the frequency range, determining the starting point comprises determining the starting point as the measurement gap timing advance after an end of a latest EUTRA subframe among secondary cell group (SCG) serving cell subframes that occurs before the measurement gap.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 13, 2024
From: CUI, JIE; TANG, YANG; LI, QIMING; ZHOU, YUHAN; HE, HONG
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068268/0069 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 13, 2024
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 068268/0115 →