IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,615,532
Granted Patent B2
US 12,615,532 · App. 17/440,578 · Granted Apr 28, 2026

Radio resource management measurement prioritization for reduced capacity user equipment

Inventors: Jie Cui (San Jose, CA); Hong He (San Jose, CA); Yang Tang (San Jose, CA); Qiming Li (Beijing, CN); Xiang Chen (Campbell, CA); Manasa Raghavan (Sunnyvale, CA); Dawei Zhang (Saratoga, CA); Huaning Niu (San Jose, CA); Chunxuan Ye (San Diego, CA); Haitong Sun (Cupertino, CA)
Assignee: APPLE INC.
H04W24/10H04W72/51H04W72/566
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,615,532
App. No.
17/440,578
Granted
Apr 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Some aspects include an apparatus, method, and computer program product for radio resource management measurement prioritization for reduced capacity (RedCap) user equipment (UE). A RedCap UE may be use Half-Duplex Frequency Division Duplex (HD-FDD) for wireless communications. When performing communications with a network, the RedCap UE may make several measurements, including Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR), and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurements. To obtain these measurements, the RedCap UE may measure Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), and/or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) symbols. Difficulties may arise when a RedCap UE's serving cell signal timing is not synchronized with a neighboring cell. The RedCap UE may be configured to prioritize measurements over uplink transmissions. This prioritization may also include symbol buffers so that an overlap in uplink transmissions does not occur during a measurement.

Claims (60)

1 . A method, comprising:

determining, at a reduced capacity user equipment (RedCap UE), that a synchronized signal physical broadcast channel block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window includes a synchronized signal block (SSB) measurement for one or more neighboring cells;

determining, at the RedCap UE, that a measurement gap is not applied to the SSB measurement for the one or more neighboring cells; and

in response to determining that the measurement gap is not applied to the SSB measurement for the one or more neighboring cells, prioritizing, at the RedCap UE, the SSB measurement for the one or more neighboring cells in the SMTC window over an uplink transmission from the RedCap UE.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein prioritizing the SSB measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the SMTC window is configured for a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement;

determining that SSB timing of a serving cell servicing the RedCap UE is synchronized with a SSB timing of a target neighboring cell of the one or more neighboring cells; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during consecutive SSB symbols, a symbol before the consecutive SSB symbols, and a symbol after the consecutive SSB symbols within the SMTC window.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein determining that the SSB timing of the serving cell is synchronized with the SSB timing of the target neighboring cell further comprises:

checking an SSB index flag; and

determining that the SSB index flag is enabled.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein prioritizing the SSB measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the SMTC window is configured for a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement;

determining that SSB timing of a serving cell servicing the RedCap UE is not synchronized with a SSB timing of a target neighboring cell of the one or more neighboring cells; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during the SMTC window.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein determining that the SSB timing of the serving cell is not synchronized with the SSB timing of the target neighboring cell further comprises:

checking an SSB index flag; and

determining that the SSB index flag is not enabled.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein prioritizing the SSB measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the SMTC window is configured for a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement;

determining that SSB timing of a serving cell servicing the RedCap UE is synchronized with a SSB timing of a target neighboring cell of the one or more neighboring cells; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during consecutive SSB symbols, consecutive Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) symbols, a symbol before the consecutive SSB and consecutive RSSI symbols, and a symbol after the consecutive SSB and consecutive RSSI symbols within the SMTC window.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein prioritizing the SSB measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the SMTC window is configured for a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement;

determining that SSB timing of a serving cell servicing the RedCap UE is not synchronized with a SSB timing of a target neighboring cell of the one or more neighboring cells; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during the SMTC window.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the RedCap UE communicates with a base station using half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) communications.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink transmission is a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), or a Random Access Channel (RACH) transmission.

10 . A method, comprising:

receiving, at a reduced capacity user equipment (RedCap UE) and from a serving cell, an indication of a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement at a neighboring cell;

determining, at the RedCap UE, that a measurement gap is not applied to the CSI-RS measurement; and

in response to determining that the measurement gap is not applied to the CSI-RS measurement, prioritizing, at the RedCap UE, the CSI-RS measurement over an uplink transmission from the RedCap UE.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein prioritizing the CSI-RS measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the CSI-RS measurement is a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement;

receiving, at the RedCap UE, from the serving cell, a CSI-RS configuration corresponding to the neighboring cell; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols of the CSI-RS configuration, a symbol before the consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols, and a symbol after the consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein prioritizing the CSI-RS measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the CSI-RS measurement is a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement;

receiving, at the RedCap UE, from the serving cell, a CSI-RS configuration corresponding to the neighboring cell;

identifying, at the RedCap UE, a CSI-RS search window including symbols indicated by the CSI-RS configuration; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during the CSI-RS search window.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein prioritizing the CSI-RS measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the CSI-RS measurement is a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) measurement;

receiving, at the RedCap UE, from the serving cell, a CSI-RS configuration corresponding to the neighboring cell;

identifying, at the RedCap UE, a CSI-RS search window including symbols indicated by the CSI-RS configuration; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols, a symbol before the consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols, and a symbol after the consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols within the CSI-RS search window.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein prioritizing the CSI-RS measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the CSI-RS measurement is a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement;

receiving, at the RedCap UE, from the serving cell, a CSI-RS and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) configuration corresponding to the neighboring cell; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols of the CSI-RS and RSSI configuration, consecutive RSSI symbols of the CSI-RS and RSSI configuration, a symbol before the consecutive CSI-RS resource and consecutive RSSI symbols, and a symbol after the consecutive CSI-RS and consecutive RSSI symbols.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein prioritizing the CSI-RS measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the CSI-RS measurement is a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement;

receiving, at the RedCap UE, from the serving cell, a CSI-RS configuration corresponding to the neighboring cell;

identifying, at the RedCap UE, a CSI-RS search window including symbols indicated by the CSI-RS configuration; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during the CSI-RS search window.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein prioritizing the CSI-RS measurement further comprises:

determining, at the RedCap UE, that the CSI-RS measurement is a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement;

receiving, at the RedCap UE, from the serving cell, a CSI-RS and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) configuration corresponding to the neighboring cell;

identifying, at the RedCap UE, a CSI-RS search window including symbols indicated by the CSI-RS and RSSI configuration; and

preventing the RedCap UE from performing an uplink transmission during consecutive CSI-RS resource symbols, consecutive RSSI symbols, a symbol before the consecutive CSI-RS resource and consecutive RSSI symbols, and a symbol after the consecutive CSI-RS and consecutive RSSI symbols within the CSI-RS search window.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 13, 2021
From: CUI, JIE; HE, HONG; TANG, YANG; LI, QIMING; CHEN, XIANG; RAGHAVAN, MANASA; ZHANG, DAWEI; NIU, HUANING; YE, CHUNXUAN; SUN, HAITONG
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 057783/0023 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240172018A1 · May 23, 2024
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