HK1219199B - Ue, network node and methods of assisting measurements in mixed signal configuration - Google Patents

Description

UE, network node and method for assisting measurements in a mixed signal configuration

Technical Field

Embodiments herein relate to user equipment (UE), network nodes and methods therein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to adapting radio procedures and assisting UE in adapting radio procedures.

Background Art

Communication devices such as terminals are referred to as, for example, user equipment (UE), mobile terminals, wireless terminals, and/or mobile stations. Terminals are capable of wirelessly communicating in a cellular communication network or wireless communication system, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system or cellular network. Communication can be performed, for example, between two terminals, between a terminal and a regular phone, and/or between a terminal and a server via a radio access network (RAN) and possibly via one or more core networks (which are included in the cellular communication network).

A terminal may also be referred to as a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, or a surfboard with unlimited capabilities, to mention only some additional examples. A terminal in this context may be, for example, a portable, pocket-storable, handheld, computer-containing, or vehicle-mounted mobile device capable of communicating voice and/or data with another entity (such as another terminal or a server) via a RAN.

A cellular communication network covers a geographical area divided into cell areas, where each cell area is served by an access node such as a base station (e.g., a radio base station (RBS), which may sometimes be referred to as, for example, an "eNB," "evolved Node B," "Node B," "B Node," or BTS (Base Transceiver Station) depending on the technology and terminology used). Based on the transmission power and thus also on the cell size, the base stations can belong to different categories, such as macro eNodeB, home eNodeB, or micro base station. A cell is a geographical area in which radio coverage is provided by a base station at a base station site. One base station located at a base station site can serve one or several cells. In addition, each base station can support one or several communication technologies. The base station communicates with terminals within the range of the base station over an air interface operating at radio frequencies. In the context of the present disclosure, the expression "downlink (DL)" is used for the transmission path from the base station to the mobile station. The expression "uplink (UL)" is used for the transmission path in the opposite direction, i.e., from the mobile station to the base station.

In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), base stations, which may also be referred to as evolved Node Bs or even eNBs, may be directly connected to one or more core networks.

The 3GPP LTE radio access standard has been written to support high bit rates and low latency for both uplink and downlink communications.All data transmission in LTE is controlled by a radio base station.

Multi-carrier or carrier aggregation concept

To enhance peak rates within a technology, multi-carrier or carrier aggregation solutions are known. Radio network nodes and UEs transmit and/or receive signals via carriers, also referred to as carrier frequencies. For example, multiple 5 MHz carriers can be used in High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) to enhance peak rates within the HSPA network. Similarly, in LTE, multiple 20 MHz carriers or even smaller carriers (e.g., 5 MHz) can be aggregated in the UL and/or on the DL. Each carrier in a multi-carrier or carrier aggregation system is often referred to as a component carrier (CC) or sometimes also as a cell. In short, a CC represents a single carrier in a multi-carrier system. The term "carrier aggregation (CA)" can also be interchangeably referred to as, for example, a multi-carrier system, multi-cell operation, multi-carrier operation, multi-carrier transmission and/or reception. This means that CA is used for the transmission of signaling and data in both the uplink and downlink directions. One of the CCs is a primary component carrier (PCC) or simply a primary carrier or even an anchor carrier. The remaining CCs are referred to as secondary component carriers (SCCs) or simply secondary carriers or even supplementary carriers. Typically, the primary or anchor CC carries important UE-specific signaling. The primary CC exists in both uplink and directional CA. The network may assign different primary carriers to different UEs operating in the same sector or cell.

Therefore, the UE has more than one serving cell in the uplink and/or in the downlink: one primary serving cell and one or more secondary serving cells operating on the PCC and SCC, respectively. The serving cell is interchangeably referred to as the primary cell (PCell) or the primary serving cell (PSC). Similarly, the secondary serving cell is interchangeably referred to as the secondary cell (SCell) or the secondary serving cell (SSC). Regardless of the terminology, the PCell and SCell enable the UE to receive and/or transmit data. More specifically, the PCell and SCell exist in the DL and UL for the UE to receive and transmit data. The remaining non-serving cells on the PCC and SCC are called neighboring cells.

The CCs involved in CA can belong to the same frequency band (also known as intra-band CA), or to different frequency bands (inter-band CA), or any combination thereof. For example, two CCs in band A and one CC in band B. Inter-band CA, which involves carriers distributed across two frequency bands, is also known as dual-band dual-carrier (DB-DC-) high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) in HSPA or inter-band CA in LTE. Furthermore, CCs in intra-band CA can be adjacent or non-adjacent in the frequency domain (also known as intra-band non-adjacent CA). Hybrid CA, including intra-band adjacent, intra-band non-adjacent, and inter-band CA, is also possible. Carrier aggregation between carriers using different technologies is also known as "multi-radio access technology (RAT) carrier aggregation," "multi-RAT multi-carrier system," or simply "inter-RAT carrier aggregation." For example, carriers from WCDMA and LTE can be aggregated. Another example is the aggregation of LTE and CDMA2000 carriers. For clarity, carrier aggregation within the same technology described herein can be considered "intra-RAT" carrier aggregation or simply "single-RAT" carrier aggregation.

CCs in CA may or may not be co-located in the same site or base station or radio network node (e.g., relay, mobile relay, etc.). For example, CCs may originate from different locations, i.e., be transmitted and/or received at different locations, such as from a non-located BS or from a BS and RRH or RRU. Well-known examples of combined CA and multi-point communication are DAS, RRH, RRU, CoMP, multi-point transmission/reception, etc.

New carrier types

In NCT, mandatory transmissions are minimized to achieve improved user and system throughput, improved energy efficiency, and improved spectrum access and flexibility. Below, some of the main design features of NCT are listed.

Enhanced sync signal

In NCT, there are several resources used for common reference signals within the cell. Therefore, instead of transmitting a common reference signal (CRS) that is sent on two ports and every subframe, an extended synchronization signal (ESS) is used that is sent only on port 0 and every 5 subframes. A port is also called an antenna port, which is an entity used to send radio signals. The reduction in overhead achieved by using ESS is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 depicts a conventional carrier type (LCT) using CRS and an NCT using ESS signals. In Figure 1, the dotted line represents the reference signal sent. In NCT, reference signals are also sent on a shorter bandwidth (BW), that is, on resource blocks (RBs) that are less than the cell BW. In addition, the synchronization signal configuration in a cell operating using NCT may also be different from that in LCT, that is, the position of the PSS and/or SSS signals may be different.

ePDCCH

In LTE, the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is used to send control information, paging and random access responses. The PDCCH is sent in the first few symbols of a subframe of 1ms duration and over the entire BW. In each subframe, the PDCCH can occupy one to three orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols out of fourteen symbols (four symbols can be used when the carrier bandwidth is only 1.4MHz). In LTE TS 36.211 version 11, an additional control mechanism, enhanced PDCCH (ePDCCH) has been defined for sending UE-specific control information (also known as user-specific information). In NCT, ePDDCH is used, which spans symbols and is sent over a limited BW. The traditional PDCCH is still used to send information common to multiple UEs (also known as common information).

Figure 2 illustrates LCT using CRS and NCT using ESS signals. CRS is marked with a downward diagonal line, and ESS is marked with an upward diagonal line.

UE-specific carrier bandwidth

In LTE TS 36.211 Release 11, each UE is informed of the carrier BW and all UEs must support the entire system BW. This is partly because the PDCCH spans the entire carrier BW. As noted earlier, one of the design goals in LTE Release 12 for NCT is to enable UEs to support a system BW lower than the NCT BW. To do this, the UE should be able to perform all functions, including initial system access, on a subset of the PRBs transmitted from the carrier. This is possible on new carriers because the new carrier types do not use PDCCH but only ePDCCH, which can be deployed in a subset of the total available PRBs.

Measurement

Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements

Several radio-related measurements are used by UEs or radio network nodes to establish and maintain connections and to ensure the quality of the radio link.

These measurements are used in radio resource control (RRC) idle state operations such as cell selection, e.g., cell reselection between Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), cell reselection between different RATs, and cell reselection to non-3GPP RATs, and minimization of drive tests (MDT), and in RRC connected state operations such as cell changes, e.g., handover between E-UTRANs, handover between different RATs, and handover to non-3GPP RATs.

Cell ID measurement

The UE must first detect the cell, and thus the cell identification (eg acquisition of the physical cell identity (PCI)) is also a signal measurement. The UE may also have to acquire the UE's cell global ID (CGI).

In HSPA and LTE, the serving cell can request the UE to obtain the system information of the target cell. More specifically, the UE reads the SI to obtain the target cell's CGI, which uniquely identifies the cell. The UE can also be requested to obtain other information from the target cell, such as the Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) indicator and CSG proximity detection.

When an explicit request is received from a serving network node via RRC signaling, for example, from a radio network controller (RNC) in HSPA or an evolved Node B in the case of LTE, the UE reads the SI of a target cell (e.g., intra-frequency, inter-frequency, or inter-RAT cell). The obtained SI is then reported to the serving cell. The signaling messages are defined in the relevant HSPA and LTE specifications.

In order to obtain the system information (SI) containing the CGI of the target cell, the UE must read at least part of the SI including the Master Information Block (MIB) and the related System Information Block (SIB) as described later. The terms "SI read/decode/acquire", "CGI/ECGI read/decode/acquire", "CSG SI read/decode/acquire" are used interchangeably but have the same or similar meanings. In order to read the SI in order to obtain the CGI of the cell, the UE is allowed to create autonomous gaps during DL and also in UL. Autonomous gaps are created, for example, at instances when the UE must read the MIB and related SIBs of the cell, which depends on the RAT. The MIB and SIB repeat with a certain period. The autonomous intervals are typically 3-5 ms in LTE, and the UE needs several of them to obtain the CGI.

Signal measurement

RSRP Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) are two existing measurements used for at least RRM (such as for mobility), including mobility in the RRC connected state and mobility in the RRC idle state. RSRP and RSRQ are also used for other purposes, such as for enhanced cell ID positioning, minimization of drive tests, etc.

RSRP measurement provides a cell-specific signal strength metric at the UE. This measurement is primarily used to rank different LTE candidate cells based on their signal strength and serves as an input for handover and cell reselection decisions. CRS is used for RSRP measurement. These reference symbols are inserted into the last first and third OFDM symbols of each slot, with an inter-frequency spacing of 6 subcarriers. Therefore, there are 4 reference symbols in a resource block of 12 subcarriers and a 0.5ms slot.

RSRQ is a quality measurement that is the ratio of RSRP to the carrier received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The latter part includes interference from all sources, such as co-channel interference, adjacent carriers, out-of-band emissions, noise, etc.

Depending on the capabilities of the UE, the UE may also perform inter-RAT measurements for measurements on other systems, such as HSPA, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 Signal Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), and High Rate Packet Data (HRPD). Examples of inter-RAT radio measurements that may be performed by the UE are Common Pilot Channel (CPICH) Received Signal Code Power (RSCP) and Chip Energy to Noise Ratio (Ec/No), i.e., CPICH received signal quality for inter-RAT UTRAN, GERAN carrier RSSI for inter-RAT GSM, and even pilot strength measurements for CDMA2000 1xRTT/HRPD. EDGE stands for Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution.

In the RRC connected state, the UE can perform intra-frequency measurements without measurement gaps. However, as a general rule, the UE performs inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements in measurement gaps unless it is able to perform them without gaps. In order to enable inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements for UEs that require gaps, the network must configure measurement gaps. Two measurement gap modes are defined for LTE, each with a measurement gap length of 6 ms:

Measurement interval mode #0 with a repetition period of 40ms

Measurement interval mode #1 with a repetition period of 80ms

The measurements performed by the UE are then reported to the network, such as a network node, which can use these measurements for various tasks.

Radio network nodes (e.g., base stations) may also perform signal measurements. Examples of radio network node measurements in LTE are propagation delay between the UE and itself, UL signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), UL signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), UL signal strength, received interference power (RIP), etc. Radio network nodes such as eNBs may also perform positioning measurements, which are described in later sections.

Radio link monitoring measurements

The UE also performs measurements on the serving cell, also known as the primary cell or PCell, in order to monitor the serving cell performance. This is known as Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) or RLM-related measurements in LTE.

For RLM, the UE monitors the downlink link quality based on a cell-specific reference signal in order to detect the downlink radio link quality of the serving or PCell.

To detect out-of-sync and in-sync, the UE compares the estimated quality (Q) with thresholds Qout and Qin, respectively. The thresholds Qout and Qin are defined as the levels at which the downlink radio link cannot be easily received and correspond to block error rates of 10% and 2% for a hypothetical PDCCH transmission, respectively.

In non-discontinuous reception (DRX), the out-of-sync and in-sync downlink link qualities are estimated over evaluation periods of 200ms and 100ms, respectively.

In DRX, the out-of-sync and in-sync downlink link quality is estimated over the same evaluation period, which is proportional to the DRX cycle, eg a period equal to 20 DRX cycles for DRX cycles larger than 10 ms and up to 40 ms.

In non-DRX, the out-of-sync and in-sync states are evaluated by the UE in every radio frame. In DRX, the out-of-sync and in-sync states are evaluated by the UE every DRX.

In addition to the filtering at the physical layer, i.e. the evaluation period, the UE also applies higher layer filtering based on network configuration parameters. This increases the reliability of radio link default detection and thereby avoids unnecessary radio link defaults and, consequently, RRC re-establishment. The higher layer filtering for radio link default and recovery detection typically includes the following network control parameters:

- Hysteresis counters, such as N310 and N311 asynchronous and synchronous counters respectively.

-Timer, such as the T310RLF timer

For example, the UE starts timer T310 after N310 consecutive out-of-sync (OOS) detections. The UE stops timer T310 after N311 consecutive IS detections. The UE's transmitter power is turned off within 40 ms after the expiration of the T310 timer. When the T310 timer expires, the UE starts timer T311. When T311 expires, the UE initiates the RRC re-establishment phase during which it reselects the new strongest cell.

In HSPA, a similar concept called out-of-sync and in-sync detection is performed by the UE. Higher layer filtering parameters (i.e. hysteresis counters and timers) are also used in HSPA. Radio Link Default (RLF) and indeed RRC re-establishment procedures are also specified in HSPA.

Sampling of cell measurements

The entire serving cell or neighboring cell measurement quality result includes a non-coherent average of two or more basic non-coherent average samples. The exact sampling depends on the implementation and is generally not specified. Figure 3 shows an example of RSRP measurement averaging in E-UTRAN. Figure 3 illustrates an example of RSRP measurement averaging in E-UTRAN, where the UE obtains the entire measurement quality result by collecting four non-coherent average samples or snapshots (each snapshot is 3ms long in this example) during the physical layer measurement period (i.e., 200ms) when DRX is not used or when the DRX cycle is not greater than 40ms. Each coherent average sample is 1ms long. The measurement accuracy of the neighboring cell measurement quality (e.g., RSRP or RSRQ) is specified over this physical layer measurement period. It should be noted that the sampling rate is UE implementation specific. Therefore, in another implementation, the UE may use only 3 snapshots over a 200ms interval. Regardless of the sampling rate, it is important that the measurement quality meets the performance requirements in terms of the specified measurement accuracy.

In the case of RSRQ, both RSRP (numerator) and carrier RSSI (denominator) should be sampled at the same time to follow similar decay curves on both components. Sampling also depends on the length of the DRX cycle. For example, for DRX cycles > 40ms, the UE typically obtains one sample per DRX cycle over the measurement period.

A similar measurement sampling mechanism is used by the UE for other signal measurements and also by the BS for UL measurements.

position

There are several positioning methods for determining the location of a target device (which can be a UE, mobile relay, PDA, etc.). These methods are:

Satellite-based methods; which use A-GNSS (e.g. A-GPS) measurements to determine UE position

Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA); which uses UE Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements to determine UE position in LTE

Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA); this uses measurements made at the LMU to determine the UE position

Enhanced Cell ID: It uses one or more of UE Rx-Tx time difference, BS Tx-Tx time difference, LTE RSRP/RSRQ, HSPAC PICH measurement, Angle of Arrival (AoA), etc. to determine UE location. Fingerprinting is considered a type of enhanced cell ID method.

• Hybrid methods; which use measurements from more than one method for determining the UE position.

In LTE, a positioning node, also known as an E-SMLC or location server, configures a UE, an evolved Node B, or a Location Measurement Unit (LMU) to perform one or more positioning measurements. The positioning measurements are used by the UE or positioning node to determine the UE's location. In LTE, the positioning node communicates with the UE and evolved Node B using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) and LPPa protocols, respectively.

As mentioned above, in LTE NCT, the arrangement of reference signals differs from that of 3GPP Release 8 LTE carriers, LCT. In the case of LCT, CRS, also known as RS, is transmitted by the network node in the DL in every DL subframe and over the entire DL cell BW. However, in the case of cells on NCT, CRS is not transmitted in every DL subframe and can also be transmitted over a limited cell BW.

An NCT carrier may also contain a mix of cells, ie some of which operate using LCT and some of which operate using NCT. This will reduce the measurements performed by the UE on cells on such a "mixed NCT carrier".

Note that the terms "in-cell" and "on-cell" have equivalent meanings and are used interchangeably in this document.

Summary of the Invention

It is therefore an object of embodiments herein to provide an improved method of enabling a UE to perform radio procedures in a communication network.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method for adapting a radio procedure in a user equipment (UE). The UE obtains (502) information about a signal configuration. The information indicates:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses a signal configuration, one of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, that is the same as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of the UE on the first carrier frequency.

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in every subframe. The second signal configuration includes a DL RS that is transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell. The UE then adapts the radio procedures based on the obtained information.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method in a network node for assisting a user equipment (UE) in adapting a radio process. The network node serves the UE. The network node sends information about a signal configuration to the UE, the information indicating:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses a signal configuration, one of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, that is the same as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency.

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in at least every subframe.The second signal configuration includes a DL RS that is transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a user equipment (UE) for adapting a radio process. The UE includes a device configured to obtain information about a signal configuration, the information indicating:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses a signal configuration, one of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, that is the same as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency.

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in every subframe. The second signal configuration includes a DL RS that is transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell. The apparatus is further configured to adapt a radio procedure based on the obtained information.

According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a network node for assisting a user equipment (UE) in adapting a radio procedure. The network node is capable of serving the UE. The network node includes means configured to send information about a signal configuration to the UE, the information indicating:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses a signal configuration, one of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, that is the same as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency.

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in at least every subframe.The second signal configuration includes a DL RS that is transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell.

The UE obtains information indicating the following:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- Whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of the UE on the first carrier frequency, of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration.

Based on this information, radio procedures in communication networks with different carrier frequencies and different signal configurations can be performed in a relevant manner because the UE knows the type of carrier used to operate a cell on a particular carrier. In this way, the embodiments herein provide an improved way for a UE to perform radio procedures in a communication network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As part of the research example herein, a problem will first be identified and discussed.

In the prior art, the UE only knows the type of carrier used to operate the serving cell (i.e., PCell and SCell). This information is provided to the UE by the serving eNB. The type of carrier can be a new carrier type (NCT) or it can be a legacy carrier type (LCT). However, the UE does not know the carrier type used to operate the neighboring cells. The UE assumes that all cells on the carrier operate using LCT or NCT. That is, in the existing solution, the UE assumes that all cells on the carrier have the same CRS configuration, i.e., all cells on the NCT operate using the NCT configuration. Therefore, the UE can perform measurements on all cells in the same way.

However, due to the introduction of NCT, some cells on the NCT carrier may operate using RS transmission configured with NCT, such as CRS sent in a DL subframe only every 5 ms, while the remaining cells operate using RS transmission configured with LCT, such as CRS sent in every DL subframe.

In existing solutions, the UE assumes that all cells use NCT configuration on carriers configured as NCT by, for example, the serving eNB.

However, in a network where some cells operate using LCT and other cells operate using NCT, the UE will not be able to correctly perform any one or more of the intra-frequency measurements, inter-frequency measurements and inter-RAT measurements performed on the CRS. This is because the RS signal transmission may not be the same in cells with NCT and LCT signal configurations. Typically, the configuration of the serving cell is transmitted to the UE, but without any detailed information about the configuration of neighboring cells and adjacent frequency bands, etc. That is, the UE does not receive information about neighboring cells, such as the BW of neighboring cells, etc. Therefore, a UE served by an NCT carrier may perform such measurements on LCT based on the NCT configuration, and vice versa, which may result in inaccurate measurements. The UE may even be unable to perform measurements on certain cells. It may also degrade the UE battery, increase processing and may result in failure to meet measurement requirements.

Therefore, an object of embodiments herein is to ensure that a UE can perform measurements efficiently and based on the type of carrier used in a cell (eg, NCT or LCT).

the term

The following generally used terms are used in the Examples and are described in detail below.

Radio network node: In some embodiments, the non-limiting term "radio network node" is used more generally and refers to any type of network node that serves a UE and/or is connected to other network nodes or network elements, or any radio node at which a UE receives signals. Examples of radio network nodes are a Node B, a base station (BS), a multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node (such as an MSR BS), an evolved Node B, a network controller RNC, a base station controller, a relay, a donor node controlled relay, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point (AP), a transmission point, a transmission node, an RRU, an RRH, a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS), etc.

Network node: In some embodiments, the more general term "network node" is used and may correspond to any type of radio network node or any network node that communicates with at least a radio network node. Examples of network nodes are any of the radio network nodes given above, core network nodes (e.g., mobile switching center (MSC), mobility management entity (MME), etc.), operations and maintenance (O&M), operations support system (OSS), self-organizing network (SON), positioning node (e.g., evolved service mobility location center (E-SMLC), MDT, etc.).

User Equipment: In some embodiments, the non-limiting term "User Equipment (UE)" is used and refers to any type of wireless device that communicates with a radio network node in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UEs are target devices, device-to-device UEs, machine-type UEs or UEs capable of machine-to-machine communication, personal digital assistants (PDAs), iPADs, tablet computers, mobile terminals, smartphones, notebook embedded devices (LEEs), notebook mounted devices (LMEs), universal serial bus (USB) dongles, etc.

The embodiments herein are also applicable to a multi-point carrier aggregation system.

Note that while terminology from 3GPP LTE has been used in this disclosure to illustrate embodiments herein, this should not be considered to limit the embodiments herein to only the aforementioned systems. Other wireless systems, including WCDMA, WiMax, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and GSM, may also benefit from adopting the ideas encompassed within the scope of this disclosure.

Additionally, it should be noted that terms such as eNodeB and UE should be considered non-restrictive and do not specifically imply a hierarchical relationship between the two. Generally, an "eNodeB" can be considered device 1 and a "UE" can be considered device 2, with the two devices communicating with each other via a radio channel. This document focuses on wireless transmission in the downlink, but the embodiments herein are equally applicable to the uplink.

In this section, the embodiments herein will be described in more detail through a number of exemplary embodiments. It should be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. It is tacitly assumed that components from one embodiment exist in another embodiment, and it is clear to those skilled in the art how these components can be used in other exemplary embodiments.

Figure 4 depicts an example of a wireless communication network 100 in which embodiments herein can be implemented. The wireless communication network 100 is a wireless communication network such as LTE, WCDMA, a GSM network, any 3GPP cellular network, Wimax, any cellular network or system, or any system mentioned in the context of the above technology.

The wireless communication network 100 includes multiple network nodes, two of which are depicted in FIG4 : a network node 111 and another network node referred to as a second network node 112. The network node 111 and the second network node 112 can each be a transmission point, such as a radio base station, for example, an eNB, an evolved NodeB, or a Home NodeB, a Home evolved NodeB, or any other network node capable of serving a UE or a machine-type communication device in a wireless communication network, or can each be any node mentioned in the context of the above techniques. In the example scenario, the network node 111 serves a cell 115, and the second network node 112 serves a second cell 116.

UE 120 operates in wireless communication network 100. UE 120 may be, for example, a mobile terminal or wireless terminal, a mobile phone, a computer (e.g., a laptop, a PDA, a wireless-capable tablet sometimes referred to as a surfboard), any other radio network element capable of communicating via a radio link in a wireless communication network, or any system mentioned in the context of the above techniques. Note that the term "user equipment" as used in this document also covers other wireless devices, such as machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, even though they do not have any users. In this example scenario, UE 120 is located in cell 115 and is served by network node 111. Second cell 116 is a neighboring cell of UE 120, and the second network node is a neighboring network node of UE 120's serving network node 111.

The embodiments disclose methods that enable a UE 120 to have enhanced awareness of the carrier type used to operate a cell on a particular carrier.

The difference between NCT and LCT is that they use different configurations for transmitting the same type of reference signal in a cell, such as CRS or DL RS, such as synchronization signals such as the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and/or the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). NCT carriers are characterized by a first signal configuration, while LCT is characterized by a second signal configuration. For example, cells using NCT and LCT can have different CRS configurations, but they can also have different PSS and/or SSS configurations, for example, PSS and/or SSS can be transmitted in different time-frequency resources in cells using NCT and LCT. These terms are used in this document and are described in detail below.

A first signal configuration (FSC), which is used for cells operating with NCT, includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in at least every subframe. The DL RS includes a CRS. However, it may also include additional signals such as a PSS and/or SSS or any other type of reference signal. The first signal configuration may also include not transmitting the DL RS in at least every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the cell operating with NCT. In one example, the FSC may include DL RS, such as CRS, transmitted every 5 subframes (e.g., only in each subframe #0 and subframe #5 and not in the remaining subframes) and in every RB (e.g., in every RB in a cell bandwidth of 50 RBs) across the entire cell BW. In a second example, the FSC may include DL RS, such as CRS, transmitted every 5 subframes (e.g., only in each subframe #0 and subframe #5 and not in the remaining subframes) and in only half of many RBs (e.g., in only the central 25 RBs in a cell BW of 50 RBs) across the entire cell BW. The number of RBs containing DL RSs may be predefined, eg, typically 25 RBs for cells with BW>=25 RBs, regardless of how large the cell RBs are or how configurable they may be in each cell.

The second signal configuration (SSC), which is used for cells operating using LCT, includes a DL RS transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel BW of cells operating using NCT. For example, the SSC includes a DL RS, such as a CRS, transmitted in every DL subframe and in every RB in a cell with a bandwidth (BW) of 50 RBs (i.e., a cell BW of 50 RBs).

The embodiments herein may include the following:

Method and adaptation process for obtaining RS configuration on a carrier in user equipment UE 120

Method for determining RS configuration on a carrier in the network node 111 and signaling it to the UE

• A method of signaling in the UE 120 the capability to handle measurements on NCT.

An embodiment of the method is first described here in a general manner in a view as seen from UE 120, followed by a view of network node 111. The method will then be explained and described in more detail below. Therefore, an example embodiment of a method for adapting radio procedures in UE 120 will now be described with reference to the flowchart depicted in FIG5.

The method will first be described in general terms. The method will then be described in more detail below. The method includes the following actions, which may be performed in any suitable order. The dashed lines in some boxes in FIG5 indicate that the action is not mandatory.

Action 501

This action is optional. All UEs may not be able to perform measurements on carriers in cells with different configurations, i.e., on carriers that include a mix of cells with different configurations, for example, in cells with a first configuration and a second configuration. Different here means the same as mixed. In this action, a UE, such as UE 120, that is capable of performing measurements on both the first and second configurations sends a message to network node 111 to inform network node 111 that it is able to perform measurements in both cells with the first configuration and cells with the second configuration (i.e., a mix of cells). Therefore, according to some embodiments, UE 120 sends a message to network node 111. The message includes information about the capabilities of UE 120, indicating that UE 120 is able to perform radio measurements on carriers that include a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration. This is an advantage to be aware of because, for example, if a UE is not capable, such a UE will not be configured to perform measurements on carriers with different configurations.

The information about the capabilities of UE 120 may also include additional information including any one or more of the following:

- whether the UE 120 is capable of autonomously determining the RS configuration of cells on a carrier that includes a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration,

- Whether UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a specific carrier that includes a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration. The specific carrier may be, for example, any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and an inter-RAT carrier.

Action 502

In order to be able to perform measurements later, UE 120 obtains information about the signal configuration.

The information indicates whether a DL RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration. Alternatively, the information indicates whether a DL RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as the signal configuration used for a DL RS transmitted in a serving cell of UE 120 on the first carrier frequency.

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in every subframe, and the second signal configuration includes a DL RS that is transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell.

In this way, UE 120 obtains information such that UE 120 can perform measurements efficiently and based on the type of carrier (eg, NCT or LCT) used in the cell of the first carrier.

In some embodiments, obtaining information about the signal configuration further includes obtaining information indicating whether cells on a second carrier frequency of a second carrier are operating using the same signal configuration as the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration. The second carrier frequency is a non-serving carrier frequency for UE 120. It may be, for example, an inter-frequency carrier. The second carrier may be served by, for example, second network node 112. For example, the information may relate to whether all neighboring cells use the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration, or whether some other cells use the first signal configuration while the remaining cells use the second signal configuration.

UE 120 may also obtain, determine, acquire, or receive the above-described information for a plurality of serving carrier frequencies and/or for a plurality of non-serving carrier frequencies.

The obtaining of the information about the signal configuration may be performed by autonomously determining whether the signal configuration of the cell on the same carrier is the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration based on radio measurements.

The acquisition of information about the signal configuration may be based on one or more of the following predefined rules, for example:

- without signaling information about the signal configuration to the UE 120 for either the first carrier or the second carrier, assuming that all cells on that carrier operate using the first signal configuration,

- in the absence of signaling information about the signal configuration to the UE 120 for the first carrier or the second carrier, assuming that all neighbor cells on the carrier operate using the same signal configuration, of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, as used in the cell serving the UE 120,

In a case where information about the signal configuration is not signaled to UE 120 for the one or more second carriers but information about the signal configuration is signaled to UE 120 for the reference carrier, it is assumed that cells on the one or more second carriers use the same signal configuration as the reference carrier in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration.

The reference carrier may be a carrier whose at least one cell is configured using the first signal.

In some embodiments, UE 120 obtains information about the signal configuration by receiving the information about the signal configuration from a node. The node can be any of the following: another UE or a network node serving UE 120. In some of these embodiments, the received information includes one or more of the following:

- whether all cells on the same carrier use the same or different signal configurations,

- whether the serving cell and neighbor cells on the same carrier use the same or different signal configurations,

- whether a reference cell, whose signal configuration is known to the UE 120, and neighbor cells on the same carrier, which are used by the UE 120 for at least positioning measurements, use the same or different signal configurations,

- whether cells on the first and second carriers use the same or different signal configurations, where the first and second carriers are both serving carriers, and

- Whether cells on the first and second carriers use the same or different signal configurations, where the first and second carriers are respectively a serving carrier for UE 120 and a non-serving carrier for UE 120 .

Action 503

The UE 120 now applies the information on the signal configuration.

Therefore, UE 120 adapts radio procedures based on the obtained information.

A radio process can be any one or more of the following:

- measurement process,

- the process of signaling the obtained information about the signal configuration to other nodes,

- A process of logging the obtained information about signal configuration for use in minimizing drive test (MDT) operations.

In some embodiments, the radio procedure is a measurement procedure. In these embodiments, adapting the radio procedure based on the obtained information can be performed by adapting measurement sampling or an instance when the UE 120 obtains samples for one or more types of radio measurements. The measurement is any of the following: intra-frequency measurement, inter-frequency measurement, and inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurement.

The radio process is described in more detail below.

Embodiments of the method will now be described in a general manner in a view seen from the network node 111. An example embodiment of a method in/in the network node 111 for assisting a UE 120 in adapting radio procedures will now be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG6. The network node 111 serves the UE 120.

The method comprises the following actions, which may be performed in any suitable order: The dashed lines of some boxes in FIG6 indicate that the action is not mandatory.

Action 601

In some embodiments, network node 111 receives a message from UE 120. The message includes information about capabilities of UE 120 indicating that UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements on a carrier including a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration.

The information about the capabilities of UE 120 may also include additional information including any one or more of the following:

- whether the UE 120 is capable of autonomously determining the RS configuration of cells on a carrier that includes a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration,

- Whether UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a specific carrier including a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, the specific carrier being any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and an inter-RAT carrier.

Action 602

In some embodiments, network node 111 obtains information about whether DL RSs transmitted on a first carrier frequency in a serving cell of UE 120 and in at least one neighboring cell of UE 120 use a first signal configuration, a second signal configuration, or do not use the same signal configuration. This information may be obtained from another node, from UE 120, or from another UE. This information may be used as a basis for generating an indicator in the following action 603 to indicate that information about the signal configuration is to be sent to UE 120 in the following action 604.

The information obtained may also include any one or more of the following:

- a DL RS bandwidth of a cell operating using the first signal configuration,

- the carrier frequency of the first carrier or the second carrier on which the cell operates,

- a cell type of a cell on the first carrier or the second carrier and/or a power class of a network node serving a cell on the first carrier or the second carrier,

- the location of the cells, e.g. the geographical coordinates of each cell, the coverage area of a group of cells,

- an indication of whether all cells on the same carrier frequency operate using the first or second signal configuration or whether some of the cells operate using the first signal configuration and the remaining cells operate using the second signal configuration.

In some embodiments, the obtained information includes information about several neighboring cells of the network node 111 .

Action 603

In some embodiments, the network node 111 generates an indicator based on the obtained information. The indicator indicates that information about the signal configuration is to be sent to the UE 120 in the following action 604.

Action 604

The network node 111 sends information about signal configuration to the UE 120, which indicates:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of UE 120 on the first carrier frequency, of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration,

wherein the first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in at least every subframe, and

The second signal configuration includes a DL RS transmitted in each subframe and in each resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell.

Information about signal configuration may also include:

- whether all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different ones,

- Whether the serving cell and neighbor cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether a reference cell and a neighbor cell on the same carrier use the same or different signal configurations, wherein the reference cell and the neighbor cell are used by the UE 120 for at least positioning measurements,

- whether the cells on the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency of the second cell use the same or different signal configurations, wherein the first and second carriers are both serving carriers, and

- Whether the cells on the first and second carriers use the same or different signal configurations, wherein the first and second carriers are respectively a serving carrier and a non-serving carrier.

Action 605

In some embodiments, the network node 111 uses the information about the capabilities of the UE 120 obtained in action 601 to perform one or more radio operation tasks.

The method described above will now be explained and described in more detail. This means that the following explanations and examples can apply to any of the embodiments described above.

Contents of the obtained configuration information such as RS configuration information

This relates to action 502. This embodiment discloses a method for obtaining information, such as an indication, in UE 120, which informs UE 120 whether a serving cell and at least one neighbor cell on a first carrier are operating using the same signal configuration. The first carrier can be at least one of the serving carrier frequencies, such as an SCC. For example, whether a serving cell (such as cell 115) and at least one neighbor cell (such as second cell 116) both use the first signal configuration, the second signal configuration, or different signal configurations. In one scenario, the serving cell operates using the first signal configuration and the neighbor cell operates using the second signal configuration, or alternatively, the serving cell operates using the second signal configuration and the neighbor cell operates using the first signal configuration. UE 120 receives signal configuration information for a serving cell, such as an SCell, on an NCT, in such a way that UE 120 knows the signal configuration of the serving cell. Therefore, UE 120 can determine whether a neighbor cell uses the first configuration or the second configuration by combining two sets of information: the serving cell signal configuration and an indication of whether the serving cell and at least one neighbor cell on the first carrier are operating using the same signal configuration. The information obtained can also be expressed in other ways. For example, it can indicate:

• Whether all cells on the first carrier use the same signal configuration (eg, all cells use the first configuration or all cells use the second configuration), or use different signal configurations, ie, some use the first configuration and the rest use the second configuration.

All neighbor cells on the first carrier operate using the same signal configuration as the signal configuration used by the serving cell or the reference cell, or all neighbor cells on the first carrier operate using a signal configuration different from the signal configuration used by the serving cell or the reference cell. A reference cell as described herein is a cell whose signal configuration is known to UE 120.

Mechanism for obtaining configuration information such as RS configuration information

This is also related to action 502. The UE 120 may obtain the above indicated RS configuration information for cells operating on one or more carriers by using one or more of the following: autonomous determination, predefined rules, reception from another node, and a combined mechanism.

Self-determination

In this mechanism, the UE 120 autonomously determines the signal configuration of cells on the same carrier based on radio measurements, i.e., the UE 120 autonomously determines whether they (i.e., the cells) all operate using a first signal configuration (such as NCT) or a second signal configuration (such as LCT), or whether some of the cells use the first signal configuration and the rest use the second signal configuration.

As an example, UE 120 may perform measurements on at least two DL subframes in a frame of a cell, such as measurements on the first and second DL subframes in the same radio frame. Assume that NCT using a first signal configuration uses DL RS, such as CRS, only in the first and fifth subframes in the frame. Therefore, UE 120 may perform radio measurements by correlating CRS with a known set of CRS configurations in the first subframe (e.g., subframe #0) and in at least one or more additional subframes (e.g., subframe #1, subframe #2, etc.) in the same radio frame (e.g., the second subframe). If, based on the measurement or correlation operation, it is determined that the first and second subframes contain CRS, the carrier is determined to be an LCT carrier; otherwise, it is determined to be an NCT carrier. If the correlation result or output is above a threshold, the CRS is determined to be present. Otherwise, it is determined to be absent. This mechanism is also known as blind detection, i.e., detection performed by UE 120 using correlation without receiving any information about the RS configuration of the cell from the network or any other source (e.g., another UE).

Measured subframe: (n, n+1); n=0, 5, 10, ....

Typically, the measured subframe may be any other subframe along with subframe number 0, 5, .... For example, in case of measurements on two additional subframes,

Measured subframes: (n, n+k1, n+k2); n=0, 5, 10, ....; k1, k2 {1, 2, 3, 4}.

Note that in the case of time division duplexing (TDD), the values of k, k1, and k2 must satisfy the additional condition that subframe numbers n+k, n+k1, and n+k2 must be downlink subframes.

Alternatively or in conjunction with the above method, measurements can be performed on both antenna port 0 and antenna port 1 carrying the reference signal, and since the extended synchronization signal (ESS) is only transmitted on port 0, the ESS and CRS, or in other words, the NCT and LCT, can be distinguished in a similar manner.

Here, two different cases are illustrated for different default networks:

NCT is the default mode in networks such as the wireless communication network 100. In this case, the presence of CRS on subframes other than 0, 5, ... or on ports other than port 0 can be detected by, for example, comparing the correlation of the RS with a reference level. If the correlation is above a certain threshold, the CRS is present in the subframe and the cell is operating LCT.

LCT is the default mode in networks such as wireless communication network 100. In this case, UE 120 assumes that CRS is present in all subframes and in both port 0 and port 1. If the correlation is below a certain threshold, CRS is present in the subframe and the cell is operating LCT. This can be applied to one or several subframes to achieve improved reliability.

UE 120 may also use the positioning information and store this information along with historical information about the signal configurations of cells on the same carrier. The information obtained (e.g., whether all cells are operating using the first or second configuration or different configurations) may be applied to a certain area or geographic region determined by positioning.

UE 120 may perform the above process to determine, for multiple cells on each carrier, whether a cell is operating using the first or second signal configuration. UE 120 may store this information for each cell on a carrier and use this historical data for the radio operation tasks described in the previous section.

Predefined rules

In this mechanism, the UE 120 determines the signal configuration of cells on the same carrier for one or more carriers based on one or more predefined rules. Examples of predefined rules are:

If an RS configuration indicator is not signaled to UE 120 for a carrier, UE 120 may assume that all cells on that carrier operate using the first signal configuration.

If the RS configuration indicator or related information is not signaled to the UE 120 for a carrier, the UE 120 may assume that all neighbor cells on that carrier operate using the same signal configuration as the serving cell. The serving cell may be on the same carrier or on another carrier. It may also be predefined as a PCell or a specific SCell, such as an SCell configured on an NCT carrier.

In the event that the RS configuration indicator or related information is not signaled to the UE 120 for the one or more second carriers, but is signaled to the UE 120 for the reference carrier, the UE 120 may assume that the cells on the one or more second carriers operate using the same RS signal configuration as the reference carrier. The reference carrier may be a serving carrier, such as an SCC containing at least one cell operating using an NCT configuration.

It may be predefined that the UE 120 meets one or more radio measurement requirements for one or more radio measurements performed on a carrier having a mix of cells (e.g., cells configured using NCT and LCT signals) or within one or more cells on any provided NCT carrier. The UE 120 may receive from the network node 111 at least an indication or any information that a mix of cells, such as NCT and LCT, exists on the carrier. The indication informs the UE 120 about the RS configuration in the cell, such as any of the indications disclosed below under the section "Receiving from a Node." Examples of requirements are measurement requirements, such as cell identification delay, RSRP and RSRQ measurement periods, accuracy of any radio measurements, number of identified cells to be measured on the carrier, etc.

Receive from the node

According to this mechanism, UE 120 receives explicit information about the signal configuration of a cell on a carrier, which can be a serving carrier or a non-serving carrier, from a node. The node can be a serving network node, such as a serving eNB, a base station, a relay, a positioning node, etc., or the node can be another UE, such as a second UE, UE2; in direct device-to-device (D2D) communication.

In LTE, no neighbor cell list is signaled to the UE. Therefore, the network cannot provide a signal configuration for each cell on a carrier. Several examples of explicit information (also referred to as RS configuration indicators for a carrier) received by the UE 120 disclosed herein are:

an indication informing the UE 120 whether all cells on the same carrier use the same or different signal configurations,

An indication notifying UE 120 whether the serving cell and neighbor cells on the same carrier use the same or different signal configurations,

An indication informing the UE 120 whether the reference cell and neighbor cells on the same carrier use the same or different signal configurations. The signals sent on the reference cell and the neighbor cells are used by the UE 120 for at least positioning measurements,

• An indication informing the UE 120 whether cells on first and second carriers use the same or different signal configurations, where the first and second carriers are a serving carrier (eg, an SCC) and a non-serving carrier (eg, an inter-frequency carrier).

• Any of the above information may also be associated with geographical information, such as a set of geographical coordinates, where the geographical information applies to the cell located at the indicated location.

The network node 111 obtains or determines the above indication as described below with respect to a method in the network node 111 .

Combination Mechanism

In a combined mechanism, the UE 120 uses at least autonomous information and indications received from the network node 111 or from another UE to determine more comprehensive information about the signal configuration used by cells on the same carrier and may also do so for multiple carriers.

UE 120 may also use an existing serving cell signal configuration, such as if it is operating using NCT or the first signal configuration, to determine more comprehensive information about the signal configuration used by cells on the same serving carrier.

For example, if the received indication informs UE 120 that the serving cell and neighbor cells use different signal configurations, UE 120 can autonomously determine the configuration on one or more neighbor cells and thereby create a history of the signal configurations of cells on that carrier. The information obtained using the combining mechanism can also be applied to a certain portion of the network or coverage area. This area can be determined by UE 120 using a positioning mechanism.

Method for adapting radio procedures based on obtained configuration information

This involves action 503. According to one aspect of this embodiment, upon obtaining information about the signal configuration of cells on a carrier as disclosed above, UE 120 adapts one or more radio procedures. Examples of radio procedures include any one or more of: adapting a measurement procedure, signaling the determined configuration to other nodes, and logging the determined configuration for MDT operations.

Adapting the measurement process

According to this process, the UE 120 adapts its measurement sampling or the instance when the UE 120 obtains samples for one or more types of radio measurements, such as cell identification, path loss, RSRP, RSRQ, UE Rx-Tx time difference measurement, etc. The measurement can be performed without a measurement gap or can be performed in a measurement gap. The measurement can be an intra-frequency measurement, an inter-frequency measurement, or an inter-RAT measurement.

For example, if the network node 111 instructs all cells on a carrier to use the same signal configuration or some cells to use NCT or the first signal configuration while the remaining cells use the second signal configuration, the UE 120 may:

Perform measurements only in those subframes that contain DL RS, or

• Measurements are performed only in those subframes containing DL RS and only in one or a few additional DL subframes, i.e. not in all DL subframes.

• If the type of cell is indicated by the network or blindly detected by the UE 120, different measurement procedures are performed based on the type of cell (eg, NCT or LCT).

• Turn off its receiver during subframes in which it does not perform measurement sampling to save battery.

• Any of the above measurements are performed on cells located in the geographical area in which the obtained information is applicable, either as indicated by other nodes or determined by the UE 120 itself.

After performing the radio measurements, the UE 120 may report the results to the network node 111 and/or it may use them for one or more tasks, such as positioning, cell selection, cell reselection, etc.

Signaling the determined configuration to other nodes

According to this aspect of the embodiment, when UE 120 is the other peer UE1 in direct D2D communication, UE 120 can signal information about the signal configuration used in the cells on the carrier, for example, based on autonomous or combined information, to network node 111 or to another UE (e.g., peer UE2). For example, UE 120 can send signal information or indications about each or several cells on the carrier to the other node. The indication can include any of the information disclosed in the "Receiving from a Node" section above. Information received from one node can also be signaled to another node, for example, signal configuration information about a carrier obtained from an old (such as a source) serving network node can be signaled to a new (such as a target) serving network node after a cell change. The receiving node can use this information to update measurement configurations, etc.

Logging the determined configuration for use in MDT operations

UE 120 may also log and store the obtained information related to the signal configuration for cells on different carriers and the geographical coordinates of the area or coverage area to which it applies. UE 120 may report this information to the serving cell as part of the MDT information when UE 120 is connected to the serving cell.

Method for determining RS configuration on a carrier in a network node 111 and signaling to a UE 120

This embodiment provides a method in the network node 111 for determining to signal the indication described above in the section “Receiving from a Node” to the UE 120 and for signaling the indication to the UE 120. As mentioned above, the network node 111 may perform the following tasks:

Determining RS configurations across multiple cells on at least one carrier,

generating an indicator based on the determined configuration, and

• Signaling the obtained information related to the determined RS configuration to the UE 120 for at least one carrier.

The above steps are detailed below:

Method for determining RS configuration on a carrier

This relates to the above acquisition in action 602 of information about whether DL RSs transmitted on a first carrier frequency in a serving cell of the UE (120) and in at least one neighboring cell of the UE (120) use a first signal configuration, a second signal configuration, or do not use the same signal configuration. In this embodiment, the network node 111 obtains information related to the configuration of neighboring cells, such as RSs, on a signaling carrier frequency from another node or from the UE 120. The network node 111 may obtain RS configurations for multiple carriers, which may or may not be used by the network node 111. Typically, this information is obtained from a neighboring node, such as a neighboring eNB (such as the second network node 112), via an X2 interface. The eNBs are connected to each other via the X2 interface. This information may also be obtained from O&M, OSS, or SON nodes.

RS configuration information may include one or more of the following:

whether the cell operates using a first signal configuration (such as NCT) or a second signal configuration (such as LCT),

In the case where BW is a configuration, the DL RS BW of the cell operating using the first signal configuration,

Carrier frequency, such as channel number, such as EARFCN of the DL and/or UL carrier on which the cell operates,

Cell identifier, such as PCI, CGI, etc.,

the cell type (e.g. macrocell, microcell, etc.) and/or the power class of the network node 111 serving the cell (such as the power class of a high power node (HPN), (LPN), etc.),

The location of the cells, e.g. the geographical coordinates of each cell, the coverage area of a group of cells,

• An indication of whether all cells on a certain carrier frequency operate using NCT or LCT, or whether some cells operate using NCT and the rest operate using LCT.

The network node 111 may store the above received information and generate an indicator as described in the next section.

Method for generating RS configuration indicator based on determined configuration

This is related to action 603 above. As described earlier, the network node 111, eg, serving network node 111, positioning node, etc., may signal an indicator for carrier frequency to the UE 120 to indicate, eg, whether all cells operate using NCT or LCT or a combination thereof.

The network node 111 uses the received RS configuration to generate such an indicator. For example, the network node 111 may obtain RS configuration information for multiple neighboring cells (i.e., neighbors of the network node 111). The network node 111 may consider all cells or a set of cells on a carrier to generate an RS configuration indicator for cells on that carrier. For example, the network node 111 may only consider the 7-10 cells closest to the network node 111. Its proximity may be determined based on its position relative to the position of the network node 111. This is because the UE 120 is required to perform radio measurements on a certain number of cells on the carrier, for example, a maximum of 7 cells on the serving carrier. For example, if all cells in the selected carrier set have the same RS configuration, for example, the first configuration, the network may generate an indicator indicating that all cells are operating using the same RS configuration.

Method for signaling RS configuration information

Signaling to UE 120

This is related to action 603 above. In this embodiment, a method is provided for sending a generated indicator (e.g., an RS indicator) from the network node 111 to the UE 120 in a message to indicate, for example, whether all cells in the network are NCT or LCT, or whether there are both LCT and NCT in the network. The UE 120 can be configured to know the meaning of the indicator.

An example of such a message might be:

In one example, the indicator is sent using 1 bit of information that can be 1 or 0:

When the information is 0, all cells on the carrier operate using the NCT configuration, ie, the first signal configuration, in the network.

When the information is 1, one or more cells on a carrier in the network operate using NCT and one or more cells operate using LCT configuration.

In another example, the indicator is also sent using 1-bit information with the following meaning:

When the information is 0, the serving cell and the neighbor cells on the carrier in the network operate using the same signal configuration.

When the information is 1, the serving cell and the neighbor cell on the carrier in the network operate using different signal configurations.

In yet another example, the indicator is also sent using 1-bit information with the following meaning:

When the information is 0, the neighboring cell on the carrier operates using the same signal configuration as that used to operate the serving cell on the carrier.

When the information is 1, the neighboring cell on the carrier does not operate using the same signal configuration as the signal configuration used to operate the serving cell on the carrier.

The message containing the above instructions may also contain:

- Signal configuration of one or more serving cells, such as an indication that a serving cell operates using NCT.

- Carrier frequency information for each carrier, such as UL E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN) and/or DL EARFCN. Alternatively, the above indicator may apply to all configured carrier frequencies or may apply to a specific carrier, such as an SCC.

The indication may be in the form of a broadcast signal sent to all UEs in the network, or may be sent as part of a UE-specific message, for example, on a shared channel (such as the PDSCH). The message containing the indication and associated information may be signaled to UE 120 via an RRC message, or may be signaled via an L1 control channel (e.g., the PDCCH) or in a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) or MAC command. The L1 control channel carries information related to the physical layer, such as power control commands, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback (such as acknowledgement (ACK) and non-ACK (NACK)), etc. Typically, the message is sent to UE 120 in an information element (IE) containing a measurement configuration. The message may be sent by any network node, such as network node 111, requesting UE 120 to make measurements. For example, an eNB, such as network node 111, sends a message to UE 120 to make intra-frequency and/or inter-frequency measurements. However, a message may also be sent by the RNC and/or base station controller (BSC) to the UE 120 for making inter-RAT measurements on a mix of LTE carriers containing cells configured using NCT and LCT signals.

Note that the above signaling may be used in both carrier aggregation mode and standalone carrier mode, for example.

Figure 7 illustrates such a case of a carrier aggregation mode with LCT on the Pcell, and LCT or NCT on the Scell. This means that on a carrier, such as on an SCC, there can be a mix of cells: LCT and NCT.

In FIG7 , _f1 is the frequency of the PCell, which is a legacy carrier in cells 1 and 2, _f2N is the frequency of the SCell, which is the NCT, and _f2L is the frequency of the Scell, which is the LCT, in cell number 2. BS1 may be the network node 111, and BS2 may be the second network node 112.

When UE 120 moves from NCT to LCT, ESS-based measurements must be made based on CRS. This means that instead of ESS-based measurements every 5 ms, UE 120 can use CRS symbols carrying CRS sent every 1 ms and on both antenna ports.

This is especially a problem in handover situations.

In another embodiment, a serving eNB, such as network node 111, informs UE 120 of the type of carrier on which UE 120 is performing measurements through the use of specific signaling. One such case may be, for example, a heterogeneous network and a case where small cells are coordinated with macro cells. In this case, the macro eNB may inform the UE that all pico eNBs in the area are running NCT, so that the UE can perform NCT-specific measurements.

Send signals to other network nodes

The network node 111 may also send the generated RS indicator or associated information to other network nodes (e.g., to neighboring network nodes such as the second network node 112, a positioning node, an O&M node, an OSS node, a SON node, etc.). The network node 111 may send the above information to other nodes proactively, periodically, or in response to a request received from the other node.

The receiving network node may use this information to generate or update information related to RS configuration of cells on one or more carriers.The receiving network node may also use this information to further signal this information to its own UEs, such as the UEs it serves.

Signaling of UE 120 capabilities associated with measurements on carriers using hybrid RS configurations

This relates to actions 501 and 601 above. All UEs may not be able to perform measurements in cells on a carrier that contains cells using different configurations (i.e., cells using the first and second configurations). Therefore, according to some embodiments, the UE 120 may report its capabilities to a network node 111, such as an evolved Node B, a BS, a relay node, a core network node, a positioning node, etc., to indicate that it is able to perform radio measurements in cells on a carrier that contains a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration (e.g., NCT) and the second signal configuration (e.g., LCT). The UE 120 may also signal additional information as part of the capabilities. The additional information may include any one or more of the following:

- Whether the UE 120 is able to perform certain specific radio measurements, such as RSRP and RSRQ, in cells on a carrier containing a mix of cells operating using NCT and LCT configurations.

- Whether the UE 120 is able to autonomously determine the RS configuration of cells on a carrier containing a mix of cells operating using NCT and LCT configurations.

Whether UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements (e.g., RSRP and RSRQ) in cells on a specific carrier that includes a mix of cells operating using NCT and LCT configurations. For example, the specific carrier may be any one or more of: a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and an inter-RAT carrier (e.g., measuring an LTE carrier when the serving cell is non-LTE).

The UE 120 may send the above-mentioned capability information to the network node 111 in any of the following ways:

- Proactive reporting without receiving any explicit request from the network node 111 , eg the serving network node or any target network node.

- Reporting upon receipt of an explicit request from a network node 111, eg a serving network node or any target network node.

An explicit request may be sent by the network to the UE 120 at any time or in any specific situation. For example, a request for a capability report may be sent to the UE 120 during initial setup or after a cell change (e.g., handover, RRC connection reestablishment, RRC connection release with redirection, PCell change in CA, PCC change in PCC, etc.).

The network node 111, such as a serving eNB, BS, positioning node, relay, RNC, BSC, etc., may use the received capability information of the UE 120 to perform one or more radio operation tasks related to measurement configuration, etc. In general, the network node 111 may adapt the parameters sent in the measurement configuration sent to the UE 120, such as the type and content of the RS configuration indicator. For example, if the UE 120 does not support this capability, the network node 111 configures the UE 120 not to perform measurements on carriers containing a mix of cells (i.e., having both NCT and LCT). Depending on the capability information received at the network node 111, the network may also configure the UE 120 to perform specific measurements (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ) and/or specific types of carriers (e.g., intra-frequency/serving carrier frequency and/or inter-frequency).

The network node 111 also forwards the received capability information of the UE 120 to another network node (e.g., to a neighboring radio network node, SON, etc.). This avoids the need for the UE 120 to signal its capabilities to the new serving radio node after a cell change (e.g., after a handover). In this way, signaling overhead can be reduced.

In order to perform the method actions for adapting the radio procedures described above with respect to FIG. 5 , the UE 120 may include the following arrangement depicted in FIG. 8 .

The UE 120 includes means such as an obtaining means configured to obtain information about the signal configuration. The obtaining means may be an obtaining circuit 810 (such as a processor) or, in some embodiments, a wireless receiver of the UE 120. The information indicates:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- Whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of UE 120 on the first carrier frequency, of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration.

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in every subframe.The second signal configuration includes a DL RS that is transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell.

In some embodiments, the apparatus, such as the obtaining apparatus, is further configured to obtain information about the signal configuration by obtaining information indicating whether a cell on a second carrier frequency of a second carrier operates using the same signal configuration of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, wherein the second carrier frequency is a non-serving carrier frequency for UE 120.

The means, eg the obtaining means, may further be configured to obtain the information about the signal configuration by autonomously determining, based on radio measurements, whether the signal configuration of a cell on the same carrier is the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration.

In some embodiments, the apparatus, such as the obtaining apparatus, is further configured to obtain information about the signal configuration based on one or more of the following predefined rules:

- without signaling said information about the signal configuration to the UE 120 for said first carrier or said second carrier, assuming that all cells on said carrier operate using the first signal configuration,

- in the absence of signaling the information about the signal configuration to the UE 120 for the first carrier or the second carrier, assuming that all neighbor cells on the carrier operate using the same signal configuration of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as that used in the cell serving the UE 120,

In a case where the information about the signal configuration is not signaled to the UE 120 for one or more second carriers but the information about the signal configuration is signaled to the UE 120 for a reference carrier, it is assumed that cells on the one or more second carriers use the same signal configuration as the signal configuration of the reference carrier, of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration.

The reference carrier may be a carrier whose at least one cell is configured using the first signal.

In some embodiments, the apparatus, such as the obtaining apparatus, is further configured to obtain information about the signal configuration by receiving information about the signal configuration from a node. In these embodiments, the apparatus may be a wireless receiver of the UE 120. The node may be any of the following: another UE and a network node 111 serving the UE 120, and

The information received includes one or more of the following:

- whether all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether the serving cell and neighbor cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether a reference cell and a neighbor cell on the same carrier, wherein the reference cell and the neighbor cell are used by the UE 120 for at least positioning measurements, use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether cells on the first carrier and the second carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are both serving carriers, and

- Whether cells on the first carrier and the second carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively a serving carrier of the UE 120 and a non-serving carrier of the UE 120 .

The apparatus may also be configured to adapt the radio procedure based on the obtained information.The adaptation means may be an adaptation circuit 820, such as a processor, or a memory 850 for storing information.

A radio process is any one or more of the following:

- measurement process,

- the process of signaling the obtained information about the signal configuration to other nodes,

- A process of logging the obtained information about signal configuration for use in minimizing drive test (MDT) operations.

In some embodiments, the radio process may be a measurement process, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to adapt the radio process based on the obtained information by adapting measurement sampling or instances when UE 120 obtains samples for one or more types of radio measurements, and

The measurement is any one of the following: intra-frequency measurement, inter-frequency measurement and inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurement.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include sending means configured to send a message to the network node 111. The sending means may be a transmitting circuit 830, such as a wireless transmitter of the UE 120. The message includes information about the capabilities of the UE 120, indicating that the UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements on a carrier including a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration.

The information about the capabilities of UE 120 may also include additional information including any one or more of the following:

- whether the UE 120 is capable of autonomously determining the RS configuration of cells on a carrier that includes a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration,

- Whether UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a specific carrier including a mixture of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, the specific carrier being any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and an inter-radio access technology (RAT) carrier.

In order to perform the method actions described above with respect to FIG6 for assisting the UE 120 in adapting radio procedures, the network node 111 may include the following arrangement depicted in FIG9 : The network node 111 is capable of serving the UE 120 .

The network node 111 comprises means, e.g., transmitting means configured to transmit information about a signal configuration to the UE 120. The transmitting means may be a transmitting circuit 910, such as a wireless transmitter of the network node 111. The information indicates:

- whether a downlink DL reference signal RS transmitted in a cell on a first carrier frequency of a first carrier uses the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or

- whether the DL RS transmitted in the cell on the first carrier frequency uses a signal configuration, of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, that is the same as the signal configuration used for the DL RS transmitted in the serving cell of UE 120 on the first carrier frequency,

The first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in every subframe, and

The second signal configuration includes a DL RS transmitted in each subframe and in each resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighboring cell.

The apparatus, such as the transmitting apparatus, may also be configured to transmit information regarding the signal configuration to the UE 120 that also includes the following:

- whether all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether the serving cell and neighbor cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether a reference cell and a neighbor cell on the same carrier, wherein the reference cell and the neighbor cell are used by the UE 120 for at least positioning measurements, use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations,

- whether cells on the first carrier and the second carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are both serving carriers, and

- whether cells on the first carrier and the second carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively a serving carrier and a non-serving carrier.

The apparatus may further include an obtaining device configured to obtain information about whether a DL RS transmitted on a first carrier frequency in a serving cell of the UE 120 and in at least one neighboring cell of the UE 120 uses a first signal configuration, a second signal configuration, or does not use the same signal configuration. The obtaining device may be an obtaining circuit 920 (such as a processor) or, in some embodiments, may be a wireless receiver of the network node 111.

The information about the signal configuration to be sent to the UE 120 is based on the obtained information.

In some embodiments, the information is to be obtained from another node, from the UE 120 or from another UE. In some embodiments, the obtaining means may be an obtaining circuit 920, such as a wireless receiver of the network node 111.

The information obtained may also include any one or more of the following:

- a DL RS bandwidth of a cell operating using the first signal configuration,

- a carrier frequency of said first carrier or said second carrier on which a cell operates,

- a cell type and/or a power class of a network node serving said cell on said first carrier or said second carrier,

- the location of the cell,

- an indication that all cells on the same carrier frequency operate using the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration, or that some cells operate using the first signal configuration and the remaining cells operate using the second signal configuration.

The information to be obtained may include information on a plurality of neighboring cells of the network node 111 .

The apparatus may further include generating means configured to generate an indicator based on the obtained information. The generating means may be the processor 930. The information about the signal configuration sent 604 to the UE 120 may be indicated by an indicator.

The apparatus may further include receiving means configured to receive a message from UE 120, the message including information about the capabilities of UE 120, the information indicating that UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements on a carrier comprising a mixture of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration. The receiving means may be receiving circuit 940, such as a wireless receiver of network node 111.

The information about the capabilities of UE 120 may also include additional information including any one or more of the following:

- whether the UE 120 is capable of autonomously determining the RS configuration of cells on a carrier that includes a mix of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration,

- Whether UE 120 is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a specific carrier including a mixture of cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, the specific carrier being any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and an inter-radio access technology (RAT) carrier.

The apparatus may further comprise executing means configured to perform one or more radio operation tasks using the information about the capabilities of the UE 120. The executing means may be an executing circuit 950, such as a processor of the network node 111.

The embodiments herein may be implemented by one or more processors, such as the processor 930 in the network node 111 depicted in FIG. 9 and the processor 840 in the UE 120 depicted in FIG. 8 , together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, such as a computer program product in the form of a data carrier that carries the computer program code for executing the embodiments herein when loaded into the network node 111 or the UE 120. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disk. However, other data carriers are also feasible, such as a memory stick. The computer program code may also be provided as pure program code on a server or downloaded to the network node 111 or the UE 120.

The network node 111 may further include a memory 960 comprising one or more memory units, and the UE 120 may further include a memory 850 comprising one or more memory units. The memories 850, 960 are arranged to store the obtained information, store data, configurations, schedules and applications, etc., so as to perform the methods herein when executed in the network node 111 or the UE 120.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the obtaining circuit, receiving circuit, sending circuit, and executing circuit described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware stored, for example, in the memory 850, 960, which are executed as described above when executed by one or more processors, such as the processors in the network node 111 and the UE 120. One or more of these processors and other digital hardware may be included in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or several processors, and the various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, or packaged separately or assembled into a system on a chip (SoC).

When the word "comprise" or "comprising" is used, it should be understood as non-limiting, that is, it means "including at least".

The embodiments herein are not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents may be used. Therefore, the above embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

The embodiments herein may be as follows:

- The eNB sends an indicator to the UE to indicate:

- whether all cells on the new carrier type (NCT) operate using the NCT reference signal (RS) configuration, or

- Some of the cells operate with NCT RS configuration while some cells operate with CRS configuration according to legacy carrier type (LCT).

Upon receiving the above indication, the UE uses it to adapt one or more measurement procedures for measuring cells operating on the NCT, for example, by adapting measurement sampling by using specific subframes.

More specifically, the following are embodiments related to a network node and a UE:

A method in a network node (such as network node 111) serving a UE (such as UE 120) comprises actions of:

obtaining information about whether downlink reference signals (DL RSs) transmitted in a serving cell and at least one neighbor cell of a UE on a first carrier frequency use a first signal configuration (also known as a new carrier type (NCT)), a second signal configuration (also known as a legacy carrier type (LCT)), or do not use the same signal configuration,

wherein the first signal configuration includes a DL RS that is not transmitted in at least every subframe, and

The second signal configuration includes DL RS transmission in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cell.

This action is optional and may be performed by acquisition circuitry within a network node, such as network node 111 .

sending an indication notifying the UE whether DL RSs transmitted on all cells on the first carrier frequency use the same signal configuration of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, or

Sending an indication notifying the UE whether DL RSs transmitted on all neighboring cells of the UE on the first carrier frequency use a signal configuration, one of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, that is the same as the signal configuration used for DL RSs transmitted on the serving cell on the first carrier frequency. This action 202 may be performed by a transmitting circuit within a network node, such as network node 111.

The network node 111 may include an interface unit to facilitate communication between the network node 111 and other nodes or devices such as UEs. The interface may include, for example, a transceiver configured to send and receive radio signals over an air interface according to a suitable standard.

According to some embodiments herein, a method in a network node (such as network node 111) serving a UE such as UE 120 is provided. The network node is included in a wireless communication network 100. The method may include the following actions:

An indicator is sent to the UE indicating the following:

- All cells on the new carrier type (NCT) operate using the NCT reference signal (RS) configuration, or

- Some of the cells operate with NCT RS configuration while some cells operate with CRS configuration according to legacy carrier type (LCT).

A method in a UE (such as UE 120) served by a network node (such as network node 111) comprises the following actions:

Obtaining information indicating whether DL RSs transmitted on all cells on a first carrier frequency use the same signal configuration of a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, or indicating whether DL RSs transmitted on all neighbor cells of a UE on the first carrier frequency use the same signal configuration of the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as the signal configuration used for DL RSs transmitted on a serving cell on the first carrier frequency, wherein the first signal configuration includes DL RSs that are not transmitted in at least every subframe and the second signal configuration includes DL RSs that are transmitted in every subframe and in every resource block over the entire channel bandwidth of the neighbor cells. This action may be performed by an obtaining circuit within a UE, such as UE 120.

° Performing a radio procedure that uses at least a DL RS transmitted on at least one neighbor cell on a first carrier frequency, such as adapting a DL RS measurement sampling rate or instance, etc. This action may be performed by an execution circuit or an adaptation circuit within a UE, such as UE 120.

UE 120 may include an interface unit to facilitate communication between UE 120 and other nodes or devices, such as network node 111. The interface may include, for example, a transceiver configured to send and receive radio signals over an air interface according to a suitable standard.

According to embodiments herein, a method in a UE, such as UE 120, served by a network node, such as network node 111, is provided. The UE and the network node are included in a wireless communication network 100. The method may include the following actions:

An indicator is received 701 from a network node, the indicator indicating:

- All cells on the new carrier type (NCT) operate using the NCT reference signal (RS) configuration, or

- Some of the cells operate with NCT RS configuration while some cells operate with CRS configuration according to legacy carrier type (LCT).

Adaptation 702 is used to measure one or more measurement procedures of cells operating on the NCT based on the received indicator, for example, by adapting measurement sampling using specific subframes.

abbreviation

BS Base Station

BW Bandwidth

CID Cell ID

CRS Cell-specific reference signal

DL Downlink

ESS Enhanced Synchronization Signal

ID

LTE Long Term Evolution

MDT Minimized Drive Test

OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator

PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

PHICH Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel

PSS Primary Synchronization Signal

RAT Radio Access Technology

RE resource element

RB Resource Block

RRM Radio Resource Management

RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

SFN Single Frequency Network

SSS Sub-synchronization signal

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

SON self-organizing network

RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

Claims (40)

1. A method for adapting a radio procedure in a user equipment (UE) (120), the method comprising: (502) Obtain information regarding the signal configuration of a cell on a carrier frequency, wherein in each cell on the carrier frequency, a first or second signal configuration is used to transmit a downlink DL reference signal RS, the information indicating: - Does the DL RS transmitted in the cell at the first carrier frequency of the first carrier use the same signal configuration as in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, or - Whether the DL RS transmitted in a non-serving cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as the signal configuration used for transmitting DL RS in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency. The first signal configuration includes the DL RS, which is not transmitted in every subframe, and The second signal configuration includes the DL RS transmitted in each subframe and in each resource block across the entire channel bandwidth of the neighboring cell, and The radio process is adapted (503) based on the information obtained. 2. The method according to claim 1, The information obtained (502) regarding signal configuration also includes: obtaining information indicating whether the cell on the second carrier frequency of the second carrier operates using the same signal configuration as in the first and second signal configurations. The second carrier frequency is the non-service carrier frequency for the UE (120). 3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, The acquisition of (502) information about the signal configuration is performed by autonomously determining, based on radio measurements, whether the signal configuration of the cell on the same carrier is the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, The information (502) regarding signal configuration is obtained based on one or more of the following predefined rules: -In the absence of the aforementioned information regarding signal configuration being sent to the UE (120) for the first carrier, it is assumed that all cells on the carrier operate using the first signal configuration. - In the absence of the aforementioned information regarding signal configuration being sent to the UE (120) for the first carrier, it is assumed that all neighboring cells on the carrier operate using the same signal configuration as those used in the cell serving the UE (120) in both the first and second signal configurations. - In the absence of signal configuration information being sent to the UE (120) for one or more second carriers, but for a reference carrier, the information regarding signal configuration is sent to the UE (120) via a signal, it is assumed that the cells on the one or more second carriers use the same signal configuration as the reference carrier in the first and second signal configurations. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the reference carrier is a carrier configured in at least one cell using the first signal. 6. The method according to claim 2, The acquisition (502) of information regarding signal configuration is performed by receiving such information from a node, which is any one of the following: another UE or a network node (111) serving the UE (120), and The information received includes one or more of the following: - Do all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Do the serving cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Whether the reference cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier, known to the UE (120), use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the reference cell and the neighboring cells are used by the UE (120) at least for positioning measurements. - Whether the cells on the first carrier and the second carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein both the first carrier and the second carrier are serving carriers serving the UE (120), and - Are the cells on the first carrier and the second carrier using the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively the serving carrier and the non-serving carrier of the UE (120). 7. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, The radio process in the radio process adapted (503) based on the obtained information is one or more of the following: - Measurement process, - The process of sending the obtained information about the signal configuration to other nodes via signals. - Log the information obtained about the signal configuration to minimize the process of drive test MDT operations. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, The radio process is a measurement process, and the radio process is adapted (503) based on the obtained information by adapting measurement samples or by an instance when the UE (120) obtains samples for one or more types of radio measurements. The measurement mentioned therein is any of the following: same-frequency measurement, different-frequency measurement, and radio access technology (RAT) inter-measurement. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, further comprising: A message (501) is sent to network node (111), the message including information about the capabilities of the UE (120), the information indicating that the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements on a mixed carrier including cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration. 10. The method according to claim 9, The information regarding the capabilities of the UE (120) also includes additional information, which includes one or more of the following: - Whether the UE (120) can autonomously determine the RS configuration of the cell on a mixed carrier including cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, - Whether the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a mixed specific carrier including cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, wherein the specific carrier is any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and a radio access technology (RAT) inter-carrier. 11. A method for assisting a user equipment (UE) (120) in adapting a radio process in a network node (111), the network node (111) serving the UE (120), the method comprising: The UE (120) is sent (604) with information regarding the signal configuration of the cell on the carrier frequency, wherein in each cell on the carrier frequency, a first or second signal configuration is used to transmit the downlink DL reference signal RS, the information indicating: - Does the DL RS transmitted in the cell at the first carrier frequency of the first carrier use the same signal configuration as in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, or - Whether the DL RS transmitted in a non-serving cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as the signal configuration used for transmitting DL RS in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency. The first signal configuration includes the DL RS, which is not transmitted in at least every subframe, and The second signal configuration includes the DL RS transmitted in each subframe and in each resource block across the entire channel bandwidth of the neighboring cell. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein sending (604) information about signal configuration to the UE (120) further comprises: - Do all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Do the serving cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Whether the reference cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the reference cell and neighboring cells are used by the UE (120) for at least positioning measurements, - Whether the cells on the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency of the second cell use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein both the first carrier and the second carrier are serving carriers, and - Are the cells on the first carrier and the second carrier using the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively serving carriers and non-serving carriers. 13. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, further comprising: Obtain (602) information on whether the DL RS transmitted on the first carrier frequency in the serving cell of the UE (120) and in at least one neighboring cell of the UE (120) uses the first signal configuration, the second signal configuration, or not the same signal configuration, and The information about signal configuration sent (604) to the UE (120) is based on the information obtained (602). 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: The information is obtained from another node, from the UE (120), or from another UE. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: The information obtained also includes one or more of the following: - The DL RS bandwidth of the cell operating using the first signal configuration. - The carrier frequency of the first carrier on which the cell operates. - Cell type and/or power level of the network nodes serving the cell on the first carrier. -Location of the residential area - An indication that all cells on the same carrier frequency operate using either the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration, or that some cells operate using the first signal configuration while the remaining cells operate using the second signal configuration. 16. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, The information obtained includes information about multiple neighboring cells of the network node (111). 17. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, further comprising: Generate (603) indicator based on the obtained information, and The information about signal configuration sent (604) to the UE (120) is indicated by the indicator. 18. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, further comprising: The UE (120) receives a message (601) containing information about the capabilities of the UE (120), the information indicating that the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements on a mixed carrier including cells operating using a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration. 19. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, further comprising: The information regarding the capabilities of the UE (120) also includes additional information, which includes one or more of the following: - Whether the UE (120) is able to autonomously determine the RS configuration of the cell on a mixed carrier including cells operating using a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, - Whether the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a mixed specific carrier including cells operating using a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, wherein the specific carrier is any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and a radio access technology (RAT) inter-carrier. 20. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, further comprising: The information about the capabilities of the UE (120) is used to perform (605) one or more radio operation tasks. 21. A user equipment (UE) (120) for adapting to radio procedures, the UE (120) including means configured to obtain information about the signal configuration of a cell on a carrier frequency, wherein in each cell on the carrier frequency, a downlink DL reference signal RS is transmitted using a first or second signal configuration, the information indicating: - Does the DL RS transmitted in the cell at the first carrier frequency of the first carrier use the same signal configuration as in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, or - Whether the DL RS transmitted in a non-serving cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as the signal configuration used for transmitting DL RS in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency. The first signal configuration includes the DLRS, which is not transmitted in every subframe, and The second signal configuration includes the DL RS transmitted in each subframe and in each resource block across the entire channel bandwidth of the neighboring cell, and The device is also configured to adapt the radio process based on the information obtained. 22. The UE (120) according to claim 21, The device is further configured to obtain information about the signal configuration by obtaining information indicating whether the cell on the second carrier frequency of the second carrier operates using the same signal configuration in the first and second signal configurations. The second carrier frequency is the non-service carrier frequency for the UE (120). 23. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 21-22, The device is further configured to obtain information about the signal configuration by autonomously determining, based on radio measurements, whether the signal configuration of a cell on the same carrier is the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration. 24. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 21-22, The device is also configured to obtain information about the signal configuration based on one or more of the following predefined rules: -In the absence of the aforementioned information regarding signal configuration being sent to the UE (120) for the first carrier, it is assumed that all cells on the carrier operate using the first signal configuration. - In the absence of the aforementioned information regarding signal configuration being sent to the UE (120) for the first carrier, it is assumed that all neighboring cells on the carrier operate using the same signal configuration as those used in the cell serving the UE (120) in both the first and second signal configurations. - In the absence of signal configuration information being sent to the UE (120) for one or more second carriers, but for a reference carrier, the information regarding signal configuration is sent to the UE (120) via a signal, it is assumed that the cells on the one or more second carriers use the same signal configuration as the reference carrier in the first and second signal configurations. 25. The UE (120) of claim 24, wherein the reference carrier is a carrier configured by at least one of its cells using the first signal. 26. The UE (120) according to claim 22, The device is further configured to obtain the signal configuration information by receiving information about the signal configuration from a node, the node being any one of the following: another UE and a network node (111) serving the UE (120), and The information received includes one or more of the following: - Do all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Do the serving cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Whether the reference cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier, known to the UE (120), use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the reference cell and the neighboring cells are used by the UE (120) at least for positioning measurements. - Whether the cells on the first carrier and the second carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein both the first carrier and the second carrier are serving carriers serving the UE (120), and - Are the cells on the first carrier and the second carrier using the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively the serving carrier and the non-serving carrier of the UE (120). 27. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 21-22, The radio process described therein is one or more of the following: - Measurement process, - The process of sending the obtained information about the signal configuration to other nodes via signals. - Log the information obtained about the signal configuration to minimize the process of drive test MDT operations. 28. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 21-22, The radio process is a measurement process, and the device is further configured to adapt the radio process based on the information obtained by adapting to measurement sampling or instances when the UE (120) obtains samples for one or more types of radio measurements. The measurement mentioned therein is any of the following: same-frequency measurement, different-frequency measurement, and radio access technology (RAT) inter-measurement. 29. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 21-22, further comprising: The device is also configured to send a message to a network node (111) including information about the capabilities of the UE (120), the information indicating that the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements on a mixed carrier including cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration. 30. The UE (120) according to claim 29, further comprising: The information regarding the capabilities of the UE (120) also includes additional information, which includes one or more of the following: - Whether the UE (120) is able to autonomously determine the RS configuration of the cell on a mixed carrier including cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, - Whether the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a mixed specific carrier including cells operating using the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, wherein the specific carrier is any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and a radio access technology (RAT) inter-carrier. 31. A network node (111) for assisting a user equipment (UE) (120) in adapting to a radio process, the network node (111) being able to serve the UE (120), the network node (111) including means configured to perform the following operations: The UE (120) is sent information about the signal configuration of the cell on the carrier frequency, wherein in each cell on the carrier frequency, a first or second signal configuration is used to transmit the downlink DL reference signal RS, and the information indicates: - Does the DL RS transmitted in the cell at the first carrier frequency of the first carrier use the same signal configuration as in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration, or - Whether the DL RS transmitted in a non-serving cell on the first carrier frequency uses the same signal configuration in the first signal configuration and the second signal configuration as the signal configuration used for transmitting DL RS in the serving cell of the UE (120) on the first carrier frequency. The first signal configuration includes the DL RS, which is not transmitted in at least every subframe, and The second signal configuration includes the DL RS transmitted in each subframe and in each resource block across the entire channel bandwidth of the neighboring cell. 32. The network node (111) of claim 31, wherein the means is further configured to send to the UE (120) the information regarding signal configuration, which includes the following: - Do all cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Do the serving cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations? - Whether the reference cell and neighboring cells on the same carrier use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the reference cell and neighboring cells are used by the UE (120) for at least positioning measurements. - Whether the cells on the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency of the second cell use the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein both the first carrier and the second carrier are serving carriers, and - Are the cells on the first carrier and the second carrier using the same signal configuration or different signal configurations, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively serving carriers and non-serving carriers. 33. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the means is further configured to: Obtain information regarding whether the DL RS transmitted on the first carrier frequency in the serving cell of the UE (120) and in at least one neighboring cell of the UE (120) uses the first signal configuration, the second signal configuration, or not the same signal configuration, and The information about signal configuration to be sent to the UE (120) is based on the information obtained. 34. The network node (111) according to claim 33, wherein the information is to be obtained from another node, from the UE (120), or from another UE. 35. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the obtained information further includes one or more of the following: - The DL RS bandwidth of the cell operating using the first signal configuration. - The carrier frequency of the first carrier on which the cell operates. - Cell type and/or power level of the network nodes serving the cell on the first carrier. -Location of the residential area - An indication that all cells on the same carrier frequency operate using either the first signal configuration or the second signal configuration, or that some cells operate using the first signal configuration while the remaining cells operate using the second signal configuration. 36. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the information to be obtained includes information on a plurality of neighboring cells for the network node (111). 37. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the means is further configured to: Generate indicators based on the obtained information, and The information about signal configuration sent (604) to the UE (120) will be indicated by the indicator. 38. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the network node (111) includes means configured to perform the following operations: The UE (120) receives a message including information about the capabilities of the UE (120), the information indicating that the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements on a mixed carrier including cells operating using a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration. 39. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the information regarding the capabilities of the UE (120) further includes additional information, the additional information including any one or more of the following: - Whether the UE (120) is able to autonomously determine the RS configuration of the cell on a mixed carrier including cells operating using a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, - Whether the UE (120) is capable of performing radio measurements in a cell on a mixed specific carrier including cells operating using a first signal configuration and a second signal configuration, wherein the specific carrier is any one or more of a serving carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, and a radio access technology (RAT) inter-carrier. 40. The network node (111) according to any one of claims 31-32, wherein the means is further configured to: The information about the capabilities of the UE (120) is used to perform one or more radio operation tasks.