WO2021159424A1

WO2021159424A1 - Methods and apparatuses for controlling csi-rs measurement

Info

Publication number: WO2021159424A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/075173
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lars Dalsgaard; Lei Du
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2020-02-14
Filing date: 2020-02-14
Publication date: 2021-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 2022-08-14
Also published as: CN113271605B; CN113271605A

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for controlling CSI-RS measurement. An example method may include receiving at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on SSB, receiving at least one reference signal based on SSB, and performing conditionally a CSI-RS measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell according to the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB on the serving cell. Related apparatuses and computer readable media are also disclosed.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR CONTROLLING CSI-RS MEASUREMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various example embodiments relate to methods and apparatuses for controlling Channel State Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement.

BACKGROUND

CSI-RS is configurable for a mobile device or user equipment (UE) in a connected mode, and may be provided in a UE dedicated configuration, for example by using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. For example, configuring the UE to perform CSI-RS measurements from a target cell may enable a direct handover (HO) from a serving beam in a serving cell to a refined beam in the target cell.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, disclosed is a method comprising receiving at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) , receiving at least one reference signal based on SSB, and performing conditionally a Channel State Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell according to the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell. For example, this method may be performed in a mobile device or UE. For example, the CSI-RS measurement may be a CSI-RS measurement for Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) .

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cells, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cells may be performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold. For example, the threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cells or the non-serving cells may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a threshold different from another threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold. For example, the threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a first threshold and a second threshold, at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell may be performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the first threshold, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell may be performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the second threshold. For example, the first threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the first threshold, and the second threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the second threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the first threshold, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the second threshold.

In some example embodiments, the at least one signaling may include a first signaling including a first threshold, and a second signaling including a second threshold.

In some example embodiments, the at least one signaling may include one signaling including the at least one threshold.

In a second aspect, also disclosed is a method comprising transmitting at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on SSB, and transmitting at least one reference signal based on SSB, wherein the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell may be used for performing conditionally a CSI-RS measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell. For example, this method may be performed in an access network, for example in a base station. For example, the CSI-RS measurement may be a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold may be associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell. For example, the threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold. For example, the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be not performed ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a threshold different from another threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold may be associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell. For example, the threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold. For example, the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a first threshold and a second threshold, at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the first threshold may be associated with a first threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, and the second threshold may be associated with a second threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell. For example, the first threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the first threshold, and the second threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the second threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell may be not performed ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the first threshold, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell may be not performed ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the second threshold.

In a third aspect, also disclosed is an apparatus comprising means for receiving at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on SSB, means for receiving at least one reference signal based on SSB, and means for performing conditionally a CSI-RS measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell according to the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell. For example, this apparatus may be at least a part of mobile device or UE. For example, the CSI-RS measurement may be a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold. For example, the threshold condition may include the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold.

In a fourth aspect, also disclosed is an apparatus comprising means for transmitting at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on SSB, and means for transmitting at least one reference signal based on SSB, wherein the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell may be used for performing conditionally a CSI-RS measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell. For example, this apparatus may be at least a part of an access network, for example at least a part of a base station. For example, the CSI-RS measurement may be a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM.

In a fifth aspect, also disclosed is an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform any method in the above first aspect. For example, this apparatus may be at least a part of mobile device or UE. For example, the CSI-RS measurement may be a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM.

In a sixth aspect, also disclosed is an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform any method in the above second aspect. For example, this apparatus may be at least apart ofan access network, for example at least a part ofa base station. For example, the CSI-RS measurement may be a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM.

In a seventh aspect, also disclosed is a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least any method in the above first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, also disclosed is a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least any method in the above second aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example method 100 for controlling CSI-RS measurement in an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method 200 for controlling CSI-RS measurement in an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example execution sequence 300 between the

example methods

100 and 200 in an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of signaling in an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of signaling in an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of signaling in an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of signaling in an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method 800 for controlling CSI-RS measurement in an example embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example method 900 for controlling CSI-RS measurement in an example embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method 1000 for controlling CSI-RS measurement in an example embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example method 1100 for controlling CSI-RS measurement in an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Configuring the UE to perform CSI-RS measurements from a target cell may enable a direct handover (HO) from a serving beam in a serving cell to a refined beam in the target cell, which, on the other hand, may bring an overhead in downlink Reference Signal (RS) signaling. Moreover, additional CSI-RS measurements on the serving cell and/or a non-serving cell (e.g. a neighboring cell) may impact the UE, for example in terms of potential additional measurements time, additional RS processing and post-processing, evaluation and possible report, and so on, which may, for example, increase the UE on-time and measurement burden, and further impact an overall UE power consumption and thereby user experience.

FIG. 1 illustrated an example method 100 for controlling CSI-RS measurement, for example, a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM.

As shown in FIG. 1, the example method 100 may include a step 110 for receiving at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) , a step 120 for receiving at least one reference signal based on SSB, and a step 130 for performing conditionally the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell according to the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (hereafter shortened as “SS-RSRP” ) on the serving cell.

In the example method 100, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell and/or the non-serving cell may be performed conditionally according to the received at least one SSB based threshold and the SS-RSRP on the serving cell. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, or the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, or both the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, may be not performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is good enough according to the received at least one SSB based threshold, and may be performed otherwise. Thus, for example, at least network CSI-RS transmissions and thereby the overall UE power consumption may be reduced.

In various embodiments, one or more thresholds based on SSB may be used in the example method 100, and one or more signaling may be used to provide the one or more thresholds based on SSB. For example, in the step 110, one signaling including one or more thresholds based on SSB (for example, all thresholds based on SSB) may be received, or a first signaling including a first threshold based on SSB and a second signaling including a second threshold based on SSB may be received.

In various embodiments, the receiving power of the at least one reference signal based on SSB received in the step 120 may be measured and obtained by any suitable means and at any suitable time. For example, the SS-RSRP may be measured and obtained when receiving the at least one reference signal based on SSB in the step 120.

In FIG. 1, the step 120 is illustrated after the step 110. In another example embodiment, the step 120 may be performed before the step 110, or may be performed concurrently with the step 110.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold based on SSB included in the at least one signaling received in the step 110 may include a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell. Then, in the step 130, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cells and or non-serving cells may be performed conditionally according to whether the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, or the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, or both the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, may be performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, ormay be notperformed otherwise.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold based on SSB included in the at least on signaling received in the step 110 may include a threshold different from the threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell. Then, in the step 130, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cells or the non-serving cells may be performed conditionally according to whether the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, or the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, or both the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, may be performed ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, ormay be not performed otherwise.

In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold based on SSB included in the at least on signaling received in the step 110 may include a first threshold and a second threshold. At least one of the first threshold or the second threshold may be different from the threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell. Then, in the step 130, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell may be performed conditionally according to whether the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a first threshold condition associated with the first threshold, and the CSI-RS measurement on one or more non-serving cells may be performed conditionally according to whether the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a second threshold condition associated with the second threshold. For example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell may be performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is below the first threshold, or may be not performed otherwise; and the CSI-RS measurement on one or more non-serving cells may be performed ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is below the second threshold, or may be not performed otherwise.

For example, the example method 100 may be performed in a mobile device or UE. Correspondingly, FIG. 2 illustrated an example method 200 for controlling CSI-RS measurement (e.g. a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM) , which, for example, may be performed in the access network (e.g. in the base station) so as to provide/transmit the at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on SSB in the step 110 of the example method 100 and the at least one reference signal based on SSB in the step 120 of the example method 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the example method 200 may include a step 210 for transmitting at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on SSB, and a step 220 for transmitting at least one reference signal based on SSB.

The at least one signaling transmitted in the step 210 may be received in the step 110 of the example method 100, and the at least one threshold based on SSB in the at least one signaling transmitted in the step 210 may correspond to the at least one threshold used in the example method 100 which has been described above in some example embodiments.

Thus, corresponding to the example method 100, for the example method 200, in various example embodiments, the at least one threshold may include a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold may be associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell (for example, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold, or not performed otherwise) ; or, the at least one threshold may be another threshold different from the threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the another threshold may be associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell (for example, the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell and one or more non-serving cells may be performed ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold, or not performed otherwise) ; or, the at least one threshold may include a first threshold and a second threshold, wherein at least one of the first and second thresholds may be different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the first threshold may be associated with a first threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell (for example, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell may be performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the first threshold, or not performed otherwise) , and the second threshold may be associated with a second threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on one or more non-serving cells (for example, the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell may be performed if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the second threshold, ornot performed otherwise) .

Also, corresponding to the reception of the at least one signaling in the step 110 of the example method 100, one or more signaling may be transmitted to provide the one or more thresholds based on SSB. For example, in the step 210, one signaling including one or more thresholds based on SSB (for example, all thresholds based on SSB) may be transmitted, or a first signaling including a first threshold based on SSB and a second signaling including a second threshold based on SSB may be transmitted.

In FIG. 2, the step 220 is illustrated after the step 210. In another example embodiment, the step 220 may be performed before the step 210, or may be performed concurrently with the step 210.

FIG. 3 illustrated an example execution sequence 300 between the

example methods

100 and 200.

For example, the example execution sequence 300 may involve a UE 310 and a base station (eNB or gNB) 320 in the access network. The UE 310 may perform the example method 100 and the base station 320 may perform the example method 200.

As shown in FIG. 3, at least one signaling 330 including at least one threshold based on SSB may be transmitted by the base station 320 in the step 210 and received by the UE 310 in the step 110. Then, on the side of the UE 310, the at least one threshold based on SSB may be obtained for use later in the step 130. In addition, at least one reference signal based on SSB 340 may be transmitted by the base station 320 in the step 220 and received by the UE 310 in the step 120. Then, on the side of the UE 310, the receiving power of the at least one reference signal based on SSB 340 on the serving cell, i.e. SS-RSRP on the serving cell, may be measured or derived. Then, on the side of the UE 310, the step 130 of the example method 100 may be performed so as to perform conditionally the CSI-RS measurement on the server cell and/or the non-serving cell according to the obtained at least one threshold based SSB and the measured SS-RSRP on the serving cell.

For the at least one signaling 330 and the at least one threshold based on SSB, several more example embodiments in New Radio (NR) system will be described below. However, it is appreciated that the example methods and features in the disclosure may also be applied in any other suitable telecommunication systems, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) system or other current or future mobile telecommunication systems.

In an embodiment, as also shown in FIG. 4, the at least one signaling 330 may include the s-MeasureConfig IE 410. The s-MeasureConfig IE 410 may include two choice options, ssb-RSRP corresponding to SS-RSRP and csi-RSRP corresponding to RSRP of CSI-RS, where the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with the choice option ssb-RSRP enabled may be used to control when the UE 310 measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell.

The s-MeasureConfig IE 410 may be used in the NR system to provide a threshold used by the UE 310 for controlling when to perform RSRP measurements on non-serving cells. For example, when the receiving power of the reference signal 340 on the serving cell is below the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with the choice option ssb-RSRP enabled.

In this embodiment, the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 is reused. For example, the at least one threshold based on SSB in the at least one signaling 310 may include the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with the choice option ssb-RSRP enabled. For example, if SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig with the choice option ssb-RSRP enabled, besides measuring an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the UE 310 may also perform the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell.

In another example embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, asignaling different from the s-MeasureConfig IE 410, which is illustrated as s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510 in FIG. 5, is also included in the at least one signalling 330. The s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510 may include a threshold for the UE 310 to determine whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell. For example, the UE 310 may perform the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold included in the s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510, or not perform the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold included in the s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510.

For example, the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with choice ssb-RSRP enabled may be used by the UE 310 for controlling when to perform RSRP measurements on non-serving cells, and the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510 may be used by the UE 310 to determine when to perform the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell.

For example, the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with choice ssb-RSRP enabled may be used by the UE 310 to determine when to perform RSRP measurements on the non-serving cell and when to perform the CSI-RS measurement on one of the serving cell and the non-serving cell, and the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510 may be used by the UE 310 to determine when to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the other of the serving cell and the non-serving cell.

For example, the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with choice ssb-RSRP enabled may be used by the UE 310 to determine when to perform RSRP measurements on the non-serving cell, the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510 may be used by the UE 310 to determine when to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell may be not controlled.

In this example embodiment, athreshold is introduced which is different from the threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell (i.e. the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with choice ssb-RSRP enabled) , so that the SS-RSRP measurement the non-serving cell and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell may be controlled separately, through which, for example, higher flexibility, lower legacy, and simple configuration may be achieved.

It is appreciated that the s-MeasureConfigCsi-rs IE 510 is an example, and any other suitable new or legacy signalling may be used.

In another example embodiment, as show in FIG. 6, afirst threshold different from the s-MeasureConfig IE 410, which is illustrated as s-MeasureConfigCsiServing-rs IE 610 in FIG. 6, and a second threshold different from the s-MeasureConfig IE 410, which is illustrated as s-MeasureConfigCsiNonServing-rs IE 620 in FIG. 6, are also included in the at least one signalling 330. For example, the s-MeasureConfigCsiServing-rs IE 610 may include a threshold for the UE 310 to determine whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, and the s-MeasureConfigCsiNonServing-rs IE 620 may include a threshold for the UE 310 to determine whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell.

For example, the UE 310 may perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold included in the s-MeasureConfigCsiServing-rs IE 610, or not perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold included in the s-MeasureConfigCsiServing-rs IE 610.

For example, the UE 310 may perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell if the SS-RSRP on the serving cell is lower than the threshold included in the s-MeasureConfigCsiNonServing-rs IE 620, or not perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell ifthe SS-RSRP on the serving cell is above the threshold included in the s-MeasureConfigCsiNonServing-rs IE 620.

In this example embodiment, separate controls for the SS-RSRP measurement on the non-serving cell, the CSI-RS measurement on serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell are enabled, so that, for example, afurther higher flexibility may be achieved

It is appreciated that the s-MeasureConfigCsiServing-rs IE 610 and the s-MeasureConfigCsiNonServing-rs IE 620 are examples, , and any other suitable new or legacy signalling may be used.

In another example embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, amodified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 is included in the at least one signaling 330. Different from the s-MeasureConfig IE 410, the modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 may include simultaneously a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell (i.e. the threshold indicated by the s-MeasureConfig IE 410 with choice ssb-RSRP enabled) and at least one another threshold for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell and/orthe non-serving cell.

For example, besides the threshold ssb-RSRP available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 may include simultaneously a threshold ssb-RSRP-CSI-RS for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on both the serving cell and the non-serving cell.

For example, besides the threshold ssb-RSRP available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 may include simultaneously a threshold ssb-RSRP-CSI-RS-SERVING for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, but not provide any threshold for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell or utilize the threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell to control whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell.

For example, besides the threshold ssb-RSRP available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 may include simultaneously a threshold ssb-RSRP-CSI-RS-NONSERVING for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell, but not provide any threshold for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell or utilize the threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell to control whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell.

For example, besides the threshold ssb-RSRP available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 may include simultaneously a threshold ssb-RSRP-CSI-RS-SERVING for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, and a threshold ssb-RSRP-CSI-RS-NONSERVING for controlling whether to perform the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell.

In this example embodiment, multiple threshold based on SSB may be provided in one signaling so that, for example, gap assisted SSB based intra-frequency measurements may be avoided.

An example using a modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 is illustrated in FIG. 7. In another example embodiment, an IE other than the modified s-MeasureConfig IE 710 may be utilized.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example apparatus 800 for controlling CSI-RS measurement, for example, a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM. For example, the example apparatus 800may be at least a part of the UE 310.

As shown in FIG. 8, the example apparatus 800 may include at least one processor 810 and at least one memory 820 that may include computer program code 830. The at least one memory 820 and the computer program code 830 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 810, cause the apparatus 800 at least to perform at least the example method 100 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 810 in the example apparatus 800 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , aportion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 810 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in FIG. 8.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 820 in the example apparatus 800 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, arandom-access memory (RAM) , acache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, aread only memory (ROM) , ahard disk, aflash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 820 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, amagnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 800 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 800, including the at least one processor 810 and the at least one memory 820, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

The structure of the apparatus on the side of the UE 310 is not limited to the above example apparatus 800. FIG. 9 illustrates another example apparatus 900 for controlling CSI-RS measurement, for example, a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM. For example, the example apparatus 800may be at least a part of the UE 310.

As shown in FIG. 9, the example apparatus 900 may include means 910 for performing the step 110 of the example method 100, means 920 for performing the step 120 of the example method 100, and means 930 for performing the step 130 of the example method 100. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 900.

In various example embodiments, examples of

means

910, 920 or 930 may include circuitries. For example, an example ofmeans 910 may include a circuitry configured to perform the step 110 of the example method 100, an example ofmeans 920 may include a circuitry configured to perform the step 120 of the example method 100, and an example of means 930 may include a circuitry configured to perform the step 130 of the example method 100.

The term “circuitry” throughout this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) ; (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) (i) acombination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) ; and (c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers an implementation ofmerely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the claim element, abaseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, acellular network device, or other computing or network device.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example apparatus 1000 for controlling CSI-RS measurement (e.g. a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM) , which, for example, may be at least a part of the access network, for example, at least a part of the base station 320.

As shown in FIG. 10, the example apparatus 1000 may include at least one processor 1010 and at least one memory 1020 that may include computer program code 1030. The at least one memory 1020 and the computer program code 1030 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 1010, cause the apparatus 1000 at least to perform at least the example method 200 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1010 in the example apparatus 1000 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a CPU, aportion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example FPGA and ASIC. Further, the at least one processor 1010 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in FIG. 10.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1020 in the example apparatus 1000 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, aRAM, acache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, aROM, ahard disk, aflash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 1020 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 1000 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 1000, including the at least one processor 1010 and the at least one memory 1020, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

FIG. 11 illustrates another example apparatus 1100 for controlling CSI-RS measurement (e.g. a CSI-RS measurement for L3 RRM) , which, for example, may be at least a part of the access network, for example, at least a part of the base station 320.

As shown in FIG. 11, the example apparatus 1100 may include means 1110 for performing the step 210 of the example method 200, and means 1120 for performing the step 220 of the example method 200. In one or more another example embodiments, the example apparatus 1100 may further include at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, examples of

means

1110 or 1120 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 1110 may include a circuitry configured to perform the step 210 of the example method 200, and an example of means 1120 may include a circuitry configured to perform the step 220 of the example method 200.

Another example embodiment may relate to computer program codes or instructions which may cause an apparatus to perform at least respective methods described above.

Another example embodiment may be related to a computer readable medium having such computer program codes or instructions stored thereon. In various example embodiments, such a computer readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, aRAM, acache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, aROM, ahard disk, aflash memory, and so on.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise, ” “comprising, ” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to. ” The word “coupled” , as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected” , as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way ofone or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein, ” “above, ” “below, ” and words ofsimilar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can, ” “could, ” “might, ” “may, ” “e.g., ” “for example, ” “such as” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

While some example embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may perform similar functionalities with different components and/or circuit topologies, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each of these blocks may be implemented in a variety ofdifferent ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Claims

A method comprising:

receiving at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) ;

receiving at least one reference signal based on SSB; and

performing conditionally a Channel State Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell according to the at least threshold and a received power of the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell.
The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold.
The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold different from another threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold.
The method of claim 2 or 3 wherein the threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold.
The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one threshold includes a first threshold and a second threshold, at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the first threshold, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the second threshold.
The method of claim 5 wherein the first threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the first threshold, and the second threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the second threshold.
The method of any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the at least one signaling includes a first signaling including a first threshold, and a second signaling including a second threshold.
The method of any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the at least one signaling includes one signaling including the at least one threshold.
A method comprising:

transmitting at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) ; and

transmitting at least one reference signal based on SSB,

the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell being for performing conditionally a Channel State Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell.
The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold is associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell.
The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold different from another threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold is associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell.
The method of claim 10 or 11 wherein the threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold.
The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one threshold includes a first threshold and a second threshold, at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the first threshold is associated with a first threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, and the second threshold is associated with a second threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell.
The method of claim 13 wherein the first threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the first threshold, and the second threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the second threshold.
The method of any of claims 9 to 14 wherein the at least one signaling includes a first signaling including a first threshold, and a second signaling including a second threshold.
The method of any of claims 9 to 14 wherein the at least one signaling includes one signaling including the at least one threshold.
An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) ;

means for receiving at least one reference signal based on SSB; and

means for performing conditionally a Channel State Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement on at least one of a serving cell and a non-serving cell according to the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell.
The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold.
The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold different from another threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the threshold.
The apparatus of claim 18 or 19 wherein the threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold.
The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one threshold includes a first threshold and a second threshold, at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the first threshold, and the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell is performed in a case where the SS-RSRP on the serving cell satisfies a threshold condition associated with the second threshold.
The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the first threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the first threshold, and the second threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the second threshold.
The apparatus of any of claims 17 to 22 wherein the at least one signaling includes a first signaling including a first threshold, and a second signaling including a second threshold.
The apparatus of any of claims 17 to 22 wherein the at least one signaling includes one signaling including the at least one threshold.
The apparatus of any of claims 17 to 24 wherein the apparatus is at least a part of a mobile device.
An apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting at least one signaling including at least one threshold based on Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) ; and

means for transmitting at least one reference signal based on SSB,

the at least threshold and a receiving power for the at least one reference signal based on SSB (SS-RSRP) on the serving cell being for performing conditionally a Channel State Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) measurement on at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell.
The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold is associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell.
The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold different from another threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, and the threshold is associated with a threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell.
The apparatus of claim 27 or 28 wherein the threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the threshold.
The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the at least one threshold includes a first threshold and a second threshold, at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being different from a threshold available for controlling whether to measure an SS-RSRP on the non-serving cell, the first threshold is associated with a first threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the serving cell, and the second threshold is associated with a second threshold condition related to the SS-RSRP on the serving cell and for performing the CSI-RS measurement on the non-serving cell.
The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the first threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the first threshold, and the second threshold condition includes the SS-RSRP on the serving cell being lower than the second threshold.
The apparatus of any of claims 26 to 31 wherein the at least one signaling includes a first signaling including a first threshold, and a second signaling including a second threshold.
The apparatus of any of claims 26 to 31 wherein the at least one signaling includes one signaling including the at least one threshold.
The apparatus of any of claims 26 to 33 wherein the apparatus is at least part of an access network.
An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of claims 1 to 8.
The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the apparatus is at least part of a mobile device.
An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of claims 9 to 16.
The apparatus of claim 39 wherein the apparatus is at least part of an access network.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least a method of any of claims 1 to 8.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least a method of any of claims 9 to 16.