WO2025231726A1

WO2025231726A1 - Interruption due to need for gap-based measurement in a discontinuous reception mode

Info

Publication number: WO2025231726A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/091985
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qiming Li; Manasa RAGHAVAN; Yuexia Song; Jie Cui; Yang Tang; Dawei Zhang; Xiang Chen
Original assignee: Apple Inc
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2024-05-09
Filing date: 2024-05-09
Publication date: 2025-11-13
Anticipated expiration: 2026-11-09

Abstract

A user equipment (UE), baseband processor, and network device are described. The UE can perform receiving control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration for the UE to use to communicate with a network device on a first radio frequency (RF) spectrum band and a first communication chain of the UE. The DRX configuration identifies a DRX on duration. The UE receives a measurement configuration identifying a set of measurement occasions to use to perform measurements on a second RF spectrum band via a second communication chain. The UE then switches, during an interruption window that is outside the DRX on duration, the second communication chain to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion. The UE may also communicate, during the DRX on duration, via the first communication chain.

Description

INTERRUPTION DUE TO NEED FOR GAP-BASED MEASUREMENT IN A DISCONTINUOUS RECEPTION MODE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including systems, apparatuses, and methods for interruption due to need for gap-based measurement in discontinuous reception modes.

BACKGROUND

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a network device (e.g., a base station, a radio head, etc. ) and a wireless communication device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) , 3GPP new radio (NR) (e.g., 5G) , and IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN) (commonly known to industry groups as) .

As contemplated by the 3GPP, different wireless communication systems standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) for communicating between a network device of the RAN (which may also sometimes be referred to generally as a RAN node, a network node, or simply a node) and a wireless communication device known as a user equipment, (UE) . 3GPP RANs can include, for example, global systems for mobile communications (GSM) , enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN) , Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) , Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) , and/or Next-Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) .

Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communication between the network device and the UE. For example, the GERAN implements GSM and/or EDGE RAT, the UTRAN implements universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, the E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (sometimes simply referred to as LTE) , and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or simply NR) . In certain deployments, the E-UTRAN may also implement NR RAT. In certain deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RAT.

A network device used by a RAN may correspond to that RAN. One example of an E-UTRAN network device is an E-UTRAN Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) . One example of an NG-RAN network device is a next generation Node B (also sometimes referred to as a g Node B or gNB) .

A RAN provides its communication services with external entities through its connection to a core network (CN) . For example, E-UTRAN may utilize an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) , while NG-RAN may utilize a 5G Core Network (5GC) .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIGs. 2A-4B show example signaling diagrams, according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 shows an example method of wireless communication by a UE, according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 shows another example method of wireless communication by a network device, according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example architecture of a wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device, according to one or more aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are described with reference to a processor (e.g., a baseband processor) , wireless device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) ) , or a network device. However, references to a processor, wireless device, or network device are merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component or device that may establish a wireless connection and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data over the wireless connection. Therefore, the processors, wireless devices, and network devices described herein are used to represent any appropriate electronic components or devices.

A UE may need to perform measurements on one or more non-serving cells, such as candidate serving cells of the current serving network device (e.g., gNB) or neighboring network devices. For example, a UE may need to perform various management-related tasks, including performing various measurements, to ensure continuous connectivity as the UE moves relative to the cellular network, network conditions change, and so on. The various tasks may include operations performed in connection with radio resource management (RRM) , radio link monitoring (RLM) , beam failure detection (BFD) , and/or candidate beam detection (CBD) .

RRM-related tasks include measuring neighboring cells that are either intra-frequency or inter-frequency (e.g., cells served by neighboring network devices) as potential target serving cells for handover from a current serving cell. For RRM, a UE may tune various electrical components of the UE away from the bandwidth that the UE is using to communicate with the current serving cell, to the bandwidth (s) used by neighboring cells, in order to measure those neighboring cells. During such time, the UE is typically unable to receive any channel or signal from the current serving cell. Upon completion of the measurements, the UE retunes to the bandwidth of the current serving cell.

RLM-related tasks include measuring reference signals transmitted by a serving cell. Examples of such reference signals include synchronization signal blocks (SSB) , channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) , or a combination of these. The measurement results can be used to determine information regarding the quality and reliability of radio links between a UE and a network device. The measurements can be inputs to modify or otherwise adjust a modulation and coding scheme or data rate, and aid in handover. The measurements can also be used in connection with BFD and CBD processes.

In some cases, a UE may have multiple radio frequency (RF) chains, or an RF chain that may be adjusted for wider bandwidth communication, that the UE may use to transmit and receive signals in the wireless communications network. In such cases, a UE may use one RF chain to communicate with and measure the serving cell carrier, which may be an inter-frequency layer. The UE may then use another RF chain to measure one or more other carriers, such as target cells. This approach may improve throughput, or reduce throughput degradation due to measurement gaps. In some cases, a UE may indicate, to a network, measurement gap requirement information (e.g., NeedForGaps) for the UE to perform certain measurements on a target frequency band (e.g., RF spectrum band) , such as an NR target band. As such, the network may know whether the UE needs a measurement gap to perform measurements of a target, and information regarding the requirement.

Despite having multiple or bandwidth adjustable RF chains, a UE may still experience communication interruption. For example, different RF chains may share one or more hardware components. Switching on or off one RF chain may thus result in a glitch or other disruption to another RF chain. In another example, a target frequency or carrier may be relatively close to a serving cell frequency, such that a UE may broaden or otherwise adjust the bandwidth of the RF chain to cover target reference signals in addition to the serving cell frequency. Adjusting or otherwise modifying the RF chain may disrupt operation of the RF chain for the serving cell frequencies.

For a UE that is operating without measurement gaps, the UE may nonetheless need a time duration during which communications are interrupted for the UE to switch on or off RF chains, adjust existing RF chains, and so on. Such time durations may be alternatively referred to as an interruption duration, interruption window, and so on. The UE may indicate to the network that the UE supports such interruption windows, that is, interruption due to measurement without a gap, via UE capability signaling. In one example, the UE may provide an information element indicating that the UE supports (e.g., NeedForInterruptionInfoNR) measurements. Such supports may be indicated for intra-frequency SSB-based or inter-frequency SSB-based measurements, such as for particular frequencies or frequency layers of a band (e.g., via no-gap-with-interruption) . In the case of such support, the UE is allowed to cause interruptions while performing measurements on the indicated frequency layers of the bands.

Despite the UE operating without measurement gaps using interruptions, as described above, in the case of a UE operating according to discontinuous reception (DRX) operation, current techniques for interruption operations may be undesirable. For example, if interruption slots overlap with a portion or most of a DRX on duration, then an amount of interruption may be relatively large. As an example, if a DRX on duration is 5 ms in length, and an interruption length is 1 ms (e.g., 1 slot) , then the interruption ratio may be 40%for two interruptions within the DRX on duration. Such impacts due to interruption may degrade throughput or otherwise negatively impact performance of the UE.

As further described herein, techniques to reduce interruptions or the impact of interruptions on DRX operation are described. A UE may have multiple RF chains that can be used for communications and/or measurements in the serving cell and neighboring cells. The network may configure the UE with a DRX configuration applicable to a first RF spectrum band. The UE may use a first RF chain to communicate on the first RF spectrum band. The UE may also receive a measurement configuration for a second RF spectrum band. The measurement configuration may identify a set of measurement occasions that the UE can use to measure reference signals received in the second RF spectrum band.

The UE may then switch on (power on) the second RF chain outside the DRX on duration, the interruption window for the UE being outside the DRX window, to perform measurements in the second RF spectrum band. The UE can then communicate using the first RF chain in the first RF spectrum band during the DRX window. For example, the network device may schedule the UE to receive downlink communications or transmit uplink communications, or both. In some examples, the UE may then report a result of the measurements.

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communications system 100, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, wireless communications system 100 supports one or more aspects of interruption due to need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein.

Wireless communications system 100 includes one or more UE 102 that may be served by (e.g., has an established radio resource control (RRC) connection with) a network device 104 via communication link 120. Coverage area 110 is the service area for the RF spectrum band utilized by network device 104 serving the UE 102 (e.g., a cell or serving cell, which may include multiple cells) . Although shown as a mobile device or smartphone, UE 102 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication, such as an extended reality (XR) device (e.g., virtual reality (VR) or augmented (AR) device) . In some cases, UE 102 may be a system of components operating together as a UE 102.

A UE 102 may have multiple RF chains, which may also be referred to as communication chains, such as a first RF chain 136-a, a second RF chain 136-b, up to an n^th RF chain 136-n. In some examples, each RF chain may be independent transmit and receive paths of an analog front end. In other examples, two or more RF chains may share common components between them. In some examples, an RF chain may be tuned or retuned to be sensitive to receive or transmit different RF spectrum bands, or wider or narrower RF spectrum bands. The one or more RF chains 136 may be coupled with a set of antennas 138, as well as a baseband processor 132. Baseband processor 132 may include or otherwise with coupled with memory 134. In some example, as further described herein, baseband processor 132 may selectively power on or power off one or more of RF chains 136.

As the UE 102 moves relative to coverage areas of the network, the UE 102 may measure references signals transmitted by network devices (e.g., for purposes of RRM) . For example, neighboring network devices may transmit reference signals that can be monitored for (e.g., listened for) , received by, and measured by UE 102. In one or more embodiments, the reference signals are SSBs or CSI-RS. Wireless communications system 100 includes, for UE 102, one or more neighboring network devices 108 having corresponding neighbor cells having a coverage area 112. The neighboring network devices 108 transmit reference signals 130 (e.g., SSBs or CSI-RSs) in support of RRM (e.g., among other purposes and uses) . The UE 102 may listen for and measure these reference signals 130 according to a measurement configuration signaling 122 received from the network device 104.

In addition, UE 102 may perform RLM, BFD and CBD functions that are based in part on reference signals transmitted by the network device 104. The UE 102 may listen for and measure these reference signals according to a measurement configuration signaling 122 received from the network device 104.

In order to support RRM, RLM, BFD, or CBD measurements or for other measurement purposes, the network device 104 provides the UE 102 with measurement configuration signaling 122. The measurement configuration signaling 122 may include a set of measurement occasions (e.g., a set of SSB-based RRM measurement timing configuration (SMTC) windows, measurement occasions) .

The network device 104 may also provide the UE 102 with a DRX configuration 124. In one or more examples, the DRX configuration 124 may be applicable to one or more carriers being used by the UE 102. In other examples, a different DRX configuration 124 may be provided and used for different carriers.

As further described herein, the UE 102 may use one or more interruption windows to switch on (power on, power up, increase the powered state) one or more RF chains 136 of the UE 102 to perform measurements according to the measurement configuration signaling 122 and/or communicate with the network device 104. The UE 102 may also use one or more interruption windows to switch off (power off, power down, decrease the powered state) one or more RF chains 136 of the UE 102 following the operations for which the UE 102 powered on. As further described herein, the UE 102 may perform interruptions during interruption windows according to an interruption window configuration. In some examples, the UE 102 may be configured by the network via network device 104 according to an interruption window configuration 126.

In some embodiments, a UE 102 may also provide to the network device 104 an information element (e.g., NeedForGapsInfoNR) that indicates whether a measurement gap is required for the UE 102 to perform SSB based measurements on an NR target band. For example, such measurement gaps may be needed or configured when NR-NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) or NR E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC) is not configured at the UE. In some examples, intra-frequency (e.g., intraFreq-needForGap) and inter-frequency measurement gaps (e.g., interFreq-needForGap) measurement gaps may be configured.

FIG. 2A shows an example signaling diagram 200, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, signaling diagram 200 supports one or more aspects of interruptions due to a need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. Signaling diagram 200 includes examples of signaling at a UE 102, as further described herein, where a first interruption window 210 precedes the DRX on duration 216, and a second interruption window 214 follows the DRX on duration 216.

UE 102 may be configured to communicate using one or more carriers. In some examples, the UE 102 may be configured to communicate on a first carrier (e.g., a component carrier, serving cell, such as a primary cell or secondary cell) . The UE 102 may communicate on a first carrier using a first RF chain 202 (RF1) .

The UE 102 may be configured with a discontinuous reception configuration that identifies a DRX on duration 216. The UE 102 may power on the first RF chain 202 for the DRX on duration 216. The UE 102 may be powered down during a time when the UE 102 is not prepared for the DRX on duration 216 (e.g., for a DRX off duration 218) .

The UE 102 may have one or more additional RF chains, including at least a second RF chain 204 (RF2) used by the UE 102 for transmitting and/or receiving signals, such as for measurements (e.g., RLM, RRM, BFD, CBD) . In some examples, the UE 102 is configured with a measurement configuration that identifies measurement occasions during which the UE 102 is to measure reference signals (e.g., SSBs, CSI-RS) . In some examples the measurement occasions may be a set of SMTC windows, including SMTC measurement occasion 222. In other examples, other measurement occasion types may be configured.

According to one or more examples, a first interruption window 210 may be outside of the DRX on duration 216 by preceding (e.g., being before) the start of the DRX on duration 216, such as in the DRX off duration 218. At 220, the UE 102 may power on (e.g., switch on, or otherwise increase power to components of, the UE 102) the second RF chain 204 in preparation for the SMTC measurement occasion 222.

During the DRX on duration 216, the first RF chain 202 may be powered on (e.g., in a higher power state than a powered down or off state) and perform communications 212. In some examples, communications 212 may be uplink or downlink communications scheduled by a network device.

In some cases, the DRX on duration 216 may not conclude at a same time for each DRX cycle. In other words, the DRX on duration 216 may not be a fixed time period. For example, a network device may schedule UE 102 to communicate during the DRX on duration 216, then continue to schedule to UE 102 (e.g., an inactivity time is running, such as a drx-InactivityTimer) , such that the UE 102 does not or cannot return to the DRX off duration 218. Such cases may result in additional power consumption for UE 102.

In some examples, a second interruption window 214 may be outside of the DRX on duration 216 by following (e.g., being after) the end of the DRX on duration 216, such as in the DRX off duration 218. The UE 102 may power off at 224 (e.g., switch off, or otherwise decrease power to components of) the second RF chain 204, for example having already performed measurements during the SMTC measurement occasion 222.

In some examples, the UE 102 operating according to signaling diagram 200 may result in the interruption ratio being reduced, or even completely avoided. However, the UE 102 operating according to signaling diagram 200 may consume an increased amount of power, for example when a short DRX cycle is used and a relatively long on duration time is configured.

FIG. 2B shows an example signaling diagram 201, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, signaling diagram 201 supports one or more aspects of interruptions due to a need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. Signaling diagram 201 includes examples of signaling at a UE 102, as further described herein, where a first interruption window 210 precedes the DRX on duration 216, and an interruption-allowed time window 240 includes a portion of the DRX on duration 216.

In some examples, even during the DRX on duration 216 (e.g., when a drx-onDurationTimer is running) , there may not be data transmissions by the network or the UE. The network (e.g., via network device 104) is still responsible for managing data scheduling. Additionally, for example dependent on different traffic models, the tolerance of the interruption ratio (e.g., comparing interruption window times to the DRX on duration 216) may be different. As such, there may be some benefit to the UE 102 and network to allow some interruption of the DRX on duration 216 by the UE 102 to save some power. In many cases, a network device 104 may schedule resources for the UE 102 to use (e.g., communications 212) to communicate with the network device 104 during a first, earlier portion of the DRX on duration 216. As such, interruption during a second, latter portion of the DRX on duration 216 may have less impact on the throughput of the system.

As discussed herein, the UE 102 may communicate on a first carrier using a first RF chain 202 (RF1) and a second RF chain 204 (RF2) . The UE 102 may be configured with a discontinuous reception configuration that identifies a DRX on duration 216, such that the UE 102 has a DRX off duration 218 (which may not be explicitly configured) . The UE 102 may be configured with one or more measurement occasions, such as an SMTC measurement occasion 222.

A first interruption window 210 may be outside of the DRX on duration 216 by preceding (e.g., being before) the start of the DRX on duration 216, such as in the DRX off duration 218. At 220, the UE 102 may power on (e.g., switch on, or otherwise increase power to components of the UE 102) the second RF chain 204 in preparation for the SMTC measurement occasion 222.

According to one or more examples, a second interruption window 230 may be within (e.g., overlap with) the DRX on duration 216, and be constrained to occur within an interruption-allowed time window 240. In some examples, the interruption-allowed time window 240 may be configured by the network (e.g., via control signaling provided to a UE 102 from a network device 104) . One or more timers (e.g., of a set of timers) may be configured to indicate the interruption-allowed time window 240. In some examples, the interruption window may be allowed only during this interruption-allowed time window 240.

Operating according to the techniques described with reference to signaling diagram 201 may result in a power saving gain represented by 242, where rather than the second RF chain 204 being powered down at 236 during the second interruption time window 234, the second RF chain 204 is powered down at 232 during the second interruption window 230 within the interruption-allowed time window 240.

FIG. 3A shows an example signaling diagram 300, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, signaling diagram 300 supports one or more aspects of interruptions due to need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. Signaling diagram 300 includes examples of signaling at a UE 102, as further described herein, where an interruption-allowed time window 320 (which may be an example of the interruption-allowed time window 240) is defined using timers, and the configuration of the times may be indicated to the UE 102 from the network device 104 via control signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) .

The UE 102 may be configured with a DRX configuration that indicates a DRX on duration 310, where the non-DRX on duration may be considered to be a DRX off duration 312. In some examples, the DRX configuration is applicable to a first RF spectrum band. The UE 102 may use a first RF chain 302 (RF1) for the first RF spectrum band with the DRX configuration. The UE 102 may use a second RF chain 304 (RF2) to transmit and receive on a second RF spectrum band.

In one or more examples, the UE 102 may receive control signaling that indicates at least one of an interruption window slot offset 324, an interruption allowed timer 326, or a periodicity (e.g., which may be or be with reference to the long window cycle 328) for the interruption-allowed time window 320. The interruption window slot offset 324 may be indicated with reference to the long window cycle offset 314 for the DRX configuration for the DRX long window cycle 328. In some examples, the interruption window slot offset 324 may be an integer quantity of slots, such as selected from the set of integers 0 through 31. The interruption allowed timer 326 may be indicated with reference to the interruption window slot offset 324. In some examples, the interruption allowed timer 326 may be indicated as an integer quantity of milliseconds, such as 1, 2, 3, and so on. In some examples, the interruption allowed timer 326 may take a value exceeding 1,000 ms (e.g., 1, 600 ms) .

In some examples, the measurement occasion 330 (e.g., a SMTC measurement occasion) is configured such that it falls prior to the interruption-allowed time window 320.

FIG. 3B shows an example signaling diagram 301, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, signaling diagram 301 supports one or more aspects of interruptions due to the need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. Signaling diagram 301 includes examples of signaling at a UE 102, as further described herein, where an interruption-allowed time window 320 (which may be an example of the interruption-allowed time window 240) is defined according to the sub-windows during a DRX on duration 310. The configuration of the sub-windows may be indicated to the UE 102 from the network device 104 via control signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) . Signaling diagram 301 may share one or more aspects as signaling diagram 300, except as indicated for clarity.

The interruption-allowed time window 320 may be defined with reference to the start time 336 of the DRX on duration 310. In some examples, the interruption-allowed time window 320 may be defined by an interruption allowed start 332 and an interruption allowed end 334. In other examples, the interruption-allowed time window 320 may be defined by an interruption allowed start 332, and the end of the interruption-allowed time window 320 may be fixed with reference to the end of the DRX on duration 310 (e.g., be the same as, or defined with reference to, the end of the DRX on duration 310) . In some examples, the interruption allowed start 332 may be indicated to the UE 102 via control signaling as an integer quantity of milliseconds, such as 1, 2, 3, and so on, and the interruption allowed start 332 may take a value exceeding 1,000 ms (e.g., 1,600 ms) . In some examples, the interruption allowed start 332 may also be specified using a quantity of sub-milliseconds, such as selected from the set of integers 0 through 31. Similarly, the interruption allowed end 334 (if applicable) may be indicated to the UE 102 via control signaling as an integer quantity of milliseconds, such as 1, 2, 3, and so on, and the interruption allowed end 334 may take a value exceeding 1,000 ms (e.g., 1,600 ms) . In some examples, the interruption allowed end 334 may also be specified using a quantity of sub-milliseconds, such as selected from the set of integers 0 through 31.

In some examples, the configuration of the interruption-allowed time window 320 (e.g., including the indication of the interruption allowed start 332, or the indication of the interruption allowed end 334, or both) may be provide to the UE 102 by a network device 104 in the DRX configuration signaling (e.g., an information element DRX-Config) . In other examples, the configuration of the interruption-allowed time window 320 may be via different control signaling (e.g., a different RRC information element than the DRX configuration signaling) .

FIG. 4A shows an example signaling diagram 400, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, signaling diagram 400 supports one or more aspects of interruption due to need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. Signaling diagram 400 depicts examples where a UE 102 performs measurements outside the DRX on duration 416.

A UE 102 may communicate on a first carrier using a first RF chain 202 (RF1) , and perform measurements on a second carrier using a second RF chain 204 (RF2) . According to one or more examples, a UE 102 may be configured with a set of measurement occasions (e.g., SMTC measurement occasions) for the UE 102 to use to measure reference signals of neighboring cells on a second RF spectrum band. The set of measurement occasions of the configuration may include measurement occasion 402, measurement occasion 404, and measurement occasion 406. According to one or more examples described herein, the UE may skip a measurement occasion 402 that overlaps with the DRX on duration 416. For example, the UE 102 may perform communications 408 during the DRX on duration 416, and not switch the second RF chain 204 (RF2) during this time to perform measurements during the measurement occasion 402. In some examples, a measurement occasion may conflict with a DRX on duration 416 and thus be skipped when any portion of the measurement occasion overlaps with any portion of the DRX on duration 416. In other examples, a minimum amount of overlap (e.g., complete overlap) is needed for the measurement occasion 402 to be skipped.

The UE 102 may proceed to switch the second RF chain 204 (RF2) on to perform measurements during the measurement occasion 404, then switch the second RF chain 204 back off following the measurement occasion 404. The UE 102 may maintain the first RF chain 202 in a powered down state while the UE 102 switches the second RF chain 204 on and then back off to perform measurements during the measurement occasion 404. Similarly, the UE 102 may proceed to switch the second RF chain 204 (RF2) on to perform measurements during the measurement occasion 406, then switch the second RF chain 204 back off following the measurement occasion 406. The UE 102 may maintain the first RF chain 202 in a powered down state while the UE 102 switches the second RF chain 204 on and then back off to perform measurements during the measurement occasion 406.

A UE 102 operating consistent with signaling diagram 400 may benefit from being able to utilize a greater portion of the DRX on duration 416, especially when the UE 102 is configured with a relatively long DRX period. For example, where each DRX on duration 416 is separated by a relatively long time, there may be a relatively larger number of measurement occasions that fall between instances of the DRX on duration 416, such that UE 102 has sufficient time to make measurements that do not conflict with a DRX on duration 416.

FIG. 4B shows an example signaling diagram 401, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, signaling diagram 401 supports one or more aspects of interruption due to need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. Signaling diagram 401 depicts examples where a UE 102 may look to multiple DRX on durations to determine a timing for an interruption window and delay the interruption window, if needed. Put differently, the timing for the interruption window may be based on a latest DRX on duration.

A UE 102 may communicate on a first carrier using a first RF chain 202 (RF1) (e.g., in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) ) , perform measurements on a second carrier using a second RF chain 204 (RF2) (e.g., also in Frequency Range 1) , and communicate on yet a third carrier using a third RF chain 430 (e.g., in Frequency Range 2 (FR2) ) . According to one or more examples, a UE 102 may be configured with a set of measurement occasions (e.g., SMTC measurement occasions) for the UE 102 to use to measure reference signals of neighboring cells on a second RF spectrum band. The set of measurement occasions of the configuration may include measurement occasion 402. The UE 102 may be configured with a DRX configuration that identifies a DRX on duration 416 associated with the first RF chain 202, such that the UE 102 has a DRX off duration 418 (which may not be explicitly configured) . Additionally, the UE 102 may be configured with another DRX configuration that identifies a DRX on duration 426 associated with the third RF chain 430, such that the UE 102 has a DRX off duration 428 (which may not be explicitly configured) .

According to examples described herein, in the absence of the DRX configuration associated with the third RF chain 430, the interruption window 414 would be applicable for the second RF chain 204. However, because the DRX configuration associated with the third RF chain 430 has a DRX on duration 426 that ends at a time 420 later than an end time of the DRX on duration 416, the interruption window 424 is thus applicable for the second RF chain 204 because the interruption window 424 follows the later DRX on duration end from among the DRX on duration 416 and the DRX on duration 426.

According to one or more examples described herein, if the DRX on duration is less than or equal to a threshold value (threshold duration, threshold length) , then interruption may be disallowed. In some examples, the time considered for the DRX on duration may exclude the time extended due to a DRX inactivity timer (e.g., drx-inactivityTimer) . In some examples, the threshold value may be set or predefined for a UE 102 and a network device 104. In other examples, the network device 104 may configure the UE 102 with the threshold value, for example by providing to the UE 102 an indication of the threshold value in control signaling, such as radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medica access control (MAC) control element (CE) , or a downlink control information (DCI) message. In some examples, the threshold value may be different for different scenarios.

According to other examples described herein, the measurement period (e.g., a SMTC period) may be scaled according to a scaling factor. In some examples, the scaling factor may be used to reduce the total number of interruptions, for example by making the measurement occasions less frequent due to an extended measurement periodicity. The scaling factor may be indicated in the measurement period requirements. In some examples, the scaling factor may be set or predefined for a UE 102 and a network device 104. In other examples, the network device 104 may configure the UE 102 with the scaling factor, for example by providing to the UE 102 an indication of the scaling factor in control signaling, such as RRC signaling, a MAC CE, or a DCI message. In some examples, the scaling factor may be different for different scenarios.

In one or more examples, the UE 102 may use an interruption ratio threshold (e.g., Y) . As long as the actual interruption (s) would result in an actual interruption ratio that is less than or equal to the interruption ratio threshold, then the UE 102 may be allowed to cause the interruption. In some examples, the interruption ratio threshold may be set or predefined for a UE 102 and a network device 104 (e.g., set at 2.5%) . In other examples, the network device 104 may configure the UE 102 with the interruption ratio threshold, for example by providing to the UE 102 an indication of the interruption ratio threshold in control signaling, such as RRC signaling, a MAC CE, or a DCI message. In some examples, the interruption ratio threshold may be different for different scenarios.

FIG. 5 shows an example method 500 of wireless communication by a UE, according to one or more aspects described herein. In some cases, the UE may be the wireless device 802 or UE 102. In some cases, the method 500 may be performed by a baseband processor of the UE. In some embodiments, the baseband processor may include one or more processor cores, and memory that is coupled to the processor core (s) . The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor core (s) , causes the baseband processor to perform the operations of the method 500. As the baseband processor performs the operations of the method 500, the baseband processor may also cause other components of the UE to perform, or discontinue, various operations.

At 502, the method 500 includes receiving a DRX configuration. In some embodiments, the method 500 includes receiving control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration for the UE to use to communicate with a network device via a first RF spectrum band and a first communication chain of the UE, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration.

At 504, the method 500 includes receiving a measurement configuration. In some embodiments, the method 500 includes receiving a measurement configuration that identifies a set of measurement occasions for the UE to use to perform measurements on a second RF spectrum band via a second communication chain of the UE.

At 506, the method 500 includes powering on a communication chain during an interruption window. In some embodiments, the method 500 includes providing, to the second communication chain, an indication for the UE to switch, during an interruption window that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration, the second communication chain to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions.

At 508, the method 500 includes receiving and processing reference signals. In some embodiments, the method 500 includes receiving, according to the measurement configuration, measurements of the reference signals obtained during the measurement occasion associated with the interruption window, the reference signals obtained by the UE via the second RF spectrum band using the second communication chain.

In some embodiments, the measurement occasion is within the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes providing, to the first communication chain of the UE, an indication for the UE to switch, during an interruption window following the discontinuous reception on duration, the first communication chain to a powered down state. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes receiving control signaling including an indication of an interruption-allowed time window, where the interruption-allowed time window overlaps at least in part with the discontinuous reception on duration. In some embodiments, the indication of the interruption- allowed time window includes at least one of a slot offset, a periodicity, or a timer duration for the interruption-allowed time window. In some embodiments, the indication of the interruption-allowed time window includes a start time and an end time for the interruption-allowed time window, the start time with reference to the discontinuous reception on duration, and the end time with reference to the discontinuous reception on duration.

In some embodiments, the measurement occasion is outside the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes identifying a subset of measurement occasions of the set of measurement occasions that overlap at least a portion of the discontinuous reception on duration; and maintain the second communication chain in a powered down state for the identified subset of measurement occasions.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the discontinuous reception on duration satisfies a length threshold, where communications during the discontinuous reception on duration are based at least in part on the discontinuous reception on duration satisfying the length threshold. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes receiving, from the network device, control signaling that indicates the length threshold.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes determining a length of the measurement occasion based at least in part on whether the UE is configured to use the interruption window. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes receiving control signaling that indicates a scaling factor for the measurement occasion, wherein the length of the measurement occasion is determined using the indicated scaling factor.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes receiving control signaling indicating a second discontinuous reception configuration identifying a second discontinuous reception on duration, where the discontinuous reception configuration is a first discontinuous reception configuration and the discontinuous reception on duration is a first discontinuous reception on duration; and modifying a duration of the first discontinuous reception on duration to be a duration of the second discontinuous reception on duration based at least in part on the duration of the second discontinuous reception on duration being greater than the duration of the first discontinuous reception on duration.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes identifying an interruption ratio between a length of the interruption window and a length of the discontinuous reception on duration; and determining whether the interruption ratio satisfies an interruption ratio threshold, where communications during the discontinuous reception on duration are based at least in part on the interruption ratio satisfying the interruption ratio threshold.

In some embodiments, the UE communicates with the network device in a serving cell and the reference signals are obtained from one or more neighboring cells; and the measurement configuration identifies a SMTC window that is during at least a portion of the discontinuous reception on duration, where the measurements of the reference signals obtained during the discontinuous reception on duration are obtained during the SMTC window.

The method 500 may be variously embodied, extended, or adapted, as described in the following paragraphs and elsewhere in this description.

FIG. 6 shows an example method 600 of wireless communication by a network device, according to one or more aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, method 600 supports one or more aspects of interruption due to need for gap-based measurement in DRX modes, as further described herein. In some cases, the network device may be the network device 104, network device 820, or one of the other network devices described herein. The method 600 may be performed using a processor, a transceiver, or other components of the network device.

At 602, the method 600 includes transmitting a DRX configuration. In some embodiments, the method 600 includes transmitting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration for the UE to use to communicate with the network device on a first RF spectrum band, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration.

At 604, the method 600 includes transmitting a measurement configuration. In some embodiments, the method 600 includes transmitting, to the UE, a measurement configuration identifying a set of measurement occasions for the UE to use to perform measurements on a second RF spectrum band via a second communication chain of the UE.

At 606, the method 600 includes scheduling communication resources for the DRX on duration based on the interruption window outside the DRX on duration. In some embodiments, the method 600 includes transmitting, to the UE, a control message scheduling communication resources for the UE to use to communicate with the network device, the scheduled communication resources based at least in part on an interruption window for the UE that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration. In some examples, the UE is allowed to switch, during the interruption window, one or more communication chains to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions.

At 608, the method 600 includes transmitting to or receiving from the UE using the scheduled communication resources. In some embodiments, the method 600 includes communicating with (e.g., transmitting to or receiving from) the UE using the scheduled communication resources.

In some embodiments, the measurement occasion is within the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the UE, an indication of an interruption window following the discontinuous reception on duration for the UE to use to switch to a powered down state. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the UE, control signaling including an indication of an interruption-allowed time window, where the interruption-allowed time window overlaps at least in part with the discontinuous reception on duration. In some embodiments, the indication of the interruption-allowed time window includes at least one of a slot offset, a periodicity, or a timer duration for the interruption-allowed time window. In some embodiments, the indication of the interruption-allowed time window includes a start time and an end time for the interruption-allowed time window, the start time with reference to the discontinuous reception on duration, and the end time with reference to the discontinuous reception on duration.

In some embodiments, the measurement occasion is outside the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the discontinuous reception on duration satisfies a length threshold, where communications during the discontinuous reception on duration are based at least in part on the discontinuous reception on duration satisfying the length threshold. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the UE, control signaling that indicates the length threshold.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes determining a length of the measurement occasion based at least in part on whether the UE is configured to use the interruption window. In one or more embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the UE, control signaling that indicates a scaling factor for the measurement occasion, where the length of the measurement occasion is determined using the indicated scaling factor.

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the UE, control signaling indicating a second discontinuous reception configuration identifying a second discontinuous reception on duration, where the discontinuous reception configuration is a first discontinuous reception configuration and the discontinuous reception on duration is a first discontinuous reception on duration; and modifying a duration of the first discontinuous reception on duration to be a duration of the second discontinuous reception on duration based at least in part on the duration of the second discontinuous reception on duration being greater than the duration of the first discontinuous reception on duration.

In some embodiments, the network device communicates with the UE in a serving cell and the reference signals are obtained by the UE from one or more neighboring cells; and the measurement configuration identifies a synchronization signal block based radio resource monitoring measurement timing configuration window that is during at least a portion of the discontinuous reception on duration, where the measurements of the reference signals obtained during the discontinuous reception on duration are obtained during the SMTC window.

The method 600 may be variously embodied, extended, or adapted, as described in the following paragraphs and elsewhere in this description.

Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the method 500 or 600. In the context of method 500, this non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as a memory 806 of a wireless device 802 that is a UE, as described herein) . In the context of method 600, this non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, a memory of a network device (such as a memory 824 of a network device 820, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the method 500 or 600. In the context of method 500, this apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 802 that is a UE) . In the context of method 600, this apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a network device (such as a network device 820, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media using or storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method 500 or 600. In the context of method 500, this apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 802 that is a UE, as described herein) . In the context of the method 600, this apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a network device (such as a network device 820, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the method 500, or 600.

Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product having instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to carry out one or more elements of the method 500 or 600. In the context of method 500, the processor may be a processor of a UE (such as a processor (s) 804 of a wireless device 802 that is a UE, as described herein) , and the instructions may be, for example, located in the processor and/or on a memory of the UE (such as a memory 806 of a wireless device 802 that is a UE, as described herein) . In the context of method 600, the processor may be a processor of a network device (such as a processor (s) 822 of a network device 820, as described herein) , and the instructions may be, for example, located in the processor and/or on a memory of the network device (such as a memory 824 of a network device 820, as described herein) .

FIG. 7 illustrates an example architecture of a wireless communication system, according to embodiments described herein. The following description is provided for an example wireless communication system 700 that operates in conjunction with the LTE system standards or specifications and/or 5G or NR system standards or specifications, as provided by 3GPP technical specifications.

As shown, the wireless communication system 700 includes UE 702 and UE 704 (although any number of UEs may be used) . In this example, the UE 702 and the UE 704 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks) but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

The UE 702 and UE 704 may be configured to communicatively couple with a RAN 706. In embodiments, the RAN 706 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. The UE 702 and UE 704 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 708 and connection 710, respectively) with the RAN 706, each of which comprises a physical communications interface. The RAN 706 can include one or more network devices, such as base station 712 and base station 714, that enable the connection 708 and connection 710.

In this example, the connection 708 and connection 710 are air interfaces to enable such communicative coupling and may be consistent with RAT (s) used by the RAN 706, such as, for example, an LTE and/or NR.

In some embodiments, the UE 702 and UE 704 may also directly exchange communication data via a sidelink interface 716. The UE 704 is shown to be configured to access an access point (shown as AP 718) via connection 720. By way of example, the connection 720 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP 718 may comprise arouter. In this example, the AP 718 may be connected to another network (for example, the Internet) without going through a CN 724.

In embodiments, the UE 702 and UE 704 can be configured to communicate using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with the base station 712 and/or the base station 714 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications) , although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some embodiments, all or parts of the base station 712 or base station 714 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network. In addition, or in other embodiments, the base station 712 or base station 714 may be configured to communicate with one another via interface 722. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 700 is an LTE system (e.g., when the CN 724 is an EPC) , the interface 722 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more network devices of a RAN (e.g., two or more eNBs and the like) that connect to an EPC, and/or between two eNBs connecting to the EPC. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 700 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 724 is a 5GC) , the interface 722 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more network devices of a RAN (e.g., two or more gNBs and the like) that connect to the 5GC, between a base station 712 (e.g., a gNB) connecting to the 5GC and an eNB, and/or between two eNBs connecting to the 5GC (e.g., CN 724) .

The RAN 706 is shown to be communicatively coupled to the CN 724. The CN 724 may comprise one or more network elements 726, which are configured to offer various data and telecommunications services to customers/subscribers (e.g., users of UE 702 and UE 704) who are connected to the CN 724 via the RAN 706. The components of the CN 724 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices including components to read and execute instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) .

In some embodiments, the CN 724 may be an EPC, and the RAN 706 may be connected with the CN 724 via an S1 interface 728. In some embodiments, the S1 interface 728 may be split into two parts, an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the base station 712 or base station 714 and a serving gateway (S-GW) , and the S1-MME interface, which is a signaling interface between the base station 712 or base station 714 and mobility management entities (MMEs) .

In some embodiments, the CN 724 may be a 5GC, and the RAN 706 may be connected with the CN 724 via an NG interface 728. In embodiments, the NG interface 728 may be split into two parts, an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the base station 712 or base station 714 and a user plane function (UPF) , and the S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between the base station 712 or base station 714 and access and mobility management functions (AMFs) .

Generally, an application server 730 may be an element offering applications that use internet protocol (IP) bearer resources with the CN 724 (e.g., packet switched data services) . The application server 730 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc. ) for the UE 702 and UE 704 via the CN 724. The application server 730 may communicate with the CN 724 through an IP communications interface 732.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example system 800 for performing signaling 838 between a wireless device 802 and a network device 820, according to embodiments described herein. The system 800 may be a portion of a wireless communication system as herein described. The wireless device 802 may be, for example, a UE of a wireless communication system. The network device 820 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) or a radio head of a wireless communication system.

The wireless device 802 may include one or more processor (s) 804. The processor (s) 804 may execute instructions such that various operations of the wireless device 802 are performed, as described herein. The processor (s) 804 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) , a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

The wireless device 802 may include a memory 806. The memory 806 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 808 (which may include, for example, the instructions being executed by the processor (s) 804) . The instructions 808 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 806 may also store data used by, and results computed by, the processor (s) 804.

The wireless device 802 may include one or more transceiver (s) 810 (also collectively referred to as a transceiver 810) that may include RF transmitter and/or receiver circuitry that use the antenna (s) 812 of the wireless device 802 to facilitate signaling (e.g., the signaling 838) to and/or from the wireless device 802 with other devices (e.g., the network device 820) according to corresponding RATs.

The wireless device 802 may include one or more antenna (s) 812 (e.g., one, two, four, eight, or more) . For embodiments with multiple antenna (s) 812, the wireless device 802 may leverage the spatial diversity of such multiple antenna (s) 812 to send and/or receive multiple different data streams on the same time and frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of a transmitting device and a receiving device that enable this aspect) . MIMO transmissions by the wireless device 802 may be accomplished according to precoding (or digital beamforming) that is applied at the wireless device 802 that multiplexes the data streams across the antenna (s) 812 according to known or assumed channel characteristics such that each data stream is received with an appropriate signal strength relative to other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of a receiver associated with that data stream) . Some embodiments may use single user MIMO (SU-MIMO) methods (where the data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and/or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) methods (where individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain) .

In some embodiments having multiple antennas, the wireless device 802 may implement analog beamforming techniques, whereby phases of the signals sent by the antenna (s) 812 are relatively adjusted such that the (joint) transmission of the antenna (s) 812 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering) .

The wireless device 802 may include one or more interface (s) 814. The interface (s) 814 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 802. For example, a wireless device 802 that is a UE may include interface (s) 814 such as microphones, speakers, a touchscreen, buttons, and the like in order to allow for input and/or output to the UE by a user of the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be made up of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., other than the transceiver (s) 810/antenna (s) 812 already described) that allow for communication between the UE and other devices and may operate according to known protocols (e.g., and the like) .

The wireless device 802 may include interruption window manager 816. The interruption window manager 816 may be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the interruption window manager 816 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and/or instructions 808 stored in the memory 806 and executed by the processor (s) 804. In some examples, the interruption window manager 816 may be integrated within the processor (s) 804 and/or the transceiver (s) 810. For example, the interruption window manager 816 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the processor (s) 804 or the transceiver (s) 810.

The interruption window manager 816 may be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, aspects of FIGs. 1-8, from a wireless device or UE perspective. The interruption window manager 816 may be configured to, for example, perform receiving control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration for the UE to use to communicate with a network device using a first RF spectrum band and a first communication chain of the UE, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration; receiving a measurement configuration identifying a set of measurement occasions for the UE to use to perform measurements on a second RF spectrum band using a second communication chain of the UE; providing, to the second communication chain, an indication for the UE to switch, during an interruption window that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration, the second communication chain to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions; communicating, during the discontinuous reception on duration and using the first communication chain, with a network entity via the first communication chain; and processing, according to the measurement configuration, measurements of the reference signals obtained during the measurement occasion associated with the interruption window, the reference signals obtained by the UE via the second RF spectrum band using the second communication chain.

The network device 820 may include one or more processor (s) 822. The processor (s) 822 may execute instructions such that various operations of the network device 820 are performed, as described herein. The processor (s) 822 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

The network device 820 may include a memory 824. The memory 824 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 826 (which may include, for example, the instructions being executed by the processor (s) 822) . The instructions 826 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 824 may also store data used by, and results computed by, the processor (s) 822.

The network device 820 may include one or more transceiver (s) 828 (also collectively referred to as a transceiver 828) that may include RF transmitter and/or receiver circuitry that use the antenna (s) 830 of the network device 820 to facilitate signaling (e.g., the signaling 838) to and/or from the network device 820 with other devices (e.g., the wireless device 802) according to corresponding RATs.

The network device 820 may include one or more antenna (s) 830 (e.g., one, two, four, or more) . In embodiments having multiple antenna (s) 830, the network device 820 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, etc., as has been described.

The network device 820 may include one or more interface (s) 832. The interface (s) 832 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 820. For example, a network device 820 of a RAN (e.g., a base station, a radio head, etc. ) may include interface (s) 832 made up of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., other than the transceiver (s) 828/antenna (s) 830 already described) that enables the network device 820 to communicate with other equipment in a network, and/or that enables the network device 820 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, and the like for purposes of operations, administration, and maintenance of the network device 820 or other equipment operably connected thereto.

The network device 820 may include at least one interruption window manager 834. The interruption window manager 834 may be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the interruption window manager 834 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and/or instructions 826 stored in the memory 824 and executed by the processor (s) 822. In some examples, the interruption window manager 834 may be integrated within the processor (s) 822 and/or the transceiver (s) 828. For example, the interruption window manager 834 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the processor (s) 822 or the transceiver (s) 828.

The interruption window manager 834 may be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, aspects of FIGs. 1-8, from a network device perspective. The interruption window manager 834 may be configured to, for example, perform transmitting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration for the UE to use to communicate with the network device using a first RF spectrum band, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration; transmitting, to the UE, a measurement configuration identifying a set of measurement occasions for the UE to use to perform measurements on a second RF spectrum band using a second communication chain of the UE; transmitting, to the UE, a control message scheduling communication resources for the UE to use to communicate with the network device, the scheduled communication resources based at least in part on an interruption window for the UE that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration, wherein the UE is allowed to switch, during the interruption window, one or more communication chains to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions; and communicating with the UE using the scheduled communication resources.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth herein. For example, a baseband processor (or processor) as described herein in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth herein. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, network device, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth herein.

Any of the above described embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) , unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form described. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations, which may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices) . The computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic for performing the operations or may include a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.

The systems described herein pertain to specific embodiments but are provided as examples. These embodiments can be combined into single systems, partially combined into other systems, split into multiple systems, or divided or combined in other ways. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment can be used in another embodiment. The parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are merely described in one or more embodiments for clarity, and it is recognized that the parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless specifically disclaimed herein.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

A baseband processor comprising a memory and configured to:

receive control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration to use to communicate with a network device via a first radio frequency spectrum band and a first communication chain, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration;

receive a measurement configuration that identifies a set of measurement occasions to use to perform measurements on a second radio frequency spectrum band via a second communication chain;

provide, to the second communication chain, an indication to switch, during an interruption window that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration, the second communication chain to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions; and

process, according to the measurement configuration, measurements of the reference signals obtained during the measurement occasion associated with the interruption window, the reference signals obtained on the second radio frequency spectrum band via the second communication chain.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the measurement occasion is within the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window.
The baseband processor of claim 2, wherein the interruption window is a first interruption window, and the baseband processor is further configured to:

provide, to the first communication chain, an indication to switch, during a second interruption window following the discontinuous reception on duration, the first communication chain to a powered down state.
The baseband processor of claim 2, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

receive control signaling comprising an indication of an interruption-allowed time window, wherein the interruption-allowed time window overlaps at least in part with the discontinuous reception on duration.
The baseband processor of claim 4, wherein the indication of the interruption-allowed time window comprises at least one of a slot offset, a periodicity, or a timer duration for the interruption-allowed time window.
The baseband processor of claim 4, wherein the indication of the interruption-allowed time window comprises a start time and an end time for the interruption-allowed time window, the start time with reference to the discontinuous reception on duration, and the end time with reference to the discontinuous reception on duration.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the measurement occasion is outside the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window.
The baseband processor of claim 7, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

identify a subset of measurement occasions of the set of measurement occasions that overlap at least a portion of the discontinuous reception on duration; and

maintain the second communication chain in a powered down state for the identified subset of measurement occasions.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

determine whether the discontinuous reception on duration satisfies a length threshold, wherein communications during the discontinuous reception on duration are based at least in part on the discontinuous reception on duration satisfying the length threshold.
The baseband processor of claim 9, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

receive, from the network device, control signaling that indicates the length threshold.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

determine a length of the measurement occasion based at least in part on whether use of the interruption window is configured.
The baseband processor of claim 11, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

receive control signaling that indicates a scaling factor for the measurement occasion, wherein the length of the measurement occasion is determined using the indicated scaling factor.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the discontinuous reception configuration is a first discontinuous reception configuration and the discontinuous reception on duration is a first discontinuous reception on duration, and the baseband processor is further configured to:

receive control signaling indicating a second discontinuous reception configuration identifying a second discontinuous reception on duration; and

modify a duration of the first discontinuous reception on duration to be a duration of the second discontinuous reception on duration based at least in part on the duration of the second discontinuous reception on duration being greater than the duration of the first discontinuous reception on duration.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to:

identify an interruption ratio between a length of the interruption window and a length of the discontinuous reception on duration; and

determine whether the interruption ratio satisfies an interruption ratio threshold, wherein communications during the discontinuous reception on duration are based at least in part on the interruption ratio satisfying the interruption ratio threshold.
The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein:

the baseband processor communicates with the network device in a serving cell and the reference signals are obtained from one or more neighboring cells; and

the measurement configuration identifies a synchronization signal block based radio resource monitoring measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window that is during at least a portion of the discontinuous reception on duration, where the measurements of the reference signals obtained during the discontinuous reception on duration are obtained during the SMTC window.
A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

receiving control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration for the UE to use to transmit to or receive from a network device via a first radio frequency spectrum band and a first communication chain of the UE, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration;

receiving a measurement configuration that identifies a set of measurement occasions for the UE to use to perform measurements on a second radio frequency spectrum band via a second communication chain of the UE;

switching, during an interruption window that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration, the second communication chain to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions; and

receiving, on the second radio frequency spectrum band via the second communication chain, reference signals during the measurement occasion associated with the interruption window.
The method of claim 16, wherein the measurement occasion is within the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window.
The method of claim 16, wherein the measurement occasion is outside the discontinuous reception on duration associated with the interruption window.
The method of claim 16, further comprising:

identifying an interruption ratio between a length of the interruption window and a length of the discontinuous reception on duration; and

determining whether the interruption ratio satisfies an interruption ratio threshold, wherein communications during the discontinuous reception on duration are based at least in part on the interruption ratio satisfying the interruption ratio threshold.
A method of wireless communication at a network device, comprising:

transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) , control signaling indicating a discontinuous reception configuration for the UE to use to transmit to or receive from the network device on a first radio frequency spectrum band, the discontinuous reception configuration identifying a discontinuous reception on duration;

transmitting, to the UE, a measurement configuration identifying a set of measurement occasions for the UE to use to perform measurements on a second radio frequency spectrum band via a second communication chain of the UE;

transmitting, to the UE, a control message scheduling communication resources for the UE to use to transmit to or receive from the network device, the scheduled communication resources based at least in part on an interruption window for the UE that is outside the discontinuous reception on duration, wherein the UE is allowed to switch, during the interruption window, one or more communication chains to a powered on state to receive reference signals during a measurement occasion of the set of measurement occasions; and

transmitting to or receiving from the UE using the scheduled communication resources.