WO2025032539A1 - Adaptive use of measurement gaps under dynamic ntn coverage - Google Patents

Abstract

In an embodiment, a method implemented in a User Equipment (UE) and a UE is provided for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of a Non-Terrestrial Node (NTN). The method includes receiving information about a measurement gap pattern for performing a measurement on a cell, receiving coverage information related to cell coverage of the cell to be measured, the coverage information indicating that a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted. The method also includes suspending a configured measurement gap in response to the configured measurement gap at least partially overlapping with a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

Description

ADAPTIVE USE OF MEASUREMENT GAPS UNDER DYNAMIC NTN COVERAGE

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63/531,900, filed 8/10/2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to methods for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of a Non-Terrestrial Node (NTN) in wireless communication system.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Two basic architectures can be distinguished for satellite communication networks, depending on the functionality of the satellites in the system:

• Transparent payload (also referred to as bent pipe architecture). The satellite forwards the received signal between the terminal and the network equipment on the ground with only amplification and a shift from uplink frequency to downlink frequency. When applied to general Third Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) architecture and terminology, the transparent payload architecture means that the gNB is located on the ground and the satellite forwards signals/data between the gNB and the User Equipment (UE). An example of this architecture is shown in Figure 1, where a satellite or NonTerrestrial Network (NTN) node 102 forwards signals/data between a ground controller 106 (which is communicably coupled to a gNB 108) and a UE 104. The UE 104 may also receive some communications from a neighboring gNB 110 on the ground.

• Regenerative payload. This is shown in Figure 2, where the gNB 108 is co-located at the NTN 102. The satellite or NTN 102 includes on-board processing to demodulate and decode the received signal and regenerate the signal before sending it back to the earth. When applied to general 3GPP architecture and terminology, the regenerative payload architecture means that the gNB 108 is located in the satellite.

[0004] A satellite network or satellite based mobile network may also be called an NTN. On the other hand, a mobile network with base stations on the group may also be called a terrestrial network (TN) or non-NTN network. A satellite within NTN may be called an NTN node, NTN satellite or simply a satellite.

[0005] A communication satellite typically generates several beams over a given area. The footprint of a beam is usually in an elliptic shape, which has traditionally been considered as a cell, but cells consisting of the coverage footprint of multiple beams are not excluded in the 3GPP work. The footprint of a beam is also often referred to as a spotbeam. The footprint of a beam may move over the earth's surface with the satellite movement or may be earth fixed with a beam pointing mechanism used by the satellite to compensate for the satellite's motion. The size of a spotbeam depends on the system design, which may range from tens of kilometers to a few thousands of kilometers.

[0006] In a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) communication system, a large number of satellites deployed over a range of orbits are required to provide continuous coverage across the full globe. Launching a mega satellite constellation is both an expensive and time-consuming procedure. It is therefore expected that all LEO and MEO satellite constellations for some time will only provide partial earth-coverage. In the case of some constellations dedicated to massive loT services with relaxed latency requirements, it may not even be necessary to support full earth-coverage. It may be sufficient to provide occasional or periodic coverage according to the orbital period of the constellation. loTeMTC

[0007] The Enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) features specified in 3GPP specifications include a low-complexity UE category called UE category Ml (or Cat-Mi for short) and coverage enhancement techniques (CE modes A and B ) that can be used together with UE category Ml or any other LTE UE category.

[0008] All eMTC features (both Cat-Mi and CE modes A and B) operate using a reduced maximum channel bandwidth compared to normal LTE. The maximum channel bandwidth in eMTC is 1.4MHz whereas it is up to 20MHz in normal LTE. The eMTC UEs are still able to operate within the larger LTE system bandwidth without problem. The main difference compared to normal LTE UEs is that the eMTCs can only be scheduled with 6 physical resource blocks (PRBs) a 180kHz at a time.

[0009] In CE modes A and B, the coverage of physical channels is enhanced through various coverage enhancement techniques, the most important being repetition or retransmission. In its simplest form, this means that the 1-ms subframe to be transmitted is repeated a number of times, e.g., just a few times if a small coverage enhancement is needed or hundreds or thousands of times if a large coverage enhancement is needed.

NB-IoT

[0010] The objective of NB-IoT is to specify a radio access for cellular loT, based to a great extent on a non-backward-compatible variant of E-UTRA, that addresses improved indoor coverage, support for massive number of low throughput devices, low delay sensitivity, ultra-low device cost, low device power consumption and (optimized) network architecture.

[0011] The NB-IoT carrier BW (Bw2) is 200KHz. Examples of operating bandwidth (Bwl) of LTE are 1.4 MHz, 3MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz etc.

[0012] NB-IoT supports 3 different modes of operation:

1. 'Stand-alone operation' utilizing for example the spectrum currently being used by GERAN systems as a replacement of one or more GSM carriers. In principle it operates on any carrier frequency which is neither within the carrier of another system nor within the guard band of another system's operating carrier. The other system can be another NB-IoT operation or any other Radio Access Technology (RAT) e.g., LTE.

2. 'Guard band operation' utilizing the unused resource blocks within an LTE carrier's guard-band. The term guard band may also interchangeably be called guard bandwidth. As an example, in case of LTE BW of 20MHz (i.e., Bwl =20 MHz or lOORBs ), the guard band operation of NB-IOT can place anywhere outside the central 18MHz but within 20MHz LTE BW.

3. 'In-band operation' utilizing resource blocks within a normal LTE carrier. The in-band operation may also interchangeably be called in-bandwidth operation. More generally the operation of one RAT within the Bandwidth (BW) of another RAT is also called in- band operation. As an example, in an LTE BW of 50 Resource Blocks (RBs) (i.e., Bwl of 0MHz or 50RBs ), NB-loT operation over one resource block (RB) within the 50RBs is called in-band operation.

[0013] In NB-IoT the downlink transmission is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with 15kHz subcarrier spacing for all the scenarios: standalone, guardband, and in-band:

• For UL transmission, both multi-tone transmissions based on Single Carrier (SC) Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) SC-FDMA, and single tone transmission is supported.

[0014] This means that the physical waveforms for NB-IoT in downlink and also partly in uplink is similar to legacy LTE.

[0015] In the downlink design, NB-IOT supports both master information broadcast and system information broadcast which are carried by different physical channels. For in-band operation, it is possible for NB-IOT UE to decode Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) NB- PBCH without knowing the legacy Physical Resource Block (PRB) index. NB-IoT supports both downlink physical control channel (NB-PDCCH, or NB-M-PDCCH) and downlink physical shared channel (PDSCH). The operation mode of NB-IoT must be indicated to the UE, and currently 3GPP consider indication by means of secondary synchronization signal (NBSSS), Master Information Block (NB-MIB) or perhaps other downlink signals.

[0016] At the moment, reference signals used in NB-IOT have not been decided. However, it is expected that the general design principle will follow that of legacy LTE. Downlink synchronization signals will most likely consist of primary synchronization signal (NB-PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (NBSSS). UE Measurements

[0017] The UE performs measurements on one or more downlink (DL) and/or uplink (UL) reference signal (RS) of one or more cells in different UE activity states e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, RRC inactive state, RRC connected state etc. The measured cell may belong to or operate on the same carrier frequency as of the serving cell (e.g., intra-frequency carrier) or it may belong to or operate on different carrier frequency as of the serving cell (e.g., non-serving carrier frequency). The non-serving carrier may be called an inter frequency carrier if the serving and measured cells belong to the same RAT but different carriers. The non-serving carrier may be called an inter- Radio Access Technology (RAT) carrier if the serving and measured cells belong to different RATs. Examples of downlink RS are signals in SSB, Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), Primary Synchronization Signals (PSS), Secondary SS (SSS), signals in SS/PBCH block (SSB), discovery reference signal (DRS), Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) etc. Examples of uplink RS are signals are Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), DMRS etc.

[0018] Each SSB carries NR-PSS, NR-SSS and NR-PBCH in 4 successive symbols. One or multiple SSBs are transmit in one SSB burst which is repeated with certain periodicity e.g., 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms and 160 ms. The UE is configured with information about SSB on cells of certain carrier frequency by one or more SS/PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configurations. The SMTC configuration comprises parameters such as SMTC periodicity, SMTC occasion length in time or duration, SMTC time offset with respect to reference time (e.g., serving cell's SFN) etc. Therefore, SMTC occasions may also occur with certain periodicity e.g., 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms and 160 ms.

[0019] Examples of measurements are cell identification (e.g. PCI acquisition, PSS/SSS detection, cell detection, cell search etc.), Reference Symbol Received Power (RSRP), Reference Symbol Received Quality (RSRQ), secondary synchronization RSRP (SS-RSRP), SS-RSRQ, SINR, RS-SINR, SS-SINR, CSI-RSRP, CSI-RSRQ, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), acquisition of system information (SI), cell global ID (CGI) acquisition, Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), UE RX-TX time difference measurement, Radio Link Monitoring (RLM), which consists of Out of Synchronization (out of sync) detection and In Synchronization (insync) detection etc.

[0020] The UE is typically configured by the network (e.g., via RRC message) with measurement configuration and measurement reporting configuration e.g., measurement gap pattern, carrier frequency information, types of measurements (e.g., RSRP etc.), higher layer filtering coefficient, time to trigger report, reporting mechanism (e.g., periodic, event triggered reporting, event triggered periodic reporting etc.) etc.

[0021] The measurements are done for various purposes. Some example measurement purposes are: UE mobility (e.g., cell change, cell selection, cell reselection, handover, RRC connection re-establishment etc.), UE positioning or location determination self-organizing network (SON), minimization of drive tests (MDT), operation and maintenance (O&M), network planning and optimization etc.

Measurement Gaps

[0022] Measurement gap pattern (MGP) is used by the UE for performing measurements on cells of the non-serving carriers (e.g., inter-frequency carrier, inter-RAT carriers etc.). In NR, gaps are also used for measurements on cells of the serving carrier in some scenarios e.g., if the measured signals (e.g., SSB) are outside the bandwidth part (BWP) of the serving cell. The UE is scheduled in the serving cell only within the BWP. During the gap, the UE cannot be scheduled for receiving/transmitting signals in the serving cell. A measurement gap pattern is characterized or defined by several parameters: measurement gap length (MGL), measurement gap repetition period (MGRP), measurement gap time offset (MGTO) with respect to reference time (e.g., slot offset with respect to serving cell's SFN such as SFN =0). measurement gap timing advance (MGTA) etc. An example of a MGP is shown in Figure 4. As an example, MGL can be 1.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5.5 or 6 ms, and MGRP can be 20,40,80 or 160 ms. Such type of measurement gap pattern is configured by the network node and is also called a network controlled or network configurable measurement gap pattern. Therefore, the serving base station is fully aware of the timing of each gap within the measurement gap pattern.

[0023] In NR there are two major categories of measurement gap patterns: per-UE measurement gap patterns and per-Frequency Range (FR) measurement gap patterns. In NR, the spectrum is divided into two frequency ranges namely FR1 and FR2. FR1 is currently defined from 410MHz to 7125MHz. FR2 range is currently defined from 24250MHz to 52600MHz. In another example FR2 range can be from 24250MHz to 71000MHz. The FR2 range is also interchangeably called a millimeter wave (mmwave) and corresponding bands in FR2 are called a mmwave bands. In future more frequency ranges can be specified e.g., FR3. An example of FR3 is frequency ranging above 52600MHz or between 52600MHz and 71000MHz or between 7125MHz and 24250MHz.

[0024] When configured with per-UE measurement gap pattern, the UE creates gaps on all the serving cells (e.g., Primary Cell (PCell), Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell), Secondary Cell (SCells) etc.) regardless of their frequency range. The per-UE measurement gap pattern can be used by the UE for performing measurements on cells of any carrier frequency belonging to any RAT or frequency range (FR). When configured with per-FR measurement gap pattern (if UE supports this capability), the UE creates gaps only on the serving cells of the indicated FR whose carriers are to be measured. For example, if the UE is configured with per-FR 1 measurement gap pattern then the UE creates measurement gaps only on serving cells (e.g., PCell, PSCell, SCells etc.) of FR1 while no gaps are created on serving cells on carriers of FR2. The per-FRl gaps can be used for measurement on cells of only FR1 carriers. Similarly, per-FR2 gaps when configured are only created on FR2 serving cells and can be used for measurement on cells of only FR2 carriers. Support for per FR gaps is a UE capability, i.e., certain UE may only support per UE gaps according to their capability.

SUMMARY

[0025] In an embodiment, a method implemented in a UE is provided for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN. The method includes receiving information about a measurement gap pattern for performing a measurement on a cell, receiving coverage information related to cell coverage of the cell to be measured, the coverage information indicating that a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted. The method also includes suspending a configured measurement gap in response to the configured measurement gap, based on the measurement gap pattern, at least partially overlapping with the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

[0026] In an embodiment, a UE is provided that is configured to implement measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN. The UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to receive information about a measurement gap pattern for performing a measurement on a cell, receive coverage information related to cell coverage of the cell to be measured, the coverage information indicating that a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted, and suspend a configured measurement gap in response to the configured measurement gap, based on the measurement gap pattern, at least partially overlapping with the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

[0027] In an embodiment, a computer program is provided that includes instructions which, when executed on processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to carry out the methods described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0029] Figure 1 shows an example of a transparent payload architecture where a gNB is terrestrially based and communicates with a UE via an NTN according to some embodiments; [0030] Figure 2 shows an example of a regenerative payload architecture where the gNB is based at the NTN according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 3 shows a table for propagation delay for different orbital heights and elevation angles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 4 shows an example of anMGP according to some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 5 shows an example of a time available for a UE to serve or cover the area that is being covered by a cell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 6 shows an example of a partially overlapping measurement gap (MG) and time period according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 7 shows an example of non-overlapping MG and time period according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 8 shows an example of a method for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN in accordance with some embodiments;

[0037] Figure 9 shows another example of a method for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN in accordance with some embodiments;

[0038] Figure 10 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 11 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0040] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0042] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0043] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The loT NTN UE can be configured with MGs to perform different types of measurements such as neighbor cell measurements (which includes measurements on both serving and non-serving carriers). During the measurement gaps the UE's transceiver is not available for scheduling in the serving cell since it is retuned to a different part of frequency to carry out the neighbor cell measurements. The same loT NTN UE may also be provided with assistance information related to cell (serving cell, neighbor cell or both serving- and neighbor cell) coverage by the Network (NW) node. In one example, the cell coverage information indicates when the cell stops covering or serving the current area. In another example, the cell coverage information indicates when the cell will resume its coverage or service. Specific examples of cell coverage related parameters indicating when the cell is going to stop serving in the coverage area and when the cell is going to resume/start serving in the coverage area are t-Service and t-ServiceStart, respectively. The interaction or relation between the configured measurement gaps and satellite cell coverage information provided using the assistance information is unknown. Without this relation or interaction defined, the measurement gaps can be wasted since the UE's transceiver will not be available for scheduling during the gaps.

[0044] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0045] The subject disclosure relates to a method performed by a UE that is configured by an NTN with at least one MGP for performing neighbor cell measurement and/or serving cell measurement and further obtaining cell coverage information from the NTN node of the cell to be measured using the MGP. The UE evaluates whether at least one MG of the MGP at least partially overlaps, or is close in time with the time period over which the coverage of the cell to be measured is not available, and based on the coverage and the MGP, performs one or more adapted measurement operations on the MGP.

[0046] The scenario comprises of a UE configured by a network node (e.g., Satellite Network Node/SANl/NTN) with at least one MGP for performing neighbor cell measurement and/or serving cell measurement, and further obtaining cell coverage information from the network node e.g., from SAN1 of the cell to be measured using the MGP. The UE evaluates whether the at least one MG of the MGP overlaps in time with the time period over which the coverage of the cell to be measured is not available and based on that performs one or more adapted operation on the configured MGP. The overlapping of MG and coverage time period is generally denoted as MG-Coverage proximity condition.

[0047] The adapted operation based on the MGP comprise at least one or more of the following:

• The UE suspends the configured MGP until at least the point in time the cell coverage is resumed or starts.

• The UE cancels the configured MG until at least the point in time the cell coverage is resumed or starts.

• The UE delays the use of the MG until at least the point in time the cell coverage is resumed or starts.

[0048] Otherwise, if the cell coverage information indicates that the coverage of the measured cell is not impacted (i.e., the cell is serving the area) then the UE may use the configured MGP for performing one or more measurements on the serving or neighbor cells.

[0049] Some of the advantages provided by the embodiments disclosed herein are that the measurement gap resources are not wasted when they are occurring during the time when measured cell coverage is impacted. Furthermore, the UE serving cell throughput can be improved since the network has improved knowledge about use of configured MGP and can adapt its scheduling accordingly.

[0050] In this disclosure, the term "satellite" is often used even when a more appropriate term would be "base station (BS) or radio network node (RNN) associated with the satellite". The term "satellite" may also be called a satellite node, satellite access node (SAN), an NTN node, node in the space etc. Here, BS or RNN associated with a satellite might include both a regenerative satellite, where the BS or RNN is the satellite payload, i.e., the BS or RNN is integrated with the satellite, or a transparent satellite, where the satellite payload is a relay and BS or RNN is on the ground (i.e., the satellite relays the communication between the BS or RNN on the ground and the UE).

[0051] A time period or duration over which a UE can maintain connection, or can camp on, or can maintain communication, and so on to a satellite or a gNB by UE is referred to as term "coverage time" or "serving time" or "network availability" or "sojourn time" or "dwell time" etc. The term 'Non-coverage time', also known as "non-serving time" or "network unavailability", or "non-sojourn time" or "non-dwell time" refers to a period of time during which a satellite or gNB cannot serve or communicate or provide coverage to a UE. Another way to interpret the availability is that is not about a satellite/network strictly not able to serve the UE due to lack of coverage, but that UE does not need to measure certain "not likely to be serving cell (satellite via which serving cell is broadcasted)". In this case, the terminology may still be as in no coverage case or it may be different, e.g., "no need to measure".

[0052] The term node is used which can be a network node or a UE. Figure 11 and Figure 10 provide some examples. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and/or with other network nodes or equipment in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, NTN 102, gNB 108, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR NBs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU). Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), smart device, wireless Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0053] The term time resource used herein may correspond to any type of physical resource or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time. Examples of time resources are: symbol, time slot, subframe, radio frame, TTI, interleaving time, slot, sub-slot, mini-slot, system frame number (SFN) cycle, hyper-SFN (HSFN) cycle, DRX cycle, extended DRX cycle (eDRX) etc. [0054] The terms T-service and t-Service are interchangeably used and is broadly called a cell service time. It is acquired by the UE by receiving it from the cell (e.g., broadcast information from the cell). It indicates the time instance when a satellite is going to stop serving the area for a cell (e.g., NTN quasi-Earth fixed cell) it is currently covering.

[0055] The term t-ServiceStart is broadly called a cell service starting time. It is acquired by the UE by receiving it from the cell (e.g., broadcast information from the cell). It indicates the time instance when the incoming satellite is going to start serving the area for a cell (e.g., NTN quasi-earth fixed cell).

[0056] The embodiments are applicable in scenario comprising a UE served by a first cell (Celli) (e.g., an NTN cell), which in turn is served or managed by NTN node e.g., SAN. Examples of NTN nodes are satellite node, high altitude platform BS (HAPS), any base station in air (e.g., drone BS etc.). The said UE is configured to operate a signal between the UE and Celli, and/or between the UE and at least a second cell (Cell2). Cell2 may be neighbor cell. The term operating the signal between the UE and a cell may refer to transmission of signal by the UE to a cell (e.g., to Celli) and/or reception of signal by the UE from a cell (e.g., from Celli). In one example, the operating the signal between the UE and a cell may refer to UE performing a measurement (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ etc.) on signals (e.g., RS such as NRS, CRS etc.) transmitted by the cell e.g., by Celli and/or Cell2.

[0057] In one example, Celli and Cell2 operate on the same carrier frequency e.g., on a first carrier frequency (Fl). In another example, Celli and Cell2 operate on different carrier frequencies e.g., Celli and Cell2 on Fl and a second carrier frequency (F2). In one example, Fl and/or F2 belong to a licensed band or Fl and/or F2 belong to unlicensed band (e.g., carrier subject to CCA such as LBT etc.). Celli is served or managed by a first satellite access node (SAN1). The UE is operating in a high RRC activity state (e.g., CONNECTED state). The UE may further be configured by a network node (e.g., SAN1) with a DRX cycle (e.g., with DRX cycle length of 2.56 seconds). The UE may further be configured by a network node with an extended DRX cycle (eDRX) (e.g., with eDRX cycle length of 10.24 seconds). The eDRX cycle length is longer than the DRX cycle length. For example, the eDRX cycle length can be up to several minutes or even hours. On the other hand, the DRX cycle can be much shorter e.g., up to 2.56 seconds.

[0058] The UE is further configured with at least one MGP for performing measurements on celll and/or cell2, i.e., measurements on one or more neighbor cells and/or serving cell. The embodiments are also applicable for a scenario in which the UE is configured with multiple measurement gap patterns, which can be of the same type or different types.

[0059] Figure 8 shows an example of a method for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN 102 in accordance with some embodiments. Embodiment 1 : Methods in the UE for adapting relaxed measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN cell.

[0060] In step 802, the UE 104 obtains a configuration of at least one MGP by receiving a message (e.g., RRC signaling) from a network node (e.g., NTN 102, gNB 108, or gNB 110). The obtained configuration is used by the UE 104 to set up the MGP.

[0061] The UE 104 can use the configured MGP for receiving the signals (SAN signals e.g., reference signals such as PSS/SSS, CRS, SSB etc.) from one or more cells operated or served by one or more SAN nodes (e.g., NTN 102) at step 810. The received SAN signals during the MGP are further used by the UE 104 for performing one or more procedures e.g., for time and/or frequency synchronization with respect to the cell, for performing measurements etc. Examples of the measurements are cell search/identification, signal strength (SS), signal quality (SQ), RS index acquisition (RIA) etc. Examples of SS are path loss, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Normalized RSRP (NRSRP), Normalized Reference Signal Received Quality (NRSRQ), etc. Examples of the measurements may further be used by the UE 104 for performing one or more tasks such as transmitting the measurement results to the network node, using the measurement results for performing cell change (e.g., handover, RRC connection reestablishment, RRC connection release with redirection etc.).

[0062] As a special case, the measurement gap pattern may also comprise UE 104 autonomous gaps, i.e., gaps that are created by the UE 104 itself for different purposes such as acquiring the cell global ID (CGI) of a neighbor cell. In another example, the special case of the measurement gap pattern may also include the uplink transmission gap (UL-GAP) which are created by the UE 104 itself for receiving DL signals for performing the timing or synchronization adjustment after long repetition period.

[0063] In step 804, the UE 104 obtains information about the coverage of the cell on which the UE 104 is configured or intends to use MGP for performing one or more measurements, where the said cell is served or managed or operated by an NTN 102 e.g., by a satellite node.

[0064] The information related to or defining the cell coverage is defined based on one or more of the following mechanisms or principles:

1. Termination time or end time of measured cell (e.g., Celli or Cell2) e.g., time when the cell stops serving the area it is configured to serve. For example, this may refer to the amount of time available (or simply available or remaining time) for the serving cell to serve an area or region, which the serving cell is currently serving. An example of this parameter is t-Service.

2. Resuming time of measured cell (e.g., Celli or Cell2), e.g., the time when the cell will restart or resume serving the area it is configured to serve. For example, this may refer to the point in time when a non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite will be able to serve an area after discontinuous coverage. An example of this parameter is t-ServiceStart.

[0065] The UE 104 may be geographically located in that area or region. The UE 104 may determine its location autonomously (e.g., based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and/or other positioning methods such as enhanced cell ID etc.) and/or by receiving information about its location from another node (e.g., location server, positioning node such as E-SMLC etc.). The term serving an area, in this context, refers to operation of one or more reference signals used by the UE 104 or the serving node for performing measurements, where the said measurements are performed within or during gaps of the configured MGP. The operation of signals refers to transmission of the signals by the UE 104 to the serving cell and/or reception of the signals at the UE 104 from the serving cell. The area or region or zone may be a geographical area comprising of one or more dimensions e.g., 1 -dimensional, 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional in Euclidean space.

[0066] Cell coverage/availability based on termination time or end time:

[0067] The available time for the serving cell may be defined with respect to a reference time (Tr) as described further below.

[0068] In one example, the amount of available time (ATI) for the serving cell to serve the area is function of at least T-service and a reference time (Tr) as expressed below by a general function: L T1 = f(T -service, Tr, a ) Eqn.l

[0069] Examples of function are sum, difference, average, maximum, minimum, ratio, xth percentile, product, combination of two or more functions (e.g., difference and product etc.). [0070] Where, a and p are margins or scaling factors associated with T-service and Tr, respectively. They can have positive or negative values, which can be integer or floating point. In one example, a = > = 1.

[0071] One example of the function defining ATI is expressed below:

ATI = (T-service *a — Tr*/?) Eqn. 2

[0072] In another specific example of the function defining ATI, assuming a = /? = 1, is expressed as follows:

ATI = (T-service — Tr) Eqn. 3

[0073] In one example, T-service is the time (e.g., absolute time such as UTC) when the measured cell in certain area or location may stop serving the UE 104 in that area. This may also be called a cell stop time.

[0074] In one example, Tr is the current time of the UE 104. In another example, Tr is a future time at the UE 104 e.g., time which the UE 104 can estimate or determine with certain accuracy or precision. In another example, Tr is a time closet to certain reference number e.g., to certain SFN value (e.g., closest to the next SFN#0) or H — SFN value.

[0075] ATI can be expressed in terms of length of time, absolute time, relative time, number of time resources etc. Examples of time resources are: symbol, sub-slot, mini-slot, time slot, subframe, radio frame, TTI, interleaving time, frame, SFN cycle, hyper-SFN (H-SFN) cycle, etc. [0076] As described above, the parameter, T-service is obtained by the UE 104 from the serving node or a neighbor node by acquiring its broadcast information (e.g., system information).

[0077] The UE 104 may estimate or update at step 812 the available coverage time of the cell according to one or more of the following principles:

• periodically (e.g., once every LI ms or L2 number of time resources etc.),

• occasionally (e.g., upon reading SI) and

• when one or more conditions are met e.g., when received signal level such as RSRP or RSRQ is below threshold, if T-service changes etc.

[0078] Figure 5 shows an example of the time available for the cell of the UE 104 to serve or cover the area which is being currently served by that cell. In this example, the available time (ATI) 502 is the same as expressed above by (Eqn. 3).

[0079] The cell coverage with respect to the UE 104 location or with respect to area where the UE 104 is located based on the value of ATI may further be characterized into at least two categories or states:

• Low or short coverage based on ATI. In this case, the cell with respect to the UE 104 location is considered in a first coverage state (CS1). In one example, Cell 1 is in CS1 provided that ATI > Hl; where Hl is threshold.

• High or long coverage based on ATI : In this case, the cell with respect to the UE 104 location is considered in a second coverage state (CS2). In one example, cell is in CS2 provided that ATI < Hl.

[0080] From the UE 104 perspective, the serving cell in state, CS2, is in a more critical situation as it may soon lose coverage.

[0081] The parameter, Hl, can be defined by one or more rules. The parameter, Hl, and/or the rule defining Hl may be pre-defined or configured by the network node. This is described with several examples below:

• In another example, Hl may depend on one or more measurement requirements associated with a measurement (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, cell identification etc.) and which the UE 104 is required to meet when performing the measurement. Examples of measurement requirements are measurement time (Tm), measurement accuracy etc. Examples of measurement time are measurement period, cell identification delay, RS index (e.g., SSB index) acquisition time etc. In one example, Hl is defined as follows:

Hl = K3 * T_m Eqn. 4

Where, K3 is a scaling factor having positive value and it can be integer or can be floating point value. In one example, K3 = 1. The value of K3 can be pre-defined or configured by the network node. • In another example, Hl may depend on the type of satellite serving or managing or operating celll. Since different satellites move with different speeds, the time the UE 104 will spend in CS2 may also depend on the type of satellite. For example, certain types of satellites may not be available for service for short time meaning that the period of time the UE 104 will spend in CS2 is rather short. On the other hand, other types of satellites may not be available for serving for a longer time duration which leads to the UE spending more time in CS2.

[0082] Cell coverage/availability based on resuming time or restarting time:

[0083] The resuming or restarting time (Trs) indicates the time at which the cell (Celli or Cell2) restarts serving the area again after discontinuous coverage. The resuming time can be expressed in terms of length of time, absolute time, relative time, number of time resources etc. [0084] In one example, the resuming time is expressed using an absolute time (e.g., t- ServiceStart) which indicates the time when the coverage of the measured cell is resumed.

[0085] In another example, the UE 104 may calculate the resuming time using a reference time (Tr) before entering a discontinuous coverage period as follows:

Trs = f(Tr, N) Eqn. 5

[0086] Where the Tr is same as in previous example and N indicates the number of time resources left until coverage is resumed and time resources are referred to those defined above. [0087] The UE 104 may obtain information related to Trs directly from the node serving or managing the measured cell or from a neighbor node.

[0088] In one example, when the measured cell (Cell2) is a cell on a non-serving carrier the Trs related information of Celli may be obtained from Celli. In another example, the Trs related information of Cell2 may be obtained directly from Cell2 (e.g., using broadcast information).

[0089] Time period when coverage is impacted:

[0090] In one example, the time period during which the coverage of the cell to be measured or is being measured is going to be impacted is denoted as Tc and can be expressed using a general function as shown below:

Tc = f( Tservice, Trs) Eqn. 6

[0091] Where Tservice and Trs as described above. One specific example of function to determine Tc is shown below:

Tc = Trs-Tservice Eqn. 7

[0092] In step 806, the UE 104 adapts operation related to the configured MGP based on the obtained coverage state information of the measured or to be measured cell as described in previous step. More specifically, the UE 104 performs at least one of following actions with regard to the configured MG when the one or more MG-Coverage proximity conditions are met:

• If at least one MG-Coverage conditions is met, then the UE 104 suspends (at step 814) the configured MGP until at least the point in time the cell coverage is resumed or starts,

• If at least one MG-Coverage conditions is met, then the UE 104 cancels (at step 816) the configured MGP until at least the point in time the cell coverage is resumed or starts,

• If at least one MG-Coverage condition is met, then the UE 104 delays (at step 818) the operation using the configured MGP until at least the point in time the cell coverage is resumed or starts.

[0093] Otherwise, if none of the MG-Coverage conditions is met then the UE 104 does not perform any specific action with regard to the configured MGP. This means the UE 104 may use the configured MGP for performing one or more measurements on the serving or neighbor cells. The adaptation is performed until the time when the coverage of the cell to be measured or being measured is resumed.

[0094] In one example, the UE 104 performs any of the actions based on pre-defined rule i.e., the action is applied by the UE 104 if the UE 104 meets at least one MG-Coverage proximity condition. In another example, the UE 104 performs any of the actions only if explicitly indicated or configured by the network node i.e., the action is applied by the UE 104 if the UE 104 meets at least one MG-Coverage proximity condition and indicated by the network to apply the action.

[0095] The UE 104 may further inform the network node at step 808 about the action taken by the UE 104 upon meeting the one or more MG-Coverage proximity conditions e.g., by transmitting a message (e.g., RRC, MAC etc.) to the network node.

[0096] MG-Coverage proximity conditions:

[0097] The MG-Coverage proximity condition defines a relation or mapping or association between timings of at least one measurement gap of the configured MGP and the time period during which the coverage of the cell to be measured or being measured using the MGP is impacted. The timing relation or association may be defined based on one or more rules which may be pre-defined or configured by the network node. The said proximity condition broadly indicates whether the configured MGP at least in part will overlap in time or will occur close to the time period during which the coverage of the measured cell will be impacted.

[0098] In one example, the MG-Coverage proximity condition is met for the configured MGP provided that: • The configured MG resources and time period Tc overlap at least partly in time with respect to each other as shown in Figure 6 where the end of the MG resource 602 ends after the time period 604 where the cell coverage is impacted.

[0099] In another example, the MG-Coverage proximity condition is met if at least one measurement gap of the configured MGP and time period Tc occur close in time with respect to each other as shown in Figure 7, where TG 702 occurs between the end of MG resource 602 and before the beginning of the time period 604 where the cell coverage is impacted. :

• If the timings of the at least one MG of the configured MGP and time period Tc are related to each other by one or more timing related parameters then the MG-Coverage condition is considered to be met. In one example, the timing of a MG of a configured MGP may refer to start, center or end of the MG of MGP in time. In one example, the timing of a measurement resource may refer to start, center or end of the time period Tc in time.

• In one specific example the time gap ( Tg ) between the timings of at least one MG of the configured MGP and time period Tc (as shown in Figure 5) is related to certain threshold (H).

• In one specific example if the magnitude of the difference (Tgl) between the end of at least one MG the configured MGP in time and start of the time period Tc in within certain threshold (Hl).

• In another specific example if the magnitude of the difference (Tg2) between the end of time period Tc in time and start of the MG of the configured MGP in time in within certain threshold (H2).

[0100] In yet another example, the MG-Coverage proximity condition is met when any one or more combinations of following conditions are met:

• If MGP repetition period (MGRP) is < H3, or

• If MGP belongs to a periodic gap pattern instead of aperiodic gap,

• If MGP duration > H4,

• If MGP is a network control gap instead of autonomous gap,

• If MGP is autonomous gap instead of NW controlled gap.

[0101] Otherwise, MG-Coverage condition is not considered to be met.

[0102] In the above examples, in one example, Hl = H2 = H. In another example Hl #= H2. H, Hl and H2 may be pre-defined or configured by the network node. H, Hl and H2 may further depend on the type of MGP e.g., periodic measurement gap, UE 104 autonomous MG). They may depend on the MG repetition period (MGRP), MG duration.

[0103] In another example, the UE 104 evaluates whether the MG-Coverage proximity condition is met based on the termination time or end time of the cell coverage and adapts the MGP operation. In one specific example, the UE 104 adapts operation using MGP if the at least one of the MG within the MGP occurs after t-Service. Otherwise, it does not perform any adaptation of the MGP.

[0104] In another example, the UE 104 evaluates whether the MG-Coverage proximity condition is met based on both termination/end time of the cell coverage and resuming/restarting time of the cell coverage. In one specific example, the UE 104 adapts the operation using MGP if at least one MG of the configured MGP occurs between the time period t-Service and Tc (e.g., t-ServiceStart). Otherwise, it does not perform any adaptation of the MG.

Cell coverage/availability based on frequency.

[0105] A UE 104 may be configured with multiple measurement objects (MOs) in a serving cell. These MOs may be intended for serving cell measurements or neighbor cell intra or inter frequency measurements. Network may also configure the UE 104 with measurement gaps so that configured measurements can be performed smoothly, e.g., with no interruption due to user plane data transmission/reception in the UL/DL. Measurement gaps are not configured for a particular MO, so it is up to the UE perform measurements as configured during a measurement gap, e.g., based on a certain frequency, periodicity etc.

[0106] For a UE 104 to perform any adaptation to a measurement gap, it would be beneficial for the UE 104 to know, for example, on which frequency there is no need to perform measurements since there won't be any coverage of such cell fully or partially during that measurement gap. For non-terrestrial neighboring cells, such information can be provided as part of satellite assistance information directly or indirectly so that the UE can map whether there is a need to perform measurements on a particular frequency based on coverage. One example for providing the information directly can be mapping ephemeris information to a frequency and an example for providing the information indirectly can be mapping the frequency to be measured to an intermediate parameter, e.g., satellite ID, that differentiates a satellite or a neighboring cell from the others. One can also have similar direct/indirect mechanisms to map frequencies to be measured to terrestrial neighboring cells so that the UE 104 does not miss any terrestrial cell to be measured when relaxing the measurements.

[0107] In one example, the UE 104 cancels the configured MGP during the time period over which the cell to be measured by the UE 104 is not serving the coverage area of the UE 104. In this example, the UE 104 is further expected to receive and/or transmit signals in the serving cell during the time period when the UE 104 cancels, postpones or delays using the configured MGP. [0108] In this example, during AT₁₂, the UE is further expected to receive and/or transmit signals in the serving cell.

[0109] Figure 9 shows another example of a method for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of an NTN in accordance with some embodiments.

[0110] The method in Figure 9 can begin at step 902 where the method includes receiving information about a measurement gap pattern for performing a measurement on a cell.

[0111] At step 904, the method includes receiving coverage information related to cell coverage of the cell to be measured, the coverage information indicating that a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

[0112] At step 906, the method includes suspending a configured measurement gap in response to the configured measurement gap, based on the measurement gap pattern, at least partially overlapping with the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

[0113] Figure 10 shows an example of a communication system 1000 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0114] In the example, the communication system 1000 includes a telecommunication network 1002 that includes an access network 1004, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 1006, which includes one or more core network nodes 1008. The access network 1004 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1010A and 1010B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1010), The network nodes 1010 may also be, in an embodiment, similar to NTN 102, gNB 108 or any other similar 3GPP access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 1002 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 1002 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 1002, including one or more network nodes 1010 and/or core network nodes 1008.

[0115] Examples of an ORAN network node include an Open Radio Unit (O-RU), an Open Distributed Unit (O-DU), an Open Central Unit (O-CU), including an O-CU Control Plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non- real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 1010 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1012A, 1012B, 1012C, and 1012D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1012 and may be similar to UE 104) to the core network 1006 over one or more wireless connections.

[0116] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 1000 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 1000 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

[0117] The UEs 1012 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1010 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1010 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1012 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1002 to enable and/or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and/or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1002.

[0118] In the depicted example, the core network 1006 connects the network nodes 1010 to one or more hosts, such as host 1016. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 1006 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1008) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1008. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-Concealing Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and/or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0119] The host 1016 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1004 and/or the telecommunication network 1002, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1016 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0120] As a whole, the communication system 1000 of Figure 10 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 1000 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. [0121] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1002 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 1002 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1002. For example, the telecommunication network 1002 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and/or massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)/massive loT services to yet further UEs. [0122] In some examples, the UEs 1012 are configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1004 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1004. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi- RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e., being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0123] In the example, a hub 1014 communicates with the access network 1004 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1012C and/or 1012D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1010B). In some examples, the hub 1014 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1014 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1006 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1014 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 1010, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1014. As another example, the hub 1014 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 1014 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1014 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1014 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1014 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0124] The hub 1014 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1010B. The hub 1014 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 1014 and UEs (e.g., UE 1012C and/or 1012D), and between the hub 1014 and the core network 1006. In other examples, the hub 1014 is connected to the core network 1006 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1014 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 1004 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1010 while still connected via the hub 1014 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1014 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to/from the UEs from/to the network node 1010B. In other embodiments, the hub 1014 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 1010B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

[0125] Figure 11 shows a UE 1100 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs.

[0126] The UE 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1104 to an input/output interface 1106, a power source 1108, memory 1110, a communication interface 1112, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 11. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0127] The processing circuitry 1102 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1110. The processing circuitry 1102 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1102 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0128] In the example, the input/output interface 1106 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and/or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1100. Examples of an input device include a touch- sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0129] In some embodiments, the power source 1108 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1108 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1108 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1100 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1108. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1108 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1100 to which power is supplied.

[0130] The memory 1110 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1110 includes one or more application programs 1114, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1116. The memory 1110 may store, for use by the UE 1100, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0131] The memory 1110 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, High Density Digital Versatile Disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM), Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and/or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1110 may allow the UE 1100 to access instructions, application programs, and the like stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1110, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0132] The processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1112. The communication interface 1112 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1122. The communication interface 1112 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1118 and/or a receiver 1120 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1118 and receiver 1120 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 1122) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0133] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1112 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and/or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0134] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1112, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0135] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0136] A UE, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and/or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1100 shown in Figure 11.

[0137] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another UE and/or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0138] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and/or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0139] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1200 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0140] Applications 1202 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1200 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0141] Hardware 1204 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and/or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and/or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input/output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208A and 1208B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1208), and/or perform any of the functions, features, and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1206 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1208.

[0142] The VMs 1208 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1202 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1208, and the implementations may be made in different ways.

Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0143] In the context of NFV, a VM 1208 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1208, and that part of the hardware 1204 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and/or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 1208, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1208 on top of the hardware 1204 and corresponds to the application 1202.

[0144] The hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1204 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1210, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 1202. In some embodiments, the hardware 1204 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1212 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0145] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein.

Determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and/or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0146] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and/or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0147] Some of the references that are relevant to the disclosure herein include 3GPPTechnical Specification (TS) 36.133 V18.2.0 and 3GPP TS 38.133 V18.2.0.

[0148] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a User Equipment device, UE, (1100) for implementing measurements based on coverage availability information of a Non-Terrestrial Node, NTN, (102) the method comprising: receiving (902) information about a measurement gap pattern for performing a measurement on a cell; receiving (904) coverage information related to cell coverage of the cell to be measured, the coverage information indicating that a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted; and suspending (906) a configured measurement gap in response to the configured measurement gap, based on the measurement gap pattern, at least partially overlapping with the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the suspending the configured measurement gap comprises suspending the configured measurement gap until the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted has elapsed.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: performing (806) a measurement operation comprising at least one of canceling (816) and delaying (818) the configured measurement gap in response to at least one measurement gap coverage condition being met, wherein the measurement gap coverage condition relates to a configured measurement gap occurring within a predefined time of the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the measurement gap coverage condition relates to at least one of: a configured measurement gap duration exceeding a first time threshold; a configured measurement gap repetition period being less than a second time threshold; the configured measurement gap belonging to a periodic gap pattern; the configured measurement gap is a network configured gap; and the configured measurement gap is an autonomous gap.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the measurement operation performed is based on at least one of a predetermined rule or based on a configuration received by the UE (1100).

6. The method of any of claims 3 to 5, further comprising: informing (808) a network node (108, 110) about the measurement operation performed.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information about the measurement gap pattern is received in Radio Resource Control, RRC, signaling.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measurement gap pattern comprises an autonomous gap determined by the UE (1100).

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: receiving (810) one or more reference signals from one or more NTN (102) based on the measurement gap pattern.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the coverage information is based on at least one of a termination time associated with a time when the cell coverage ceases for an area and a resuming time associated with a time when the cell coverage for the area resumes.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the coverage information is based on a location of the UE (1100).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location of the UE (1100) is based on at least one of global navigation satellite system positioning or based on location information received from a network node (108, 110).

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the coverage information comprises a coverage time remaining, wherein the coverage time remaining is based on a function of a reference time and a first service time received from a serving node or a neighboring node.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: updating (812) the coverage time remaining at least one of periodically, occasionally, or when one or more conditions are met.

15. A User Equipment device, UE, (1100) configured to implement measurements based on coverage availability information of a Non-Terrestrial Node, NTN, (102) the UE (1100) comprising a radio interface and processing circuitry (1102) configured to: receive (902) information about a measurement gap pattern for performing a measurement on a cell; receive (904) coverage information related to cell coverage of the cell to be measured, the coverage information indicating that a period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted; and suspend (906) a configured measurement gap in response to the configured measurement gap at least partially overlapping with the period of time that cell coverage of the cell is impacted.

16. The UE (1100) of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry (1102) is further configured to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 14.

17. A computer program (1114) comprising instructions which, when executed on processing circuitry (1102), cause the processing circuitry (1102) to carry out the method according to any of claims 1 to 14.