Patent ID: 10412642

Abstract:
In one aspect of the teachings herein, a wireless device operating in a multi-connectivity configuration with respect to an associated wireless communication network applies asymmetrical blanking to two or more of its multi-connectivity connections in conjunction with acquiring system information for a target cell during one or more measurement gaps. “Blanking” as used here implies an interruption in downlink reception, or an interruption in uplink transmission, or both, and arises as a consequence of the measurement gaps used by a wireless device to make measurements on target-cell signals. Asymmetrical blanking results in, for example, the wireless device sending more or less acknowledgment/non-acknowledgment, ACK/NACK, signaling on one of the connections relative to another one of the connections, when acquiring the target-cell system information. In some embodiments, asymmetrical blanking is triggered and/or configured by the network, while in other embodiments it is triggered and/or configured by the wireless device.