Patent Description:
Currently the fifth generation ("<NUM>") of cellular systems, also referred to as New Radio (NR), is being standardized within the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is developed for maximum flexibility to support a variety of different use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine type communications (MTC), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), side-link device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases. While the present disclosure primarily describes certain techniques in the context of <NUM>/NR systems, the following description of the fourth generation (<NUM>) systems often referred to as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) systems is provided to introduce various terms, concepts, architectures, etc. that are also used in <NUM>/NR.

LTE is an umbrella term that refers to radio access technologies developed within the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and initially standardized in Release <NUM> (Rel-<NUM>) and Release <NUM> (Rel-<NUM>), also known as Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). LTE is targeted at various licensed frequency bands and is accompanied by improvements to non-radio aspects commonly referred to as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), which includes Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. LTE continues to evolve through subsequent releases.

An overall exemplary architecture of a network comprising LTE and SAE is shown in <FIG>. E-UTRAN <NUM> includes one or more evolved Node B's (eNB), such as eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> - these are the access nodes providing access to the network and, ultimately, to a Public Land Mobile Network and/or a data network, such as the Internet. These access nodes, e.g., eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> provide service to, or "serve," one or more user equipment (UE), such as UE <NUM>. As used within the 3GPP standards, "user equipment" or "UE" means any wireless communication device (e.g., smartphone or computing device) that can with 3GPP-standard-compliant network equipment, including E-UTRAN as well as UTRAN and/or GERAN, as the third generation ("<NUM>") and second-generation ("<NUM>") 3GPP RANs are commonly known.

As specified by 3GPP, E-UTRAN <NUM> is responsible for all radio-related functions in the network, including radio bearer control, radio admission control, radio mobility control, scheduling, and dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in uplink (UL, i.e., UE to network) and downlink (DL, i.e., network to UE), as well as security of the communications with the UE. These functions reside in the eNBs, such as eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Each of the eNBs can serve a geographic coverage area including one more cells, such as cells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> served by eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively, in the example system shown in <FIG>.

The eNBs in the E-UTRAN communicate with each other via the X2 interface, as shown in <FIG>. The eNBs also are responsible for the E-UTRAN interface to the EPC <NUM>, specifically the S1 interface to the Mobility Management Entities (MME) and the Serving Gateways (SGW) in EPC <NUM> (not shown in <FIG>). In general, the MME/S-GW handles both the overall control of the UE and data flow between the UE and the rest of the EPC. More specifically, the MME processes the signaling (e.g., control plane) protocols between the UE and the EPC, which are known as the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocols. The S-GW handles all Internet Protocol (IP) data packets (e.g., data or user plane) between the UE and the EPC and serves as the local mobility anchor for the data bearers when the UE moves between eNBs, such as eNBs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

The fifth generation ("<NUM>") of cellular systems, also referred to as New Radio (NR), was initially standardized by 3GPP in Rel-<NUM> and continues to evolve through subsequent releases. NR is developed for maximum flexibility to support multiple and substantially different use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine type communications (MTC), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), side-link device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases.

<NUM>/NR technology shares many similarities with LTE. For example, NR uses CP-OFDM (Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) in the DL and both CP-OFDM and DFT-spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the UL. As another example, in the time domain, NR DL and UL physical resources are organized into equal-sized <NUM>-ms subframes. A subframe is further divided into multiple slots of equal duration, with each slot including multiple OFDM-based symbols. However, time-frequency resources can be configured much more flexibly for an NR cell than for an LTE cell. For example, rather than a fixed <NUM>-kHz OFDM sub-carrier spacing (SCS) as in LTE, NR SCS can range from <NUM> to <NUM>, with even greater SCS considered for future NR releases.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary high-level view of the <NUM> network architecture, consisting of a Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) <NUM> and a <NUM> Core (5GC) <NUM>. NG-RAN <NUM> can include a set of gNodeB's (gNBs) connected to the 5GC via one or more NG interfaces, such as gNBs <NUM>, <NUM> connected via interfaces <NUM>, <NUM>, respectively. These gNBs are the <NUM> versions of radio access nodes. The gNBs can be connected to each other via one or more Xn interfaces, such as Xn interface <NUM> between gNBs <NUM> and <NUM>. With respect the NR interface to UEs, each of the gNBs can support frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination thereof.

NG-RAN <NUM> is layered into a Radio Network Layer (RNL) and a Transport Network Layer (TNL). The NG-RAN architecture, i.e., the NG-RAN logical nodes and interfaces between them, is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, F1) the related TNL protocol and the functionality are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transport and signaling transport.

The NG-RAN logical nodes shown in <FIG> include a central (or centralized) unit (CU or Gnb-CU) and one or more distributed (or decentralized) units (DU or Gnb-DU). For example, Gnb <NUM> includes Gnb-CU <NUM> and Gnb-DUs <NUM> and <NUM>. CUs are logical nodes that host higher-layer protocols and perform various Gnb functions such controlling the operation of DUs. DUs are logical nodes that host lower-layer protocols and can include, depending on the functional split, various subsets of the Gnb functions. As such, each of the CUs and DUs can include various circuitry needed to perform their respective functions, including processing circuitry, transceiver and/or communication interface circuitry, power supply circuitry, etc. The terms "central unit" and "centralized unit" are used interchangeably herein, as are the terms "distributed unit" and "decentralized unit.

A gNB-CU connects to Gnb-DUs over respective F1 logical interfaces, such as interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The Gnb-CU and connected Gnb-DUs are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a Gnb. In other words, the F1 interface is not visible beyond Gnb-CU.

In addition to providing coverage via cells, as in LTE, NR networks also provide coverage via "beams. " In general, a downlink (DL, i.e., network to UE) "beam" is a coverage area of a network-transmitted reference signal (RS) that may be measured or monitored by a UE. Examples of NR RS include synchronization signal/PBCH block (SSB), channel state information RS (CSI-RS), positioning RS (PRS), demodulation RS (DM-RS), phase-tracking reference signals (PTRS), etc. In general, the SSB is available to all UEs regardless of RRC state, while other RS (e.g., CSI-RS, DM-RS, PTRS) are associated with specific UEs that have a network connection, i.e., in RRC_CONNECTED state. Note that the terms "SS block," "SSB," and "SS/PBCH block" all refer to the same thing, in the context of NR.

To support fast mobility between NR and LTE and avoid change of core network, LTE eNBs can also be connected to the <NUM>-CN via NG-U/NG-C and support the Xn interface. An Enb connected to 5GC is called a next generation Enb (ng-Enb) and is considered part of the NG-RAN. LTE connected to 5GC will not be discussed further in this document; however, it should be noted that most of the solutions/features described for LTE and NR in this document also apply to LTE-connected to 5GC. In this document, when the term LTE is used without further specification it refers to LTE-EPC.

A Self-Organizing Network (SON) is an network that employs automation technology designed to make the planning, configuration, management, optimization and healing of mobile radio access networks simpler and faster. SON functionality and behavior has been defined and specified in generally accepted mobile industry recommendations produced by organizations such as 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and the NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks).

In 3GPP, the processes within the SON area are classified into a Self-configuration process and a Self-optimization process. Self-configuration process is the process where newly deployed nodes are configured by automatic installation procedures to get the necessary basic configuration for system operation.

This process works in pre-operational state. Pre-operational state is understood as the state from when the Enb is powered up and has backbone connectivity until the RF transmitter is switched on.

As illustrated in <FIG>, functions handled in the pre-operational state include Basic Setup <NUM> and Initial Radio Configuration <NUM>, which are covered by the Self Configuration process.

Self-optimization process is defined as the process where UE and access node measurements and performance measurements are used to auto-tune the network. This process works in operational state. Operational state is understood as the state where the RF interface is additionally switched on. As seen in <FIG>, functions handled in the operational state like Optimization / Adaptation <NUM> are covered by the Self Optimization process.

In LTE, support for Self-Configuration and Self-Optimisation is specified, as described in 3GPP TS <NUM> section <NUM>, including features such as Dynamic configuration, Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR), Mobility load balancing, Mobility Robustness Optimization (MRO), RACH optimization and support for energy saving.

In NR, support for Self-Configuration and Self-Optimisation is specified as well, starting with Self-Configuration features such as Dynamic configuration, Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR) in Rel-<NUM>, as described in 3GPP TS <NUM> section <NUM>. In NR Rel-<NUM>, more SON features are being specified for, including Self-Optimisation features such as Mobility Robustness Optimization (MRO).

Seamless handovers are a key feature of 3GPP technologies. Successful handovers ensure that the UE moves around in the coverage area of different cells without causing too many interruptions in the data transmission. However, there will be scenarios when the network fails to handover the UE to the 'correct' neighbor cell in time and in such scenarios the UE will declare a radio link failure (RLF) or Handover Failure (HOF).

Upon HOF and RLF, the UE may take autonomous actions, i.e., trying to select a cell and initiate reestablishment procedure so that we make sure the UE is trying to get back as soon as it can, so that it can be reachable again. The RLF will cause a poor user experience as the RLF is declared by the UE only when it realizes that there is no reliable communication channel (radio link) available between itself and the network. Also, reestablishing the connection requires signaling with the newly selected cell (random access procedure, RRC Reestablishment Request, RRC Reestablishment RRC Reestablishment Complete, RRC Reconfiguration and RRC Reconfiguration Complete) and adds some latency, until the UE can exchange data with the network again.

Possible causes for the radio link failure could be several, according to the NR specifications, e.g.: expiry of the radio link monitoring related timer T310; the expiry of the measurement reporting associated timer T312 (not receiving the handover command from the network within this timer's duration despite sending the measurement report when T310 was running); reaching the maximum number of RLC retransmissions; upon receiving random access problem indication from the MAC entity; upon declaring consistent LBT failures in the SpCell operating in the unlicensed spectrum; or upon failing the beam failure recovery procedure.

On the other hand, a handover failure (HOF) is due to the expiry of T304 timer while performing the handover to the target cell.

As RLF or HOF leads to reestablishment which degrades performance and user experience, it is in the interest of the network to understand the reasons for RLF and try to optimize mobility related parameters (e.g., trigger conditions of measurement reports) to avoid later RLFs. Before the standardization of MRO related report handling in the network, only the UE was aware of some information associated to the radio quality at the time of RLF, what is the actual reason for declaring RLF etc. For the network to identify the reason for the RLF, the network needs more information, both from the UE and also from the neighboring base stations.

After the RLF or the handover failure (HOF) is declared, the RLF report is logged and included in the VarRLF-Report and, once the UE selects a cell and succeeds with a reestablishment procedure, the UE includes an RLF report availability indication in the RRC Reestablishment Complete message, to make the target cell aware of the RLF report availability. Subsequently, upon receiving an UEInformationRequest message with a flag "rlf-ReportReq" the UE includes the RLF report (stored in a UE variable VarRLF-Report, as described above) in an UEInformationResponse message and sends it to the network. The UE should keep stored the information in VarRLF-Report for at most <NUM> hours; hence, the network is allowed to retrieve the RLF-Report even hours after the RLF/HOF event. The varRLF-Report can only contain one instance of the RLF-Report, hence if a new RLF/HOF occurs before the network fetches the old ones, the UE clears the information previously stored in the VarRLF-Report.

Based on the RLF report from the UE and the knowledge of with which cell the UE was able to reestablish the connection, the original source cell can deduce whether the RLF was caused due to a coverage hole or due to mobility control parameter configurations. If the RLF was deemed to be due to handover associated parameter configurations, the original serving cell can further classify the handover related failure as too-early, too-late or handover to wrong cell classes. These handover failure classes are explained in brief below.

The above classification may also lead to better handover decisions. The UE is, for example, required to include, as part of the RLF-Report both in case of handover failure and RLF, the measurement results (if available) of the neighbor cells and of the last serving cell. In particular, up to eight neighbor cells can be included as part of the neighbor measurement results list, which implies that the UE can include in the RLF-Report the best eight neighbor cells ordered such that the cell with the best radio conditions is listed first. Both SS/PBCH block-based measurement quantities and CSI-RS based measurement quantities can be included in these measurement results.

As an enhancement to MRO in Release <NUM>, 3GPP is introducing the successful HO Report (SHR). Unlike the RLF-report, which is used, as described above, to report the RLF or Handover failure experienced by the UE, the SHR is used by the UE to report various information associated to successful HO. The successful HO will not be reported always at every HO, but only when certain triggering conditions are fulfilled. For example, if the T310/T312/T304 timers exceed a certain threshold during an HO, then the UE shall store information associated to this HO. Similarly, in case the HO was a DAPS HO and the UE succeeded with the handover but an RLF was experienced in the source cell while doing the DAPS HO, then the UE stores information associated to this DAPS HO. When storing the successful handover report, the UE may include various information to aid the network to optimize the handover, such as measurements of the neighboring cells, the fulfilled condition that triggered the successful handover report (e.g., threshold on T310 exceeded, specific RLF issue in the source while doing DAPS HO), etc..

The SHR can be configured by a certain serving cell, and, when triggering conditions for SHR logging are fulfilled, the UE stores this information until the NW requests it. In particular, the UE may indicate availability of SHR information in certain RRC messages, such as RRCReconfigurationComplete, RRCReestablishmentComplete, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, and the network may request such information via the UElnformationRequest message, upon which the UE transmits the stored SHR in the UEInformationResponse message.

<CIT> shows a method, performed by a user equipment (UE), for reporting radio link failure (RLF) in a cell of a wireless network. The method includes performing measurements of a plurality of cells, which can include a serving cell and multiple neighbor cells. The measurements for each cell are based on one or more types of reference signals (RS) transmitted in the particular cell and include one or more measurement quantities. The method includes determining that an RLF occurred in the serving cell and sorting the neighbor cell measurements into one or more measurement lists based on one or more sorting criteria, which can be related to the RS types on which the measurements for the respective neighbor cells are based and/or the measurement quantities available for the respective neighbor cells. The method includes transmitting, to a network node, an RLF report including the one or more measurement lists.

As detailed below, problems arise when measurement results for SS/PBCH block-based measurement results and CSI-RS based measurement results are available.

The techniques described herein provide a plurality of methods performed by a wireless terminal, or so-called User Equipment (UE), to collect and log neighboring cells' measurement results on a frequency when the UE is configured to perform measurements on that frequency, and when both SS/PBCH block-based measurement results and CSI-RS based measurement results are available on that frequency.

The collected neighbor measurement results may be included in any of several types of report, such as the RLF-Report (generate upon HOF, or RLF), the random access report, the successful HO report, etc..

In a first method according to some embodiments of the techniques described in further detail below, the UE first includes, in the list of neighboring cell measurement results, measurement results for a first set of "best" cells, considering a first type of reference signal-based measurement (e.g., SS/PBCH block-based measurements). The measurement results for the cells of the first set of best cells are ordered in the list of neighboring measurement results starting from the best measured cell, based on the first reference signal type of measurement. Associated to each cell of the first set, the UE may include a plurality of information such as the PCI and ARFCN of the cell, the CGI of the cell, the measurement results based on the first type of measurement, and measurement results based on the second type of measurement (e.g., CSI-RS based measurements) if available.

In some embodiments of the first method summarized above, upon including the first set of best cells considering the first type of measurement as per the first method, and if the maximum number of entries in the list of neighboring measurement results is not reached yet, the UE may also include a second set of best cells, considering the second type of reference signal-based measurement, in the same list of neighboring cell measurement results. These cells of the second set of best cells are not included in the first set of best cells and their corresponding measurements are ordered in the list of neighboring measurement results starting from the best measured cell, based on the second reference signal type-based measurement. Associated to each cell of the second set, the UE may include a plurality of information such as the PCI and ARFCN of the cell, the CGI of the cell, the measurement results based on the second type of measurement (e.g., CSI-RS based measurements).

In embodiments according to a second method described herein, independent from the first method, the UE includes measurement results for the first set of best cells measured based on the first type of reference signal-based measurement and the second set of best cells based on the second type of reference signal-based measurement in separate lists of neighboring measurement results, i.e., one list for the cells measured based on the first type of reference signal-based measurements and one separate list for the cells measured based on the second type of reference signal-based measurements. If, for a certain cell, the UE has available both the first type and second type of reference signal-based measurements, the UE may include this cell only in one list of neighboring measurement results, and for this cell it may include the corresponding measurements both associated to the first type of reference signal-based measurement and second type of reference signal-based measurement.

In a third method independent from the first and second method, the UE includes in the list of neighboring measurement results, measurement results for a first set of best cells considering a first measured quantity (e.g., RSRP), irrespective of whether the measurement results for the measured quantity are based on the first or second type of measurement. The measurement results for the cells of the first set of best cells are ordered in the list of neighboring measurement results starting from the best measured cell, based on the first measured quantity. Associated to each cell of the first set, the UE may include a plurality of information such as the PCI of the cell, the CGI of the cell, a second (or a third and so on) measurement quantity, if available, and indication of whether the measured quantity is based on a first or second type of measurement.

Upon including the first set of best cells considering the first measured quantity, and if the maximum number of entries in the list of neighboring measurement results is not reached yet, the UE may also include a second set of best cells, considering the second measured quantity (e.g., RSRQ), irrespective of whether the measured quantity is based on the first or second type of measurement. The cells of the second set of best cells are not included in the first set of best cells and they are ordered in the list of neighboring measurement results starting from the best measured cell, based on the second measured quantity. Associated to each cell of the second set, the UE may include a plurality of information such as the PCI of the cell, the CGI of the cell, the measurement results based on second measured quantity, the measurement results based on a third (and so on) measured quantity, and indication of whether the measured quantity is based on a first or second type of measurement.

Upon the first and second set of best cells, the UE may include a third (and so on) set of best cells based on a third (and so on) measured quantity irrespective of whether the measured quantity is based on the first or second type of measurement considered In some embodiments of these and other methods, which is the first type of measurement and which is the second type of measurement is defined in the specification. For example, the first type of reference signal-based measurement may be SS/PBCH based measurement and the second type of reference signal-based measurement may be CSI-RS based measurement.

In other embodiments, which is the first type of reference signal-based measurement and which is the second type of reference signal-based measurement is configured by the network, and the UE applies this configuration when it collects the measurement results into the list of neighboring cell measurements results.

In yet other embodiments, which is the first type of reference signal-based measurement and which is the second type of reference signal-based measurement that the UE selected when it collected the measurement results in the list of measurement results is indicated by the UE to the network in the report, i.e., the UE indicates that the UE ordered the cells in the list of neighboring measurement first considering the SS/PBCH block-based measurements (or the CSI-RS based measurements).

Likewise, in some embodiments, which is the first measured quantity, which is the second type measured quantity (etc.) is defined in the specification. For example, RSRP may be the first measured quantity and RSRQ is the second measured quantity. In other embodiments, which is the first measured quantity and which is the second measured quantity (and so on) is configured by the network, and the UE applies this configuration when it collects the measurement results into the list of neighboring cell measurements results. In still other embodiments, which is the first measured quantity and which is the second measured quantity (and so on) that the UE selected when it collected the measurement results in the list of measurement results is indicated by the UE to the network in the report, i.e., the UE indicates that the UE ordered the cells in the list of neighboring measurement first considering the RSRP (or the RSRQ, or the RSSI, etc.).

Embodiments of the disclosed techniques include a method, in in a wireless device, for collecting measurement results, where the method comprises selecting, for inclusion in a report stored by the wireless device, first radio quality measurement results based on a first type of at least two types of reference signals used by the wireless device for measuring radio quality. This selecting comprises selecting radio quality measurement results reflecting the best radio quality, among available radio quality measurement results based on the first type of reference signal, for neighbor cells. This method further comprises including the selected first radio quality measurement results in the report and including in the report, along with the selected first radio quality measurement results, one or more available radio quality measurement results corresponding to the cell identifiers associated to the selected radio quality measurement results and based on a second type of the at least two types of reference signals.

A corresponding wireless device, according to some of the presently disclosed embodiments, is adapted to carry out the method summarized immediately above. An example wireless device thus comprises a transmitter and receiver configured for communication with a wireless network as well as processing circuitry operatively coupled to the transmitter and receiver, where the processing circuitry is configured to select, for inclusion in a report stored by the wireless device, first radio quality measurement results based on a first type of at least two types of reference signals used by the wireless device for measuring radio quality. Again, said selecting may comprise selecting radio quality measurement results reflecting the best radio quality, among available radio quality measurement results based on the first type of reference signal, for neighbor cells. The processing circuitry is further configured to include the selected first radio quality measurement results in the report and include in the report, along with the selected first radio quality measurement results, one or more available radio quality measurement results corresponding to the cell identifiers associated to the selected radio quality measurement results and based on a second type of the at least two types of reference signals.

The methods, apparatuses, and systems disclosed herein thus provide procedures for the UE to include the measurement results for more than one cell when both the SS/PBCH block-based measurements and the CSI-RS based measurements are available.

In this document, except where indicated otherwise, the term "type of measurement" is used to distinguish between measurements based on different sorts of reference signals. Thus, measurement based on SS/PBCH blocks are one type of measurement and measurements based on CSI-RS are another. Except where indicated otherwise, the terms "measured quantity" or "measurement quantity" refer to the sort of result that is obtained, using a given reference signal, e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI, channel occupancy, CLI measurements, SL measurements. The term "measurement results" refers to the numerical results obtained from a measurement of a certain measurement type and for a certain measured quantity. Note that in a few cases, which are generally identified in the discussion that follows, "measurement quantity" might refer to the measurement results, i.e., the determined values, corresponding to a measurement of a certain type and of a certain measured quantity. In these cases, for example, the term "available measurement quantities" may mean measurement results corresponding to any of one or more measured quantities. The terms "cell-level quantities" and "beam-level quantities" refer to measurement results of any of one or more measured quantities, where the results are specific to either a given cell or a given beam, respectively.

This document may refer to "best cells" or "best" measurement results. "Best cells" refers to cells having the "best" measurement results, e.g., for a given measurement type and/or a given measured quantity. The "best" measurement results are those that reflect the most superior signal qualities. These may be the measurement results with the highest values, for some measured quantities, such as RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR. For others, the "best" measurement results may be the measurement results with the lowest values, such as for BER.

The methods disclosed herein are applicable to any radio access technology (RAT), even though for simplicity the examples take into account the NR technology.

According to the current specifications, measurement results for both SS/PBCH block-based measurement quantities and CSI-RS based measurement quantities, if available, of the neighbor cell can be included by the UE as part of the measurement results when generating an RLF-Report, either after a HO failure or after an RLF. The neighbor cell and the corresponding measurement results are included in an ordered list such that the cell with the highest measurement result for SS/PBCH block RSRP is listed first if SS/PBCH block RSRP measurement results are available, otherwise the cell with the highest SS/PBCH block RSRQ is listed first if SS/PBCH block RSRQ measurement results are available, otherwise the cell with the highest SS/PBCH block SINR is listed first.

The same applies if measurement results for CSI-RS based measurement quantities are available, i.e., the cells are ordered in the list of neighbor cells measurement results such that the cell with the highest measurement result for CSI-RS RSRP is listed first if CSI-RS RSRP measurement results are available, otherwise the cell with the highest CSI-RS RSRQ is listed first if CSI-RS RSRQ measurement results are available, otherwise the cell with the highest CSI-RS SINR is listed first.

Up to eight cells can be included in the measResultListNR information element (IE), in measResultNeighCells.

The above legacy method is captured in the following procedural text, taken from 3GPP TS <NUM>:
<IMG>.

However, in the current legacy procedure the UE uses the same measResultListNR list to collect measurement results for both SS/PBCH block-based measurement quantities and CSI-RS based measurement quantities. Hence it is not possible for the UE to properly order the entries in this list according to the actual measurement results when both SS/PBCH block-based measurement quantities and the CSI-RS based measurement quantities are available for the neighbor cells on a frequency. This is because the measurement results for a certain cell may be different when different type of measurements are performed. For example, a cell 'x' that is classified among the eight best cells on a frequency when SS/PBCH block-based measurements are taken for that cell 'x', it may not be classified among the eight best cells on the same frequency when CSI-RS based measurements are taken for that cell 'x'. Hence, in such an example it is not clear from the current legacy procedure whether or not the UE will include this cell 'x' in the measurement results of the neighboring cells.

Additionally, the network configuration may be such that the UE shall only perform SS/PBCH block-based measurements in certain cells, and only CSI-RS based measurements in other cells. According to the legacy procedure, the UE shall include these different measurements for the different cells in the same list of neighbor cell measurement results. If the cells in which the UE shall perform measurements are more than eight, it will not be possible for the UE to include all of them in the list of neighbor cell measurement results, and it will not be clear which cells the UE should include in this list. For example, if the UE is configured to perform only SS/PBCH block-based measurements in eight cells, and only CSI-RS based measurements in another three cells, it is not clear from the current procedure which cells the UE should select for inclusion in the list.

A first category of techniques for a UE comprises the following, which should be read in conjunction with the flow diagram shown in <FIG>:.

<FIG> is a process flow diagram illustrating a method corresponding to same technique described above, with the steps broken down in more detail. This example method for collecting measurement results in a wireless device comprises, as shown at block <NUM>, the step of selecting (<NUM>), for inclusion in a report stored by the wireless device, first radio quality measurement results based on a first type of at least two types of reference signals used by the wireless device for measuring radio quality, i.e., the "first type of reference signal-based measurements" discussed above. This selecting comprises selecting radio quality measurement results reflecting the best radio quality, among available radio quality measurement results based on the first type of reference signal, for neighbor cells. These selected radio quality measurement results are thus the "measurement results for a first set of best cells considering a first type of reference signal-based measurement," as discussed above. The method further comprises, as shown at block <NUM>, including the selected first radio quality measurement results in the report, i.e., in the "list" discussed above. The method still further comprises, as shown at block <NUM>, including in the report, along with the selected first radio quality measurement results, one or more available radio quality measurement results corresponding to the cell identifiers associated to the selected radio quality measurement results and based on a second type of the at least two types of reference signals. These radio quality measurement results are the measurement results for the "first set" of cells described above, but for measurement results based on the second type of reference signal-based measurement.

As shown at block <NUM>, the method may still further comprise including, in the report, one or more additional radio quality measurement results based on the second type of reference signal, up to a number of additional radio quality measurement results such that the total number of the selected first radio quality measurement results and the number of additional radio quality measurement results equals the predetermined maximum number, where the additional radio quality measurement results comprise radio quality measurements reflecting the best radio quality among available radio measurements for neighbor cells based on the second type of reference signal and for cells not corresponding to the cell identifiers associated with the selected first radio quality measurement results. In other words, these cell identifiers correspond to the "second set" of cells discussed above. This step correspond directly to step <NUM> of <FIG>, and may be carried out, for example, in situations where less than the maximum number of measurement results are included in the report after steps <NUM> and <NUM> are performed.

As an example, in case the list of measurement results is included in an RLF-Report, the first embodiment may be at least partly implemented in the specifications of 3GPP TS <NUM> as follows, where additions to the previously existing version of the 3GPP are shown in bold. Note that in this example excerpt, "measurement quantities" refers to available measurement results of any of one or more measured quantities.

In the above example, the first type of measurement is the SS/PBCH block-based measurement, whereas the second type of measurement is the CSI-RS based measurement.

A second category of techniques for a UE comprises the following, which should be read in conjunction with the flow diagram shown in <FIG>:.

If for a certain cell, the UE has available measurement results based on each of both the first type and second type of reference signal, the UE in some embodiments or instances, may include the cell only in one list, i.e., the first list or the second list, and it may include for this cell in the selected list the measurements based on each of both the first type and second type of reference signal. In other embodiments or instances if, for a certain cell, the UE has available measurements based on each of both the first type and second type of reference signals, the UE may include the cell in each of both the first list and second list.

As an example, in case the list of measurement results is included in an RLF-Report, the first embodiment may be at least partly implemented in the specifications of 3GPP TS <NUM> as follows, where additions to the previously existing version of the 3GPP are shown in bold and deletions are struck through. Note that in this example excerpt, "measurement quantities" refers to available measurement results of any of one or more measured quantities.

In the above example, the first type of measurement is the SS/PBCH block-based measurement, whereas the second type of measurement is the CSI-RS based measurement. The first list including the first set of best cells is the measResultListSSB, whereas the second list including the second set of best cells is the measResultListCSI.

A third category of techniques for a UE comprises the following, which should be read in conjunction with the flow diagram shown in <FIG>:.

In some embodiments or instances of the above-described techniques, the specification, e.g., 3GPP specification documents, specify which is the "first" type of measurement and which is the "second" type of measurement. In other embodiments or instances, the network may configure the UE with information indicating which is the first type of measurement and which is the second type of measurement, and the UE applies this configuration when it collects the measurement results into the list or lists of neighboring cell measurements results. In yet other embodiments or instances, the UE indicates, to the network, which is the first type of measurement and which is the second type of measurement that the UE selected when it collected the measurement results in the list or lists of measurement results. This may be done in the report that contains the list(s), such that the report indicates whether, for example, the UE ordered the cells in the list of neighboring measurement first considering the SS/PBCH block-based measurements or the CSI-RS based measurements.

Likewise, system specifications, such as the 3GPP specifications, may indicate which is the first measured quantity, which is the second type measured quantity (etc.), adopted in the previous embodiments. Alternatively, this may be configured by the network, so that the UE applies this configuration when it collects the measurement results into the list of neighboring cell measurements results. In still others, the UE may choose this order, and indicate it to the network, e.g., in the report itself, such that he UE indicates that the UE ordered the cells in the list of neighboring measurement first considering the RSRP, or the RSRQ, or the RSSI, etc..

In various instances of the above methods, the list of neighboring measurement results may be transmitted by the UE to the network in a measurement report included for example in the RLF-Report (e.g., upon RLF or handover failure), or in the random access report, or in the successful handover report.

Although various embodiments are described herein above in terms of methods, techniques, etc., the person of ordinary skill will readily comprehend that such methods can be embodied by or in various combinations of hardware and software in various systems, communication devices, computing devices, control devices, apparatuses, non-transitory computer-readable media, etc..

<FIG> shows an example of a communication system <NUM> in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, the communication system <NUM> includes a telecommunication network <NUM> that includes an access network <NUM>, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network <NUM>, which includes one or more core network nodes <NUM>. The access network <NUM> includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 810a and 810b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes <NUM>), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes <NUM> facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 812a, 812b, 812c, and 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs <NUM>) to the core network <NUM> over one or more wireless connections.

For example, the telecommunications network <NUM> 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.

In some examples, the UEs <NUM> 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 <NUM> on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network <NUM>. 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 Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

In the example, the hub <NUM> communicates with the access network <NUM> to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 812c and/or 812d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 810b). In some examples, the hub <NUM> may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub <NUM> may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network <NUM> for the UEs. As another example, the hub <NUM> 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 <NUM>, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub <NUM>. As another example, the hub <NUM> 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 <NUM> may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub <NUM> may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub <NUM> then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub <NUM> acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

The hub <NUM> may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 810b. The hub <NUM> may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub <NUM> and UEs (e.g., UE 812c and/or 812d), and between the hub <NUM> and the core network <NUM>. In other examples, the hub <NUM> is connected to the core network <NUM> and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub <NUM> may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network <NUM> and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes <NUM> while still connected via the hub <NUM> via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub <NUM> 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 810b. In other embodiments, the hub <NUM> may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 810b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

<FIG> shows a UE <NUM> in accordance with some embodiments. This UE may be configured to carry out one or several of the methods or techniques described herein. 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. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, 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-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) 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 IoT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, 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 IoT 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 <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

As yet another specific example, in an IoT 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. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard.

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.

<FIG> shows a network node <NUM> in accordance with some embodiments. Network node <NUM> may be configured to carry out one or more of the methods, techniques, steps, operations, etc., attributed herein to a network node, radio access node, or base station, in various embodiments. 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.

Applications <NUM> (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Hardware <NUM> 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 <NUM> (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and 1208b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs <NUM>), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer <NUM> may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs <NUM>.

Hardware <NUM> may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware <NUM> may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware <NUM> 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 <NUM>, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications <NUM>. In some embodiments, hardware <NUM> 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 radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system <NUM> which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

<FIG> shows a communication diagram of a host <NUM> communicating via a network node <NUM> with a UE <NUM> over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 812a of <FIG> and/or UE <NUM> of <FIG>), network node (such as network node 810a of <FIG> and/or network node <NUM> of <FIG>), and host (such as host <NUM> of <FIG> and/or host <NUM> of <FIG>) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to <FIG>.

One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE <NUM> using the OTT connection <NUM>, in which the wireless connection <NUM> forms the last segment. More precisely, embodiments described herein can provide novel, flexible, and efficient signaling and procedures to support dynamic adaptation of DL transmit (TX) power used by a base station in a cell, at least for transmission of SSB. These techniques facilitate predictable and/or correct UE behavior when a base station dynamically adapts DL TX power to reduce base station energy consumption. Thus, embodiments facilitate improved energy efficiency of wireless networks while maintaining predictable and/or correct UE behavior. When used in UEs and base stations (or network nodes) comprising a wireless network, embodiments increase the value of OTT services delivered via the wireless network (e.g., to the UE) to be end users and service providers.

In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection <NUM> between the host <NUM> and UE <NUM>, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host <NUM> and/or UE <NUM>. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection <NUM> passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above or by supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection <NUM> may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node <NUM>. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host <NUM>. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or 'dummy' messages, using the OTT connection <NUM> while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc..

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. Various embodiments can be used together with one another, as well as interchangeably therewith, as should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.

The term unit, as used herein, can have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and can include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.

In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings and embodiments thereof, can be used synonymously in certain instances, including, but not limited to, e.g., data and information. It should be understood that, while these words and/or other words that can be synonymous to one another, can be used synonymously herein, that there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously.

Claim 1:
A method, performed by a wireless device, for collecting measurement results, the method comprising:
selecting (<NUM>), for inclusion in a report stored by the wireless device, first radio quality measurement results based on a first type of at least two types of reference signals used by the wireless device for measuring radio quality, wherein said selecting comprises selecting radio quality measurement results reflecting the best radio quality, among available radio quality measurement results based on the first type of reference signal, for neighbor cells;
including (<NUM>) the selected first radio quality measurement results in the report; and
including (<NUM>) in the report, along with the selected first radio quality measurement results, one or more available radio quality measurement results corresponding to the cell identifiers associated to the selected radio quality measurement results and based on a second type of the at least two types of reference signals, characterized in that
the selected first radio quality measurement results number less than a predetermined maximum number of radio quality measurement results, and
in that the method comprises further including (<NUM>), in the report, one or more additional radio quality measurement results based on the second type of reference signal, up to a number of additional radio quality measurement results such that the total number of the selected first radio quality measurement results and the number of additional radio quality measurement results equals the predetermined maximum number, wherein the additional radio quality measurement results comprise radio quality measurements reflecting the best radio quality among available radio measurements for neighbor cells based on the second type of reference signal and for cells not corresponding to the cell identifiers associated with the selected first radio quality measurement results.