Patent Description:
Recent development of mobile communication technologies has been followed by widespread use of portable terminals having various functions, and there were efforts to develop <NUM> communication systems for satisfying ever-increasing wireless data traffic demands. In order to accomplish higher data transmission rates, it has been considered to implement <NUM> communication systems in super-high frequency bands, in addition to high-frequency bands used for <NUM> and LTE, such that higher data transmission rates can be provided.

Schemes considered to implement <NUM> communication include a stand-alone (SA) scheme and a non-stand alone (NSA) scheme. According to the SA scheme, a UE may perform a radio access based on radio access technology (RAT) of new radio (NR), and may register in a core network of <NUM>th generation core (5GC). According to the NSA scheme, a UE may perform a radio access based on RAT of evolved UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) terrestrial radio access (EUTRA), and may register in a core network of evolved packet core (EPC). After registering in the EPC, the UE may transmit/receive data based on RAT of EUTRA and/or RAT of NR, based on dual connectivity. Technology used by the UE to transmit/receive data based on different types of RAT may be referred to as dual connectivity. According to the NSA scheme of <NUM>, dual connectivity proposed by 3GPP release-<NUM> may be implemented in such a manner that a base station according to EUTRA is used as a master node, and a base station according to NR is used as a secondary node.

<CIT> concerns a UE that may selectively manage dual connectivity in association with network configuration messages, wherein the UE may receive, while connected to an LTE network, a request to measure a secondary cell group for a <NUM> NR, determine whether to measure the secondary cell group based on a <NUM> NR connection mode selected by an application processor, select the <NUM> NR connection mode based on one or more of: an application layer data rate, a user selected preference, a battery level of the UE, a latency requirement, a thermal mitigation, or a combination thereof.

A UE may support both the SA mode and the NSA mode. In the NSA mode, the UE may transmit/receive data using different types of RAT, and, in this case, heating may occur, or the amount of consumed power may increase substantially. If the UE is in a high-temperature state, or if the battery power level is low, a problem may occur upon entering the NSA mode. Moreover, the UE may need to operate in the SA mode even in the high-temperature state or even if the battery power level is low. For example, the UE may need to perform an inter-RAT handover even in the high-temperature state or even if the battery power level is low.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device and a method for operating the same which may perform measurement regarding a frequency deemed to support the SA mode, in a state in which dual connectivity (DC) is limited, and may perform no measurement regarding a frequency deemed to support the NSA mode.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include at least one processor configured to support a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO) from a network based on the first RAT, and based on dual connectivity (DC) of the first RAT and the second RAT being identified to be restricted, perform a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying a condition associated with a stand alone (SA) mode among at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, and refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency not satisfying the condition among the at least one frequency.

According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device configured to support a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT may include: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO) from a network, based on the first RAT, based on dual connectivity (DC) of the first RAT and the second RAT being identified to be restricted, performing a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying a condition associated with a stand alone (SA) mode among at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, and refraining from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency not satisfying the condition among the at least one frequency.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include at least one processor configured to support a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO) from a network, based on the first RAT, based on that dual connectivity (DC) of the first RAT and the second RAT being identified to be restricted, perform a measurement of at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, based on a result of a measurement of at least partial frequency among the at least one frequency satisfying a report condition, report the measurement result to the network, based on the first RAT, based on a command of a handover to a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, perform a procedure of a handover from a cell corresponding to the first RAT to a cell corresponding to the second RAT, and based on another RRC reconfiguration message relating to second cell group (SCG) adding of a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, transmit an SCG failure information message to the network, based on the first RAT.

Various embodiments may provide an electronic device and a method for operating the same, wherein measurement may be performed regarding a frequency deemed to support the SA mode, in a state in which DC is limited, and no measurement may be performed regarding a frequency deemed to support the NSA mode. Accordingly, in a state in which DC is limited, an operation to the NSA mode may be limited, an inter-RATE handover for the SA mode may be performed.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, an input module <NUM>, a sound output module <NUM>, a display module <NUM>, an audio module <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, a connecting terminal <NUM>, a haptic module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, a subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, or an antenna module <NUM>. In various embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., the connecting terminal <NUM>) may be omitted from the electronic device <NUM>, or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device <NUM>. In various embodiments, some of the components (e.g., the sensor module <NUM>, the camera module <NUM>, or the antenna module <NUM>) may be implemented as a single component (e.g., the display module <NUM>).

The auxiliary processor <NUM> may control, for example, at least some of functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display module <NUM>, the sensor module <NUM>, or the communication module <NUM>) among the components of the electronic device <NUM>, instead of the main processor <NUM> while the main processor <NUM> is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor <NUM> while the main processor <NUM> is in an active (e.g., executing an application) state.

According to an embodiment, the audio module <NUM> may obtain the sound via the input module <NUM>, or output the sound via the sound output module <NUM> or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device <NUM> (e.g., a speaker or a headphone)) directly or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device <NUM>.

The interface <NUM> may support one or more specified protocols to be used for the electronic device <NUM> to be coupled with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) directly or wirelessly.

A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device <NUM> via the first network <NUM> (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™, wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network <NUM> (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a legacy cellular network, a <NUM> network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). The wireless communication module <NUM> may identify or authenticate the electronic device <NUM> in a communication network, such as the first network <NUM> or the second network <NUM>, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module <NUM> may support a peak data rate (e.g., <NUM> Gbps or more) for implementing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., <NUM> dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., <NUM> or less for each of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of <NUM> or less) for implementing URLLC.

The antenna module <NUM> may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) According to an embodiment, the antenna module <NUM> may include an antenna including a radiating element including a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first network <NUM> or the second network <NUM>, may be selected, for example, by the communication module <NUM> from the plurality of antennas.

According to an embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on a first surface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or a side surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high-frequency band.

In an embodiment, the external electronic device <NUM> may include an internet-of-things (IoT) device.

<FIG> is a block diagram <NUM> of an electronic device <NUM> for supporting legacy network communication and <NUM> network communication according to various embodiments. Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include a first communication processor (e.g., processing circuitry) <NUM>, a second communication processor (e.g., processing circuitry) <NUM>, a first radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) <NUM>, a second RFIC <NUM>, a third RFIC <NUM>, a fourth RFIC <NUM>, a first radio frequency front end (RFFE) <NUM>, a second RFFE <NUM>, a first antenna module <NUM>, a second antenna module <NUM>, a third antenna module <NUM>, and antennas <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may further include a processor <NUM> and a memory <NUM>. A second network <NUM> may include a first cellular network <NUM> and a second cellular network <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may further include at least one component among the components illustrated in <FIG>, and the second network <NUM> may further include at least another network. According to an embodiment, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, the first RFIC <NUM>, the second RFIC <NUM>, the fourth RFIC <NUM>, the first RFFE <NUM>, and the second RFFE <NUM> may configure at least a part of the wireless communication module <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the fourth RFIC <NUM> may be omitted, or may be included as a part of the third RFIC <NUM>.

The first communication processor <NUM> may include various processing circuitry and establish a communication channel within a band to be used for wireless communication with the first cellular network <NUM>, and may support legacy network communication performed through the established communication channel. According to various embodiments, the first cellular network may be a legacy network including a second generation (<NUM>), <NUM>, <NUM>, or long-term evolution (LTE) network. The second communication processor <NUM> may establish a communication channel corresponding to a designated band (e.g., about <NUM>-<NUM>) among bands to be used for wireless communication with the second cellular network <NUM>, and may support <NUM> network communication performed through the established communication channel. According to various embodiments, the second cellular network <NUM> may be a <NUM> network defined in 3GPP. Additionally, according to an embodiment, the first communication processor <NUM> or the second communication processor <NUM> may establish a communication channel corresponding to another designated band (e.g., about <NUM> or lower) among bands to be used for wireless communication with the second cellular network <NUM>, and may support <NUM> network communication performed through the established communication channel.

The first communication processor <NUM> may transmit or receive data to or from the second communication processor <NUM>. For example, data which has been classified to be transmitted through the second cellular network <NUM> may be changed to be transmitted through the first cellular network <NUM>. In this case, the first communication processor <NUM> may receive transmission data from the second communication processor <NUM>. For example, the first communication processor <NUM> may transmit or receive data to or from the second communication processor <NUM> through an interprocessor interface <NUM>. The interprocessor interface <NUM> may be implemented as, for example, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) (e.g., a high speed-UART (HS-UART) or peripheral component interconnect bus express (PCIe) interface), but the type thereof is not limited. Alternatively, the first communication processor <NUM> and the second communication processor <NUM> may exchange control information and packet data information using, for example, a shared memory. The first communication processor <NUM> may transmit or receive, to or from the second communication processor <NUM>, various information, such as sensing information, information on output strength, and resource block (RB) allocation information.

According to implementation, the first communication processor <NUM> may not be directly connected to the second communication processor <NUM>. In this case, the first communication processor <NUM> may transmit or receive data to or from the second communication processor <NUM> through the processor <NUM> (e.g., an application processor). For example, the first communication processor <NUM> and the second communication processor <NUM> may transmit or receive data to or from each other through the processor <NUM> (e.g., an application processor) and an HS-UART interface or a PCIe interface, but the type of an interface is not limited. Alternatively, the first communication processor <NUM> and the second communication processor <NUM> may exchange control information and packet data information using the processor <NUM> (e.g., an application processor) and a shared memory.

According to an embodiment, the first communication processor <NUM> and the second communication processor <NUM> may be implemented in a single chip or a single package. According to various embodiments, the first communication processor <NUM> or the second communication processor <NUM> may be configured in a single chip or a single package together with the processor <NUM>, the auxiliary processor <NUM>, or the communication module <NUM>. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, an integrated communication processor <NUM> may support both a function for communication with the first cellular network <NUM> and a function for communication with the second cellular network <NUM>.

The first RFIC <NUM> may convert, at the time of transmission, a baseband signal generated by the first communication processor <NUM> into a radio frequency (RF) signal having a frequency of about <NUM> to about <NUM>, which is used in the first cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a legacy network). At the time of reception, an RF signal may be obtained from the first cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a legacy network) through an antenna (e.g., the first antenna module <NUM>), and may be preprocessed through an RFFE (e.g., the first RFFE <NUM>). The first RFIC <NUM> may convert a preprocessed RF signal into a baseband signal so as to enable the preprocessed RF signal to be processed by the first communication processor <NUM>.

The second RFIC <NUM> may convert, at the time of transmission, a baseband signal generated by the first communication processor <NUM> or the second communication processor <NUM> into a RF signal (hereinafter, a <NUM> Sub6 RF signal) within a Sub6 band (e.g., about <NUM> or lower) used in the second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network). At the time of reception, a <NUM> Sub6 RF signal may be obtained from the second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network) through an antenna (e.g., the second antenna module <NUM>), and may be preprocessed through an RFFE (e.g., the second RFFE <NUM>). The second RFIC <NUM> may convert a preprocessed <NUM> Sub6 RF signal into a baseband signal so as to enable the preprocessed <NUM> Sub6 RF signal to be processed by a corresponding communication processor among the first communication processor <NUM> or the second communication processor <NUM>.

The third RFIC <NUM> may convert a baseband signal generated by the second communication processor <NUM> into a RF signal (hereinafter, a <NUM> Above6 RF signal) within a <NUM> Above6 band (e.g., about <NUM>-about <NUM>) to be used in the second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network). At the time of reception, a <NUM> Above6 RF signal may be obtained from the second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network) through an antenna (e.g., the antenna <NUM>), and may be preprocessed through a third RFFE <NUM>. The third RFIC <NUM> may convert a preprocessed <NUM> Above6 RF signal into a baseband signal so as to enable the preprocessed <NUM> Above6 RF signal to be processed by the second communication processor <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the third RFFE <NUM> may be configured as a part of the third RFIC <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include the fourth RFIC <NUM> separately from or at least a part of the third RFIC <NUM>. In this case, the fourth RFIC <NUM> may convert a baseband signal generated by the second communication processor <NUM> into an RF signal (hereinafter, an IF signal) within an intermediate frequency band (e.g., about <NUM>-<NUM>), and then transfer the IF signal to the third RFIC <NUM>. The third RFIC <NUM> may convert an IF signal into a <NUM> Above6 RF signal. At the time of reception, a <NUM> Above6 RF signal may be received from the second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network) through an antenna (e.g., the antenna <NUM>), and may be converted into an IF signal by the third RFFE <NUM>. The fourth RFIC <NUM> may convert an IF signal into a baseband signal so as to enable the IF signal to be processed by the second communication processor <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the first RFIC <NUM> and the second RFIC <NUM> may be implemented as at least a part of a single chip or a single package. According to various embodiments, as illustrated in <FIG> or <FIG>, when the first RFIC <NUM> and the second RFIC <NUM> are implemented as a single chip or a single package, the first RFIC and the second RFIC may be implemented as an integrated RFIC. In this case, the integrated RFIC may be connected to the first RFFE <NUM> and the second RFFE <NUM> so as to convert a baseband signal into a signal within a band supported by the first RFFE <NUM> and/or the second RFFE <NUM>, and transmit the converted signal to one of the first RFFE <NUM> and the second RFFE <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the first RFFE <NUM> and the second RFFE <NUM> may be implemented as at least a part of a single chip or a single package. According to an embodiment, at least one antenna module among the first antenna module <NUM> or the second antenna module <NUM> may be omitted or combined with another antenna module so as to process RF signals within multiple corresponding bands.

According to an embodiment, the third RFIC <NUM> and the antenna <NUM> may be arranged on the same substrate so as to configure the third antenna module <NUM>. For example, the wireless communication module <NUM> or the processor <NUM> may be disposed on a first substrate (e.g., a main PCB). In this case, the third RFIC <NUM> may be disposed in a partial area (e.g., a lower surface) of a second substrate (e.g., a sub PCB) separate from the first substrate, and the antenna <NUM> may be disposed in another partial area (e.g., an upper surface), so as to configure the third antenna module <NUM>. The length of a transmission line between the third RFIC <NUM> and the antenna <NUM> can be reduced by arranging the third RFIC and the antenna on the same substrate. Therefore, for example, loss (e.g., attenuation) of, by a transmission line, a signal within a high frequency band (e.g., about <NUM>-about <NUM>) used for <NUM> network communication can be reduced. Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> can improve the quality or speed of communication with the second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network).

According to an embodiment, the antenna <NUM> may be configured to be an antenna array including multiple antenna elements which are usable for beamforming. In this case, the third RFIC <NUM> may include, for example, as a part of the third RFFE <NUM>, multiple phase shifters <NUM> corresponding to the multiple antenna elements. At the time of transmission, each of the multiple phase shifters <NUM> may convert the phase of a <NUM> Above6 RF signal to be transmitted to an outside (e.g., a base station of a <NUM> network) of the electronic device <NUM> through a corresponding antenna element. At the time of reception, each of the multiple phase shifters <NUM> may convert, into an identical or a substantially identical phase, the phase of a <NUM> Above6 RF signal which has been received from the outside through a corresponding antenna element. This process enables transmission or reception through beamforming between the electronic device <NUM> and the outside.

The second cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a <NUM> network) may be operated independently to the first cellular network <NUM> (e.g., a legacy network) (e.g., stand-alone (SA), or may be operated while being connected thereto (e.g., non-standalone (NSA)). For example, there may be only an access network (e.g., a <NUM> radio access network (RAN) or a next generation RAN (NG RAN)) in a <NUM> network without a core network (e.g., a next generation core (NGC)). In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may access a access network of a <NUM> network, and then access an external network (e.g., Internet) under the control of a core network (e.g., an evolved packed core (EPC)) of a legacy network. Protocol information (e.g., LTE protocol information) for communication with a legacy network or protocol information (e.g., new radio (NR) protocol information) for communication with a <NUM> network may be stored in the memory <NUM>, and may be accessed by another component (e.g., the protocol <NUM>, the first communication protocol <NUM>, or the second communication protocol <NUM>).

<FIG>, and <FIG> are diagrams illustrating wireless communication systems providing a legacy communication and/or <NUM> communication network according to various embodiments. Referring to <FIG>, and <FIG>, each of network environments 300a to 300c may include at least one of a legacy network and a <NUM> network. The legacy network may include, for example, a 3GPP standard <NUM> or LTE base station <NUM> (e.g., an eNodeB (eNB)) which supports wireless access with the electronic device <NUM>, and an evolved packet core (EPC) <NUM> which manages <NUM> communication. The <NUM> network may include, for example, a new radio (NR) base station <NUM> (e.g., a gNB (gNodeB)) which supports wireless access with the electronic device <NUM>, and a 5th generation core (5GC) <NUM> which manages <NUM> communication of the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit or receive a control message and user data through legacy communication and/or <NUM> communication. The control message may include, for example, a message related to at least one of security control, bearer setup, authentication, registration, or mobility management of the electronic device <NUM>. The user data may indicate user data except for a control message which is transmitted or received between the electronic device <NUM> and a core network <NUM> (e.g., the EPC <NUM>).

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment may transmit or receive at least one of a control message or user data to or from at least a part (e.g., the NR base station <NUM> or the 5GC <NUM>) of a <NUM> network using at least a part (e.g., the LTE base station <NUM> or the EPC <NUM>) of a legacy network.

According to various embodiments, the network environment 300a may include a network environment which provides wireless communication dual connectivity (DC) to the LTE base station <NUM> and the NR base station <NUM>, and enables transmission or reception of a control message to or from the electronic device <NUM> through one core network <NUM> among the EPC <NUM> or the 5GC <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, in a DC environment, one base station among the LTE base station <NUM> or the NR base station <NUM> may be operated as a master node <NUM>, and the other one may be operated as a secondary node (SN) <NUM>. The MN <NUM> may be connected to the core network <NUM> so as to transmit or receive a control message thereto or therefrom. The MN <NUM> and the SN <NUM> may be connected to each other through a network interface so as to transmit or receive a message related to management of a wireless resource (e.g., a communication channel) to or from each other.

According to various embodiments, the MN <NUM> may be configured by the LTE base station <NUM>, the SN <NUM> may be configured by the NR base station <NUM>, and the core network <NUM> may be configured by the EPC <NUM>. For example, a control message may be transmitted or received through the LTE base station <NUM> and the EPC <NUM>, and user data may be transmitted or received through at least one of the LTE base station <NUM> or the NR base station <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the MN <NUM> may be configured by the NR base station <NUM>, the SN <NUM> may be configured by the LTE base station <NUM>, and the core network <NUM> may be configured by the 5GC <NUM>. For example, a control message may be transmitted or received through the NR base station <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM>, and user data may be transmitted or received through at least one of the LTE base station <NUM> or the NR base station <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, according to various embodiments, a <NUM> network may be configured by the NR base station <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM>, and may transmit or receive a control message and user data independently to the electronic device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a legacy network and a <NUM> network according to various embodiments may independently provide data transmission or reception. For example, the electronic device <NUM> and the EPC <NUM> may transmit or receive a control message and user data to or from each other through the LTE base station <NUM>. As another example, the electronic device <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM> may transmit or receive a control message and user data to or from each other through the NR base station <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may be registered in at least one of the EPC <NUM> or the 5GC <NUM> so as to transmit or receive a control message thereto or therefrom.

According to various embodiments, the EPC <NUM> or the 5GC <NUM> may interwork with each other to manage communication of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, movement information of the electronic device <NUM> may be transmitted or received through an interface between the EPC <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM>.

As described above, dual connectivity through the LTE base station <NUM> and the NR base station <NUM> may be named as E-UTRA new radio dual connectivity (EN-DC).

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to various embodiments. An embodiment of <FIG> will be described with reference to <FIG> illustrates multiple base stations and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO), based on a first RAT in operation <NUM>. The first RAT may be E-UTRA or NR. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may have been registered in an EPC, based on E-UTRA, or may have been registered in a 5GC, based on NR, and for example, the electronic device <NUM> may be in an RRC_CONNECTED state, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device <NUM> may be configured to report measurement information according to a measurement configuration provided by a network. For example, if the electronic device <NUM> is in an RRC_CONNECTED state, the network may provide a message configuration using a dedicated signaling means, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message. According to various embodiments, in a case where the first RAT is E-UTRA, the RRC reconfiguration message may be a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message or RRCConnectionResume message following, for example, <NUM>rd generation partnership project (3GPP) technical specification (TS) <NUM>. In a case where the first RAT is NR, the RRC reconfiguration message may be an RRCReconfiguration message following, for example, 3GPP TS <NUM>. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

According to various embodiments, the MO may include information associated with a frequency (or a cell (e.g., a cell for the first RAT and/or a cell for a second RAT) for which a user equipment (UE) is required to perform a measurement. The information associated with a cell may include at least one of a frequency channel number, cell identification information (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI)), a blacklist, or a cell-specific offset value. For example, when the first RAT is E-UTRA, the second RAT may be NR, and the MO may include, for example, a single NR carrier frequency. For example, when the first RAT is NR, the second RAT may be E-UTRA and the MO may include, for example, a single E-UTRA carrier frequency. The RRC reconfiguration message may include a reporting configuration, and for example, include a report condition to perform a measurement report (MR). The RRC reconfiguration message may include at least one of a measurement ID for identification of the MO, a quantity configuration indicating a value required to be measured by the UE, or a measurement gap associated with a measurement period.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may identify that dual connectivity is restricted, in operation <NUM>. In various embodiments, whether DC is restricted may be determined by, for example, the processor <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> may transfer a result of the determination to a communication processor (e.g., at least one of the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>). In various embodiments, the communication processor may be configured to determine whether DC is restricted. The communication processor may determine whether DC is restricted, based on information transferred from the processor <NUM>, and/or may determine whether DC is restricted, based on information obtained by the communication processor.

For example, the state where DC is restricted may correspond to a case where the remaining power of a battery of the electronic device <NUM> is equal to or lower than threshold remaining power (e.g., <NUM> %). For example, the state where DC is restricted may correspond to, for example, a case where the remaining power of a battery of the electronic device <NUM> is equal to or less than threshold remaining power. The consumption speed (e.g., a battery power amount reduced per unit time) of the battery in a case of using DC may be greater than the consumption speed of the battery in a case of not using DC. Therefore, when the remaining power of the battery is equal to or less than threshold remaining power, DC restriction may be configured to save the battery.

For example, the state where DC is restricted may correspond to a case where a current and/or predicted transmission and/or reception data rate of the electronic device <NUM> is equal to or less than a threshold data rate (e.g., <NUM> Mbps). As DC is used, a data rate may increase. However, in a case where a current and/or predicted data rate is relatively small, there is less benefit in using DC. Therefore, in a case where a current and/or predicted transmission and/or reception data rate is equal to or less than a threshold data rate, DC restriction may be configured. The case where a current and/or predicted transmission and/or reception data rate is equal to or less than a threshold data rate may correspond to, for example, a case where VoIP (e.g., voice over LTE (VoLTE) or voice over NR (VoNR)) is running, or a state where a screen of the electronic device <NUM> has been turned off. The case where a current and/or predicted transmission and/or reception data rate is equal to or less than a threshold data rate may be identified based on, for example, the type of an application that is running in a foreground and/or a background. The case where a current and/or predicted transmission and/or reception data rate is equal to or less than a threshold data rate may also be identified based on, for example, a scheduling rate for an uplink and/or downlink resource. For example, the scheduling rate may be measured based on the number of downlink control indicators (DCIs) (e.g., DCI format <NUM> or DCI format <NUM>) received per reference time (e.g., one second). There is no limit to a condition associated with the data rate.

For example, the state where DC is restricted may correspond to a case where a current temperature of the electronic device <NUM> is equal to or greater than a threshold temperature (e.g., <NUM>). The amount of heat generated from the electronic device <NUM> in a case of using DC may be greater than the amount of heat generated in a case of not using DC. In a case of using DC, the temperature may continuously increase, and this may cause damage to the electronic device <NUM>. Therefore, in a case where the current temperature is equal to or greater than a threshold temperature, DC restriction may be configured. The current temperature of the electronic device <NUM> may include, for example, a current temperature of at least one element (e.g., the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, the integrated communication processor <NUM>, and/or the wireless communication module <NUM>) included in the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may measure the current temperature of the electronic device <NUM> through a temperature sensor (e.g., the sensor module <NUM> in <FIG>) which is included in at least one element, or is close to the surface of at least one element.

For example, the state where DC is restricted may be a case of using a subscriber identification module (SIM) not requiring use of an Internet pack data network (PDN) (or data network name (DNN)). The electronic device <NUM> may support multi SIMs. In a case where the multi SIMs support a dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) mode, while an RF resource is used to transmit or receive data associated with one SIM among multi SIMs, the other SIMs may stand by. One of the multi SIMs may be configured to be able to process a data packet (e.g., a packet associated with an Internet PDN), and another one may be configured to be able to process a voice packet (e.g., a packet associated with an IMS PDN). The voice packet has a relatively small size, and thus may have less benefit in using DC. Therefore, in a case where the multi SIMs are operated in a DSDS mode, when a SIM associated with voice packet processing is operated, DC restriction may be configured.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> identifies that DC is restricted, after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message. However, this illustration merely corresponds to an example, and the electronic device <NUM> may also receive an RRC reconfiguration message in the state where DC is restricted. Furthermore, those skilled in the art may understand that there is no limit on the order in a flowchart according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, in a case where the electronic device <NUM> is in a DC restriction state, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, satisfies a condition associated with an SA mode, in operation <NUM>. The condition associated with the SA mode may be, for example, a condition associated with whether a cell having a corresponding frequency can support the SA mode. In one example, the condition associated with the SA may be that there is a history of supporting, by a corresponding frequency, the SA mode. In one example, the condition associated with the SA may be that there is no history of supporting, by a corresponding frequency, an NSA mode. In one example, the condition associated with the SA mode may be that a corresponding frequency is included in a system information block (SIB) <NUM> provided by a base station (e.g., an eNB in a case where the first RAT is E-UTRA) associated with the first RAT. In one example, the condition associated with the SA mode may be that a corresponding frequency is included in a system information block (SIB) <NUM> provided by a base station (e.g., a gNB in a case where the second RAT is NR) associated with the second RAT.

Referring to <FIG>, for example, the electronic device <NUM> may have been registered in a core network (e.g., an EPC) corresponding to the first RAT (e.g., E-UTRA) using a first base station <NUM> as a serving cell. The electronic device <NUM> may have established an RRC connection with the first base station <NUM> (e.g., an eNB) based on the first RAT (e.g., E-UTRA). The electronic device <NUM> may receive an RRC reconfiguration message <NUM> from the first base station <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may identify at least one frequency associated with the second RAT (e.g., NR) from an MO included in the RRC reconfiguration message <NUM>. For example, the MO may include at least one single NR carrier frequency (e.g., ARFCN #<NUM>, ARFCN #<NUM>, or ARFCN #<NUM>). ARFCN #<NUM> may be, for example, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a second base station <NUM> (e.g., a gNB) based on the second RAT (e.g., NR). ARFCN #<NUM> may be, for example, the ARFCN of a third base station <NUM> (e.g., a gNB) based on the second RAT (e.g., NR). ARFCN #<NUM> may be, for example, the ARFCN of a fourth base station <NUM> (e.g., a gNB) based on the second RAT (e.g., NR). The neighbor base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may transmit synchronization signals <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (e.g., SSBs). Those skilled in the art may understand that, in a case where the first RAT is NR and the second RAT is E-UTRA, the neighbor base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> can transmit reference signals (e.g., CSI-RSs).

Referring to <FIG> again, according to various embodiments, when the condition associated with the SA mode is satisfied (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying the condition in operation <NUM>. The measurement may indicate a measurement of reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference noise ratio (SINR), a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and/or a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at a timing of measurement of a signal (e.g., a synchronization signal and/or a reference signal) corresponding to the first frequency. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. When the condition associated with the SA mode is not satisfied (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency not satisfying the condition in operation <NUM>. For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, ARFCN #<NUM> may be included in an SIB-<NUM> from the first base station <NUM>, and ARFCN #<NUM> and ARFCN #<NUM> may be managed to have a history of performing DC. In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that ARFCN #<NUM> satisfies the condition associated with SA, and ARFCN #<NUM> and ARFCN #<NUM> do not satisfy the condition associated with SA. The electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of the synchronization signal <NUM> corresponding to ARFCN #<NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing a measurement of the synchronization signals <NUM> and <NUM> corresponding to ARFCN #<NUM> and ARFCN #<NUM>. At timings of measurement of the synchronization signals <NUM> and <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing an operation (e.g., a switching operation for connection to an RX antenna, and/or a measurement of RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, or SINR) for signal measurement.

According to various embodiments, when a report condition for at least one first frequency (e.g., ARFCN #<NUM>) is satisfied, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report. The network may determine a handover to the second base station <NUM>, based on the measurement report. In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a handover (e.g., an inter RAT handover) from the first base station <NUM> to the second base station <NUM>. A measurement on at least one second frequency (e.g., ARFCN #<NUM> or ARFCN #<NUM>) may not be performed, thereby preventing and/or alleviating adding of a second cell group (SCG) for DC of the third base station <NUM> and the fourth base station <NUM>. Therefore, DC may not be performed, and thus a problem caused by DC usage in the DC restriction state can be prevented and/or alleviated. Those skilled in the art may understand that the electronic device <NUM> not measuring a particular frequency may be replaced with, for example, refrain from performing a measurement report even when a report condition is satisfied after a measurement.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device and an eNB according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an SIB <NUM> from an eNB <NUM> in operation <NUM>. The eNB <NUM> may transmit an SIB <NUM> to the electronic device <NUM> to enable the electronic device <NUM> to perform cell re-selection. In 3GPP TS <NUM>, an SIB <NUM> is described as an information element (IE) of systeminformationblcoktype <NUM>. The SIB <NUM> may include information relevant for NR neighboring cells and inter-RAT cell for cell re-selection i. information about NR frequencies. The SIB <NUM> may include a cell re-selection parameters common for a frequency. The SIB <NUM> may include, for example, information (e.g., an ARFCN) on an NR frequency which supports an SA mode. While a cell associated with the eNB <NUM> is camped on, the electronic device <NUM> may identify information on an NR cell supporting an SA mode around the cell. The electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments may identify a frequency supporting an SA mode therearound, based on information included in the SIB <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an SIB <NUM> from a network (e.g., the eNB <NUM>) in operation <NUM>. For example, Table <NUM> shows an example of the SIB <NUM> received by the electronic device <NUM>.

The SIB <NUM> according to the example in Table <NUM> may include an ARFCN of "<NUM>" as a frequency for a neighbor NR cell, for which cell re-selection of the network (e.g., the eNB <NUM>) is enabled, for example, as an NR frequency supporting an SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO from the network in operation <NUM>. Those skilled in the art may understand that there is no limit on the order between operation <NUM> and operation <NUM>. For example, Table <NUM> shows an example of the RRC reconfiguration message received by the electronic device <NUM>.

The RRC reconfiguration message according to the example in Table <NUM> may include ARFCNs of "<NUM>" and "<NUM>" as frequencies to be measured.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether at least one frequency based on a second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, is included in the SIB <NUM> in operation <NUM>. In a case where it is determined that the at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, is included in the SIB <NUM> (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of at least one first frequency included in the SIB <NUM> in operation <NUM>. In a case where it is not determined that the at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, is included in the SIB <NUM> (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency which is not included in the SIB <NUM> in operation <NUM>. For example, based on the SIB <NUM> according to the example in Table <NUM>, and the RRC reconfiguration message according to the example in Table <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify that the ARFCN of "<NUM>" is included in the SIB <NUM>, and the ARFCN of "<NUM>" is not included in the SIB <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of the ARFCN of "<NUM>" identified to be included in the SIB <NUM>. If it is determined that a result of the measurement of the ARFCN of "<NUM>" satisfies a report condition, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report (MR). According to the measurement report, the network may determine a handover of the electronic device <NUM> to a cell corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>", and the electronic device <NUM> may perform the handover. The electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing a measurement of the ARFCN of "<NUM>" identified not to be included in the SIB <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> has not performed the measurement, and thus may refrain from performing an MR of the ARFCN of "<NUM>". Accordingly, SCG adding associated with a cell corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>" can be prevented and thus DC can be restricted.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether at least one frequency based on a second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, satisfies a condition associated with an SA mode, by referring to pre-stored information.

For example, Table <NUM> shows an example of the information pre-stored in the electronic device <NUM>.

The electronic device <NUM> may manage information as shown in Table <NUM>, based on whether SA is used at a particular frequency, or whether NSA is used at a particular frequency. The electronic device <NUM> may obtain information as shown in Table <NUM>, based on the existing operation of the electronic device <NUM>, and/or may receive same from a network or a service provider management server. Those skilled in the art may understand that a PLMN ID, a frequency band, and/or a cell ID corresponding to an AFRCN can be further added to the information in Table <NUM>. When additional information is further added, the electronic device <NUM> may compare the additional information with information identified based on the MO, to determine whether an SA mode is supported. Table <NUM> merely corresponds to an example, and the electronic device <NUM> may also manage a different format of pre-stored information. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may also store a frequency (e.g., an ARFCN) supporting an SA mode, and/or also store a frequency (e.g., an ARFCN) supporting an NSA mode.

According to various embodiments, if it is determined by referring to the pre-stored information that the at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, satisfies a condition associated with an SA mode (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying the condition in operation <NUM>. If it is determined by referring to the pre-stored information that the at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, does not satisfy a condition associated with an SA mode (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency not satisfying the condition in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether an ARFCN included in the MO supports an SA mode, using information as shown in Table <NUM>. If ARFCNs of "<NUM>" and "<NUM>" are identified by the MO, the electronic device <NUM> may identify, based on Table <NUM>, that the ARFCN of "<NUM>" supports an SA mode, and the ARFCN of "<NUM>" does not support an SA mode. The electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of the ARFCN of "<NUM>", and may refrain from performing a measurement of the ARFCN of "<NUM>".

For example, in a case where the electronic device <NUM> manages a list of ARFCNs supporting an SA mode, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of an ARFCN included in the list among the ARFCNs identified by the MO, and may refrain from performing a measurement of an ARFCN not included in the list. For example, in a case where the electronic device <NUM> manages a list of ARFCNs supporting an NSA mode, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of an ARFCN not included in the list among the ARFCNs identified by the MO, and may refrain from performing a measurement of an ARFCN included in the list.

<FIG> are flowcharts illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement based on the MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report, based on that a result of the measurement satisfies a condition for a measurement report. For example, if it is identified that a B1 event is satisfied, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report, but there is no limit to a report condition. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive an RRC reconfiguration message relating to an SCG adding configuration. For example, a network may receive a measurement report from the electronic device <NUM>, and may determine to perform SCG adding of a cell corresponding to the measurement report, based on the received measurement report. In this case, the network may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message including a configuration of SCG adding to the electronic device <NUM>. In a case where the electronic device <NUM> is not in a DC restriction state, the electronic device <NUM> may perform an RACH procedure on a cell corresponding to SCG adding, based on the received RRC reconfiguration message. Based on the RACH procedure, the electronic device <NUM> may also perform DC. The electronic device <NUM> may store at least one frequency associated with an SCG adding configuration in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may add information relating to that a corresponding frequency does not support an SA mode, to information as shown in Table <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may also add a corresponding frequency in a list supporting an NSA mode.

Referring to <FIG>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement based on the MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report, based on that a result of the measurement satisfies a condition for a measurement report. For example, if it is identified that a B1 event is satisfied, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report, but there is no limit to a report condition. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive a handover command. For example, a network may receive a measurement report from the electronic device <NUM>, and may determine to perform a handover to a cell corresponding to the measurement report, based on the received measurement report. In this case, the network may transmit a handover command to the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may perform a handover procedure, based on the received handover command. The electronic device <NUM> may store at least one frequency associated with the handover command in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may add information relating to that a corresponding frequency supports an SA mode, to information as shown in Table <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may also add a corresponding frequency in a list supporting a NSA mode.

Referring to <FIG>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may perform a cell selection operation in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a cell selection operation, based on a second RAT. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may store at least one frequency associated with a second RAT, which is identified during the cell selection operation. For example, a frequency corresponding to a cell operable as a serving cell may be managed to support an SA mode by the electronic device <NUM>. <FIG> merely correspond to examples, and there is no limit to a configuration for determination on whether an SA mode and an NSA mode are supported.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify at least one frequency based on a second RAT, based on the MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify an SIB <NUM> based on the second RAT at the identified at least one frequency. For example, after and/or while performing a measurement at a frequency identified based on the MO, the electronic device <NUM> may identify (e.g., decode) an SIB <NUM> at the corresponding frequency, but the electronic device may also be configured to identify an SIB <NUM> while refrain from performing a measurement according to implementation. The SIB <NUM> may include or not include an IE of a tracking area code (TAC). Existence of a field of a TAC may indicate that a cell at least partially supports an SA operation. Non-existence of a TAC field may indicate that a corresponding cell supports only an EN-DC function.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that there is a TAC corresponding to the at least one frequency, in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device may receive an RRC reconfiguration message as shown in Table <NUM>. As described in relation to Table <NUM>, the RRC reconfiguration message according to the example in Table <NUM> may include ARFCNs of "<NUM>" and "<NUM>" as frequencies to be measured. The electronic device <NUM> may identify a first SIB <NUM> at a first frequency corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>", and may identify a second SIB <NUM> at a second frequency corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>". Table <NUM> shows an example of SIB <NUM>.

It may be identified that the TAC of "75bd0a" exists in the first SIB <NUM>, and there is no TAC in the second SIB <NUM>. This may imply that a cell corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>" at least supports an SA mode, and a cell corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>" supports only EN-DC.

According to various embodiments, when there is a TAC corresponding to the at least one frequency (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of at least one first frequency for which a TAC exists, in operation <NUM>. When there is no TAC corresponding to the at least one frequency (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency for which a TAC does not exist, in operation <NUM>. In an embodiment of the SIB <NUM> in Table <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement at a frequency corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>", and may refrain from performing a measurement at a frequency corresponding to the ARFCN of "<NUM>".

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may perform a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying a condition in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may identify that the at least one first frequency satisfies a condition associated with SA, based on an SIB <NUM> of a first RAT, based on pre-stored information, and/or based on an SIB <NUM> of a second RAT. The electronic device <NUM> may identify that a result of the measurement satisfies a report condition (e.g., a B1 event), in operation <NUM>. Based on the satisfaction of the report condition, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report in operation <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may receive an RRC reconfiguration message relating to SCG adding from a network in operation <NUM>. For example, even in a case where a condition associated with SA is satisfied, the network may also transmit an RRC reconfiguration message to the electronic device <NUM> to perform SCG adding rather than a handover. In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from performing SCG adding, based on that the electronic device is in a DC restriction state. The electronic device <NUM> may transmit an SCG failure information message to the network in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit an SCG failure information message including a configuration of "synchReconfigFailureSCG" as an SCG failure cause, and there is no limit to the SCG failure cause. Although not illustrated, the electronic device <NUM> may manage a frequency corresponding to the SCG failure information message for a point that SA is disabled at the frequency, and may also be configured not to perform a measurement of the corresponding frequency later.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may receive a handover command from a network in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a handover procedure, based on the reception of the handover command. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may confirm a handover to an (R)AN (e.g., NG-RAN) corresponding to the second RAT, based on the reception of the handover command. The electronic device <NUM> may move from an (R)AN (e.g., E-UTRAN) corresponding to the first RAT (e.g., E-UTRA), and synchronize with a target (R)AN (e.g., NG-RAN). The (R)AN (e.g., NG-RAN) corresponding to the second RAT may notify a core network (e.g., an AMF) corresponding to the second RAT that the electronic device <NUM> has been handed over to the (R)AN (e.g., NG-RAN). The core network corresponding to the second RAT may notify the handover by transmitting a forward relocation complete notification message to a core network (e.g., an MME) corresponding to the first RAT. The electronic device <NUM> may also perform a procedure of registration from a system (e.g., an EPS) corresponding to the first RAT to a system (e.g., a 5GS) corresponding to the second RAT. The handover procedure may follow, for example, 3GPP TS <NUM> or 3GPP TS <NUM>, but is not limited. The electronic device <NUM> may perform communication based on the second RAT after registered in the system of the second RAT by an SA mode. Accordingly, in a DC restriction state, the electronic device <NUM> can perform an inter-RAT handover while preventing and/or alleviating DC.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to various embodiments. In an embodiment of <FIG>, a case where a first RAT is E-UTRA, and a second RAT is NR is considered. However, those skilled in the art may understand that the embodiment is applicable to even a case where the first RAT is NR, and the second RAT is E-UTRA.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an SIB <NUM> from an LTE cell, and store an NR neighbor cell frequency in operation <NUM>. For example, the SIB <NUM> may include an NR neighbor cell frequency supporting an SA mode. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may enter a DC restriction mode. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether an NR frequency identified based on the MO is determined to be NSA-enabled, based on a database (DB). Those skilled in the art may understand that whether SA is disabled can be determined alternatively and/or additionally to whether NSA is enabled. For example, whether SA is enabled, and/or whether NSA is enabled may be stored in the database for each frequency. If it is determined that the NR frequency identified based on the MO is NSA-enabled (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may restrict measurement in operation <NUM>. Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> may maintain a connection to the LTE cell (or a registration in an EPS (or an EPC) in operation <NUM>.

If it is determined that the NR frequency identified based on the MO is NSA-disabled (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the NR frequency identified based on the MO is included in the neighbor cell frequency included in the SIB <NUM>, in operation <NUM>. The NR frequency identified based on the MO, which is included in the neighbor cell frequency included in the SIB <NUM>, may imply that the NR frequency identified based on the MO supports an SA mode. In a case where the NR frequency identified based on the MO is included in the neighbor cell frequency included in the SIB <NUM> (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement at the corresponding frequency in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report, based on that a result of the measurement satisfies a report condition (e.g., a B1 event). In a case where the NR frequency identified based on the MO is not included in the neighbor cell frequency included in the SIB <NUM> (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may identify an SIB (e.g., an SIB <NUM>) at the NR frequency in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine whether a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell, based on the identified SIB (e.g., an SIB <NUM>) in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell, based on whether a TAC exists in the identified SIB <NUM>. If it is determined that a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement at the NR frequency in operation <NUM>. If it is not determined that a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may maintain the connection to the LTE cell in operation <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report in operation <NUM>, and then identify whether a handover command is received from a network, in operation <NUM>. As described above, in a case where an MR is performed based on satisfaction of a condition of a B1 event, the network may provide a handover command to the electronic device <NUM>, but the network may also provide an RRC reconfiguration message relating to SCG adding to the electronic device <NUM> in some cases. If a handover command is received (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a handover procedure in operation <NUM>. If a handover command is not received (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may also receive an RRC reconfiguration message relating to SCG adding in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, based on that the electronic device <NUM> is in a DC restriction state, the electronic device may refrain from performing SCG adding, and transmit SCG failure information to the network. There is no limit to the SCG failure cause of the SCG failure information. The electronic device <NUM> may store the corresponding NR frequency in the DB in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may store the corresponding NR frequency as an NSA-enabled frequency, and/or an SA-disabled frequency. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may maintain the connection to the LTE cell.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to various embodiments. In an embodiment of <FIG>, a case where a first RAT is E-UTRA, and a second RAT is NR is considered. However, those skilled in the art may understand that the embodiment is applicable to even a case where the first RAT is NR, and the second RAT is E-UTRA. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> receives an SIB <NUM> based on the first RAT, but the electronic device <NUM> may not receive an SIB <NUM> in the embodiment of <FIG>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may not receive an SIB <NUM> from an LTE cell in operation <NUM>. Operation <NUM> is simply given to describe that the electronic device <NUM> does not receive an SIB <NUM>, and the electronic device <NUM> may be configured not to perform a separate operation so as not to receive an SIB <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may enter a DC restriction mode. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether an NR frequency identified based on the MO is determined to be NSA-enabled, based on a database (DB). For example, whether SA is enabled, and/or whether NSA is enabled may be stored in the database for each frequency. If it is determined that the NR frequency identified based on the MO is NSA-enabled (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may restrict measurement in operation <NUM>. Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> may maintain a connection to the LTE cell (or a registration in an EPS (or an EPC) in operation <NUM>.

If it is determined that the NR frequency identified based on the MO is NSA-disabled (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may identify an SIB (e.g., an SIB <NUM>) at the NR frequency in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine whether a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell, based on the identified SIB (e.g., an SIB <NUM>) in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell, based on whether a TAC exists in the identified SIB <NUM>. If it is determined that a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is a SA mode-supportable cell (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement at the NR frequency in operation <NUM>. If it is determined that a cell corresponding to the NR frequency is not a SA mode-supportable cell (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may maintain the connection to the LTE cell in operation <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, based on that a report condition (e.g., a B1 event) is satisfied, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report in operation <NUM>, and then identify whether a handover command is received from a network, in operation <NUM>. As described above, in a case where an MR is performed based on satisfaction of a condition of a B1 event, the network may provide a handover command to the electronic device <NUM>, but the network may also provide an RRC reconfiguration message relating to SCG adding to the electronic device <NUM> in some cases. If a handover command is received (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a handover procedure in operation <NUM>. If a handover command is not received (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may also receive an RRC reconfiguration message relating to SCG adding in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, based on that the electronic device <NUM> is in a DC restriction state, the electronic device may refrain from performing SCG adding, and transmit SCG failure information to the network. There is no limit to the SCG failure cause of the SCG failure information. The electronic device <NUM> may store the corresponding NR frequency in the DB in operation <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may store the corresponding NR frequency as an NSA-enabled frequency, and/or an SA-disabled frequency. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may maintain the connection to the LTE cell.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> (e.g., at least one of the processor <NUM>, the first communication processor <NUM>, the second communication processor <NUM>, or the integrated communication processor <NUM>) may receive an RRC reconfiguration message including an MO, based on a first RAT, in operation <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify that DC is restricted. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify at least one frequency based on a second RAT, based on the MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement of the identified at least one frequency. For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> performs a measurement of a frequency satisfying a condition associated with an SA mode, and refrain from performing a measurement of a frequency not satisfying a condition associated with an SA mode. The electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment of <FIG> may be configured to perform a measurement of all frequencies identified based on the MO. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may perform a measurement report, based on that a report condition is satisfied.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may identify whether a handover command is received in response to the measurement report in operation <NUM>. If a handover command is received (operation <NUM>-Yes), the electronic device <NUM> may perform a handover procedure in operation <NUM>. If a handover command is not received (operation <NUM>-No), the electronic device <NUM> may receive, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message relating to SCG adding in operation <NUM>. Based on that the electronic device <NUM> is in a DC restriction state, the electronic device may refrain from performing SCG adding, and transmit an SCG failure information message to a network in operation <NUM>. Accordingly, in a DC restriction state, the electronic device <NUM> can perform an inter-RAT handover while refrain from performing SCG adding.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include at least one processor configured to support a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO) from a network, based on the first RAT, and based on dual connectivity (DC) of the first RAT and the second RAT being identified to be restricted, perform a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying a condition associated with a stand alone (SA) mode among at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, and refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency not satisfying the condition among the at least one frequency.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on a result of a measurement of at least partial frequency among the at least one first frequency satisfying a report condition, report the measurement result to the network, based on the first RAT.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on a command of a handover to a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, perform a procedure of a handover from a cell corresponding to the first RAT to a cell corresponding to the second RAT.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on another RRC reconfiguration message relating to second cell group (SCG) adding of a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, transmit an SCG failure information message to the network, based on the first RAT.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to: receive a system information block (SIB) <NUM> from the network, based on the first RAT, and the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on the at least one first frequency being included in the SIB <NUM>, identify that the at least one first frequency satisfies the condition associated with the SA mode, and/or based on the at least one second frequency not being included in the SIB <NUM>, identify that the at least one second frequency does not satisfy the condition associated with the SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may further include: a memory configured to store at least one of first information indicating whether the SA mode is supported with respect to each of multiple frequencies, second information indicating whether an NSA mode is supported with respect to each of the multiple frequencies, third information relating to a frequency supporting the SA mode, or fourth information relating to a frequency supporting the NSA mode, and the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on at least one of the first information, the second information, the third information, or the fourth information, identify that the first frequency satisfies the condition associated with the SA mode, and/or that the second frequency does not satisfy the condition associated with the SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to: identify, on at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, at least one SIB <NUM> corresponding to each of the at least one frequency, based on the second RAT, and the at least one processor may be further configured to: identify that the at least one first frequency including a tracking area code (TAC) among the at least one SIB <NUM> satisfies the condition associated with the SA mode, and/or that the at least one second frequency not including a TAC among the at least one SIB <NUM> does not satisfy the condition associated with the SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on a remaining power of a battery of the electronic device being equal to or less than threshold remaining power, and/or based on a temperature of the electronic device being equal to or greater than a threshold temperature, identify that the DC is restricted.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on a current data rate and/or a predicted data rate of the electronic device being equal to or less than a threshold data rate, identify that the DC is restricted.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may support multiple subscriber identification modules (SIMs) as a dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) mode, and the at least one processor may be further configured to, based on a first SIM associated with transmission or reception of a voice packet among the multiple SIMs supported by the electronic device being used, identify that the DC is restricted.

According to various embodiments, an operation method of an electronic device configured to support a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT may include receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO) from a network, based on the first RAT, and based on dual connectivity (DC) of the first RAT and the second RAT being identified to be restricted, performing a measurement of at least one first frequency satisfying a condition associated with a stand alone (SA) mode among at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, and refrain from performing a measurement of at least one second frequency not satisfying the condition among the at least one frequency.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on a result of a measurement of at least partial frequency among the at least one first frequency satisfying a report condition, reporting the measurement result to the network, based on the first RAT.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on a command of a handover to a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, performing a procedure of a handover from a cell corresponding to the first RAT to a cell corresponding to the second RAT.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on another RRC reconfiguration message relating to second cell group (SCG) adding of a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, transmitting an SCG failure information message to the network, based on the first RAT.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include: receiving a system information block (SIB) <NUM> from the network, based on the first RAT, and wherein the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on that the at least one first frequency is included in the SIB <NUM>, identifying that the at least one first frequency satisfies the condition associated with the SA mode, and/or based on the at least one second frequency not being included in the SIB <NUM>, identifying that the at least one second frequency does not satisfy the condition associated with the SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on at least one of first information indicating whether the SA mode is supported with respect to each of multiple frequencies, second information indicating whether an NSA mode is supported with respect to each of the multiple frequencies, third information relating to a frequency supporting the SA mode, or fourth information relating to a frequency supporting the NSA mode, identifying that the first frequency satisfies the condition associated with the SA mode, and/or that the second frequency does not satisfy the condition associated with the SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include identifying, on at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, at least one SIB <NUM> corresponding to each of the at least one frequency, based on the second RAT, and the operation method of the electronic device may further include identifying that the at least one first frequency including a tracking area code (TAC) among the at least one SIB <NUM> satisfies the condition associated with the SA mode, and/or that the at least one second frequency not including a TAC among the at least one SIB <NUM> does not satisfy the condition associated with the SA mode.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on a remaining power of a battery of the electronic device being equal to or less than threshold remaining power, and/or based on a temperature of the electronic device being equal to or greater than a threshold temperature, identifying that the DC is restricted.

According to various embodiments, the operation method of the electronic device may further include, based on a current data rate and/or a predicted data rate of the electronic device being equal to or less than a threshold data rate, identifying that the DC is restricted.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include at least one processor configured to support a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a measurement object (MO) from a network, based on the first RAT, and based on dual connectivity (DC) of the first RAT and the second RAT being identified to be restricted, perform a measurement of at least one frequency based on the second RAT, which is identified based on the MO, report, based on a result of a measurement of at least partial frequency among the at least one frequency satisfying a report condition, the measurement result to the network, based on the first RAT, perform, based on a command of a handover to a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, a procedure of a handover from a cell corresponding to the first RAT to a cell corresponding to the second RAT, and based on another RRC reconfiguration message relating to second cell group (SCG) adding of a cell corresponding to the second RAT being received from the network in response to the reporting, transmit an SCG failure information message to the network, based on the first RAT.

It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term "operatively" or "communicatively", as "coupled with," "coupled to," "connected with," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used in connection with various embodiments of the disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, or any combination thereof, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuitry".

For example, a processor (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the machine (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) may invoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it. Wherein, the "non-transitory" storage medium is a tangible device, and may not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

Claim 1:
An electronic device comprising:
at least one processor configured to support a first radio access technology, RAT, and a second RAT different from the first RAT; and
memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to:
receive (<NUM>) a radio resource control, RRC, reconfiguration message including a measurement object, MO, from the first RAT of a network, wherein the MO includes information on a frequency of the second RAT for which the electronic device is required to perform a measurement, and
identify (<NUM>) that dual connectivity, DC, of the first RAT and the second RAT is restricted based on operational conditions of the electronic device:
identify (<NUM>) at least one frequency of the second RAT, based on information on the frequency for which the electronic device is required to perform the measurement included in the MO, and identify that a first cell supports a standalone, SA, mode in at least one first frequency of the identified at least one frequency of the second RAT and that a second cell does not support the SA mode in at least one second frequency of the identified at least one frequency of the second RAT while the DC is restricted,
perform (<NUM>) a measurement of the at least one first frequency of the first cell and refrain (<NUM>) from a measurement of the at least one second frequency of the second cell.