CN117223248A

CN117223248A - Measurement gap enhancement

Info

Publication number: CN117223248A
Application number: CN202180097676.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 贺敬; 袁平; 杜蕾; L·达尔斯加德
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2021-04-30
Filing date: 2021-04-30
Publication date: 2023-12-12
Also published as: WO2022227039A1

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for reporting measurement gap capability. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at the first device, a first message from the second device to configure a set of bandwidth portions BWP; determining a measurement gap capability for measuring reference signals in each bandwidth portion of the set of BWP based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring reference signals from the second device; a second message including information related to the measurement gap capability is sent to the second device. In this way, the terminal device can report the BWP-based measurement gap capability. In this manner, for BWP that does not require measurement gap assistance to measure the reference signal, activation of the measurement gap may be avoided, thereby improving resource efficiency and reducing measurement configuration delay.

Description

Measurement gap enhancement

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications and, in particular, relate to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for measuring gap enhancement.

Background

In an NR communication system, a bandwidth portion (BWP) is configured for a terminal device (e.g., UE) for measuring a Reference Signal (RS) of a base station on a target frequency band. One of the configured BWP acts as an active BWP, while the remaining BWP is configured to remain inactive. Since the configured BWP varies according to the frequency range, one or more of the BWPs may not overlap with the frequency resources of the RS. In case that the active BWP does not overlap with the frequency resources of the RS, the UE may not be able to measure the RS without a measurement gap. Otherwise, the UE can perform gapless auxiliary measurements.

Currently, reporting of the UE's band-based measurement gap capability is supported by means of Information Elements (IEs), e.g. needledfgap (gap requirement). If the IE needleForgap indicates a need for a measurement gap, the base station may configure the measurement gap for the UE and the measurement gap will be applied to each BWP configured. In some cases, not all BWPs configured do not overlap with the frequency resources of the RS. When such BWP is switched to active, the terminal device will not use the measurement gap, although the base station is configured with the measurement gap. Thus, there is a need for an enhanced mechanism to report the BWP-based measurement gap capability of the UE.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for data transmission with a secure configuration.

In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device at least to: receiving a first message from a second device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts; and determining a measurement gap capability for measuring a reference signal in each of the set of bandwidth parts based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring the reference signal from the second device; and transmitting a second message to the second device, the second message including information related to measurement gap capability in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: transmitting a first message to the first device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts; and receiving a second message from the first device, the second message including information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device for measuring the reference signal in each of the set of bandwidth portions.

In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at a first device, a first message from a second device to configure a set of bandwidth parts; determining a measurement gap capability for measuring a reference signal in each of a set of bandwidth parts based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring the reference signal from the second device; and transmitting a second message to the second device, the second message including information related to measurement gap capabilities in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises the following steps: transmitting, at the second device, a first message to the first device for configuring the set of bandwidth parts; and receiving a second message from the first device, the second message including information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device for measuring the reference signal in each of the set of bandwidth portions.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a first device comprising: means for receiving a first message from a second device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts; means for determining a measurement gap capability for measuring a reference signal in each of a set of bandwidth parts based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring the reference signal from the second device; and means for sending a second message to the second device, the second message comprising information related to measurement gap capabilities in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a second device comprising: means for sending a first message to the first device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts; and means for receiving a second message from the first device, the second message comprising information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device for measuring the reference signal in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the fourth aspect.

Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the specific embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the embodiments of the disclosure.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure are presented by way of example and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 2 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a process of reporting measurement gap capability according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 3A illustrates an example configuration of a bandwidth part (BWP) set according to some example embodiments of the disclosure;

Fig. 3B illustrates another example configuration of a set of BWP according to some example embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of reporting measurement gap capability, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of reporting measurement gap capability, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an example embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first" and "second," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish between the functionality of the various elements. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having …," "includes" and/or "including …," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) Pure hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry only) and

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

(i) Combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) and software/firmware, and

(ii) Any portion of the hardware processor(s) work together with software (including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(s) to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), and

(c) Software (e.g., firmware) is required to run the hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s), such as the microprocessor(s) or a portion of the microprocessor(s), but may not be present when it is not required for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including all uses in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term "circuitry" also encompasses hardware-only circuitry or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or processor and its (or their) implementation in conjunction with software and/or firmware. For example and where applicable to the elements of the specific claims, the term circuitry also encompasses a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth generation (5G) system, long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), high Speed Packet Access (HSPA), narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), and so forth. Furthermore, communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocols and/or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communications, there will of course also be future types of communication technologies and systems that may embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered as limited to only the foregoing systems.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a Base Station (BS) or an Access Point (AP), such as a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR next generation node B (gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a relay, a low power node (such as a femto, pico, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. The network device is allowed to be defined as part of the gNB, such as for example in a CU/DU split, in which case the network device is defined as a gNB-CU or gNB-DU.

The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example, and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user Equipment (UE), subscriber Station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile Station (MS), or Access Terminal (AT). The terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), internet of things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head Mounted Displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., tele-surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or automated processing chain environment), consumer electronic devices, devices operating in a commercial and/or industrial wireless network, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) portion of an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node (also referred to as a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

While the functionality described herein may be performed in fixed and/or wireless network nodes in various example embodiments, in other example embodiments, the functionality may be implemented in a user equipment device (such as a cellular phone or tablet or laptop or desktop or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). The user equipment device may, for example, be suitably equipped with corresponding capabilities as described in connection with the fixed and/or wireless network node(s). The user equipment device may be a user equipment and/or a control device, such as a chipset or a processor, configured to control the user equipment when installed in the user equipment. Examples of these functionalities include a bootstrapping server function and/or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented in a user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to execute from the perspective of these functions/nodes.

In conventional network systems, reporting of band-based measurement gap capabilities (e.g., needledfrogap capability IEs) of terminal devices is supported. In general, there are two ways to report the needledfugap capability, namely, a static reporting mechanism and a dynamic reporting mechanism.

For example, in an NR system, needForGapsInfoNR IE can be used to instruct a terminal device whether measurement gaps are needed to perform measurements on an NR target frequency band. The needledfgap capability concept may also be used in dual connectivity scenarios, such as NR-dual connectivity (NR-DC) or NR eNB-dual connectivity (NE-DC) scenarios.

In some cases, not all BWP's of the configuration included in the frequency band need to measure the gap. For example, the set of configured BWP may include a first BWP and a second BWP. The first BWP is an active BWP that does not overlap with the frequency resources of the RS, and the second BWP overlaps with the frequency resources of the RS. In this example, the UE may report the need for measurement gaps for the frequency bands. However, when the second BWP is switched to the active BWP, a gap-free co-channel measurement may be achieved in the second BWP, and in this case the measurement gap may be unnecessarily activated.

To address the above and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution to report BWP-based measurement gap capabilities in each BWP configured. The UE can report the BWP-based measurement gap capability through flexible and efficient signaling. In this way, for BWP measurement RS without measurement gap assistance, activation of measurement gaps can be avoided. Thereby improving network resource efficiency and reducing measurement configuration delay.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example communication network 200 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in fig. 1, the communication network 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120.

The first device 110 (hereinafter may also be referred to as terminal device 110 or UE 110) is located within the cell 202 of the second device 120 and may communicate with the second device 120. The second device 120 (hereinafter may also be referred to as network device 120 or gNB 120) may be a first network device serving the first device 110, and in this case, the cell 202 is a serving cell of the first device 110. Alternatively, the second device 120 may be a second network device providing neighboring cells for the first device 110.

The second device 120 may configure a set of BWP for the first device 110 for measuring the RS in each BWP. For example, the second device 120 may transmit a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message for configuring the set of BWP. For another example, the second device 120 may transmit an RRC indicating an update to the set of BWP configured by the second device 120. The updating may include at least one of: frequency resources of one or more BWP or RS in the set of BWP are added, removed or changed.

In the context of the present disclosure, an RS may include, but is not limited to, a Channel State Information (CSI) RS, a synchronization signal, and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) or any other RS currently known or to be developed in the future.

In the communication network 100, if the active BWP overlaps with a frequency resource of the RS (e.g., a target carrier of an inter-frequency measurement object), the first device 110 may support measurement of the RS without the need for a measurement gap. However, if the active BWP overlaps with the frequency resources of the RS, the first device 110 will not be able to measure the RS without the help of the measurement gap.

In the above case, the first device 110 may report the band-based measurement gap capability to the second device 120 to indicate whether the band including the set of BWP needs a measurement gap. For example, if any one of the configured BWPs does not cover the frequency resources of the RS, the first device 110 may determine that the frequency band requires a measurement gap. The first device 110 may send an RRC message including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band to the second device 120, and the measurement gap information indicates a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band. For example, the measurement gap information may be a needledfgap field with a value of "gap" indicating that the band requires measurement gaps and a value of "nogap" indicating that no measurement gaps are required.

Upon receiving the RRC message reporting an intra freq-needledfgap of "gap," the second device 120 may configure the measurement gap to the first device. In this case, a measurement gap may be applied to each configured BWP. Otherwise, if the RRC message reports an interfreq-needledfgap value of "gapless," the second device 120 may not configure the active measurement gap to the first device 110. In this case, the first device 110 will perform a gapless auxiliary measurement for the configured measurement object.

The second device 120 may pre-configure the measurement gap to the first device 110, which allows for fast measurement gap adaptation based on immediate needs. In some cases, not all BWP included in the frequency band need to measure the gap. For example, the set of configured BWP may include a first BWP and a second BWP. The first BWP is an active BWP that does not overlap with the frequency resources of the RS, and the second BWP overlaps with the frequency resources of the RS. In this example, the first device 110 may report the need for measurement gaps for the frequency band. However, when the second BWP is switched to the active BWP, a gap-free co-channel measurement may be achieved in the second BWP, and in this case the measurement gap may be unnecessarily activated.

To improve the configuration of the measurement gaps, the first device 110 may also report BWP-based measurement gap capabilities in each BWP of the set of BWP. The BWP based measurement gap capability may be transmitted in an RRC message. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit information related to BWP-based measurement gap capabilities, the information indicating a need for measurement gaps for at least one BWP of the set of BWP.

In some other example embodiments, upon determining a difference in the requirement of measurement gaps between the frequency band and the set of BWP, the first device 110 may send an indicator to indicate the difference. The first device 110 may then transmit information related to the BWP-based measurement gap capability to the second device 120. For example, the first device 110 may transmit information related to BWP-based measurement gap capability when the network is not busy or sufficient network resources are available to transmit the information. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

It should be understood that the number of terminal devices and network devices is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

For ease of discussion only, the first device 110 is illustrated as a UE and the second device 120 is illustrated as a base station. It should be understood that the UE and the base station are merely example implementations of the first device 110 and the second device 120, respectively, and do not set any limit to the scope of the present application. Any other suitable implementation is also possible.

Depending on the communication technology, network 100 may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, or any other network. The communications discussed in network 100 may conform to any suitable standard including, but not limited to, new radio access (NR), long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE evolution, LTE-advanced (LTE-a), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA2000, global system for mobile communications (GSM), and so forth. Further, the communication may be performed according to any generation communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above and other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of the technology are described below for LTE, and LTE terminology is used in much of the description below.

The principles and implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a process 200 of reporting measurement gap capability according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Process 200 may involve first device 110 and second device 120 as shown in fig. 1.

In process 200, second device 120 sends 205 a first message to first device 110 for configuring a set of BWP. In some example embodiments, the first message may be an RRC message including a configuration for a set of BWP. The configuration for the set of BWP may include, for example, a service frequency of each BWP in the set of BWP.

Fig. 3A illustrates an example configuration 301 of a set of BWP according to some example embodiments of the disclosure. In configuration 301, second device 120 configures first device 110 for measuring first BWP 311, second BWP 312, third BWP 313 and fourth BWP 314 of RS 320. Further, the frequency band 310 includes first to fourth BWPs 311 to 314. As can be seen from fig. 3A, the second BWP 312, the third BWP 313 and the fourth BWP 314 cover the reference resources of the RS 320 in the frequency domain, while the first BWP 311 does not cover the reference resources.

In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may configure the first device 110 with the set of BWP in advance and then send a first message, e.g., a first RRC message indicating an update to the configuration of the set of BWP. For example, the updating of the configuration of the set of BWP may include at least one of: one or more BWP in the set of BWP is added, removed or changed or frequency resources for measuring the RS.

Fig. 3B illustrates another example configuration 302 of a set of BWP according to some example embodiments of the disclosure. In configuration 302, second device 120 may first configure first BWP 321 and second BWP 322 to first device 110. As shown in fig. 3B, both the first BWP 321 and the second BWP 322 cover frequency resources of the RS 320. The second device 120 may also send a first message indicating an update to the configuration of the set of BWP. For example, the first message may add the third BWP 323 and the fourth BWP 324 to a set of BWP, wherein the third BWP 323 covers frequency resources of the RS 320 and the fourth BWP 324 does not cover frequency resources of the RS 320. As such, the first device 110 is configured with the first to fourth BWPs 321 to 324.

Based on the configurations 301 and 302, the first device 110 may determine that the frequency band 310 requires a measurement gap if none of the configured BWPs covers the frequency resources of the RS 320. The first device 110 may send 215 an RRC message to the second device 120 including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band 310, and the measurement gap information indicates a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band 310. In this case, a measurement gap may be applied to each configured BWP.

The first device 110 determines 210 a measurement gap capability for measuring an RS (RS) from the second device 120 in each of a set of BWP based on the first message and the frequency resources for measuring the RS.

In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send an indication to report the measurement gap capability. Upon receiving the indication, the first device 110 may determine BWP-based measurement gap capabilities for each BWP in the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive an indication to report the measurement gap capability from a System Information Block (SIB) transmitted by the second device 120 and then determine the measurement gap capability, as indicated in 210.

An explicit indication from the second device 120 may not be necessary for measurement gap capabilities of the report sent to the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the configuration of the set for BWP is changed after receiving the first message. The BWP measurement gap capability of the first device 110 may also be changed if the configuration is changed. In this case, the first device 110 may determine a measurement gap capability in each BWP in the set of BWP. For example, BWPs 312 to 314 in configuration 301 and BWPs 321 to 323 in configuration 302 contain frequency resources of RS 320, and therefore measurement gaps are not required in these BWPs to measure RS 320.

Stage 201, which includes steps 220 through 245, illustrates an example process for reporting measurement gap capability. In stage 201, the second message may be a fourth RRC message.

In particular, the first device 110 may determine a measurement gap required to measure the RS in at least one BWP in the set of BWP, but not all BWP, based on the frequency resources used to measure the RS 320. In this case, there is a difference in the requirement of measurement gaps between the frequency band 310 and the set of BWP. The first device 110 may send 220 a second RRC message to the second device 120 including an indicator for indicating the difference, which may be a 1-bit indicator, for example. In this way, significant changes in the asn.1 for reporting measurement gap capability can be avoided.

Additionally, in some example embodiments, the second device 120 may need the first device 110 to send information related to the measurement gap capability to the second device 120 when an indicator to indicate the difference is received from the first device 110.

The second device 120 sends 325 a third RRC message to the first device 110, which may indicate a measurement gap pattern comprising a measurement gap configuration for the set of BWP. In this way, the second device 120 may preconfigure the measurement gap pattern to the first device 110.

Upon receiving the third RRC message, the first device 110 may determine that the measurement gap pattern includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one additional BWP in the set that does not require a measurement gap. The first device 110 sends 230 a fourth RRC message to the second device 120, the fourth RRC message comprising information related to measurement gap capabilities, the information indicating at least a need for measurement gaps for at least one BWP.

Since the at least one further BWP does not require a measurement gap, the first device 110 discards 235 the at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one further BWP. Upon receiving the fourth RRC message, the second device 120 discards 240 the at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one additional BWP.

Stage 202, which includes steps 245 through 255, illustrates another example process for reporting measurement gap capability. In stage 202, the second message may be a fifth RRC message.

First device 110 may determine a measurement gap required to measure the RS in at least one, but not all, of the set of bwtps based on the frequency resources used to measure RS 320. In this case, the first device 320 transmits 245 a fifth RRC message including information related to measurement gap capability, the information indicating at least a requirement for measurement gaps for at least one BWP.

Upon receiving the fifth RRC message, the second device 120 determines 250 a target measurement gap pattern based on information related to measurement gap capabilities, the target measurement gap pattern comprising a measurement gap configuration for at least one BWP.

The second device 120 sends 255 a sixth RRC message indicating the target measurement gap pattern to the first device 110.

In some example embodiments, the second RRC message in stage 201 and the fifth RRC message in stage 202 may each further include measurement gap information associated with frequency band 310. In this case, the BWP-based measurement gap capability may be transmitted together with the band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110.

In some example embodiments, the BWP-based measurement gap capability may be transmitted separately from the band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110.

In some example embodiments, the information related to the measurement gap capability may also indicate that measurement gaps are not needed for measuring RSs in at least one additional BWP in the set.

In some example embodiments, the RS includes channel state information RS (CSI-RS) or one of a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB).

In the above-described example embodiments, the RRC message may include, but is not limited to, an RRC reconfiguration message, an RRC reconfiguration complete message, an RRC setup message, an RRC resume request message, an RRC reestablishment message, and the like. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a mechanism for reporting measurement gap capability is provided. By this mechanism, the terminal device can report the BWP-based measurement gap capability. As a result, the measurement gap pattern can be configured in a fast and efficient manner. Further, for BWP measurement of RS without measurement gap assistance, activation of measurement gaps can be avoided, thereby improving resource efficiency and reducing measurement configuration delay.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 of reporting measurement gap capability, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented at a terminal device, for example, the first device 110 described with reference to fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 410, the first device 110 receives a first message from the second device 120 to configure a set of BWP. Upon receiving the first message, the first device 110 may determine a configuration of the BWP.

In some example embodiments, the first message may be an RRC message including a configuration for a set of BWP. In some other example embodiments, the first message may include a first RRC message indicating an update to a configuration of the set of BWP. For example, the updating of the configuration of the set of BWP may include at least one of: one or more BWP in the set of BWP is added, removed or changed or frequency resources for measuring the RS.

At 420, the first device 110 determines a measurement gap capability for measuring the RS from the second device 120 in each of the set of BWP based on the first message and the frequency resources for measuring the RS. The first device 110 may determine the measurement gap capability based on receiving an indication from the second device 120, receiving an indication from a SIB from the second device 120, or determining a change in configuration for the set of BWP based on the first message.

For example, the first device 120 may determine the measurement gap capability in response to an indication from the second device 120. As another example, the first device 110 may determine the measurement gap capability without any explicit indication from the second device 120 upon determining that the configuration of the set for BWP changes relative to the first message.

At 430, the first device 110 sends a second message to the second device 120, the second message including information related to measurement gap capabilities in each of the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band may include a set of BWP and the frequency band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110 may be different from the BWP-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110. In these embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that measuring the RS in at least one, but not all, of the set of BWP's requires a measurement gap based on the frequency resources used for measuring the RS. The first device 110 may then send a second RRC message to the second device, the second RRC message including an indicator indicating a difference in the requirements of the measurement gap between the frequency band and the set of BWP.

In the above embodiment, the second message may be a fourth RRC message, and the first device 110 may receive a third RRC message indicating a measurement gap pattern including a measurement gap configuration for the set of BWPs from the second device 120. The first device 110 may determine that the measurement gap pattern includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one additional BWP in the set that does not require a measurement gap. In this case, the first device 110 may transmit a fourth RRC message including information related to measurement gap capability, which indicates at least a requirement for the measurement gap for the at least one BWP, to the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may also discard at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one additional BWP.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band may include a set of BWP, the second message may be a fifth RRC message, and the first device 110 may determine a measurement gap required to measure the RS in at least one BWP, but not all BWP, of the set of BWP based on frequency resources for measuring the RSS. The first device 110 may transmit a fifth RRC message including information related to measurement gap capability, the information indicating at least a requirement for measurement gaps for the at least one BWP.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a sixth RRC message indicating a target measurement gap pattern from the second device 120, the target measurement gap pattern including at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one BWP. In this case, since the second device 120 knows the BWP-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110 from the information related to the measurement gap capability, the target measurement gap pattern configured by the second device 110 may be adapted to the BWP-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110.

In some example embodiments, the BWP-based measurement gap capability may be transmitted along with the band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110. In these embodiments, the second RRC message and the fifth RRC message may each further include measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

In some example embodiments, the BWP-based measurement gap capability and the band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110 may be transmitted separately. In these embodiments, the first device may send a further RRC message to the second device 120 including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, and the measurement gap information indicates a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

In some example embodiments, the information related to the measurement gap capability may also indicate that measurement gaps are not needed for measuring RSs in at least one additional BWP in the set. As such, the first device 110 may consider network congestion conditions and network resources and send information related to measurement gap capability to the second device 120 when the network is not busy and/or sufficient network resources are available to send data.

In some example embodiments, the RS may include CSI-RS, SSB, or any other RS currently known or to be developed in the future.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be a terminal device and the second device 120 may be a first network device providing a serving cell for the first device 110, or alternatively, the second device 120 may be a second network device providing a neighboring cell for the first device 110.

According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, BWP-based measurement gap capabilities of terminal devices may be reported. This reporting mechanism supports fast (pre-) configuration of the measurement gap pattern. Both the network device and the terminal device know whether or not a gap-assisted measurement is required and thus may activate or deactivate the configured measurement gap pattern related to BWP based on the received band-based measurement gap capability and BWP-based measurement gap capability, thereby reducing unnecessary measurement configuration delays.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 of reporting measurement gap capability, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented at a network device, for example, the second device 120 described with reference to fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 510, the second device 120 sends a first message to the first device 110 for configuring a set of BWP. The first message may be an RRC message including a configuration for a set of BWP. The RRC message may include, but is not limited to, an RRC reconfiguration message, an RRC setup message, an RRC resume message, an RRC reestablishment message, and the like. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

In some example embodiments, the first message may include a first RRC message indicating an update to a configuration of the set of BWP. For example, the updating of the configuration of the set of BWP may include at least one of: one or more BWP in the set of BWP is added, removed or changed or frequency resources for measuring the RS.

At 520, the second device 120 receives a second message from the first device 110, the second message including information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device 110 for measuring RSs in each of the set of BWPs. The RS may be a CSI-RS or SSB transmitted from the second device 120.

In some example embodiments, information related to measuring gap capability may be determined at the first device 110 based on one of the following: a transmission of an indication from the second device 120, a transmission of an indication from the SIB from the second device, or a change in configuration of the set of BWP determined based on the first message.

For example, the first device 120 may report information related to a measurement gap capability for measuring RSs in each of the set of BWPs in response to an indication from the second device 120. As another example, upon determining that the configuration for the set of BWP changes, the first device 110 may send a second message including information related to measurement gap capabilities for measuring RSs in each of the set of BWP without any explicit indication from the second device 120.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band may include a set of BWP and the second device 120 may receive a second RRC message from the first device 110, the second RRC message including an indicator indicating a difference in a requirement of a measurement gap between the frequency band and the set of bandwidth parts. For example, the indicator may be a 1-bit indicator, where a value of 1 indicates that the BWP-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110 is different from the frequency band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110, and a value of 0 indicates that the BWP-based measurement gap capability is the same as the frequency band-based measurement gap capability. Alternatively, the 1-bit indicator may be set to a value of 0, indicating that the BWP-based measurement gap capability is different from the frequency band-based measurement gap capability, and to a value of 1, indicating that the BWP-based measurement gap capability is the same as the frequency band-based measurement gap capability.

In some example embodiments, the second message may include a fourth RRC message, and the second device 120 may send a third RRC message to the first device 110 indicating a measurement gap pattern including a measurement gap configuration for the set of BWPs. In these embodiments, the measurement gap pattern is preconfigured to the first device 110 in the absence of information related to the measurement gap capability of the first device 110 for measuring reference signals in each BWP in the set of BWP.

In the above-described embodiments, the second device 120 may receive a fourth RRC message from the first device 110, the fourth RRC message may include information related to measurement gap capability, the information indicating at least a requirement of measurement gaps for at least one of the set of bandwidth portions. According to the fourth RRC message, the second device 120 may determine that the measurement gap pattern preconfigured to the first device 110 includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one further BWP in the set that does not require a measurement gap. In this case, the second device 120 may discard at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one further BWP. In this way, for BWP measurement RS without measurement gap assistance, activation of measurement gaps can be avoided.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band may include a set of BWP and the second message may be a fifth RRC message. In these embodiments, the second device 120 may receive a fifth RRC message from the first device 110, and the fifth RRC message may include information related to measurement gap capabilities that indicates at least a need for measurement gaps for at least one BWP of the set of BWPs.

In the above-described embodiment, the second device 120 may further determine a target measurement gap pattern including a measurement gap configuration for at least one bandwidth portion, and transmit a sixth RRC message indicating the target measurement gap pattern to the first device 110. In this case, the target measurement gap pattern may be determined based on the BWP-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110. As a result, unnecessary configuration and activation of measurement gaps can be avoided, which improves resource efficiency and reduces measurement configuration delays.

In some example embodiments, the BWP-based measurement gap capability may be received along with the band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110. In these embodiments, the second RRC message and the fifth RRC message as discussed above may also include measurement gap information respectively associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

In some example embodiments, the BWP-based measurement gap capability and the band-based measurement gap capability of the first device 110 may be received separately. In these embodiments, the second device 120 may receive a further RRC message from the first device 110 that includes measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, and the measurement gap information indicates a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

According to an example embodiment, a mechanism for reporting measurement gap capability is provided. By this mechanism, the network device is aware of the band-based and BWP-based measurement gap capabilities of the terminal device, and thus the measurement gap pattern can be (pre) configured to the terminal device quickly and unnecessary measurement gaps can be avoided from being activated. Furthermore, BWP based measurement gap capabilities can be reported with simple and efficient signaling, which avoids a significant increase in UE capability size in the uplink.

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing method 400 may include means for performing the various steps of method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules. The first device may be implemented as the first device 110 or included in the first device 110. In some embodiments, the component may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the first apparatus.

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus includes: means for receiving a first message from a second device for configuring a set of BWP; means for determining a measurement gap capability for measuring reference signals in each BWP in the set of BWP based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring reference signals from the second device; and means for sending a second message to the second device, the second message comprising information related to measurement gap capabilities in each BWP of the set of BWPs.

In some example embodiments, the first message comprises an RRC message including a configuration for a set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the first message comprises a first radio resource control, RRC, message indicating an update to a configuration of a set for the bandwidth portion configured by the second device, the update comprising at least one of: one or more bandwidth parts of the set of bandwidth parts or frequency resources for measuring the reference signal are added, removed or changed.

In some example embodiments, the measurement gap capability is determined based on one of: the method may further include receiving an indication from the second device, receiving an indication from the system information block, or determining a change to a configuration for the set of BWP based on the first message.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band comprises a set of BWP, and the first apparatus further comprises: means for determining a measurement gap required for measuring reference signals in at least one BWP but not all BWP in the set of BWP based on frequency resources for measuring reference signals; means for transmitting a second RRC message to the second device, the second RRC message including an indicator indicating a difference in a requirement of measurement gaps between the frequency band and the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the second message comprises a fourth RRC message, and the means for transmitting the second message comprises: means for receiving a third RRC message indicating a measurement gap pattern from the second device, the measurement gap pattern comprising a measurement gap configuration for a set of BWP; a component for: in accordance with a determination that the measurement gap pattern includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one additional bandwidth portion of the set for which measurement gaps are not required, means for transmitting a fourth RRC message to the second device including information related to measurement gap capabilities, the information indicating at least a need for measurement gaps for the at least one bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: the apparatus further comprises means for discarding at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one further bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band comprises a set of BWP, the second message comprises a fifth RRC message, and the means for transmitting the second message comprises: means for determining a measurement gap required for measuring reference signals in at least one BWP but not all BWP in the set of BWP based on frequency resources for measuring reference signals; and means for transmitting a fifth RRC message, the fifth RRC message including information related to measurement gap capability, the information indicating at least a requirement for measurement gaps for the at least one bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a sixth RRC message from the second device indicating a target measurement gap pattern, the target measurement gap pattern including at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the second RRC message and the fifth RRC message each further include measurement gap information associated with a frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting to the second device a further RRC message including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a requirement of a measurement gap for the frequency band.

In some example embodiments, the information related to the measurement gap capability further indicates that measurement of the reference signal in at least one additional portion of bandwidth in the set does not require a measurement gap.

In some example embodiments, the reference signal includes one of a CSI-RS or SSB.

In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises one of: a first network device providing a serving cell for the first device or a second network device providing a neighboring cell for the first device.

In some example embodiments, a second apparatus (e.g., second device 120) capable of performing method 500 may include means for performing the various steps of method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules. In some embodiments, the component may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the second apparatus. The second apparatus may be implemented as the second device 120 or included in the second device 120.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus includes: means for sending a first message to the first device for configuring a set of BWP; means for receiving a second message from the first device, the second message comprising information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device for measuring reference signals in each of the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the first message comprises a first radio resource control, RRC, message indicating an update to a configuration of a set for the bandwidth portion configured by the second device, the update comprising at least one of: one or more bandwidth parts of the set of bandwidth parts are added, removed or changed or frequency resources for measuring the reference signal.

In some example embodiments, the information related to measuring gap capability is determined based on one of: the transmission of the indication from the second device, the transmission of the indication from the system information block, or the change to the configuration of the set for BWP determined based on the first message.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band comprises a set of BWP, and the second device further comprises: means for receiving a second RRC message from the first device, the second RRC message including an indicator indicating a difference in a requirement of measurement gaps between the frequency band and the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the second message comprises a fourth RRC message, and the means for receiving the second message comprises: means for transmitting a third RRC message indicating a measurement gap pattern to the first device, the third RRC message including a measurement gap configuration for a set of BWP s; and means for receiving a fourth RRC message including information related to measurement gap capability from the first device, the information indicating at least a requirement of measurement gaps for at least one BWP of the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for: in accordance with a determination that the measurement gap pattern includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one additional bandwidth portion of the set for which no measurement gap is required, the at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one additional bandwidth portion is discarded.

In some example embodiments, the frequency band comprises a set of BWP, the second message comprises a fifth RRC message, and the means for receiving the second message comprises: means for receiving a fifth RRC message from the first device, the fifth RRC message including information related to measurement gap capabilities, the information indicating at least a requirement of measurement gaps for at least one of the set of BWP.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for determining a target measurement gap pattern comprising a measurement gap configuration for at least one bandwidth portion; and means for sending a sixth RRC message to the first device indicating the target measurement gap pattern.

In some example embodiments, the second RRC message and the fifth RRC message each further include measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, and the measurement gap information indicates a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first device, a further RRC message including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for measurement gaps for the frequency band.

Fig. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as the first device 110 or the second device 120 shown in fig. 1. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processors 610, and one or more transmitters and receivers (TX/RX) 610 coupled to processors 610.

TX/RX 610 is used for two-way communication. TX/RX 610 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized to the master processor.

Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact Disks (CDs), digital Video Disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and/or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memory that does not last for the duration of the power outage.

The computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. Program 630 may be stored in ROM 620. Processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of program 630 such that device 600 may perform any of the processes of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to fig. 2 and 4-5. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in device 600 (such as in memory 620) or other storage device accessible to device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from a computer readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 7 shows an example of a computer readable medium 700 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has a program 630 stored thereon.

In general, the various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods 400 and 500 as described above with reference to fig. 4-5. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable an apparatus, device or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Moreover, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some scenarios, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while the above discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

At least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to:

receiving a first message from a second device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts;

determining, based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring reference signals from the second device, a measurement gap capability for measuring the reference signals in each of the set of bandwidth parts; and

a second message is sent to the second device, the second message including information related to the measurement gap capability in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a radio resource control, RRC, message comprising a configuration for the set of bandwidth portions.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a first radio resource control, RRC, message indicating an update to a configuration of the set for the bandwidth portion configured by the second device, the update comprising at least one of: one or more of the set of bandwidth parts is added, removed or changed or the frequency resources used for measuring the reference signal.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the measurement gap capability is determined based on one of:

receiving an indication from the second device,

reception of an indication from a system information block from the second device, or

A determination of a change in configuration for the set of bandwidth portions based on the first message.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein a frequency band comprises the set of the bandwidth portions, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

determining a measurement gap required to measure the reference signal in at least one but not all of the set of bandwidth parts based on the frequency resources used to measure the reference signal; and

a second RRC message is sent to the second device, the second RRC message including an indicator indicating a difference in the requirement of the measurement gap between the frequency band and the set of bandwidth portions.

6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the second message comprises a fourth RRC message, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to send the second message by:

Receiving a third RRC message from the second device indicating a measurement gap pattern, the measurement gap pattern comprising a measurement gap configuration for the set of the bandwidth portions; and

in accordance with a determination that the measurement gap pattern includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one additional bandwidth portion of the set for which the measurement gap is not required, the fourth RRC message including the information related to the measurement gap capability is sent to the second device, the information indicating at least a requirement for the measurement gap for the at least one bandwidth portion.

7. The first device of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

discarding the at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one further bandwidth portion.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein a frequency band comprises the set of the bandwidth portions, the second message comprises a fifth RRC message, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to send the second message by:

transmitting the fifth RRC message, the fifth RRC message including the information related to the measurement gap capability, the information indicating at least a requirement for the measurement gap for the at least one bandwidth portion.

9. The first device of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

a sixth RRC message is received from the second device indicating a target measurement gap pattern, the target measurement gap pattern including at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one bandwidth portion.

10. The first device of claim 5 or 8, wherein the second RRC message and the fifth RRC message each further include measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for the measurement gap for the frequency band.

11. The first device of claim 5 or 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

a further RRC message including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band is sent to the second device, the measurement gap information indicating a need for the measurement gap for the frequency band.

12. The first device of claim 6 or 8, wherein the information related to the measurement gap capability further indicates: in at least one further bandwidth portion of the set, the measurement gap is not required for the measurement of the reference signal.

13. The first device of claim 1, wherein the reference signal comprises one of: channel state information reference signals CSI-RS, or synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks SSB.

14. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises one of: a first network device providing a serving cell for the first device or a second network device providing a neighbor cell for the first device.

15. A second device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to:

transmitting a first message to the first device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts; and

a second message is received from the first device, the second message including information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device for measuring reference signals in each of the set of bandwidth portions.

16. The second device of claim 15, wherein the first message comprises a radio resource control, RRC, message comprising a configuration for the set of bandwidth parts.

17. The second device of claim 16, wherein the first message comprises a first radio resource control, RRC, message indicating an update to a configuration of the set for the bandwidth portion configured by the second device, the update comprising at least one of: one or more of the set of bandwidth parts is added, removed or changed or the frequency resources used for measuring the reference signal.

18. The second device of claim 15, wherein the information related to measurement gap capability is determined based on one of:

the transmission of an indication from the second device,

transmission of an indication from a system information block, or

A change to a configuration for the set of bandwidth parts determined based on the first message.

19. The second device of claim 15, wherein a frequency band comprises the set of the bandwidth portions, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the second device to:

a second RRC message is received from the first device, the second RRC message including an indicator indicating a difference in a requirement of the measurement gap between the frequency band and the set of bandwidth portions.

20. The second device of claim 19, wherein the second message comprises a fourth RRC message, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to receive the second message by:

Transmitting, to the first device, a third RRC message indicating a measurement gap pattern, the measurement gap pattern including a measurement gap configuration for the set of the bandwidth portions; and

the fourth RRC message including the information related to the measurement gap capability is received from the first device, the information indicating at least a need for the measurement gap for at least one of the set of bandwidth parts.

21. The second device of claim 20, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the second device to:

in accordance with a determination that the measurement gap pattern includes at least one measurement gap configuration for at least one additional bandwidth portion of the set that does not require the measurement gap, the at least one measurement gap configuration for the at least one additional bandwidth portion is discarded.

22. The second device of claim 15, wherein a frequency band comprises the set of the bandwidth portions, the second message comprises a fifth RRC message, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive the second message by:

The method further includes receiving, from the first device, the fifth RRC message including the information related to the measurement gap capability, the information indicating at least a requirement for the measurement gap for at least one of the set of bandwidth portions.

23. The second device of claim 22, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the second device to:

determining a target measurement gap pattern, the target measurement gap pattern comprising a measurement gap configuration for the at least one bandwidth portion; and

a sixth RRC message indicating the target measurement gap pattern is sent to the first device.

24. The second apparatus of claim 19 or 22, wherein the second RRC message and the fifth RRC message each further include measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for the measurement gap for the frequency band.

25. The second device of claim 19 or 22, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

A further RRC message is received from the first device including measurement gap information associated with the frequency band, the measurement gap information indicating a need for the measurement gap for the frequency band.

26. The second device of claim 20 or 22, wherein the information related to the measurement gap capability further indicates: in at least one further bandwidth portion of the set, the measurement gap is not required for the measurement of the reference signal.

27. The first device of claim 15, wherein the reference signal comprises one of: channel state information reference signals CSI-RS, or synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks SSB.

28. The second device of claim 15, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises one of: a first network device providing a serving cell for the first device or a second network device providing a neighbor cell for the first device.

29. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first device, a first message from a second device to configure a set of bandwidth parts;

30. A method, comprising:

transmitting, at the second device, a first message to the first device for configuring the set of bandwidth parts; and

31. A first apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a first message from a second device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts;

means for determining a measurement gap capability for measuring a reference signal in each of the set of bandwidth portions based on the first message and frequency resources for measuring the reference signal from the second device; and

means for sending a second message to the second device, the second message comprising information related to the measurement gap capability in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

32. A second apparatus, comprising:

means for sending a first message to the first device for configuring a set of bandwidth parts; and

means for receiving a second message from the first device, the second message comprising information related to a measurement gap capability of the first device for measuring reference signals in each of the set of bandwidth parts.

33. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 29 or 30.