Dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving. A method, apparatus, device, and computer-readable medium for wireless communication by a base station (BS) are provided, including broadcasting information indicating that the BS supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and receiving combined registration information for registering a user equipment (UE) as the first UE category and the second UE category.

Description

[0001] This divisional application is a divisional application of the PCT national phase patent application with a PCT international filing date of January 23, 2018, national application number 201880005773.5, and titled “Dynamic UE Category Switching for Enhanced Idle Mode Power Saving”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving. Background Art

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0004] A wireless communication network may include several base stations (BS) that can support several user equipment (UE) communications. The UE may communicate with the BS via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to a communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to a communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, the BS may be referred to as a B node, a gNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a TRP (transmission reception point, transmission reception point, etc.), a new radio (NR) BS, a 5GNB, etc.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that enable different wireless devices to communicate at city, country, region, and even global levels. New Radio (NR) (which may also be referred to as 5G) is an enhancement set to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA with cyclic prefix (CP) on downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology and carrier aggregation. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, there is a need for further improvements in LTE, NR, and 5G technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0006] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the present disclosure as expressed in the appended claims, some features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," it will be understood how the features of the present disclosure provide advantages including improved communication between access points and stations in a wireless network.

[0007] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving.

[0008] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes: determining that a cell supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and while in idle mode: operating in the cell according to the first UE category; and taking action to operate in the cell according to the second UE category.

[0009] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for wireless communication by a UE. The apparatus generally includes: means for determining that a cell supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; means for operating in the cell according to the first UE category when in idle mode; and means for taking action to operate in the cell according to the second UE category when in idle mode.

[0010] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for wireless communication by a UE. The apparatus generally includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is generally configured to: determine that a cell supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and when in idle mode: operate in the cell according to the first UE category; and take action to operate in the cell according to the second UE category.

[0011] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable medium having computer-executable code stored thereon for wireless communication by a UE. The computer-executable code generally includes: code for determining that a cell supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; code for operating in the cell according to the first UE category when in idle mode; and code for taking action to operate in the cell according to the second UE category when in idle mode.

[0012] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wireless communication by a base station (BS). The method generally includes: broadcasting information indicating that the BS supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and receiving combined registration information registering a UE as the first UE category and the second UE category.

[0013] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for wireless communication by a BS. The apparatus generally includes: means for broadcasting information indicating that the BS supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and means for receiving combined registration information registering a UE as the first UE category and the second UE category.

[0014] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for wireless communication by a BS. The apparatus generally includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is generally configured to: broadcast information indicating that the BS supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and receive combined registration information registering a UE as the first UE category and the second UE category.

[0015] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable code for wireless communication by a BS. The computer-executable code generally includes: code for broadcasting information indicating that the BS supports a second UE category lower than a first UE category; and code for receiving combined registration information for registering a UE as the first UE category and the second UE category.

[0016] After studying the following description of specific exemplary aspects of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features, and aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although features of the present disclosure may be discussed below with respect to certain aspects and drawings, all aspects of the present disclosure may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more aspects may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various aspects of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary aspects may be discussed below as devices, systems, or methods, it should be understood that such exemplary aspects may be implemented in various devices, systems, methods, and computer-readable media. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to understand in detail the manner in which the above-stated features of the present disclosure are used, a more specific description of the above briefly summarized contents may be made with reference to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and should not be considered to limit its scope, as the description may admit of other equally effective aspects.

[0018] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a wireless communication network in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2 Shown is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a base station in communication with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a frame structure in a wireless communication network in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating two example subframe formats with a normal cyclic prefix in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 An example logical architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) is illustrated in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6 An example physical architecture of a distributed RAN in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a downlink (DL) centric subframe in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8is a diagram illustrating an example of an uplink (UL) centric subframe in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating operations performed by a UE for dynamically switching UE category in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Fig.10 is a flow diagram illustrating operations performed by a BS for dynamically switching UE categories in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig.11 is a call flow diagram for dynamically switching UE categories in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Fig.12 is another call flow diagram for dynamically switching UE categories in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially utilized in other aspects without specific recitation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] As will be described in more detail below, a user equipment (UE) may support various UE categories (e.g., long term evolution (LTE) UE categories, 5G UE categories, etc.). Different UE categories may define uplink and downlink operating parameters for the UE. Some UE categories may use less power than other UE categories. It may be desirable for an idle mode UE to operate according to a UE category that uses less power than a UE category in a connected mode.

[0032] Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving. For example, if a cell supports a lower UE category, such as Category M1 (Cat-M1), the UE may dynamically switch to the lower UE category when the UE moves to idle mode or after the UE has been in idle mode for a duration. In some cases, the UE may initiate a no-service procedure and subsequently re-register as a lower UE category. Alternatively, during an initial attach procedure to a cell, the UE may register as both a higher and a lower UE category.

[0033] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to any specific structure or function given throughout the present disclosure. On the contrary, these aspects are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete, and it will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether it is implemented independently or in combination with any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods that are practiced using other structures, functionalities, or structures and functionalities that are supplemented or otherwise used as various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein can be implemented by one or more elements of the claims. The wording "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or explanation". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein need not be interpreted as being superior to or superior to other aspects. Several aspects of the telecommunications system will now be given with reference to various equipment and methods. These devices and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0034] An access point (“AP”) may include, be implemented as, or be referred to as: a Node B, a radio network controller (“RNC”), an evolved Node B (eNB), a base station controller (“BSC”), a base transceiver station (“BTS”), a base station (“BS”), a transceiver function (“TF”), a radio router, a radio transceiver, a basic service set (“BSS”), an extended service set (“ESS”), a radio base station (“RBS”), a Node B (NB), a gNB, a 5G NB, a NR BS, a transmit reception point (TRP), or some other terminology.

[0035] An access terminal ("AT") may include, be implemented as, or be referred to as an access terminal, a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, a user equipment (UE), a user station, a wireless node, or some other terminology. In some implementations, an access terminal may include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") phone, a wireless local loop ("WLL") station, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a handheld device with wireless connectivity, a station ("STA"), or some other suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem. Additional examples of access terminals include computers (e.g., desktops), portable communication devices, portable computing devices (e.g., laptops, personal data assistants, tablets, netbooks, smartbooks, ultrabooks), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses, virtual reality eyepieces, smart bracelets, smart wristbands, smart belts, smart rings, smart jewelry, smart clothing, etc.), medical devices or equipment, health care equipment, biometric sensors / devices, entertainment devices (e.g., music devices, video devices, satellite radios, gaming devices, etc.), cameras, vehicle components or sensors, smart meters / sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, positioning devices (e.g., GPS, Beidou, etc.), drones, robots / robotic devices, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media. In some aspects, the node is a wireless node. A wireless node may, for example, provide connectivity for a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) or provide connectivity to the network via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered machine type communication (MTC) or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs, which may include remote devices that may communicate with a base station, another remote device, or some other entity. Machine type communication (MTC) may refer to communication involving at least one remote device at at least one end of the communication, and may include forms of data communication involving one or more entities that do not necessarily require human interaction. MTC UEs may include UEs capable of MTC communication with an MTC server and / or other MTC devices via, for example, a public land mobile network (PLMN). Examples of MTC devices include sensors, meters, location tags, monitors, drones, robots / robotic devices, etc. MTC UEs, as well as other types of UEs, may be implemented as narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) devices.

[0036] Note that while various aspects may be described herein using terminology typically associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied in communication systems based on other generations, such as 5G and later generations, including New Radio (NR) technology.

[0037] Example Wireless Communication System

[0038] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an architecture for a wireless communication network 100 in which various aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced. For example, UE 120 may operate in idle mode according to a first UE category (e.g., a regular UE category). UE 120 may determine that a cell (e.g., BS 110) supports a second UE category (e.g., UE category M1) that is lower than the first UE category. UE 120 may take actions to operate in the cell according to the second UE category.

[0039] The wireless communication network 100 may be an LTE network or some other wireless network, such as a 5G or New Radio (NR) network. The wireless communication network 100 may include several BSs 110 and other network entities. A BS is an entity that communicates with a user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as an NR BS, a B node (NB), a gNB, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit reception point (TRP), etc. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to a coverage area of ​​a BS and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0040] A BS may provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence) and may allow restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown in , BS110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, BS110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and BS110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "B node", "5G NB", "wireless node", and "cell" are used interchangeably herein.

[0041] In some examples, the cellular cells may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cellular cells may move according to the location of the mobile base station. In some examples, the base stations may be interconnected to each other and / or to one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the access network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, or the like using any suitable transport network).

[0042] The wireless communication network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is an entity that can receive transmissions of data from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or UE) and send transmissions of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or BS). A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown in , a relay station 110d may communicate with a macro BS 110a and a UE 120d to facilitate communication between the BS 110a and the UE 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relay base station, a relay, or the like.

[0043] The wireless communication network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs (e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc.). These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in the wireless communication network 100. For example, a macro BS may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while a pico BS, a femto BS, and a relay BS may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0044] The network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control of these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with each BS via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0045] UE 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. UE may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, etc. UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicle-mounted component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, an industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. Some UEs may be considered to be evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices such as sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node can provide connectivity to or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network), for example, via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices. Some UEs can be considered customer premises equipment (CPE).

[0046] exist Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , a solid line with double arrows indicates desired transmissions between a UE and a serving BS, which is a BS designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink. A dashed line with double arrows indicates potentially interfering transmissions between a UE and a BS.

[0047] In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support a specific RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. RAT may also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency may also be referred to as carrier, channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0048] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, where a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for scheduled communications, the subordinate entities utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity.

[0049] The base station is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can be used as a scheduling entity, thereby scheduling resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). In this example, the UE is acting as a scheduling entity, and other UEs utilize the resources scheduled by the UE for wireless communication. The UE can act as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network and / or in a mesh network. In the mesh network example, the UEs can optionally communicate directly with each other in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity.

[0050] Thus, in a wireless communication network having scheduled access to time-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2P configuration, and a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one or more subordinate entities may communicate using the scheduled resources.

[0051] Figure 2 A block diagram showing a design of a BS 110 and a UE 120 is shown. The BS 110 and the UE 120 may be Figure 1 BS 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general, T≧1 and R≧1.

[0052] At BS110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data for one or more UEs from a data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based on a CQI received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for the UE based on the MCS selected for each UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. The transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for SRPI, etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., CRS) and synchronization signals (e.g., PSS and SSS). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MOD) 232a to 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively. According to certain aspects described in more detail below, position coding may be utilized to generate synchronization signals to convey additional information.

[0053] At UE 120, antennas 252a to 252r may receive downlink signals from base station 110 and / or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) its received signals to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 280. A channel processor may determine RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.

[0054] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266, where applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. At the BS 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 and other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236, where applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. The processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. BS 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with network controller 130 via communication unit 244. Network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292.

[0055] Figure 2 Controllers / processors 240 and 280 and / or any other components in the base station 110 and UE 120 may direct operations at the base station 110 and UE 120, respectively, to perform the techniques presented herein for performing IMSI decoding using an offline or online mode. For example, processor 280 and / or other processors and modules at UE 120 may execute or direct operations of UE 120 to perform the techniques presented herein for dynamically switching UE categories. For example, controllers / processors 280 and / or other controllers / processors and modules at UE 120 may execute or direct operations of UE 120 to perform the techniques presented herein for dynamically switching UE categories. Fig. 9 Operations 900 are shown in FIG. 1 . For example, controller / processor 240 and / or other controllers / processors and modules at base station 110 may perform or direct Fig.10 Operations 1000 are shown in FIG. 2. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. Scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0056] Figure 3An exemplary frame structure 300 for FDD in a telecommunication system (e.g., LTE) is shown. The transmission timeline for each of the downlink and uplink may be divided into units of radio frames. Each radio frame may have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)) and may be divided into 10 subframes with indices 0 to 9. Each subframe may include two time slots. Each radio frame may thus include 20 time slots with indices 0 to 19. Each time slot may include L symbol periods, e.g., for a normal cyclic prefix (e.g., Figure 3 ) is 7 symbol periods, or 6 symbol periods for an extended cyclic prefix. The 2L symbol periods in each subframe may be assigned indices 0 to 2L-1.

[0057] In some telecommunications (e.g., LTE), a BS may transmit a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) on the downlink at the center of the system bandwidth for each cell supported by the BS. The PSS and SSS may be transmitted in symbol periods 6 and 5, respectively, in subframes 0 and 5 of each radio frame with a normal cyclic prefix, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown in . PSS and SSS can be used by UE for cell search and acquisition. The BS can transmit a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) across the system bandwidth of each cell supported by the BS. CRS can be transmitted in certain symbol periods of each subframe and can be used by the UE to perform channel estimation, channel quality measurement, and / or other functions. The BS can also transmit a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) in symbol periods 0 to 3 in slot 1 of certain radio frames. The PBCH can carry some system information. The BS can transmit other system information in certain subframes, such as a system information block (SIB) on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The BS can transmit control information / data on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in the first B symbol periods of a subframe, where B can be configurable for each subframe. The BS can transmit traffic data and / or other data on the PDSCH in the remaining symbol periods of each subframe.

[0058] In other systems (e.g., such NR or 5G systems), the BS may transmit these or other signals in these locations or in different locations of the subframe.

[0059] Figure 4 Two exemplary subframe formats 410 and 420 with normal cyclic prefixes are shown. Available time-frequency resources may be divided into resource blocks (RBs). Each RB may cover 12 subcarriers in a slot and may include several resource elements (REs). Each RE may cover one subcarrier in a symbol period and may be used to send one modulation symbol, which may be a real value or a complex value.

[0060] Subframe format 410 may be used for two antennas. CRS may be transmitted from antennas 0 and 1 in symbol periods 0, 4, 7, and 11. A reference signal (RS) is a signal known a priori to the transmitter and receiver and may also be referred to as a pilot. CRS is a cell-specific RS, for example, generated based on a cell identity (ID). Figure 4 , for a given RE with label Ra, a modulation symbol may be transmitted from antenna a on the RE, and modulation symbols may not be transmitted from other antennas on the RE. Subframe format 420 may be used with four antennas. CRS may be transmitted from antennas 0 and 1 in symbol periods 0, 4, 7, and 11 and from antennas 2 and 3 in symbol periods 1 and 8. For both subframe formats 410 and 420, CRS may be transmitted on uniformly spaced subcarriers, which may be determined based on a cell ID. Depending on its cell ID, CRS may be transmitted on the same or different subcarriers. For both subframe formats 410 and 420, REs not used for CRS may be used to transmit data (e.g., traffic data, control data, and / or other data).

[0061] The PSS, SSS, CRS and PBCH in LTE are described in the publicly available 3GPP TS 36.211 entitled "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical Channels and Modulation."

[0062] For FDD in some telecommunication systems (e.g., LTE), an interleaving structure may be used for each of the downlink and uplink. For example, Q interleavings with indices 0 to Q–1 may be defined, where Q may be equal to 4, 6, 8, 10, or some other value. Each interleaving may include subframes spaced apart by Q frames. Specifically, interleaving q may include subframes q, q+Q, q+2Q, etc., where q∈(0,…,Q–1).

[0063] The wireless network may support hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) for data transmission on the downlink and uplink. For HARQ, a transmitter (e.g., a BS) may send one or more transmissions of a packet until the packet is correctly decoded by a receiver (e.g., a UE) or some other termination condition is encountered. For synchronous HARQ, all transmissions of the packet may be sent in each subframe of a single interlace. For asynchronous HARQ, each transmission of the packet may be sent in any subframe.

[0064] A UE may be located within the coverage of multiple BSs. One of these BSs may be selected to serve the UE. The serving BS may be selected based on various criteria such as received signal strength, received signal quality, path loss, etc. The received signal quality may be quantified by a signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio (SINR), or a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or some other metric. A UE may operate in a strong interference scenario, in which the UE may observe severe interference from one or more interfering BSs.

[0065] Example NR / 5G RAN architecture

[0066] Although aspects of the examples described herein may be associated with LTE technology, aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication systems (such as New Radio (NR) or 5G technology).

[0067] NR may refer to a radio configured to operate according to a new air interface (e.g., different from an air interface based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)) or a fixed transport layer (e.g., different from Internet Protocol (IP)). NR may utilize OFDM with CP on uplink and downlink and include support for half-duplex operation using TDD. NR may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services targeting wide bandwidth (e.g., more than 80 MHz), millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequencies (e.g., 60 GHz), massive MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatible MTC technologies, and / or mission critical targeting ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) services.

[0068] A single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz can be supported. NR resource blocks can span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier bandwidth of 75 kHz over a duration of 0.1 ms. Each radio frame may include 50 subframes with a length of 10 ms. Therefore, each subframe may have a length of 0.2 ms. Each subframe may indicate the link direction (i.e., DL or UL) used for data transmission and the link direction for each subframe may be switched dynamically. Each subframe may include DL / UL data and DL / UL control data. The UL and DL subframes for NR may be referred to below. Figure 7 and 8 Describe in more detail.

[0069] Beamforming can be supported and the beam direction can be dynamically configured. MIMO transmission with precoding can also be supported. MIMO configuration in DL can support up to 8 transmit antennas (multi-layer DL transmission with up to 8 streams) and up to 2 streams per UE. Multi-layer transmission with up to 2 streams per UE can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells can be supported using up to 8 serving cells. Alternatively, NR can support different air interfaces other than OFDM-based interfaces. NR networks may include entities such as central units or distributed units.

[0070] The RAN may include a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). A NR BS (e.g., gNB, 5G Node B, Node B, Transmit Reception Point (TRP), Access Point (AP)) may correspond to one or more BSs. A NR cell may be configured as an access cell (ACell) or a data-only cell (DCell). For example, the RAN (e.g., a central unit or a distributed unit) may configure these cells. A DCell may be a cell used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity, but not used for initial access, cell selection / reselection, or handover.

[0071] Figure 5 An example logical architecture of a distributed RAN 500 according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. A 5G access node 506 may include an access node controller (ANC) 502. The ANC may be a central unit (CU) of the distributed RAN 500. A backhaul interface to a next generation core network (NG-CN) 504 may terminate at the ANC. A backhaul interface to an adjacent next generation access node (NG-AN) may terminate at the ANC. The ANC may include one or more TRPs 508 (which may also be referred to as a BS, NR BS, B node, 5G NB, AP, gNB, or some other term). As described above, a TRP may be used interchangeably with a "cell".

[0072] The TRP 508 may be a distributed unit (DU). The TRP may be connected to one ANC (ANC 502) or more than one ANC (not illustrated). For example, for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and service-specific AND deployments, the TRP may be connected to more than one ANC. The TRP may include one or more antenna ports. The TRP may be configured to serve traffic to the UE individually (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., jointly transmitted). According to certain aspects, the BS may include a central unit (CU) (e.g., ANC 502) and / or one or more distributed units (e.g., one or more TRPs 508).

[0073] The local architecture 500 can be used to illustrate the fronthaul definition. The architecture can be defined to support fronthaul solutions across different deployment types. For example, the architecture can be based on transport network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter).

[0074] The architecture may share features and / or components with LTE. According to various aspects, the next generation AN (NG-AN) 510 may support dual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN may share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR.

[0075] The architecture may enable collaboration between and among TRPs 508. For example, collaboration may be preset within a TRP and / or across TRPs via ANC 502. According to various aspects, an inter-TRP interface may not be needed / present.

[0076] According to various aspects, dynamic configuration of split logical functions may exist within architecture 500. PDCP, RLC, MAC protocols may be adaptively placed at the ANC or TRP.

[0077] Figure 6 An example physical architecture of a distributed RAN 600 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. A centralized core network unit (C-CU) 602 may host core network functions. The C-CU may be centrally deployed. C-CU functionality may be offloaded (e.g., to Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)) in an effort to handle peak capacity.

[0078] A centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 604 may host one or more ANC functions. Optionally, the C-RU may host core network functions locally. The C-RU may have a distributed deployment. The C-RU may be closer to the network edge.

[0079] A distributed unit (DU) 606 may host one or more TRPs. A DU may be located at the edge of the network with radio frequency (RF) functionality.

[0080] Figure 7 700 is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL-centric subframe. The DL-centric subframe may include a control portion 702. The control portion 702 may be present in an initial or beginning portion of the DL-centric subframe. The control portion 702 may include various scheduling information and / or control information corresponding to various portions of the DL-centric subframe. In some configurations, the control portion 702 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH), such as Figure 7. The DL-centric subframe may also include a DL data portion 704. The DL data portion 704 may sometimes be referred to as a payload of the DL-centric subframe. The DL data portion 704 may include communication resources used to communicate DL data from a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE or a BS) to a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE). In some configurations, the DL data portion 704 may be a physical DL shared channel (PDSCH).

[0081] The DL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion 706. The common UL portion 706 may sometimes be referred to as a UL burst, a common UL burst, and / or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion 706 may include feedback information corresponding to various other portions of the DL-centric subframe. For example, the common UL portion 706 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 702. Non-limiting examples of the feedback information may include an ACK signal, a NACK signal, a HARQ indicator, and / or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion 706 may include additional or replacement information, such as information related to a random access channel (RACH) procedure, a scheduling request (SR), and various other suitable types of information. Figure 7 , the end of the DL data portion 704 may be separated in time from the beginning of the common UL portion 706. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guard period, a guard interval, and / or various other suitable terms. The separation provides time for switching from DL communications (e.g., reception operations of a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)) to UL communications (e.g., transmissions of a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)). One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric subframe, and that there may be alternative structures having similar features without necessarily departing from the aspects described herein.

[0082] Figure 8 8 is a diagram 800 illustrating an example of a UL centric subframe. The UL centric subframe may include a control portion 802. The control portion 802 may be present in an initial or beginning portion of a UL centric subframe. Figure 8 The control portion 802 in the embodiment may be similar to the above reference Figure 8 802. The UL-centric subframe may also include a UL data portion 804. The UL data portion 804 may sometimes be referred to as a payload of the UL-centric subframe. The UL portion may refer to communication resources used to communicate UL data from a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE) to a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE or a BS). In some configurations, the control portion 802 may be a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0083] like Figure 88, the end of the control portion 802 may be separated in time from the beginning of the UL data portion 804. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guard period, a guard interval, and / or various other suitable terms. The separation provides time for switching from DL communication (e.g., a receiving operation of the scheduling entity) to UL communication (e.g., a transmission of the scheduling entity). The UL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion 806. Figure 8 The common UL portion 806 in the embodiment may be similar to that in the above reference Figure 7 The common UL portion 706 described above. The common UL portion 806 may additionally or alternatively include information related to a channel quality indicator (CQI), a sounding reference signal (SRS), and various other suitable types of information. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing is merely one example of a UL-centric subframe, and that alternative structures with similar features may exist without necessarily departing from the various aspects described herein.

[0084] In some cases, two or more subordinate entities (e.g., UEs) may communicate with each other using side link signals. Real-world applications of such side link communications may include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, Internet of Everything (IoE) communications, IoT communications, mission-critical mesh networks, and / or various other suitable applications. In general, a side link signal may refer to a signal that is communicated from one subordinate entity (e.g., UE1) to another subordinate entity (e.g., UE2) without relaying the communication through a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS), even if the scheduling entity may be used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, side link signals may be communicated using licensed spectrum (unlike wireless local area networks, which typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0085] In one example, a frame may include both UL-centric subframes and DL-centric subframes. In this example, the ratio of UL-centric subframes to DL subframes in a frame may be dynamically adjusted based on the amount of UL data and the amount of DL data being transmitted. For example, if there is more UL data, the ratio of UL-centric subframes to DL subframes may be increased. Conversely, if there is more DL data, the ratio of UL-centric subframes to DL subframes may be decreased.

[0086] Example methods and apparatus for dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving

[0087] A user equipment (UE) or modem may perform idle mode activities. The UE or modem may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), or other wireless communication device. The device may communicate using Long Term Evolution (LTE) as an access stratum or according to a different access stratum (e.g., such as New Radio (NR) or 5G). The idle mode activities performed by the device may be enforced by a wireless communication standard (e.g., such as the IEEE LTE standard). The idle mode activities may vary based on the UE category (CAT) of the device, or the UE category with which the device is registered with the network.

[0088] The UE category may define the uplink and downlink capabilities of the UE. In one example, the capabilities associated with the UE category may be as defined in TS 36.306 of the 3GPP wireless standard (e.g., Table 4.1-1 for downlink and Table 4.1-2 for uplink). Other UE categories may be defined by different wireless standards. For example, LTE Release 12 introduces Category 0 (Cat 0) that can be used for IoT, NB-IoT, and / or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) devices. As another example, LTE Release 13 introduces UE Category M1. UE Category M1 may have a DL peak rate of 1 Mbps and an uplink peak rate of 1 Mbps, may operate according to half-duplex (HD) or full-duplex (FD), may use a 1.4 MHz bandwidth, and a maximum transmit power of 20 dBm or 23 dBm. These UE categories are merely exemplary, other UE categories may be defined, and the techniques of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless devices operating in accordance with and / or supporting various different UE categories (e.g., LTE-M, EC-GSM-IoT (enhanced or extended coverage GSM IoT), LPWA (low power wide area), etc.).

[0089] In some cases, activities (operations) performed according to a low UE category may use less power than activities performed according to a higher UE category. Idle mode activities may drain power even for mobile devices of a lower UE category (e.g., Category 1).

[0090] Accordingly, techniques and apparatus for reducing the power consumed by idle-mode UEs are desirable - while still remaining compliant with 3GPP specifications.

[0091] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for dynamic UE category switching for enhanced idle mode power saving. For example, a UE moving to idle mode may switch to (e.g., drop to) a lower UE category (e.g., such category-M1), while a UE moving to connected mode may switch to a higher UE category (e.g., referred to as a normal UE category, which may include, for example, UE category 1 and higher categories defined in wireless standards).

[0092] In some cases, UEs supporting lower UE categories may use enhanced discontinuous reception (eDRX) and / or power saving mode (PSM). eDRX and PSM are features that enable very long battery life (such as 10 years or more). eDRX may include the use of an extended DRX cycle that provides the UE with a longer sleep period between reading each paging or control channel. In PSM, the UE may save power when there is no frequent need to communicate with the device.

[0093] Fig. 9 1 is a flow diagram illustrating operations 900 for dynamically switching UE categories that may be performed, for example, by a UE (e.g., UE 120, which may be an MTC or eMTC device, an IoT device, an NB-IoT device, or other low-cost device) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operations 900 may begin at 902, with the UE determining (e.g., by monitoring broadcast information from a cell) that a cell supports a second UE category (e.g., Category-M1) that is lower than a first UE category. At 904, while in idle mode (e.g., after a threshold duration in idle mode), the UE operates in the cell according to a first UE category (e.g., a regular UE category, such as Category 1 or higher). At 906, while in idle mode, the UE takes action to operate in the cell according to a second UE category.

[0094] As described in more detail below, the UE may initiate a handover and subsequently register with the cell as a second UE category. For example, the UE may perform an out of service (OOS) procedure with the cell and register with the cell as a second UE category. Alternatively, the UE may register with the cell as both a first UE category and a second UE category during an initial attach. The UE may dynamically provide an indication of the currently selected UE category. Subsequently, the UE may register as a first UE category when entering a connected mode (e.g., when attempting to connect to a cell, which may occur after receiving a paging from the cell), or register as a second UE category when moving to an idle mode.

[0095] Fig.101 is a flow chart illustrating operation 1000 for dynamically switching UE categories that may be performed, for example, by a BS (e.g., BS 110) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operation 1000 may begin at 1002, broadcasting information indicating that the BS supports a second UE category (e.g., UE Category-M1) that is lower than the first UE category. At 1004, the BS receives combined registration information that registers the UE as a first UE category and a second UE category. The BS may receive the combined registration information during an initial attach procedure. The BS may receive an indication of a currently selected UE category. The indication may be provided dynamically by the UE. For example, the BS may receive registration information that registers the UE as a first UE category together with a connection setup message from the UE, and / or the BS may receive registration information that registers the UE as a second UE category when the UE moves to an idle mode.

[0096] Example Dynamic UE Category Switching and Re-registration

[0097] According to certain aspects, the UE may perform dynamic switching and re-register with the cell as a different UE category.

[0098] Fig.11 1 is a call flow diagram (1100) for dynamically switching UE categories according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. In various aspects, UE 1102 can support a low UE category, such as a Category-M1 operating mode. UE 1102 can operate according to a first UE category, which can be a regular UE category (e.g., Category 1 or a category exceeding Category 1). For example, at 1110, UE 1102 can register with BS 1104 as a regular UE category.

[0099] At 1106, the UE may receive broadcast information from the BS 1104 and determine, based on the broadcast information, at 1108, that the BS 1104 supports a lower UE category (e.g., Category-M1). For example, the UE 1102 may monitor the network for broadcast information (e.g., monitoring a physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). At 1106, the UE 1102 may receive broadcast information (e.g., a master information block (MIB) and a system information block (SIB)) from the BS 1104. Based on the broadcast information, the UE 1102 may determine, at 1108, that the BS 1104 supports a lower UE category (such as Category-M1). For example, a schedulingInfoSIB1-BR element in the MIB may indicate that the cell supports Category-M1.

[0100] Despite Fig.111100 is shown as before registering as a UE category, but the receiving broadcast information and the determination at steps 1106 and 1108 may occur at other times (such as after registration at 1110 or after the UE enters idle mode at 1112).

[0101] At 1112, the UE may enter idle mode. At 1114, the idle mode UE 1102 may dynamically switch to a lower UE category to enhance power conservation during idle mode (e.g., based on determining that the BS 1104 supports category M1). In some cases, the idle mode UE 1102 may wait in idle mode for a preconfigured duration (e.g., a threshold duration) before switching. For example, while Fig.11 Not shown in FIG, but the UE may initiate a timer upon entering idle mode and switch UE category when the timer expires.

[0102] According to certain aspects, if the network (e.g., cell, BS 1104) supports a lower UE category (such as a Category-M1 mode of operation), then UE 1102 may switch UE category at 1114 and re-register with the network as the lower UE category at 1116. Based on the registration for the lower UE category, the network may know that UE paging is to be repeated and the paging cycle is extended (e.g., using eDRX).

[0103] When UE 1102 receives a page directed to the UE (e.g., such as a mobile terminated (MT) call) from BS 1104 at 1118 or when UE 1102 initiates a call (e.g., a mobile originated (MO) call), UE 1102 may switch UE category again (e.g., back to the original regular UE category or a different UE category) at 1120. For example, at 1122, UE 1102 may re-register with the network as a higher UE category and subsequently move to a connected state (e.g., during call setup).

[0104] Operating according to a lower UE category, such as Category-M1, may result in greater idle mode power savings for the UE.

[0105] Example Dynamic UE Category Switching Using Multiple UE Category Registration

[0106] According to certain aspects, a UE may register multiple UE categories (eg, normal UE category and Category-M1) to enable dynamic UE category switching.

[0107] Fig.12 is a call flow diagram (1200) for dynamically switching UE categories according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Fig.12As shown in , at 1206, UE 1202 can register with BS 1204 as multiple UE categories. For example, during the initial attachment procedure with the cellular cell, UE 1202 can send a combined registration information that registers UE 1202 as a regular category (e.g., category 1 or higher) and a low UE category (such as category-M1). Together with the combined registration information, at 1206, UE 1202 can also indicate the selected category to be used thereafter (e.g., the currently selected UE category). After the combined registration, UE 1202 can dynamically switch between the registered UE categories. For example, at 1208, UE 1202 can receive paging from BS 1204 and attempt to connect to the network and move to a connected state at 1210. During the connection attempt at 1210, UE 1202 can register as a regular UE category, for example, by sending a new message (e.g., indication or registration information) to the network. For example, the new message can be sent at 1210 together with the connection establishment message. When moving back to idle mode from the connected state at 1212 (or after entering idle mode, for example, shortly after entering idle mode), the UE may register itself as Class-M1 at 1214 .

[0108] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions for achieving the described methods. These method steps and / or actions may be interchangeable with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be changed without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0109] As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, phrases such as "X employs A or B" are intended to mean any natural compatible arrangement. That is, for example, the phrase "X employs A or B" is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. References to singular elements as used herein are not intended to mean "one and only one" (unless specifically stated), but rather "one or more". For example, the articles "one" and "some" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be understood to mean "one or more" unless otherwise stated or it is clear from the context that they refer to the singular form. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to "one or more". As used herein, a phrase citing "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c). As used herein (including in the claims), the term "and / or" used in a listing of two or more items means that any of the listed items may be employed alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items may be employed. For example, if a composition is described as comprising components A, B, and / or C, the composition may comprise only A; only B; only C; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C.

[0110] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Also, "determining" may also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0111] In some cases, a device may not actually transmit frames, but may have an interface for outputting frames for transmission. For example, a processor may output frames to an RF front end via a bus interface for transmission. Similarly, a device may not actually receive frames, but may have an interface for obtaining frames received from another device. For example, a processor may obtain (or receive) frames from an RF front end via a bus interface for transmission.

[0112] The various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable device capable of performing the corresponding functions. These devices may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors. In general, where there are operations illustrated in the accompanying drawings, these operations may have corresponding paired device-plus-function components with similar numbers.

[0113] For example, means for determining, means for performing, means for operating, means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for sending, means for signaling, means for selecting, means for determining, means for identifying, means for registering, means for attempting, means for broadcasting, means for initiating, means for taking action, and / or means for monitoring may include one or more processors or other elements, such as Figure 2 The transmit processor 264, controller / processor 280, receive processor 258 and / or antenna(s) 252 of the user equipment 120 illustrated in FIG. Figure 2 1. The transmit processor 220, controller / processor 240, and / or antenna(s) 234 of the base station 110 are illustrated in FIG.

[0114] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0115] If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented with a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system, the bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges. The bus may link together various circuits including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a network adapter, etc., to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the PHY layer. For example, in the case of a wireless node, a user interface (e.g., a keypad, a display, a mouse, a joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and similar circuits, which are well known in the art and will not be further described. The processor may be implemented with one or more general and / or special processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuit systems capable of executing software. Depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system, those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the functionality described with respect to the processing system.

[0116] If implemented in software, each function may be stored on or transmitted by a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including executing software modules stored on a machine-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. Alternatively, a storage medium may be integrated into a processor. As an example, a machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data, and / or a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that is separated from a wireless node, all of which may be accessed by a processor through a bus interface. Alternatively or in addition, a machine-readable medium or any part thereof may be integrated into a processor, such as a cache and / or a general register file, which may be the case. As an example, examples of machine-readable storage media may include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, phase change memory, ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage media, or any combination thereof. Machine-readable media may be implemented in a computer program product.

[0117] A software module may include a single instruction, or many instructions, and may be distributed over several different code segments, between different programs, and across multiple storage media. A computer-readable medium may include several software modules. These software modules include instructions that cause a processing system to perform various functions when executed by a device (such as a processor). These software modules may include a transmission module and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or may be distributed across multiple storage devices. As an example, when a triggering event occurs, a software module may be loaded into a RAM from a hard drive. During the execution of the software module, the processor may load some instructions into a cache to increase access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a general register file for execution by the processor. When describing the functionality of a software module as described below, it will be understood that such functionality is implemented by the processor when the processor executes instructions from the software module.

[0118] Any connection is also properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared (IR), radio, and microwave), then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Disks, where disks often reproduce data magnetically, and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects, computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). Additionally, for other aspects, computer-readable media may include transient computer-readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0119] Thus, some aspects may include a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having instructions stored (and / or encoded) thereon, which instructions can be executed by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein.

[0120] In addition, it should be appreciated that the modules and / or other appropriate devices for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by the wireless node and / or base station where applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of the device for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein can be provided via a storage device (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or a floppy disk, etc.), so that once the storage device is coupled to or provided to a wireless node and / or base station, the device can obtain the various methods. In addition, any other suitable technology suitable for providing the methods and techniques described herein to the device can be utilized.

[0121] It will be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various changes, substitutions and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a network node, comprising: broadcasting information indicating that the network node supports a second 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) user equipment (UE) category lower than a first 3GPP UE category, wherein the first UE category represents a regular UE category; receiving combined registration information registering the UE as the first UE category and the second UE category during an initial attach; as well as Registration information is received to register the UE as only the first UE category when entering a connected mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: An indication of the first UE category or the second UE category is received as a currently selected UE category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The second UE category includes UE category M1.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Send paging; as well as In response to the paging: Registration information is received along with a connection setup message from the UE, the registration information re-registering the UE as the first UE category.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Registration information is received to re-register the UE as the second UE category, wherein the UE is in idle mode.

6. An apparatus for wireless communication by a network node, comprising: means for broadcasting information that the network node supports a second 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) User Equipment (UE) category lower than a first 3GPP UE category, wherein the first UE category represents a regular UE category; means for receiving combined registration information registering a UE as the first UE category and the second UE category during an initial attach; as well as Means for receiving registration information for registering the UE as only the first UE category when entering a connected mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: Means for receiving the first UE category or the second UE category as an indication of a currently selected UE category.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: The second UE category includes UE category M1.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: means for sending paging; as well as Means for performing the following operations in response to the paging: Registration information is received along with a connection setup message from the UE, the registration information re-registering the UE as the first UE category.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: Means for receiving registration information to re-register the UE as the second UE category, wherein the UE is in idle mode.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication by a network node, comprising: at least one processor; as well as a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to: broadcasting information indicating that the network node supports a second 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) user equipment (UE) category lower than a first 3GPP UE category, wherein the first UE category represents a regular UE category; receiving combined registration information registering the UE as the first UE category and the second UE category during an initial attach; as well as Registration information is received to register the UE as only the first UE category when entering a connected mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to: An indication of the first UE category or the second UE category is received as a currently selected UE category.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein: The second UE category includes UE category M1.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to: Sending a page; and In response to the paging: Registration information is received along with a connection setup message from the UE, the registration information re-registering the UE as the first UE category.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to: Registration information is received to re-register the UE as the second UE category, wherein the UE is in idle mode.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable code for wireless communication by a network node, the computer executable code being executable by a processor to cause the processor to: broadcasting information indicating that the network node supports a second 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) user equipment (UE) category lower than a first 3GPP UE category, wherein the first UE category represents a regular UE category; receiving combined registration information registering the UE as the first UE category and the second UE category during an initial attach; as well as Registration information is received to register the UE as only the first UE category when entering a connected mode.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the computer executable code further executable by the processor to cause the processor to: An indication of the first UE category or the second UE category is received as a currently selected UE category.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein: The second UE category includes UE category M1.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer executable code is further executable by a processor to cause the processor to: Sending a page; and In response to the paging, the following operations are performed: Registration information is received along with a connection setup message from the UE, the registration information re-registering the UE as the first UE category.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer executable code is further executable by a processor to cause the processor to: Registration information is received to re-register the UE as the second UE category, wherein the UE is in idle mode.

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