Device, method and computer product for communication

Abstract

According to example embodiments of the present invention, there is at least one method and apparatus for at least performing: detecting, by a network device of a communication network, at least one failure of network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity, and performing on-duration monitoring based on the detection. Furthermore, there is at least one method and apparatus for at least performing: determining, by a network node of the communication network, information including a configuration for performing on-duration monitoring if a failure of network node channel access is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity, and transmitting an indication of the information to at least one network device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Teachings according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally relate to performing on-duration monitoring based on detection of a failure of network node channel access, and more specifically relate to performing on-duration monitoring based on detection of a failure of network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity. Background Art

[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context for the invention described in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but not necessarily concepts that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0003] Certain abbreviations that may be found in the description and / or figures are defined hereunder:

[0004] ACK

[0005] BFR beam failure recovery

[0006] Carrier Aggregation (CA)

[0007] CBRA Contention-based random access

[0008] CFRA Contention-free random access

[0009] COT Channel Occupancy Time

[0010] CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check

[0011] C-RNTI Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0012] CSI-RS Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0013] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0014] DL Downlink

[0015] DRB Data Radio Bearer

[0016] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0017] LBE Load-Based Equipment

[0018] LBT Listen before speaking

[0019] MAC Media Access Control

[0020] MCG Master Cell Group

[0021] NR-U Unauthorized NR

[0022] NW Network

[0023] OSI Other System Information

[0024] PCell Primary Cell

[0025] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0026] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0027] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0028] PCell Primary Cell

[0029] PSCell primary and secondary cells

[0030] PS-RNTI Power Save Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0031] RA Random Access

[0032] RA-RNTI Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0033] RACH Random Access Channel

[0034] RAR Random Access Response

[0035] RLM Radio Link Monitoring

[0036] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0037] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0038] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0039] SCell Secondary Cell

[0040] SCG Secondary Cell Group

[0041] SPCell Primary cell or special cell of secondary cell group, primary cell

[0042] SSB Synchronous Signal Block

[0043] TC-RNTI Temporary Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0044] UL Uplink

[0045] WUS wake-up signal

[0046] In radio technology systems at the time of this application, a variety of access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that can control the behavior of different wireless devices, such as user equipment (UE) used for communication (including uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) communication). This behavior may be related to the frequency, timing, and power used for communication.

[0047] An example telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the ongoing mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. At least these telecommunications technologies still require further improvement. Such improvements are needed, including techniques and operations to more efficiently use network resources while maintaining low power consumption.

[0048] Example embodiments of the present invention are directed to at least improving operations particularly associated with failures in such radio technology communications. Summary of the Invention

[0049] This section contains examples of possible implementations and is not meant to be limiting.

[0050] In an example embodiment of the present invention, there is a method comprising: detecting, by a network device of a communication network, at least one failure of network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity; and performing on-duration monitoring based on the detection.

[0051] Another example embodiment is a method including the method of the preceding paragraph, wherein the network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein on-duration monitoring is performed when: during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode, a previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up is not received, wherein a failure of network node channel access is detected based on: a failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, wherein the failure is during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the failure of network node channel access includes at least one listen-before-talk failure of a device of the communication network, wherein at least one of detecting or performing on-duration monitoring is based on an indication from the communication network, wherein the indication is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive failures in the failure of network node channel access, wherein the on-duration monitoring includes discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring, wherein performing on-duration monitoring includes: an indication from a communications network, determining to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring, wherein starting the discontinuous reception on-duration timer is performed after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures, the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures being observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurring closest to a wake-up signal opportunity, wherein determining to start the discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring is based on a wake-up signal configuration from the communications network, wherein the on-duration monitoring is performed based on: determining that at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure includes a delay-strict requirement, wherein the delay-strict requirement includes at least one of a communications network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement, wherein a length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is determined based on a required maximum latency level of the delay-strict requirement of the at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure, and wherein the determined length of the at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between the indication from the communications network and the quality of service requirement of the network device.

[0052] A non-transitory computer readable medium stores program code, the program code being executed by at least one processor to perform at least the method as described in the above paragraphs.

[0053] In an exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus such as Figure 3The user equipment side apparatus or UE 10 in the present invention comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: detect at least one failure of network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity in a communication network; and based on the detection, perform on-duration monitoring.

[0054] Another example embodiment is an apparatus comprising the apparatus of the preceding paragraph, wherein the apparatus is in a sleep mode, and wherein on-duration monitoring is performed when: during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode, a previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up is not received, wherein a failure in network node channel access is detected based on: a failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, wherein the failure is during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the failure in network node channel access comprises at least one listen-before-talk failure of a device of the communication network, wherein detecting or performing at least one of on-duration monitoring is based on an indication from the communication network, wherein the indication is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive failures in the failure of network node channel access, wherein the on-duration monitoring comprises discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring, wherein performing the on-duration monitoring comprises: determining, based on the indication from the communication network, to initiate a procedure for on-duration monitoring. A discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring, wherein starting the discontinuous reception on-duration timer is performed after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures, the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures being observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurring closest to a wake-up signal opportunity, wherein determining to start the discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring is based on a wake-up signal configuration from a communications network, wherein the on-duration monitoring is performed based on: determining that at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure includes a delay-strict requirement, wherein the delay-strict requirement includes at least one of a communications network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement, at least one memory including computer program code is configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to determine a length of at least one discontinuous reception period in the discontinuous reception period based on a required maximum latency level of the delay-strict requirement of the at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure, wherein the determined length of the at least one discontinuous reception period in the discontinuous reception period is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communications network and a quality of service requirement of the network device.

[0055] According to another example aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus comprising: a component for detecting, by a network device of a communication network, at least one failure of network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity; and a component for performing on-duration monitoring based on the detection.

[0056] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, at least the means for detecting and executing include a network interface, and computer program code stored on a computer readable medium and executed by at least one processor.

[0057] Another example embodiment is an apparatus comprising the apparatus of the preceding paragraph, wherein the network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein on-duration monitoring is performed when: during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode, a previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up is not received, wherein a failure of network node channel access is detected based on: failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, wherein the failure is during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of the following: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the failure of network node channel access includes at least one listen-before-talk failure of a device of the communication network, wherein detecting or performing at least one of on-duration monitoring is based on an indication from the communication network, wherein the indication is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive failures in the failure of network node channel access, wherein on-duration monitoring includes means for discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring, wherein performing on-duration monitoring includes: an indication of a delay requirement, means for determining to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring, wherein starting the discontinuous reception on-duration timer is performed after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures, the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures being observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurring closest to a wake-up signal opportunity, wherein determining to start the discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring is based on a wake-up signal configuration from a communications network, wherein the on-duration monitoring is performed based on: determining that at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure includes a delay-strict requirement, wherein the delay-strict requirement includes at least one of a communications network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement, wherein there is means for determining a length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles based on a required maximum latency level of the delay-strict requirement of the at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure, and wherein the determined length of the at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between the indication from the communications network and the quality of service requirement of the network device.

[0058] In another example aspect of the present invention, there is a method comprising: determining, by a network node of a communication network, information comprising a configuration for performing on-duration monitoring when a failure of channel access of the network node is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity; and sending an indication of the information toward at least one network device.

[0059] Another example embodiment is a method including the method of the preceding paragraph, wherein the configuration is for use when at least one network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein the configuration is for on-duration monitoring to be performed in the absence of a preceding wake-up signal indicating wake-up during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode, wherein the configuration is for detecting a failure of channel access of a network node based on a failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, wherein the configuration is for detecting a failure of channel access of a network node during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the configuration is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the at least one network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive failures in the failure of channel access of the network node, wherein the configuration is for initiating on-discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring after determining that N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures have occurred. The invention relates to a method for detecting a discontinuous reception (DRR) on-duration timer for use in an on-duration timer, wherein N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures are observed during at least one discovery reference signal window that occurs closest to a wake-up signal timing, wherein the information comprises a configuration to start a discontinuous reception (DRR) on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring based on a wake-up signal configuration from a communications network, wherein the information comprises an on-duration monitoring configuration based on at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure including a delay strict requirement, wherein the delay strict requirement includes at least one of a communications network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement, wherein the information comprises a configuration to determine a length of at least one of the DRX cycles based on a required maximum latency level of the delay strict requirement of at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure, and wherein the determined length of at least one of the DRX cycles is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communications network and a quality of service requirement of at least one network device.

[0060] In one exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus, such as Figure 3The network-side apparatus or gNB 12 or NN 13 in the embodiment of the present invention comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: determine, in a communication network, information comprising a configuration for performing on-duration monitoring when a failure of network node channel access is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity; and send an indication of the information toward at least one network device.

[0061] Another example embodiment is an apparatus comprising the apparatus of the preceding paragraph, wherein the configuration is for use when at least one network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein the configuration is for on-duration monitoring to be performed in the absence of a preceding wake-up signal indicating wake-up during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode, wherein the configuration is for detecting a failure of network node channel access based on a failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, wherein the configuration is for detecting a failure of network node channel access during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the configuration is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with at least one network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive failures in the failure of network node channel access, wherein the configuration is for initiating discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring for on-duration monitoring after determining that N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures have occurred. A discontinuous reception on-duration timer is used in which N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures are observed during at least one discovery reference signal window that occurs closest to a wake-up signal timing, wherein the information comprises a configuration for starting a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring based on a wake-up signal configuration from a communications network, wherein the information comprises an on-duration monitoring configuration based on at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure including a delay strict requirement, wherein the delay strict requirement comprises at least one of a communications network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement, wherein the information comprises a configuration for determining a length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles based on a required maximum latency level of the delay strict requirement of at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure, wherein the determined length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communications network and a quality of service requirement of at least one network device.

[0062] In one exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus, such as Figure 3A network apparatus or gNB 12 or NN 13 in a communication network, comprising: means for determining, in a communication network, information comprising a configuration for performing on-duration monitoring in a case where a failure of a network node channel access is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity; and means for sending an indication of the information towards at least one network device.

[0063] According to the example embodiments described in the preceding paragraphs, at least the means for determining and sending include a network interface, and computer program code stored on a computer readable medium and executed by at least one processor.

[0064] Another example embodiment is an apparatus comprising the apparatus of the preceding paragraph, wherein the configuration is for use when at least one network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein the configuration is for turn-on duration monitoring to be performed in the absence of a previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode, wherein the configuration is for detecting a failure of network node channel access based on a lack of detection of one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, wherein the configuration is for detecting a failure of network node channel access during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of during the wake-up signal opportunity or before the wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the configuration is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the at least one network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive failures in the failure of network node channel access, wherein the configuration is for initiating discontinuous reception turn-on for turn-on duration monitoring after determining that N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures have occurred. A discontinuous reception on-duration timer is used in which N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures are observed during at least one discovery reference signal window that occurs closest to a wake-up signal timing, wherein the information comprises a configuration for starting a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring based on a wake-up signal configuration from a communications network, wherein the information comprises an on-duration monitoring configuration based on at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure including a delay strict requirement, wherein the delay strict requirement comprises at least one of a communications network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement, wherein the information comprises a configuration for determining a length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles based on a required maximum latency level of the delay strict requirement of at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure, wherein the determined length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communications network and a quality of service requirement of at least one network device.

[0065] A communication system includes a network side device and a user equipment side device for performing the above operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] The above and other aspects, features and benefits of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to represent similar or equivalent elements. The accompanying drawings are shown to facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings:

[0067] Figure 1 A channel access scheme for COT initiated by a gNB as an LBE device is shown;

[0068] Figure 2 The DRS window in NR-U is shown;

[0069] Figure 3 shows high-level block diagrams of various devices used to perform various aspects of the present invention; and

[0070] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Each shows a method that can be performed by an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] In example embodiments of the present invention, at least a method and apparatus for performing on-duration monitoring based on detection of a failure of a network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity is proposed.

[0072] At the time of this application, the 3GPP standards body is discussing the modeling of UE power saving in NR using PDCCH-WUS (wake-up signaling) and its connection with DRX. DRX has been introduced in LTE and is also inherited by NR.

[0073] WUS is designed to allow the UE to skip PDCCH monitoring during the DRX on duration when there is no data transmission to be completed. The monitoring can be performed during the PDCCH opportunity duration (e.g., one or a consecutive number of symbols) when the MAC entity associated with the UE is configured to monitor PDCCH.

[0074] If the NW is intended to schedule the UE, a wake-up indication needs to be sent to the UE at (multiple) WUS timings to first wake up the UE, and the UE will then monitor the normal PDCCH for scheduling data during the upcoming DRX on duration. The DRX on duration may refer to starting a timer (e.g., drx-onDurationTimer), during which the UE is in a DRX active timer and monitors the PDCCH. WUS may refer to signaling by the NW to the UE, based on which the UE starts a timer for the next DRX on duration. Such signaling by the NW may be performed via L1 signaling (e.g., via downlink control information - DCI), via MAC signaling (e.g., via MAC control element), or via RRC signaling. In addition, the WUS may be an L1 signaling DCI with a CRC scrambled by the PS-RNTI, and the UE decodes the DCI with such WUS control information based on the PS-RNTI. The control information may be in the form of a bit indicating wake-up or not wake-up. The WUS may also be referred to as a WUI (wake-up indication), a PSI (power saving indication), or a DCP (DCI with a CRC scrambled by the PS-RNTI). In addition, the PS-RNTI may be defined as a UE identifier for instructing the UE to monitor the PDCCH at the next occurrence of the connected mode DRX on duration. The WUS may be referred to as "DCI with CRC scrambled by the PS-RNTI," where the PS-RNTI is the RNTI used to identify the power saving signaling for the configured UE.

[0075] Note that a DRX cycle may specify a periodic repetition of a DRX OnDuration, followed by a possible period of inactivity. The onDurationTimer may specify a number of consecutive PDCCH subframes at the start of a DRX cycle. The union may be expressed on the PDCCH subframe(s) for the serving cell.

[0076] Note that the relevant operations based on the standards in this application may include:

[0077] The UE monitors WUS outside of DRX-Active Time;

[0078] After receiving the wake-up indication in the WUS, the UE performs PDCCH monitoring during the next DRX-OnDuration; and

[0079] • If the UE does not receive a WUS or the indication in the detected WUS indicates that the UE should not be woken up, the UE does not perform PDCCH monitoring during the next DRX-OnDuration unless the previous WUS opportunity falls within the DRX-Active Time.

[0080] NR channel access (Listen Before Talk (LBT)) option

[0081] The physical layer may perform a listen-before-talk procedure according to which no transmission is performed if the channel is identified as occupied.

[0082] If the absence of Wi-Fi cannot be guaranteed in the frequency band (below 7 GHz) where NR-U is operating (e.g., by regulation), the baseline assumption is that the NR-U operating bandwidth is an integer multiple of 20 MHz. For the channel access mechanism, the LTE-LAA LBT mechanism is used as a baseline for the 5 GHz band and as a design starting point for the 6 GHz band. At least for frequency bands where the absence of Wi-Fi cannot be guaranteed (e.g., by regulation), LBT can be performed in units of 20 MHz.

[0083] For the 5 GHz band, having a 16 μs gap before the responding node's immediate transmission to accommodate transceiver turnaround has advantages for NR-U, such as supporting fast A / N feedback, and is permitted under regulations. Restrictions / conditions on when this option can be used will be further identified, for example, to allow for fair coexistence.

[0084] Figure 1 The table shows a channel access scheme for initiating COT by a gNB as an LBE device. Figure 1 As shown, for scenarios 110, 120, and 130, there are CAT2 LBT and CAT4 LBT scenario operations. Figure 1 Scenario 110 is for DRS alone or multiplexed with non-unicast data (e.g., other system information (OSI), paging, and / or random access response (RAR)). Figure 1 Scenario 120 is used for DRS multiplexed with unicast data, while Figure 1 Scenario 130 is used for PDCCH and PDSCH. For scenarios 120 and 130, CAT2 LBT is not allowed.

[0085] Please note that regarding Figure 1 In the standards at the time of this application, the applicability of LBT schemes other than Cat4 LBT has been discussed for control messages related to initial / random access, mobility, paging, reference signal-only and PDCCH-only transmissions (e.g., "RACH message 4", handover commands, GC-PDCCH or short message paging transmitted alone or when multiplexed with DRS).

[0086] Channel access scheme

[0087] Channel access schemes for NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum can be categorized into the following:

[0088] - Category 1: Transmission immediately after a short switching gap:

[0089] - This is used when the transmitter transmits immediately after a switching gap within the COT, and

[0090] - The switching gap from reception to transmission is to accommodate the transceiver turnaround time,

[0091] And no more than 16μs;

[0092] - Category 2: LBT without random backoff:

[0093] - the duration for which the channel is sensed to be idle before the transmitting entity transmits is determined;

[0094] - Category 3: LBT with random backoff and fixed-size contention window:

[0095] The LBT procedure has the following as one of its components. The transmitting entity draws a random number N within a contention window. The size of the contention window is specified by the minimum and maximum values of N. The size of the contention window is fixed. The random number N is used in the LBT procedure to determine the duration of time that the channel is sensed as idle before the transmitting entity transmits on the channel.

[0096] - Category 4: LBT with random backoff and variable-sized contention window:

[0097] The LBT procedure has the following as one of its components. A transmitting entity draws a random number N within a contention window. The size of the contention window is specified by the minimum and maximum values of N. The transmitting entity may change the size of the contention window when drawing the random number N. The random number N is used in the LBT procedure to determine the duration of time the channel is sensed as idle before the transmitting entity transmits on the channel.

[0098] For different transmissions in the COT and different channels / signals to be transmitted, different categories of channel access schemes may be used. The DRS window occurs in SSB burst periods.

[0099] Figure 2 The DRS window in NR-U is shown. Figure 2 As shown in column 210 of , there is a scenario including DRS-WindowLength-r16 and Discovery Burst-WindowLength-r16. Figure 2 Column 220 shows the resulting additions in ServingCellConfigCommon and ServingCellConfigCommonSIB based on the scenario and items for further study (FFS) at the time of this application. Figure 2 Column 230 shows for this scenario the further study (FFS) items at the time of this application regarding the resulting length configuration based on this scenario. Figure 2 Column 240 shows that the DRS transmission window duration may be configured as 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 ms. If the DRS transmission window duration is unknown, the UE may assume that the DRS transmission window has a duration of 5 ms.

[0100] PDCCH-WUS monitoring window in NR

[0101] The WUS monitoring window is the event that starts 0ms before the onDuration period and ends a few slots / symbols before onDuration (due to processing time constraints). During this period, the UE monitors the set of search space set opportunities configured for the WUS PS-RNTI (one search space set per CORESET).

[0102] In addition to this window, onDurationTimer may specify the number of consecutive PDCCH subframes at the start of the DRX cycle, while PDCCH period (pp) may refer to the interval between the start of two consecutive PDCCH opportunities and depends on the used PDCCH search space.

[0103] Note that current standards at the time of this application include the existence of basic UE behavior related to WUS for the network. This basic behavior includes that during a PDCCH-WUS opportunity that the UE is monitoring, if the UE is instructed to wake up during the next opportunity of drx-onDurationTimer to monitor PDCCH. Thereafter, the UE starts drx-onDurationTimer at its next opportunity. Otherwise, if a WUS is not received, the UE does not start the timer and does not start the active time.

[0104] However, it should be noted that strictly enforcing the latter as described above results in the UE not being woken up when it is unable to monitor or receive a WUS during the WUS window, which may be an undesirable result.

[0105] (a) for LBT failure and (b) for missing data scenarios

[0106] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the UE does not Know There is at least a resolved NR-U scenario when the network has not yet transmitted the WUS due to case (a) LBT failure or case (b) lack of data.

[0107] In the case of (a) LBT failure, during the WUS window, Listen Before Talk (LBT) may fail (channel busy), so the network will not be able to send a potential WUS signal even if data is pending in the network buffer for the UE.

[0108] In this regard, network nodes (such as RAN2) have not yet specified anything related to NR-U for WUS, because NR-U is not within the scope of the WID regarding UE energy saving, and 3GPP defines WUS within WID. That is, although WUS can also be configured for UEs supporting NR-U, at the time of this application, there are no enhancements tailored for NR-U in the current standards. However, when NR-U deployments are implemented, the larger UE power consumption in NR-U compared to NR will be obvious, and the topic of UE power saving in NR-U will have to be addressed as part of NR maintenance or in future standard body versions or work items.

[0109] In the absence of data (b), for good coexistence, the gNB should not transmit periodic signals unless they are absolutely necessary (such as SSB and system information), utilizing CAT2 transmission in DRS, limited to a 1 / 20% time / duty cycle, i.e., 1ms once every 40ms. For example, the gNB can configure SSB bursts up to 5ms, but this would require performing CAT4 LBT, which is undesirable. Therefore, for coexistence and power conservation, the NR-U gNB does not transmit WUS unless the gNB wants to wake up the UE.

[0110] If LBT failure occurs during the DRS window (i.e., the gNB does not get channel access during the DRS window using CAT2), access is likely to have also failed during the WUS window (using CAT4) following the DRS window.

[0111] In the case of LBT failure in the downlink, it would be beneficial if the subsequent UE behavior would depend on the network decision. Specifically, in the case of "delay tolerant" data, the network may wait for the next WUS opportunity to indicate the presence of data to achieve greater UE power savings, while in the case of "delay strict" data, although no WUS was transmitted due to LBT failure, the network may prefer to send data during the next OnDuration period to avoid increasing latency (although the UE will waste unnecessary power in the absence of data).

[0112] Therefore, example embodiments of the present invention address at least:

[0113] How the UE identifies the situation (a) LBT failure from the situation and / or (b) lack of data; and

[0114] If the UE identifies (a) LBT failure from (b) missing data, how should the UE behave?

[0115] Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3Shown are simplified block diagrams of various electronic devices that are suitable for use in practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention.

[0116] Figure 3 A block diagram of one possible and non-limiting exemplary system in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be practiced is shown. Figure 3 In the present invention, a user equipment (UE) 10 wirelessly communicates with a wireless network 1. A UE is a wireless, typically mobile device that can access a wireless network. UE 10 includes one or more processors DP10A, one or more memories MEM10B, and one or more transceivers TRANS10D, interconnected by one or more buses. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS10D includes a receiver and a transmitter. The one or more buses can be address, data, or control buses and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, or other optical communication devices. The one or more transceivers TRANS10D are connected to one or more antennas for communicating 11 and 18 with a gNB 12 and a network network 13, respectively. The one or more memories MEM10B contain computer program code PROG10C. UE 10 communicates with gNB 12 and / or network network 13 via a wireless link 111.

[0117] gNB 12 (NR / 5G Node B or possibly evolved NB) is a device that is connected to devices such as Figure 3 The gNB 12 is a base station for communicating with wireless network 13 and UE 10, such as a master node base station or a secondary node base station (e.g., for NR or LTE Long Term Evolution). The gNB 12 provides access to wireless devices (such as UE 10) to the wireless network 1. The gNB 12 includes one or more processors DP 12A, one or more memories MEM 12C, and one or more transceivers TRANS 12D, interconnected by one or more buses. According to an example embodiment, these TRANS 12D may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for performing the example embodiments of the present invention. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS 12D includes a receiver and a transmitter. The one or more transceivers TRANS 12D are connected to one or more antennas for communicating with the UE 10 via at least a link 11. The one or more memories MEM 12B and computer program code PROG 12C are configured to, together with the one or more processors DP 12A, cause the gNB 12 to perform one or more of the operations described herein. The gNB 12 may communicate with another gNB or eNB, or a device such as the NN 13. In addition, the link 11 and / or any other link may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an X2 or Xn interface. In addition, the link 11 may pass through other network devices, such as but not limited to NCE / MME / SGW devices, such as Figure 3 NCE / MME / SGW 14.

[0118] NN 13 may include a mobile functionality device (such as an AMF or SMF). Furthermore, NN 13 may include an NR / 5G Node B or possibly an eNB—a base station such as a primary or secondary node base station (e.g., for NR or LTE Long Term Evolution)—that communicates with devices (such as gNB 12 and / or UE 10 and / or wireless network 1). NN 13 includes one or more processors DP 13A, one or more memories MEM 13B, one or more network interfaces, and one or more transceivers TRANS 12D, interconnected via one or more buses. According to example embodiments, these network interfaces of NN 13 may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for performing example embodiments of the present invention. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS 13D includes a receiver and a transmitter connected to one or more antennas. The one or more memories MEM 13B include computer program code PROG 13C. For example, the one or more memories MEM 13B and the computer program code PROG 13C are configured to, together with the one or more processors DP 13A, cause NN 13 to perform one or more operations as described herein. NN 13 may communicate with another mobile function device and / or eNB (such as gNB 12 and UE 10) or any other device using, for example, link 11 or another link. These links may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an X2 or Xn interface. In addition, as described above, link 11 may pass through other network devices such as, but not limited to, NCE / MME / SGW devices, such as Figure 3 NCE / MME / SGW 14. The NCE / MME / SGW 14 includes MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions for LTE, such as user plane functions, and / or access management functions and similar functions for 5G.

[0119] Figure 3 The one or more buses of the device may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, a wireless channel, etc. For example, one or more transceivers TRANS12D, TRANS13D, and / or TRANS10D may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH), with other elements of the gNB 12 physically located at a different location than the RRH, and one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented as optical cables to connect the other elements of the gNB 12 to the RRH.

[0120] Note that although Figure 3 A network node or base station such as Figure 3 gNB 12 in the Figure 3 NN 13 in ), but these devices can be incorporated or incorporated into an eNodeB or eNB or gNB, such as for LTE and NR, and can still be configured to perform the example embodiments of the invention described in this application.

[0121] Also note that the description herein indicates that a "cell" performs functions, but it should be clear that the gNB and / or user equipment and / or mobility management function equipment that form a cell will perform these functions. Furthermore, a cell forms part of a gNB, and each gNB can have multiple cells.

[0122] Wireless network 1 may include a network control element (NCE / MME / SGW) 14, which may include NCE (Network Control Element), MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality, and provide connectivity with another network, such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet). gNB 12 and NN 13 are coupled to NCE / MME / SGW 14 via link 13 and / or link 14. It should also be noted that operations according to example embodiments of the present invention, as performed by NN 13, may also be performed at NCE / MME / SGW 14.

[0123] NCE / MME / SGW 14 includes one or more processors DP 14A, one or more memories MEM 14B, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) interconnected via one or more buses coupled to links 13 and / or 14. According to an exemplary embodiment, these network interfaces may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for performing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The one or more memories MEM 14B include computer program code PROG 14C. The one or more memories MEM 14B and the computer program code PROG 14C are configured to, together with the one or more processors DP 14A, cause NCE / MME / SGW 14 to perform one or more operations that may be required to support operation according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0124] Wireless network 1 can implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single, software-based managed entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization and is often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization can be categorized as either external or internal. External virtualization combines many networks or portions of networks into a single virtual unit, while internal virtualization provides network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization are still implemented to some extent using hardware (such as processors DP10A, DP12A, DP13A, and / or DP14A and memories MEM 10B, MEM 12B, MEM 13B, and / or MEM 14B), and that such virtualized entities also produce technical effects.

[0125] The computer-readable memories MEM 10B, MEM 12B, MEM 13B, and MEM 14B may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The computer-readable memories MEM 10B, MEM 12B, MEM 13B, and MEM 14B may be components for performing storage functions. The processors DP10A, DP12A, DP13A, and DP14A may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The processors DP10A, DP12A, DP13A, and DP14A may be components for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 10, gNB 12, NN 13, NCE / MME / SGW 14, and other functions described herein.

[0126] Example embodiments of the present invention provide at least a method and apparatus having components for controlling / adjusting the initiation of an OnDurationtimer in the event that a UE detects a LBT failure in the downlink during a WUS opportunity prior to the OnDuration (thereby causing the UE to not monitor for reception of the WUS and / or not monitor or detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window, such as based on a PSS / SSS or PBCH associated with an SSB to be transmitted by a gNB in a DRS). According to example embodiments of the present invention, the lack of detection in the DRS window may cause the UE or another network device to determine that the LBT failure has occurred. For example, according to example embodiments of the present invention, an LBT failure for a network node channel access may be detected based on a lack of detection of one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during the discovery reference signal window.

[0127] According to example embodiments of the present invention, control and adaptation of these operations may be based on 5QI, 5G QoS indicators, such as 5QI, 5G QoS indicators for service latency, such as on DRX cycle / WUS frequency, and (potentially) also the number of consecutive LBT failures depending on the network configuration.

[0128] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the determination of the relationship between the DRX cycle / WUS frequency and QoS / 5QI (service delay) may further include determining the length of the DRX cycle based on the tightness or level of the delay target requirement. For example, the higher the tightness or level of the delay target requirement, the shorter the DRS cycle. This determination according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can help the network device indirectly establish a correlation between the network indication and the network device QoS profile for use in the operations disclosed herein.

[0129] Operation according to an example embodiment of the present invention will cause the UE to perform DRX-OnDuration monitoring, for example, in the absence of a previous WUS indication, in a case where one or more LBT failures have been detected during a DRS window prior to DRX-ONDuration and / or in a case where one or more configured DRBs have strict delay requirements (e.g., based on QoS / 5QI).

[0130] Example embodiments of the present invention as disclosed herein include not starting the DRX-OnDuration timer if the UE detects LBT failure during one or more DRS windows before the ONDuration. According to example embodiments of the present invention, the (multiple) DRS windows may be during or before the WUS window.

[0131] According to example embodiments of the present invention, detecting LBT failure at least during these windows may further depend on QoS / 5QI, and / or depend on DRS, DRX cycle and / or WUS frequency.

[0132] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, after detecting that one or more subsequent LBT failures in the DL overlap at least partially with a WUS opportunity / window related to controlling a subsequent ONDuration, it can be determined whether to start an ONDuration timer, configured by the network, for example as part of the WUS configuration.

[0133] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the NR-U UE may monitor listen-before-talk (LBT) failure in the DL based at least on the DRS window to achieve power saving.

[0134] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the NR-U UE may monitor for (multiple) subsequent listen-before-talk (LBT) failures in the DL to achieve power saving purposes.

[0135] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the NR-U UE may monitor (multiple) listen-before-talk (LBT) failures in DL for the purpose of power saving only if the NR-U UE is configured to skip starting the DRX-OnDuration timer.

[0136] Furthermore, according to an example embodiment of the present invention, the NR-U UE may be configured to skip starting the DRX-OnDuration timer upon detecting an LBT failure, where it will start the DRX-OnDuration timer after N+1 subsequent LBT failures observed during the DRS window closest to the WUS opportunity / window. This is to maximize the correlation between the probability of the DRS having an LBT failure (as can be measured by the UE) and the probability of the WUS window having an LBT failure, as according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0137] It should be noted that the above actions may in this way be able to "override" the default UE behavior, which can be configured via ps-WakeupOrNot, so that if the UE is configured to continue sleeping without correctly detecting WUS, the UE may still need to monitor PDCCH in the next on-duration through these triggers.

[0138] Note that, as described herein, example embodiments of the present invention may be applicable to improved operation using a WUS design in which PDCCH-WUS and / or DCI with CRC is scrambled by PS-RNTI. However, it should also be noted that example embodiments of the present invention may be applied to facilitate any WUS design standard acceptance when accepted by the present application and / or future standards. Example embodiments of the present invention may be applied to improve operation of WUS designs, at least WUS designs such as NB-IoT and / or WUS designs in which WUS is transmitted in a DCI format other than, for example, but not limited to, formats 2_6, or on a different channel than PDCCH, and / or using physical signals / sequences such as DMRS.

[0139] Advantages of operation according to example embodiments of the present invention as disclosed herein include at least that UE behavior in cases where WUS overlaps with certain activities including LBT failures in NR-U is defined and that the network is given greater flexibility to determine the optimal trade-off between UE power saving and latency targets.

[0140] Figure 4AOperations according to example embodiments of the present invention are illustrated, which may be performed by a network device, such as, but not limited to, a network device, such as Figure 3 UE 10 in Figure 4A As shown in step 410, a network device of the communication network detects at least one failure of a network node channel access during or before a wake-up signal opportunity. Figure 4A As shown in step 420 , based on the detection, on-duration monitoring is performed.

[0141] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein the network device is in sleep mode, and wherein on-duration monitoring is performed when no previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up is received during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode.

[0142] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, failure of channel access by a network node is detected based on not detecting one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window for the network device.

[0143] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein the failure is during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window is one of: during or before a wake-up signal opportunity.

[0144] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, the failure of the network node channel access includes at least one listen-before-talk failure of a device of the communication network.

[0145] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein at least one of detecting or performing on-duration monitoring is based on an indication from a communication network.

[0146] According to the example embodiment described in the preceding paragraphs, wherein the indication is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the network device, and wherein the indication illustrates a number of consecutive failures of the network node channel access failures.

[0147] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein on-duration monitoring comprises discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring.

[0148] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, performing on-duration monitoring includes: determining to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring based on an indication from the communication network.

[0149] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, starting the discontinuous reception on-duration timer is performed after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures, the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures being observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurring closest to the wake-up signal opportunity.

[0150] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein at least one listen-before-talk failure among the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurs no later than a wake-up signal opportunity.

[0151] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein determining to start the discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring is based on a wake-up signal configuration from the communication network.

[0152] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the on-duration monitoring is performed based on determining that at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure comprises a delay-strict requirement.

[0153] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the delay-strict requirement includes at least one of a communication network technology requirement or a quality of service requirement.

[0154] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is determined based on a required maximum latency level strictly required by the delay of at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure.

[0155] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the determined length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communication network and a quality of service requirement of the network device.

[0156] A non-transitory computer readable medium (such as Figure 3 MEM 10B), stores program code (such as Figure 3 PROG10C in the program code is executed by at least one processor (such as Figure 3 DP 10A) in is executed to perform at least the operations described in the above paragraphs.

[0157] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, there is an apparatus comprising: Figure 3 Network devices in Network 1) (such as Figure 2 UE 10 in the detection (such as Figure 3TRANS10D, MEM 10B, PROG10C and DP 10A) at least one failure component of network node channel access during or before the wake-up signal opportunity; and based on the detection, for performing (such as Figure 3 TRANS10D, MEM 10B, PROG 10C and DP 10A) are turned on as a component for duration monitoring.

[0158] In an example aspect of the invention according to the above paragraphs, wherein at least the means for detecting and executing comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium [MEM 10B] encoded with a computer program [PROG 10C] executable by at least one processor [DP 10A].

[0159] Figure 4B Operations according to example embodiments of the present invention are illustrated, which may be performed by a network device, such as, but not limited to, a network device, such as Figure 3 gNB 12 or NN 13 in the Figure 4B In step 450, information including a configuration is determined by a network node of the communication network, the configuration being used to perform on-duration monitoring in the event that a failure of a channel access of the network node is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity. Figure 4B As shown in step 460, an indication of information is sent toward at least one network device.

[0160] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, wherein the configuration is for use when at least one network device is in sleep mode, and wherein the configuration is for on-duration monitoring to be performed in the absence of a previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode.

[0161] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the configuration is for detecting failure of channel access of the network node based on lack of detection of one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window.

[0162] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, wherein the configuration is for detecting failure of a network node channel access during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window is one of during a wake-up signal opportunity or before a wake-up signal opportunity.

[0163] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein the configuration is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with at least one network device, and wherein the indication illustrates a number of consecutive failures of network node channel access failures.

[0164] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the configuration is for use in determining to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures, the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures being observed during at least one discovery reference signal window that occurs closest to a wake-up signal opportunity.

[0165] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, wherein the information includes a configuration to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for on-duration monitoring based on a wake-up signal configuration from the communication network.

[0166] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein the information includes an on-duration monitoring configuration based on at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure including a delay strict requirement.

[0167] According to the example embodiments described in the above paragraphs, the delay-strict requirement includes at least one of a communication network technology requirement or a quality of service requirement.

[0168] According to the example embodiment described in the above paragraphs, wherein the information includes configuring determining a length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles based on a required maximum latency level strictly required by the delay of at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure.

[0169] According to an example embodiment as described in the above paragraphs, the determined length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communication network and a quality of service requirement of at least one network device.

[0170] A non-transitory computer readable medium (such as Figure 3 MEM 12B and / or MEM13C), storing program code (such as Figure 3 The program code is executed by at least one processor (e.g., PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C). Figure 3 DP 12A and / or DP 13A) in to perform at least the operations described in the above paragraphs.

[0171] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, there is an apparatus comprising: Figure 3 The network nodes of the communication network 1 (such as Figure 3 gNB 12 and / or NN 13 in the Figure 3TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) include configuration information (such as Figure 3 MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A), the configuration is used by at least one network device of the communication network (such as Figure 3 UE 10 in) is used to perform on-duration monitoring when a failure of network node channel access is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity; and for sending (such as Figure 3 TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, MEM12B and / or MEM 13B, PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C, and DP 12A and / or DP 13A) information in the instruction component.

[0172] In an exemplary aspect of the invention according to the above paragraphs, wherein at least the means for determining and sending comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium [such as Figure 3 MEM 12B and / or MEM 13B] in the non-transitory computer readable medium using a computer program [such as Figure 3 PROG 12C and / or PROG 13C] in, the computer program can be executed by at least one processor [such as Figure 3 DP 12A and / or DP 13A] is executed.

[0173] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, although the invention is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0174] Embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in various components, such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert a logic-level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0175] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments described in this detailed description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims.

[0176] The foregoing description has provided by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples a full and informative description of the best method and apparatus presently contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Nevertheless, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of this invention.

[0177] It should be noted that the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variations thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may encompass the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" together. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. As used herein, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" together through the use of one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as through the use of electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and optical (both visible and invisible) region, as a few non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0178] Furthermore, some of the features of the preferred embodiments of this invention may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features.Thus, the foregoing description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not in limitation thereof.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising: detecting, by a network device of the communication network, at least one listen-before-talk (LBT) failure of channel access of a network node during or before a wake-up signal opportunity, wherein the LBT failure of channel access of the network node is detected based on: failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window; and Based on the detection, an on-duration monitoring is performed. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein the on-duration monitoring is performed when no previous wake-up signal indicating wake-up is received during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the LBT failure is during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of detecting or performing on-duration monitoring is based on an indication from the communication network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the network device, and wherein the indication illustrates a number of consecutive failures in the LBT failures for channel access of the network node. The method of claim 1 , wherein the on-duration monitoring comprises discontinuous reception on-duration monitoring.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing on-duration monitoring comprises: Based on an instruction from the communication network, it is determined to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for the on-duration monitoring.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein starting the DRX on-duration timer is performed after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures are observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurring closest to the wake-up signal opportunity. 9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein determining to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for the on-duration monitoring is based on a wake-up signal configuration from the communication network.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the on-duration monitoring is performed based on determining that at least one data radio bearer affected by the failure comprises a delay-strict requirement. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the strict delay requirement comprises at least one of a communication network technical requirement or a quality of service requirement.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising: A length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is determined based on a required maximum latency level strictly required by the delay of the at least one data radio bearer affected by the LBT failure.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the determined length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to establish a correlation between an indication from the communication network and a quality of service requirement of the network device, wherein the indication indicates the number of consecutive failures in the LBT failures for channel access of the network node.

14. A method of communication, comprising: determining, by a network node of a communications network, information comprising a configuration for performing on-duration monitoring if a listen-before-talk (LBT) failure for channel access of the network node is detected during or before a wake-up signal opportunity, the LBT failure being detected by determining that one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window are not detected; and An indication of the information is sent towards at least one network device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration is for use when the at least one network device is in a sleep mode, and wherein the configuration is for the on-duration monitoring to be performed during a wake-up signal opportunity associated with the sleep mode in the absence of a preceding wake-up signal indicating wake-up.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration is for detecting the LBT failure of network node channel access based on a failure to detect one or more signals or channels to be transmitted during a discovery reference signal window.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration is for detecting the LBT failure of network node channel access during a discovery reference signal window, the discovery reference signal window being one of: during or before the wake-up signal opportunity.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration is based on at least one of a discontinuous reception period or a wake-up signal frequency associated with the at least one network device, and wherein the indication indicates a number of consecutive LBT failures in the failure of channel access of the network node.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration is for use when determining to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for the on-duration monitoring after N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures, the N+1 subsequent listen-before-talk failures being observed during at least one discovery reference signal window occurring closest to the wake-up signal opportunity.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the information includes a configuration to start a discontinuous reception on-duration timer for the on-duration monitoring based on a wake-up signal configuration from the communication network.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the information comprises: An on-duration monitoring configuration based on at least one data radio bearer affected by the LBT failure includes a delay-strict requirement.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the delay-strict requirement comprises at least one of a communication network technology requirement or a quality of service requirement.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information comprises a configuration for determining a length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles based on a required maximum latency level strictly required by the delay of the at least one data radio bearer affected by the LBT failure.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the determined length of at least one of the discontinuous reception cycles is used to: establish a correlation between an indication from the communication network and a quality of service requirement of the at least one network device, wherein the indication indicates the number of consecutive failures in the LBT failures of the network node channel access.

25. An apparatus for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or 14 to 24.

26. A computer program product comprising program code for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or 14 to 24.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer.

Images