UE power saving in NR using UE assistance information

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, system and method for managing UE upgrade requests using UE assistance information (UAI), which includes network-controlled upgrade support, UE-initiated upgrade requests and / or budget-based upgrade requests.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to user equipment (UE) power saving in New Radio (NR). Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which is generally referred to as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) by industry organizations; and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), which is generally referred to as Wi-Fi by industry organizations. In the 3GPP radio access network (RAN) in the LTE system, the base station may include a RAN node such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a radio network controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with a wireless communication device referred to as a user equipment (UE). In the fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, the RAN node may include a 5G node, an NR node, or a gNodeB (gNB). gNB can also be called next generation Node B.

[0003] The RAN uses radio access technologies (RATs) to communicate between RAN nodes and UEs. The RAN may include a global system for mobile communications (GSM), an enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), and / or an E-UTRAN, which provides access to communication services through a core network. Each RAN in the RAN operates according to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT, and NG-RAN implements 5G RAT. In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement 5G RAT.

[0004] The frequency bands for 5G NR can be divided into two different frequency ranges. Frequency Range 1 (FR1) includes frequency bands below 6 GHz, some of which may be used by previous standards but can potentially be expanded to cover potential new spectrum products from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) includes frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mm-Wave) range of FR2 have a shorter range but higher available bandwidth than the frequency bands in FR1. The skilled person will recognize that these frequency ranges, which are provided by way of example, may vary from time to time or region to region. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces the element.

[0006] Figure 1 A method for a wireless communication network to manage UE upgrade requests according to one embodiment is shown.

[0007] Figure 2 A method for a wireless network according to one embodiment is shown.

[0008] Figure 3 A method for a gNB according to one embodiment is shown.

[0009] Figure 4 A method for a UE according to one embodiment is shown.

[0010] Figure 5 An exemplary service-oriented architecture according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0011] Figure 6 A UE according to one embodiment is shown.

[0012] Figure 7 A network node according to one embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] When the UE is in RRC connected mode, the UE may send UE assistance information (referred to as UAI or UEAssistanceInformation) to the wireless network in an uplink (UL) message. The UE assistance information may include metrics for assisting the UE in saving power. For example, the UE assistance information may indicate whether the UE is low on power or whether the UE is overheated. The network may then respond to the UE assistance information by, for example, extending the discontinuous reception (DRX) duration or adjusting another power saving configuration of the UE. In some implementations, the network may decide which action to take, or no action at all, in response to the various metrics reported in the UE assistance information.

[0014] Whenever a UE is in RRC connected mode, the UE may already be operating under a currently active configuration for a particular metric. Certain implementations of wireless networks are currently unable or uncertain how to handle the range of preferred parameter values ​​for a given metric requested in UE assistance information. For example, the network may not be able to determine whether a metric should be restricted to the currently active configuration or to the UE capabilities (for that metric) regardless of the currently active configuration.

[0015] In some cases, the network or network operator or supplier may prefer not to allow upgrade requests (i.e.) requests for a preferred value for a metric that is greater than the currently active configuration but up to the UE capabilities for that metric, whereas the user or UE supplier may prefer to allow upgrade requests. The network may prefer not to allow upgrade requests because if the currently active configuration for a given metric is a value that is less than the UE capabilities for that metric, it will not allow the UE to request a higher preferred value for that metric. The network may be concerned that allowing such requests may waste resources due to the UE arbitrarily requesting an upgrade.

[0016] For example, the UAI requested metric "reducedMaxMIMO-LayersFR1" may allow the UE to indicate how many reduced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers it can support on the downlink (DL) or UL in FR1. An exemplary information element (IE) for reducedMaxMIMO-LayersFR1 may include:

[0017]

[0018] In the UAI requested metric reducedMaxMIMO-LayersFR1, if the currently active configuration for DL ​​is four layers, but the UE is capable of up to eight layers, the network (or network operator) may prefer to restrict the UE to use only two or four layers.

[0019] However, the UE (or user or UE vendor) may prefer to allow the UE to request a higher preferred value for a given metric (up to the UE capabilities) even when the currently active configuration for that metric is a value that is less than the UE capabilities for that metric. Thus, in the above example of the metric reducedMaxMIMO-LayersFR1 for a UAI request, the UE may still prefer to request eight layers (e.g., when attempting data-intensive high-throughput streaming or downloading). There are additional advantages to the UE requesting a higher preferred value for a given metric, including, for example, that the UE may request a preferred metric value commensurate with its current state (e.g., if the battery level is high, the UE may request enhanced capabilities, and vice versa).

[0020] Therefore, it would be useful to provide a solution that addresses both network issues and UE requirements.

[0021] Upgrade support for network control

[0022] In one embodiment, as part of the RRC connected mode signaling procedure (e.g., during radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment and / or RRC connection recovery), based on the current network-side load and resource usage, the network may indicate to the UE whether the UE's request for the preferred metric in the UAI will be determined by the current active configuration (i.e., not allowed upgrade request) or by the supported UE capabilities (i.e., allowed upgrade request). In certain such embodiments, if the network load / resource constraints have changed after the UE has entered the RRC connected mode, the network may select an existing RRC connected mode signaling procedure (e.g., RRC reconfiguration) to manage the upgrade support accordingly. Thus, the network can effectively enable and disable the UE's use of the upgrade request through the UAI.

[0023] Figure 1 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 100 for a wireless communication network managing UE upgrade requests according to certain embodiments. In block 102, the method 100 includes performing a first RRC connection mode signaling procedure with the UE. The first RRC connection mode signaling procedure may be, for example, an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC connection recovery procedure. In block 104, the method 100 includes determining a current network load and resource usage. In block 106, during the first RRC connection mode signaling procedure, the method 100 includes generating a first message to the UE to indicate to the UE, based on the current network load and resource usage, whether a preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is determined by a currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities.

[0024] In some embodiments, after the UE has entered the RRC connected mode, in block 108, the method 100 further includes a change in the current network load and resource usage. In block 110, during the next RRC connected mode signaling process, the method 100 includes generating a next message to the UE to indicate, based on the change in the current network load and resource usage, whether the preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is determined by the current active configuration or by the supported UE capabilities. In some embodiments, the network may continue to evaluate (in block 108) whether there is a change in the current network load and resource usage periodically or based on its local implementation-specific triggers, and repeat the actions of block 110 during the entire RRC connected mode duration.

[0025] UE initiates upgrade request based on certain conditions

[0026] In addition, or in other embodiments, the UE may autonomously initiate an upgrade request. Such embodiments may be used for certain predetermined situations, predetermined conditions, and / or predetermined metrics agreed upon by the network and the UE. A skilled person will recognize from the disclosure herein that the following exemplary upgrade scenarios are provided by way of example only, and the disclosed embodiments may be used for many other upgrade scenarios.

[0027] For example, if the UE is capable of E-UTRAN New Air Interface Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) mode and the current UE use case requires an additional NR Secondary Cell Group (SCG) branch, but the network has not yet configured it, the UE may autonomously generate a message including a UAI indicating a preference for an additional NR SCG branch. The network may then respond by configuring the additional NR SCG branch for the UE.

[0028] As another example, when the UE is connected to a power charger and the current UE use case may benefit from a greater number of DL MIMO layers beyond the currently active configuration, the UE may autonomously generate a message including a UAI indicating a preference for a greater number of DL MIMO layers. The network may then respond by configuring a greater number of DL MIMO layers.

[0029] As yet another example, the UE may prefer a longer Connected DRX duration than the currently active configuration.If previously configured or agreed to by the network, the UE may autonomously generate a message including a UAI indicating a preference for a longer Connected DRX duration.

[0030] In some embodiments, although the UE may autonomously request an upgrade under certain predetermined conditions, the network may determine whether to grant the request based on current network load, resource usage, or other factors. In addition, some embodiments may combine network-controlled upgrade support and UE-initiated upgrade requests. For example, when the network has indicated (e.g., during an RRC connected mode procedure) that upgrade requests are disabled (e.g., during a disabled period), the UE may send upgrade requests only for certain predetermined situations agreed to by the network.

[0031] Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method 200 for a wireless network according to one embodiment. Figure 1 The first and second messages discussed in Figure 2In block 202 of the method 200, the method 200 includes disabling upgrade requests from the UE during the disabled period by generating a first message or a second message indicating that a parameter associated with a preferred metric in the UAI is to be determined by a currently active configuration. In block 204, the method 200 includes processing an autonomously generated upgrade request from the UE for a predetermined metric during the disabled period. The autonomously generated upgrade request may be received from the UE after expiration of a disable timer (discussed below) that was initiated when a previous upgrade request for the predetermined metric was received from the UE.

[0032] Budget-based upgrade requests

[0033] In addition, or in other embodiments, a budget method can be used to limit the number of times the UE can request a preferred metric that is better than the currently active configuration. For example, in RRC connected mode, each retry of UAI (controlled by the prohibition timer of the metric) can be performed for a specific metric only if the number of such attempts is less than the maximum value of the budget. The maximum value of the budget can be specified by a predetermined value (and is not expected to be 0). Therefore, if the maximum value of the budget is 1, then in this RRC connected mode, the UE can only request an upgrade once. After the upgrade request, the prohibition timer is started. Once the prohibition timer expires, the UE cannot request any further upgrade requests until the RRC connection ends. The UE can only request to change the preferred value of the metric until the current active configuration.

[0034] In some embodiments, the UE cumulative retry counter is used to track the number of attempts by the UE to request an upgrade of a particular metric. For example, if the maximum value of the budget is 3, the UE cumulative retry counter may be set to 3 and decremented by 1 each time the UE sends a UAI to indicate an upgrade preference for a particular metric. In other embodiments, the UE cumulative retry counter may be incremented with each attempt until a threshold corresponding to the maximum value of the budget is met. The UE cumulative retry counter may be reset when the UE exits RRC connected mode or in other cases when the parameters indicated by the UAI are reset.

[0035] To prevent the UE from requesting upgrades too frequently, certain embodiments define a blocking window based on an upgrade request timer, which can be an integer multiple of the prohibit timer for the metric, which is spaced apart and avoids back-to-back upgrade requests from the UE. In certain embodiments, the upgrade request blocking window is an integer multiple of the existing prohibit timer value for the metric (e.g., T_blocking_window=N×T_prohibit_timer, N≥1) to keep the design simple and ensure that the original prohibit timer and the new blocking window timer will expire at the same time. However, in other embodiments, the blocking window timer is not an integer multiple of the prohibit timer. UE UAI signaling to the network for requesting an upgrade (e.g., a UE-initiated upgrade request) takes into account the limitations imposed by the budget count and the blocking window based on the upgrade request timer.

[0036] The budget-based upgrade request implementation may be combined with the network-controlled upgrade implementation and / or the UE-initiated upgrade request implementation.

[0037] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method 300 for a gNB according to certain embodiments. In block 302, the method 300 includes storing a maximum value of a budget for upgrade attempts and an inhibit timer value corresponding to a metric for saving power in a UE. In block 304, the method 300 includes processing a message from a UE including a UAI, the UAI including a preferred value for the metric. In block 306, the method 300 includes determining whether to allow the UE to request a change to a currently active configuration of the metric based at least in part on not exceeding the maximum value of the budget for upgrade attempts during a time period defined by the inhibit timer value. For example, a timer based on the inhibit timer value may be started after a first attempt to change the currently active configuration of the metric using the UAI. A UE cumulative retry counter may be used to track the number of upgrade attempts of the metric during the time period. In block 308, if the UE is not allowed to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric, the method 300 includes ignoring the preferred value. In block 310, if the UE is allowed to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric, the method 300 includes determining to change the currently active configuration according to the preferred value based on current network load and resource usage.

[0038] In certain embodiments, as indicated at block 312, method 300 includes determining an upgrade request barring window defining an additional time period during which the UE is prohibited from attempting to upgrade the metric using the UAI based on the integer multiples of the inhibit timer value.

[0039] In certain embodiments, method 300 may include aspects of other embodiments disclosed herein. For example, the wireless network may determine current network load and resource usage, and during an RRC connected mode signaling process, generate a signal to the UE to indicate (based on the current network load and resource usage) whether the preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is determined by the current active configuration or by supported UE capabilities. Determining whether the UE is allowed to request a change to the current active configuration of the metric may also include determining that the metric corresponds to a predetermined metric or a predetermined condition that allows the UE to autonomously decide to request an upgrade to the metric using the UAI without further input from the eNB and / or gNB.

[0040] Figure 4 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 for a UE according to certain embodiments. In block 402, the method 400 includes storing a maximum value of a budget for an upgrade attempt, a prohibition timer value, and a UE capability value corresponding to a metric for saving power in the UE. In block 404, the method 400 includes determining that a preferred value of a metric within the UE capability value is different from the current active configuration of the metric. In block 406, the method 400 includes determining that the wireless network allows the UE to request a change to the current active configuration of the metric based at least in part on the maximum value of the budget for the upgrade attempt not exceeding the budget. If the request to change the current active configuration includes an upgrade request, the request is counted according to the count of the budget, and a timer based on the prohibition timer value may be started after the first attempt to change the current active configuration of the metric using the UAI. However, if the request to change the current active configuration is for any preferred metric value less than the current active configuration, the request is not counted according to the count of the budget, and the timer is not started. The number of upgrade attempts of the metric performed during the time period using the UE cumulative retry counter. The UE cumulative retry counter may be reset when the UE exits the RRC connection mode or when one or more parameters corresponding to the metric are reset. At block 408, method 400 includes generating a message for the wireless network including a UAI including a preferred value for the metric.

[0041] In certain embodiments, as indicated at block 410, method 400 includes determining an upgrade request barring window defining an additional time period during which the UE is prohibited from attempting to upgrade the metric using the UAI based on integer multiples of the inhibit timer value.

[0042] In certain embodiments, method 400 may include aspects of other embodiments disclosed herein. For example, the UE may determine that the wireless network allows it to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric by processing a signal from the wireless network during an RRC connection mode signaling process with the wireless network, the signal indicating that an upgrade request using UAI is enabled based on current network load and resource usage. Determining that the wireless network allows the UE to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric may also include determining that the metric corresponds to a predetermined metric or a predetermined condition that allows the UE to autonomously decide to request an upgrade to the metric using UAI without further input from the wireless network.

[0043] The budget-based upgrade request implementation may be combined with the network-controlled upgrade implementation and / or the UE-initiated upgrade request implementation.

[0044] Embodiments herein may allow the UE to request a preferred metric up to the maximum UE capabilities, e.g. for truly real UE-side use cases, so as not to be limited to the currently active configuration.

[0045] The budget-based upgrade request implementation can reduce the problem of potential resource waste for the network or network operator. For example, support for upgrade requests can be controlled by the network based on its current resource availability and load, and any random request (if any) from the UE is counted against the total available budget. An additional prohibit timer for upgrade requests prevents any spurious back-to-back requests.

[0046] Exemplary Systems and Components

[0047] The following description includes systems and components that can be used to implement the embodiments herein, including Figures 1 to 4 An exemplary method is shown.

[0048] In certain embodiments, the 5G system architecture supports data connectivity and services, enabling deployment to use technologies such as network function virtualization and software defined networks. The 5G system architecture can utilize service-based interactions between control plane network functions. Separating user plane functions from control plane functions allows independent scalability, evolution, and flexible deployment (e.g., centralized locations or distributed (remote) locations). Modular function design allows functional reuse, and flexible and effective network slicing can be achieved. Network functions and their network function services can interact with another NF and its network function services directly or indirectly via a service communication agent. Another intermediate function can help route control plane messages. The architecture minimizes the dependency between AN and CN. The architecture may include an aggregated core network with a public AN-CN interface that integrates different access types (e.g., 3GPP access and non-3GPP access). The architecture may also support a unified authentication framework, stateless NFs with decoupling of computing resources from storage resources, capability exposure, concurrent access to local and centralized services (to support low-latency services and access to local data networks, user plane functions may be deployed near the AN), and / or roaming in the visited PLMN with both home-routed traffic as well as local breakout traffic.

[0049] The 5G architecture may be defined as service-based, and the interactions between network functions may include a service-based representation, where a network function (e.g., AMF) within the control plane enables other authorized network functions to access its services. The service-based representation may also include a point-to-point reference point. The reference point representation may also be used to show the interactions between NF services in a network function described by a point-to-point reference point (e.g., N11) between any two network functions (e.g., AMF and SMF).

[0050] Figure 5 A service-oriented architecture 500 in 5GS according to one embodiment is shown. As described in 3GPP TS 23.501, the service-oriented architecture 500 includes NFs such as NSSF 502, NEF 504, NRF 506, PCF 508, UDM 510, AUSF 512, AMF 514, and SMF 516 to communicate with UE 520, (R)AN 522, UPF 524, and DN 526. NFs and NF services can communicate directly (referred to as direct communication) or indirectly via SCP 518 (referred to as indirect communication). Figure 5 Also shown are corresponding service interfaces including Nutm, Naf, Nudm, Npcf, Nsmf, Nnrf, Namf, Nnef, Nnssf and Nausf and reference points N1, N2, N3, N4 and N6. Figure 5 Some exemplary functions provided by the NF shown.

[0051] The NSSF 502 supports functions such as: selecting a set of network slice instances to serve the UE; determining the allowed NSSAIs and, if necessary, determining the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI; determining the configured NSSAI and, if necessary, determining the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI; and / or determining the set of AMFs to be used to serve the UE, or determining a list of candidate AMFs based on the configuration, possibly by querying the NRF.

[0052] NEF 504 supports the exposure of capabilities and events. NF capabilities and events can be securely exposed by NEF 504 (e.g., for third parties, application functions and / or edge computing). NEF 504 can store / retrieve information as structured data using a standardized interface (Nudr) to UDR. NEF 504 can also securely provide information to the 3GPP network from external applications, and can provide application functions to securely provide information (e.g., expected UE behavior, 5GLAN group information, and service-specific information) to the 3GPP network, where NEF 504 can authenticate and authorize and help limit application functions. NEF 504 can provide internal-external information conversion by converting between information exchanged with AF and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 504 converts between AF service identifiers and internal 5G core information (such as DNN and S-NSSAI). NEF 504 can handle the masking of network and user sensitive information of external AF according to network policy. NEF 504 may receive information from other network functions (based on the exposed capabilities of other network functions) and store the received information as structured data using a standardized interface to UDR. The stored information may then be accessed by NEF 504 and re-exposed to other network functions and application functions, and used for other purposes such as analysis. For external exposure of services related to a specific UE, NEF 504 may reside in the HPLMN. Depending on the operator agreement, the NEF 504 in the HPLMN may have an interface with the NF in the VPLMN. SCEF+NEF may be used for service exposure when the UE is able to switch between EPC and 5GC.

[0053] The NRF 506 supports the service discovery function by receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances or SCPs and providing information of the discovered NF instances to the NF instances or SCPs. The NRF 506 may also support P-CSCF discovery (a special case of SMF discovery of AFs), maintain NF profiles of available NF instances and their supported services, and / or notify subscribed NF service consumers or SCPs of newly registered / updated / deregistered NF instances together with their NF services. In the context of network slicing, based on the network specific implementation, multiple NRFs may be deployed at different levels, such as PLMN level (NRF configured with information of the entire PLMN), shared slice level (NRF configured with information belonging to a network slice set), and / or slice specific level (NRF configured with information belonging to S-NSSAI). In the context of roaming, multiple NRFs may be deployed in different networks, wherein the NRF in the visited PLMN (referred to as vNRF) is configured with information of the visited PLMN, and wherein the NRF in the home PLMN (referred to as hNRF) is configured with information of the home PLMN, referenced by the vNRF via the N27 interface.

[0054] The PCF 508 supports a unified policy framework to govern network behavior. The PCF 508 provides policy rules for control plane functions to implement them. The PCF 508 accesses subscription information related to policy decisions in a unified data repository (UDR). The PCF 508 can access a UDR located in the same PLMN as the PCF.

[0055] The UDM 510 supports the generation of 3GPP AKA authentication credentials, user identification processing (e.g., storage and management of SUPI for each subscriber in the 5G system), unhiding of the privacy-preserving subscription identifier (SUCI), access authorization based on subscription data (e.g., roaming restrictions), UE's serving NF registration management (e.g., storing the service AMF for the UE, storing the PDU session storage service SMF for the UE), service / session continuity (e.g., by maintaining the SMF / DNN allocation for ongoing sessions), MT-SMS delivery, lawful interception functions (especially in outbound roaming situations where the UDM is the only contact point for the LI), subscription management, SMS management, 5G LAN group management processing, and / or external parameter configuration (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters). To provide such functions, the UDM 510 uses subscription data (including authentication data) that can be stored in the UDR, in which case the UDM implements the application logic and may not require internal user data storage, and several different UDMs can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM 510 can be located in the HPLMN of the subscriber it serves and can access the information of the UDR located in the same PLMN.

[0056] AF 528 interacts with the core network to provide services such as supporting: application impact on traffic routing; access to NEF 504; interaction with the policy framework for policy control; and / or IMS interaction with 5GC. Based on operator deployment, application functions that are considered to be trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with related network functions. Application functions that the operator does not allow direct access to network functions may interact with related network functions using an external exposure framework via NEF 504.

[0057] AUSF 512 supports authentication for 3GPP access and untrusted non-3GPP access. AUSF 512 may also provide support for network slice-specific authentication and authorization.

[0058] AMF 514 supports termination of RAN CP interface (N2), termination of NAS (N1) for NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception (for AMF events and interface to LI system), transmission of SM messages between UE and SMF, transparent proxy for routing SM messages, access authentication, access authorization, transmission of SMS messages between UE and SMSF, SEAF, location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between UE and LMF and between RAN and LMF, EPS bearer ID allocation for interworking with EPS, UE mobility event notification, control plane CIoT 5GS optimization, user plane CIoT 5GS optimization, configuration of external parameters (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters) and / or network slice-specific authentication and authorization. Some or all of the AMF functions may be supported in a single instance of AMF 514. Regardless of the number of network functions, in some embodiments, only one NAS interface instance per access network between UE and CN terminates at one of the network functions that implements at least NAS security and mobility management. AMF 514 may also include policy-related functions.

[0059] In addition to the above functions, AMF 514 may also include the following functions to support non-3GPP access networks: support N2 interface with N3IWF / TNGF, on which some information (e.g., 3GPP cell identity) and procedures (e.g., handover related) defined on 3GPP access may not be applicable, and non-3GPP access specific information not applicable to 3GPP access may be applied; support NAS signaling with UE through N3IWF / TNGF, where some procedures supported by NAS signaling through 3GPP access may not be applicable to untrusted non-3GPP (e.g., paging) access; support authentication of UE connected through N3IWF / TNGF; management of mobility, authentication and separate security context states of UE connected via non-3GPP access or via 3GPP access or non-3GPP access at the same time; support coordinated RM management context valid on 3GPP access and non-3GPP access; and / or support dedicated CM management context for UE connected via non-3GPP access. It may not be necessary to support all of the above functions in the instance of network slicing.

[0060] SMF 516 supports session management (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes), UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization) (where the UE IP address can be received from the UPF or from an external data network), DHCPv4 (server and client) and DHCPv6 (server and client) functions, functions for responding to address resolution protocol requests and / or IPv6 neighbor request requests based on local cache information of Ethernet PDUs (e.g., SMF responds to ARP and / or IPv6 neighbor request requests by providing a MAC address corresponding to the IP address sent in the request), selection and control of user plane functions (including controlling the UPF to proxy ARP or IPv6 neighbor discovery or forwarding all ARP / IPv6 neighbor request traffic to the SMF for Ethernet PDU sessions), traffic steering configuration at the UPF to route traffic to the appropriate destination, 5G VN group management (e.g., maintaining the topology of the PSA UPFs involved, in the PSA Establish and publish N19 tunnels between UPFs, configure traffic forwarding at UPF to apply local switching and / or N6-based forwarding or N19-based forwarding), terminate interfaces towards policy control functions, lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces to LI systems), charge data collection and support charging interfaces, control and coordinate charging data collection at UPF, terminate the SM part of NAS messages, downlink data notification, initiator of AN-specific SM information sent to AN via AMF over N2, determination of SSC mode for session, control plane CIoT 5GS optimization, header compression, act as I-SMF in deployments where I-SMF can be inserted / removed / relocated, configure external parameters (expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters), P-CSCF discovery for IMS services, roaming functions (e.g., handle local implementation to apply QoS SLA (VPLMN), charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN) and / or lawful interception (in VPLMN for SM events and interface to LI system), interaction with external DN to transmit signaling for PDU session authentication / authorization for external DN and / or instructing UPF and NG-RAN to perform redundant transmission on N3 / N9 interface. Some or all of the SMF functions may be supported in a single instance of SMF. However, in some embodiments, not all functions need to be supported in an instance of a network slice. In addition to the functions, SMF 516 may include policy-related functions.

[0061] SCP 518 includes one or more of the following functions: indirect communication; delegated discovery; message forwarding and routing to destination NF / NF service; communication security (e.g., authorization of NF service consumer to access NF service manufacturer API), load balancing, monitoring, overload control, etc.; and / or optionally interacting with UDR to resolve UDM group ID / UDR group ID / AUSF group ID / PCF group ID / CHF group ID / HSS group ID based on UE identity (e.g., SUPI or IMPI / IMPU). Some or all of the SCP functions may be supported in a single instance of SCP. In some embodiments, SCP 518 may be deployed in a distributed manner and / or more than one SCP may be present in the communication path between NF services. SCP may be deployed at PLMN level, shared slice level, and slice-specific level. Operator deployment may be left to ensure that SCP can communicate with relevant NRFs.

[0062] UE 520 may include a device with radio communication capabilities. For example, UE 520 may include a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can be connected to one or more cellular networks). UE 520 may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handheld device, or any computing device including a wireless communication interface. UE is also referred to as a client, a mobile phone, a mobile device, a mobile terminal, a user terminal, a mobile unit, a mobile station, a mobile user, a subscriber, a user, a remote station, an access agent, a user agent, a receiver, a radio equipment, a reconfigurable radio equipment, or a reconfigurable mobile device. UE 520 may include an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. IoT UE may utilize technology (e.g., M2M, MTC, or mMTC technology) to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a PLMN, other UEs using ProSe or D2D communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure). The IoT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0063] UE 520 may be configured to be connected or communicatively coupled to (R)AN 522 via a radio interface 530, which may be a physical communication interface or layer configured to operate with a cellular communication protocol such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a push-to-talk (PTT) protocol, a cellular PTT (POC) protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5GNR (NSA and SA) protocol, etc. For example, UE 520 and (R)AN 522 may use a Uu interface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface) to exchange control plane data via a protocol stack including a PHY layer, a MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an RRC layer. DL transmissions may be from (R)AN 522 to UE 520, and UL transmissions may be from UE 520 to (R)AN 522. UE 520 may also communicate directly with another UE (not shown) using a side link for D2D, P2P, and / or ProSe communication. For example, the ProSe interface may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0064] (R)AN 522 may include one or more access nodes, which may be referred to as base stations (BS), node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), next generation node Bs (gNBs), RAN nodes, controllers, transmission reception points (TRPs), etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations, which provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). (R)AN522 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, or other types of cells. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several thousand meters) and may allow unrestricted access to a UE with a service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to a UE with a service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow limited access to a UE associated with the femto cell (e.g., a UE in a closed subscriber group (CSG) , a UE of a user in a home, etc.).

[0065] Although not shown, multiple RAN nodes (such as (R)AN 522) may be used, with an Xn interface defined between two or more nodes. In some specific implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U may provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functions. The Xn-C may provide management and error handling functions for managing the functions of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for UE 520 in connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in connected mode between one or more (R)AN nodes. The mobility support may include context transfer from an old (source) serving (R)AN node to a new (target) serving (R)AN node; and control of a user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving (R)AN node and the new (target) serving (R)AN node.

[0066] UPF 524 may act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point interconnected with DN 526, and a branch point to support multi-homed PDU sessions. UPF 524 may also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion of policy rule enforcement, lawful interception of packets (UP collection); traffic usage reporting, QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic validation (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 524 may include an uplink classifier for supporting routing of traffic flows to data networks. DN 526 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 526 may include, for example, an application server.

[0067] Figure 6 600 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 600 that can be configured according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including by executing instructions corresponding to any exemplary method and / or process described herein on a computer readable medium. The UE 600 includes one or more processors 602, a transceiver 604, a memory 606, a user interface 608, and a control interface 610.

[0068] The one or more processors 602 may include, for example, an application processor, an audio digital signal processor, a central processing unit, and / or one or more baseband processors. Each of the one or more processors 602 may include an internal memory and / or may include an interface for communicating with an external memory (including memory 606). The internal or external memory may store software code, programs, and / or instructions for execution by the one or more processors 602 to configure and / or facilitate UE 600 to perform various operations, including the operations described herein. For example, the execution of the instructions may configure UE 600 to communicate using one or more wired or wireless communication protocols (including one or more wireless communication protocols standardized by 3GPP, such as those commonly referred to as 5G / NR, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, etc.) or any other current or future protocol that may be used in conjunction with the one or more transceivers 604, user interface 608, and / or control interface 610. For another example, the one or more processors 602 may execute program code stored in the memory 606 or other memory corresponding to the MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP (e.g., for NR and / or LTE). For another example, the processor 602 may execute program code stored in the memory 606 or other memory, which together with the one or more transceivers 604 implements corresponding PHY layer protocols, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), and single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA).

[0069] The memory 606 may include a memory area for the one or more processors 602 to store variables used in protocols, configurations, controls, and other functions of the UE 600, including data and data structures corresponding to or including the operations of any of the exemplary methods and / or processes described herein. For example, the memory 606 may store network load and resource usage information, metrics, preferred metrics, predetermined metrics associated with autonomous UE requests, current active configuration information, UAI, upgrade requests, prohibit timers, prohibit timer values, UE cumulative retry counters, upgrade request blocking windows, and other parameters. In addition, the memory 606 may include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), or a combination thereof. In addition, the memory 606 may interact with a memory slot through which removable memory cards of one or more formats (e.g., SD card, memory stick, compact flash, etc.) may be inserted and removed.

[0070] The one or more transceivers 604 may include radio frequency transmitter and / or receiver circuits that facilitate the UE 600 to communicate with other devices supporting similar wireless communication standards and / or protocols. For example, the one or more transceivers 604 may include switches, mixer circuits, amplifier circuits, filter circuits, and synthesizer circuits. Such RF circuit systems may include a receive signal path having a circuit for down-converting an RF signal received from a front-end module (FEM) and providing a baseband signal to a baseband processor of the one or more processors 602. The RF circuit may also include a transmit signal path, which may include a circuit for up-converting a baseband signal provided by a baseband processor and providing an RF output signal for transmission to the FEM. The FEM may include a receive signal path, which may include a circuit configured to operate on an RF signal received from one or more antennas, amplify the receive signal, and provide an amplified version of the receive signal to the RF circuit for further processing. The FEM may also include a transmit signal path, which may include a circuit configured to amplify a transmit signal provided by the RF circuit for transmission by one or more antennas. In various embodiments, amplification through the transmit or receive signal path may be accomplished in the RF circuitry only, in the FEM only, or in both the RF circuitry and the FEM circuitry. In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation.

[0071] In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more transceivers 604 include transmitters and receivers that enable the device 1200 to communicate with various 5G / NR networks according to various protocols and / or methods proposed for standardization by 3GPP and / or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality may operate in cooperation with the one or more processors 602 to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA techniques, such as described herein with reference to other figures.

[0072] The user interface 608 may take various forms according to a particular embodiment, or may not be present in the UE 600. In some embodiments, the user interface 608 includes a microphone, a speaker, a slidable button, a depressible button, a display, a touch screen display, a mechanical or virtual keypad, a mechanical or virtual keyboard, and / or any other user interface feature that is typically present on a mobile phone. In other embodiments, the UE 600 may include a tablet computing device with a larger touch screen display. In such embodiments, one or more of the mechanical features of the user interface 608 may be replaced by a virtual user interface feature (e.g., a virtual keypad, a virtual button, etc.) that is equivalent or functionally equivalent to that implemented using a touch screen display, as is familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art. In other embodiments, the UE 600 may be a digital computing device, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a workstation, etc., which includes a mechanical keyboard that may be integrated, detachable, or detachable according to a particular exemplary embodiment. Such a digital computing device may also include a touch screen display. Many exemplary embodiments of the UE 600 with a touch screen display are capable of receiving user input, such as input related to the exemplary methods and / or processes described herein or known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 600 includes an orientation sensor that can be used in various ways by the features and functions of UE 600. For example, UE 600 can use the output of the orientation sensor to determine when a user has changed the physical orientation of the touch screen display of UE 600. The indication signal from the orientation sensor can be used for any application executed on UE 600, so that the application can automatically change the orientation of the screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape) when the indication signal indicates an approximately 90-degree change in the physical orientation of the device. In this way, regardless of the physical orientation of the device, the application can maintain the screen display in a user-readable manner. In addition, the output of the orientation sensor can be used in conjunction with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0074] The control interface 610 can take various forms depending on the particular implementation. For example, the control interface 610 can include an RS-232 interface, an RS-485 interface, a USB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE ("FireWire") interface, an I 2 C interface, PCMCIA interface, etc. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface 1260 may include an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface, such as described above. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface 610 may include an analog interface circuit, which includes, for example, one or more digital-to-analog (D / A) converters and / or analog-to-digital (A / D) converters.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the above list of features, interfaces, and radio frequency communication standards is merely exemplary and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Figure 6 The UE 600 may include more functions, such as video and / or still image cameras, microphones, media players and / or recorders, etc. In addition, the one or more transceivers 604 may include circuits for communicating using additional radio frequency communication standards including Bluetooth, GPS and / or others. In addition, the one or more processors 602 may execute software code stored in the memory 606 to control such additional functions. For example, the directional speed and / or position estimate output from the GPS receiver may be used for any application executed on the UE 600, including various exemplary methods and / or computer-readable media according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0076] Figure 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary network node 700 that may be configured according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including by executing instructions on a computer-readable medium corresponding to any of the exemplary methods and / or processes described herein.

[0077] The network node 700 includes one or more processors 702, a radio network interface 704, a memory 706, a core network interface 708 and other interfaces 710. The network node 700 may include, for example, a base station, an eNB, a gNB, an access node or a component thereof.

[0078] The one or more processors 702 may include any type of processor or processing circuit, and may be configured to perform one of the methods or processes disclosed herein. The memory 706 may store software codes, programs and / or instructions executed by the one or more processors 702 to configure the network node 700 to perform various operations, including the operations described herein. For example, the execution of such storage instructions may configure the network node 700 to communicate with one or more other devices using protocols (including one or more methods and / or processes described above) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the execution of such storage instructions may also configure and / or facilitate the network node 700 to communicate with one or more other devices using other protocols or protocol layers (such as one or more of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A and / or NR, or any other high-level protocol used in combination with the radio network interface 704 and the core network interface 708). By way of example and not limitation, the core network interface 708 includes an S1 interface, and the radio network interface 704 may include a Uu interface, such as standardized by 3GPP. The memory 706 may also store variables used in protocols, configurations, controls, and other functions of the network node 700. For example, the memory 606 may store network load and resource usage information, metrics, preferred metrics, predetermined metrics associated with autonomous UE requests, currently active configuration information, UAI, upgrade requests, inhibit timers, inhibit timer values, UE cumulative retry counters, upgrade request blocking windows, and other parameters. Thus, the memory 706 may include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g., "cloud") storage, or a combination thereof.

[0079] The radio network interface 704 may include a transmitter, a receiver, a signal processor, an ASIC, an antenna, a beamforming unit, and other circuits that enable the network node 700 to communicate with other equipment (in some embodiments, such as multiple compatible user equipment (UE)). In some embodiments, the network node 700 may include various protocols or protocol layers, such as PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G / NR. According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio network interface 704 may include a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and / or SC-FDMA technology. In some embodiments, the functions of such a PHY layer may be provided collaboratively by the radio network interface 704 and the one or more processors 702.

[0080] The core network interface 708 may include a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuits that enable the network node 700 to communicate with other equipment in the core network (in some embodiments, such as circuit switching (CS) and / or packet switching core (PS) network). In some embodiments, the core network interface 708 may include an S1 interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, the core network interface 708 may include one or more interfaces to one or more SGWs, MEEs, GSNs, GSNs, and other physical devices, including functions known to those of ordinary skill in the art present in GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, and CDMA2000 core networks. In some embodiments, these one or more interfaces may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, the lower layer of the core network interface 708 may include one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP) on Ethernet, SDH on optical fiber, T1 / E1 / PDH on copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0081] Other interfaces 710 may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuits that enable network node 700 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for operation, management, and maintenance of network node 700 or other network devices operably connected thereto.

[0082] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following examples section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following examples. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the examples section below.

[0083] Examples

[0084] The following examples relate to additional embodiments.

[0085] Embodiment 1 includes a computer-readable storage medium, which includes instructions that, when executed by a processor of a wireless communication network configured to manage user equipment (UE) upgrade requests, cause the processor to: perform a first radio resource control (RRC) connection mode signaling process using the UE; determine a current network load and resource usage of the wireless communication network; and during the first RRC connection mode signaling process, generate a first message to the UE to indicate, based on the current network load and resource usage, whether a preferred metric indicated by the UE in UE assistance information (UAI) is determined by a currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities.

[0086] Embodiment 2 includes the computer-readable storage medium of embodiment 1, wherein the first RRC connected mode signaling procedure is selected from the group consisting of an RRC connection establishment procedure and an RRC connection recovery procedure.

[0087] Embodiment 3 includes a computer-readable storage medium according to embodiment 1, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: determine a change in the current network load and resource usage after the UE enters RRC connected mode; and generate a next message to the UE during a next RRC connected mode signaling process to indicate whether the preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is determined by the currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities based on the change in the current network load and resource usage.

[0088] Embodiment 4 includes the computer-readable storage medium of embodiment 3, wherein the next RRC connected mode signaling procedure includes an RRC reconfiguration procedure.

[0089] Embodiment 5 includes a computer-readable storage medium according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: disable upgrade requests from the UE during a disabled period by generating the first message or the second message indicating that the UAI will be determined by the currently active configuration; and process autonomously generated upgrade requests from the UE for a predetermined metric during the disabled period.

[0090] Embodiment 6 includes the computer-readable storage medium of embodiment 5, wherein the autonomously generated escalation request is received from the UE after expiration of an inhibit timer that was initiated when a previous escalation request for the predetermined metric was received from the UE.

[0091] Embodiment 7 includes a computer-readable storage medium according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to process the UE's retry to indicate the preferred metric in the UAI only when the number of attempts of the UE is less than the maximum value of the budget.

[0092] Embodiment 8 includes a computer-readable storage medium according to embodiment 7, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: track the number of attempts of the UE using a UE cumulative retry counter associated with a preferred metric upgrade request during the duration of the RRC connected mode; stop the UE cumulative retry counter once the maximum value of the budget is reached; and reset the UE cumulative retry counter when the UE exits the RRC connected mode.

[0093] Embodiment 9 includes a computer-readable storage medium according to embodiment 8, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: start an upgrade request blocking window timer after each increment of the UE cumulative retry counter; and prevent the UE from requesting an upgrade during the upgrade request blocking window timer.

[0094] Embodiment 10 is a device for a user equipment (UE), the device comprising: a memory for storing a maximum value of a budget for upgrade attempts, a prohibition timer value, and a UE capability value corresponding to a metric for saving power in the UE; and a processor, the processor being configured to: determine that a preferred value of the metric within the UE capability value is different from a currently active configuration of the metric; determine that a wireless network allows the UE to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric based at least in part on not exceeding the maximum value of the budget for upgrade attempts during a time period defined by the prohibition timer value; and generate a message for the wireless network including UE assistance information (UAI), the UAI including the preferred value of the metric.

[0095] Embodiment 11 includes the apparatus of embodiment 10, wherein the processor is further configured to start a timer based on the inhibit timer value after a first attempt to change the currently active configuration of the metric using a UAI.

[0096] Embodiment 12 includes the apparatus of embodiment 10, wherein the processor is further configured to track the number of upgrade attempts of the metric during the time period using a UE cumulative retry counter.

[0097] Embodiment 13 includes the apparatus of embodiment 12, wherein the processor is further configured to reset the UE cumulative retry counter when the UE exits a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode or when one or more parameters corresponding to the metric are reset.

[0098] Embodiment 14 includes the apparatus of embodiment 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an upgrade request prevention window defining an additional time period based on an integer multiple of the inhibit timer value, during which the UE is prohibited from attempting to upgrade the metric using the UAI.

[0099] Embodiment 15 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 10, wherein determining that the wireless network allows the UE to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric further includes: during a radio resource control (RRC) connection mode signaling process with the wireless network, the processor is further configured to process a signal from the wireless network, the signal indicating that an upgrade request using UAI is enabled based on current network load and resource usage.

[0100] Embodiment 16 includes the apparatus of embodiment 15, wherein the RRC connected mode signaling procedure is selected from the group consisting of an RRC connection establishment procedure, an RRC connection recovery procedure, and an RRC reconfiguration procedure.

[0101] Embodiment 17 includes an apparatus according to embodiment 10, wherein in order to determine that the wireless network allows the UE to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric, the processor is further configured to determine that the metric corresponds to a predetermined metric or a predetermined condition, which allows the UE to autonomously decide to use UAI to request an upgrade to the metric without further input from the wireless network.

[0102] Embodiment 18 is a method for a next generation Node B (gNB), the method comprising: storing a maximum value of a budget for upgrade attempts and a prohibition timer value corresponding to a metric for saving power in a user equipment (UE); processing a message from the UE including UE assistance information (UAI), the UAI including a preferred value for the metric; determining whether to allow the UE to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric based at least in part on not exceeding the maximum value of the budget for upgrade attempts during a time period defined by the prohibition timer value; if the UE is not allowed to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric, ignoring the preferred value; and if the UE is allowed to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric, determining to change the currently active configuration according to the preferred value based on current network load and resource usage.

[0103] Embodiment 19 includes the method of embodiment 18, further comprising starting a timer based on the inhibit timer value after a first attempt to change the currently active configuration of the metric using a UAI.

[0104] Embodiment 20 includes the method of embodiment 18, further comprising tracking the number of upgrade attempts of the metric during the time period using a UE cumulative retry counter.

[0105] Embodiment 21 includes the method of embodiment 18, further comprising determining an upgrade request prevention window defining an additional time period based on an integer multiple of the inhibit timer value, during which the UE is prohibited from attempting to upgrade the metric using the UAI.

[0106] Embodiment 22 includes a method according to any one of Embodiments 18 to 21, further comprising: determining the current network load and resource usage; and generating a signal to the UE during a radio resource control (RRC) connection mode signaling process to indicate to the UE based on the current network load and resource usage whether the preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is determined by the currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities.

[0107] Embodiment 23 includes a method according to embodiment 22, wherein the RRC connected mode signaling procedure is selected from the group consisting of an RRC connection establishment procedure, an RRC connection recovery procedure, and an RRC reconfiguration procedure.

[0108] Embodiment 24 includes a method according to any one of embodiments 18 to embodiment 23, wherein determining whether the UE is allowed to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric further includes: determining that the metric corresponds to a predetermined metric or a predetermined condition, and the predetermined metric or predetermined condition allows the UE to autonomously decide to use UAI to request an upgrade of the metric without further input from the eNB.

[0109] Embodiment 25 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0110] Embodiment 26 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0111] Embodiment 27 may include a device comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of the above embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0112] Embodiment 28 may include methods, techniques or processes described in or related to any of the above embodiments, or parts or components thereof.

[0113] Embodiment 29 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or portion thereof, described in or related to any one of the above embodiments.

[0114] Embodiment 30 may include signals or parts or components thereof as described or related to any of the above embodiments.

[0115] Embodiment 31 may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU) or message or a portion or component thereof as described in or related to any of the above embodiments, or as otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0116] Embodiment 32 may include a signal encoded with data or a portion or component thereof as described in or associated with any of the above embodiments, or as otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0117] Embodiment 33 may include a signal or a portion or component thereof encoded with a datagram, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message as described in or associated with any of the above embodiments, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0118] Embodiment 34 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, described in or related to any of the above embodiments.

[0119] Embodiment 35 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, as described in or related to any one of the above embodiments.

[0120] Embodiment 36 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0121] Embodiment 37 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0122] Embodiment 38 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0123] Embodiment 39 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0124] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or may be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0125] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general or special purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0126] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially incorporated into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that unless otherwise stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment.

[0127] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0128] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for the sake of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways to implement both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the specification is not limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

[0129] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following examples section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following examples. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the examples section below.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a wireless communication network configured to manage user equipment (UE) upgrade requests, cause the processor to: performing a first radio resource control (RRC) connected mode signaling procedure with the UE; determining a current network load and resource usage of the wireless communication network; and During the first RRC connected mode signaling procedure, a first message is generated to the UE to indicate to the UE whether a preferred metric indicated in UE assistance information (UAI) is to be determined by a currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities based on the current network load and resource usage.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first RRC connected mode signaling procedure is selected from the group consisting of an RRC connection establishment procedure and an RRC connection recovery procedure.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: After the UE has entered RRC connected mode, determining changes in the current network load and resource usage; and During a next RRC connected mode signaling procedure, a next message is generated to the UE to indicate whether the preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is to be determined by the currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities based on the change in the current network load and resource usage.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the next RRC connected mode signaling procedure comprises an RRC reconfiguration procedure.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: disabling upgrade requests from the UE during a disabled period by generating the first message or the second message indicating that the UAI is to be determined by the currently active configuration; and An autonomously generated upgrade request for a predetermined metric from the UE is processed during the disabled period.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the autonomously generated escalation request is received from the UE after expiration of an inhibit timer, the inhibit timer being initiated when a previous escalation request for the predetermined metric was received from the UE.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to process a retry by the UE to indicate the preferred metric in the UAI only when the number of attempts by the UE is less than a maximum value of a budget.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: tracking the number of attempts by the UE using a UE cumulative retry counter associated with a preferred metric upgrade request during an RRC connected mode duration; stopping the UE cumulative retry counter once the maximum value of the budget is reached; and The UE cumulative retry counter is reset when the UE exits the RRC connected mode.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: After each increment of the UE cumulative retry counter, starting an upgrade request block window timer; and The UE is blocked from requesting an upgrade during the upgrade request blocking window timer.

10. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a memory for storing a maximum value of a budget for upgrade attempts, an inhibit timer value, and a UE capability value corresponding to a metric for saving power in the UE; as well as A processor, the processor being configured to: determining that a preferred value of the metric within the UE capability value is different than a currently active configuration of the metric; determining that a wireless network permits the UE to request a change to the currently active configuration of the metric based at least in part on a maximum value of the budget for upgrade attempts not being exceeded during a time period defined by the inhibit timer value; as well as A message including UE assistance information (UAI) is generated for the wireless network, the UAI including the preferred value for the metric.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to start a timer based on the inhibit timer value after a first attempt to change the currently active configuration of the metric using a UAI.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to track a number of upgrade attempts of the metric during the time period using a UE cumulative retry counter.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to reset the UE cumulative retry counter when the UE exits a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode or when one or more parameters corresponding to the metric are reset.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an upgrade request prevention window defining an additional time period based on an integer multiple of the inhibit timer value, during which the UE is prohibited from attempting to upgrade the metric using the UAI.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein determining that the wireless network allows the UE to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric further comprises: During a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode signaling procedure with the wireless network, the processor is further configured to process a signal from the wireless network indicating that an upgrade request using the UAI is enabled based on current network load and resource usage.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the RRC connected mode signaling procedure is selected from the group consisting of an RRC connection establishment procedure, an RRC connection recovery procedure, and an RRC reconfiguration procedure.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein to determine that the wireless network allows the UE to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric, the processor is further configured to determine that the metric corresponds to a predetermined metric or a predetermined condition that allows the UE to autonomously decide to request an upgrade to the metric using UAI without further input from the wireless network.

18. A method for a next generation Node B (gNB), the method comprising: storing a maximum value of a budget for upgrade attempts and a prohibit timer value corresponding to a metric for saving power in a user equipment (UE); processing a message from the UE including UE assistance information (UAI), the UAI including a preferred value for the metric; determining whether to allow the UE to request a change to a currently active configuration of the metric based at least in part on a maximum value of the budget for upgrade attempts not being exceeded during a time period defined by the inhibit timer value; if the UE is not allowed to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric, ignoring the preferred value; as well as If the UE is allowed to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric, then determining to change the currently active configuration according to the preferred value is based on current network load and resource usage.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising starting a timer based on the inhibit timer value after a first attempt to change the currently active configuration of the metric using a UAI.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising tracking a number of upgrade attempts of the metric during the time period using a UE cumulative retry counter.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining an upgrade request prevention window defining an additional time period based on an integer multiple of the inhibit timer value, during which the UE is prohibited from attempting to upgrade the metric using the UAI.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, further comprising: Determining the current network load and resource usage; as well as During a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode signaling procedure, a signal is generated to the UE to indicate, based on the current network load and resource usage, whether the preferred metric indicated by the UE in the UAI is to be determined by the currently active configuration or by supported UE capabilities.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the RRC connected mode signaling procedure is selected from the group consisting of an RRC connection establishment procedure, an RRC connection recovery procedure, and an RRC reconfiguration procedure.

24. The method of any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein determining whether to allow the UE to request the change to the currently active configuration of the metric further comprises: Determining that the metric corresponds to a predetermined metric or a predetermined condition allows the UE to autonomously decide to request an upgrade of the metric using the UAI without further input from the eNB.

Images