Wireless device grouping mechanism and network configuration for reducing false paging

Abstract

A wireless device, UE, in a communication network can receive, from a network node, a paging configuration indicating a paging occasion, PO. During the PO, the UE can further receive downlink control information, DCI, on a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH. The UE can further determine, based on the DCI and / or the paging configuration, whether to receive data on a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, associated with the PDCCH.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to communications, and more particularly to communication methods and related apparatus and nodes supporting wireless communications. Background Technology

[0002] A fifth-generation (“5G”) / New Radio (“NR”) radio device / user equipment (“UE”) in the RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE states operates in discontinuous reception (“DRX”) mode to conserve power. During this mode, the UE occasionally wakes up according to a scheme configured by the network (“NW”) and listens for paging channels. When the NW is interested in reaching the UE, it pagees the UE at these configured times, thereby establishing a connection between the UE and the NW. The NW initially attempts to page the UE in the most recently known location (e.g., one or more cells), but if the UE does not respond to the paging, the NW may expand the paging area and repeat the paging message (e.g., page the UE in more cells).

[0003] Paging messages from the NW can be initiated by the core NW (“CN”) or by the base station (“gNB”) itself. More specifically, CN-initiated paging is used to reach UEs in the RRC_IDLE state, while gNB-initiated paging (also known as radio access node (“RAN”) paging) is used to reach UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0004] Paging messages from the NW are executed via a combination of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (“PDCCH”) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (“PDSCH”), similar to other scheduled data in the downlink (“DL”). When the NW has DL data to send to the UE, it transmits a Downlink Control Information (“DCI”) container on the PDCCH. The DCI container contains details about where and how the UE can find the data in the PDSCH. Various formats of DCI exist in the 3GPP specifications; for paging messages, DCI format 1_0 is used, which scrambles the generated Cyclic Redundancy Check (“CRC”) bits of the DCI using a specific value called P-RNTI (0xFFFE).

[0005] The NW can configure a certain number of paging opportunities (“POs”) for each DRX cycle (e.g., a 1.28-second cycle). In the current specification, up to four POs can be configured per frame via the NW. This information is broadcast over the air in the system information. When a UE registers with the NW, it is assigned a UE identity called a 5G-S-TMSI. The UE and NW use this identity in a formula specified by 3GPP to derive in which configured opportunities (in which frame and in which PO associated with that frame) the UE will listen for potential paging messages. It should be noted that several UEs can listen for potential paging messages at exactly the same opportunities. When a UE detects a paging DCI (e.g., DCI 1_0 with P-RNTI scrambled CRC), it must look up the PDSCH payload to see if its identity exists and if the paging message is prepared for it. The PDSCH payload may carry up to 32 identities; for example, up to 32 UEs can be paged at exactly the same opportunities. Even if the UE's 5G-S-TMSI ID is used in the formula used to derive the timing, the identity the UE looks up within the PDSCH can be of other types. When the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state, it looks up its 5G-S-TMSI (e.g., looking up a paging message initiated by the CN), while when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, it must look up both its 5G-S-TMSI and the I-RNTI identity assigned by the RAN. For example, a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state can be paged by either the CN or the RAN, and therefore needs to look up both assigned identities.

[0006] Configure the timing (aka K0 value) between paging-related PDCCH and PDSCH reception in the initial BWP's TDRA table (provided in pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList in pdsch-ConfigCommon) and broadcast it to the UE.

[0007] For version 17, a lower-capability NR UE type may be introduced, as it has received support and proposals from many companies. The aim is to provide NRs with MTC versions, such as the reduced-capability NR device (RedCap), which is mid-range, thereby bridging the gap between eMBB NR and NB-IoT / LTE-M. For example, in industrial use cases, URLLC can be used to provide more efficient in-band operation. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In some embodiments, a method for operating a network node in a communication network is provided. The method includes: assigning the UE to a group associated with a paging opportunity (PO) in a discontinuous reception DRX cycle based on information associated with the UE operating in the communication network. The method further includes transmitting a paging configuration to the UE, the paging configuration being based on the group.

[0009] In other embodiments, a method for operating a wireless device (UE) in a communication network is provided. The method includes receiving a paging configuration from a network node indicating a paging timing (PO). The method further includes receiving downlink control information (DCI) on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during the PO. The method further includes determining, based on the DCI and / or the paging configuration, whether to receive data on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with the PDCCH.

[0010] In other embodiments, a method for operating a wireless device (UE) in a communication network is provided. The method includes recording paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged. The method further includes transmitting the paging statistics to a network node.

[0011] In other embodiments, a method for operating a wireless device (UE) in a communication network is provided. The method includes determining that, during paging opportunity PO, downlink control information (DCI) on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicates that data associated with the UE is available to be received on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with the PDCCH. The method further includes determining that a network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period. The method further includes determining that power consumption will be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH. The method further includes: in response to determining that a network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period and determining that power consumption will be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, maintaining a power-reduced state during a time window associated with the PDSCH.

[0012] The various embodiments described herein disclose grouping standards and mechanisms for minimizing unnecessary decoding of PDSCH related to paging and thereby improving UE power consumption. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of this disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application. They illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of the inventive concept. In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a communication network, where the UE switches between DRX modes to save power when receiving paging.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating examples of grouping UEs to reduce false paging according to some embodiments of the inventive concept;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating some embodiments of a wireless device UE according to an inventive concept;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a radio access network RAN ​​node (e.g., a base station eNB / gNB) according to some embodiments of the inventive concept;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating core network CN nodes (e.g., AMF nodes, SMF nodes, etc.) according to some embodiments of the inventive concept;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a network node according to some embodiments of the inventive concept;

[0020] Figure 7-8 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a UE according to some embodiments of the inventive concept;

[0021] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of a wireless network according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 10 This is a block diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 11 This is a block diagram of a virtualized environment according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 12 This is a block diagram of a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network, according to some embodiments;

[0025] Figure 13 This is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with a user equipment via a base station through a partially wireless connection, according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 14 It is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0027] Figure 15 It is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0028] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments; and

[0029] Figure 17 This is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The inventive concept will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. However, the inventive concept can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will fully and completely convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be assumed by default to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0031] The following description presents various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. These embodiments are presented as illustrative examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter. For example, certain details of the described embodiments may be modified, omitted, or expanded without departing from the scope of the described subject matter.

[0032] Figure 1 The instruction allows several UEs to be assigned to the same paging time (“PO”). Therefore, when any UE listening to the same PO receives a paging message, all those UEs will have to decode the contents of the PDSCH to check if the paging message is for them. A situation where a UE decodes the PDSCH but cannot find its identity (e.g., the decoded PDSCH is invalid) is called a spurious paging. Figure 1 An example of a spoofed paging is further illustrated. Three UEs (A, B, and C) are assigned to the PO associated with time slot 2. UEs A and C are paged, and UE B unnecessarily wakes up and decodes the PDSCH. UE B can be considered as having been spoofed.

[0033] False paging can affect UE power consumption, for example, due to the radio on-time used to receive PDCCH / PDSCH, and also due to the baseband processing capacity used for PDSCH decoding, which is an aspect of capacity-reduced (RedCap) type devices. The more UEs in the network and assigned to the same PO, the more power is wasted.

[0034] Grouping indicators can be provided, whereby once P-RNTI PDCCH detection is performed, the UE can determine whether it belongs to a paging subgroup, with a group indicator provided in the DCI content. A specific PO instance can correspond to a specific group. Grouping criteria can be determined to form subgroups, thereby optimizing UE power consumption or other relevant metrics. In some examples, grouping can separate paging of inactive UEs from that of idle UEs. In additional or alternative examples, the indicator indicates whether the paging message is the result of extended paging in a different cell than the last known cell. In additional or alternative examples, grouping via NW can be based on the UE's paging history (frequently paging UEs are in the same group). In additional or alternative embodiments, grouping can be based on whether paging scheduling is across time slots (PDCCH and PDSCH in different time slots) or within the same time slot. In additional or alternative embodiments, grouping is based on pursuing a more even distribution of UEs in subgroups. However, these mechanisms may not address all use cases with the potential to reduce spoofing. Therefore, further techniques are needed to help reduce spoofing scenarios and unnecessary UE power consumption.

[0035] The various embodiments described herein disclose grouping standards and mechanisms for minimizing unnecessary decoding of PDSCH related to paging and thereby improving UE power consumption. In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, UEs can be grouped to reduce false paging, for example, through NW grouping criteria, configuration, and grouping indication in the DCI; wherein, grouping can be based on the UE's category, such as eMBB, RedCap or other categories, RedCap UE subtype / category, operator-specific multi-operator shared network, or subgroups of UEs with broadcast / multicast capabilities (e.g., police, firefighters, etc.). In additional or alternative embodiments, the number of bits used for grouping in the DCI and the associated grouping criteria are configurable (e.g., the operator can dynamically configure the UE so that x bits of the DCI should be used for a certain grouping criteria). In additional or alternative embodiments, the NW configuration of group-specific parameters is included in the "PDCCH-Config" (frame number, frame offset, PO number, PO location) and the "Time Domain Allocation List" (paging and group-specific K0 values). In additional or alternative embodiments, NW assigns UEs to various groups based on customized assignment / reassignment of UE identity. In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE utilizes grouping information. For example, if the NW is not configured across time slots, the UE can adopt cross-time slot behavior based on historical paging / spoofing frequency awareness. In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE can measure spoofing statistics and report them to the NW (e.g., via a Minimum Drive Test (MDT) framework).

[0036] Figure 3This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a communication device UE 300 (also referred to as a mobile terminal, mobile communication terminal, wireless device, wireless communication apparatus, wireless terminal, mobile device, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, UE, user equipment node / terminal / device, etc.) configured to provide wireless communication according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. (For example, communication device 300 may be provided as described below regarding...) Figure 9 As shown in the figure (as discussed in the wireless device 4110), the communication device UE may include an antenna 307 (e.g., corresponding to...). Figure 9 Antenna 4111) and transceiver circuit 301 (also known as transceiver, for example, corresponding to Figure 9 The transceiver circuit 301 includes an interface 4114), and is configured to provide communication with one or more base stations (e.g., corresponding to a radio access network) of the radio access network. Figure 9 The network node 4160 (also known as a RAN node) is a transmitter and receiver for uplink and downlink radio communication. The communication device UE may also include processing circuitry 303 (also known as a processor, for example, corresponding to...) coupled to the transceiver circuitry. Figure 9 The processing circuit 4120) and the memory circuit 305 (also called memory, for example, corresponding to the processing circuit) coupled to the processing circuit. Figure 9 The device-readable medium 4130. The memory circuitry 305 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 303, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to the embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuitry 303 may be defined to include memory so that a separate memory circuitry is not required. The communication device UE may also include an interface (such as a user interface) coupled to the processing circuitry 303, and / or the communication device UE may be incorporated into a vehicle.

[0037] As discussed herein, the operation of the communication device UE can be performed by processing circuitry 303 and / or transceiver circuitry 301. For example, processing circuitry 303 can control transceiver circuitry 301 to transmit communications to a radio access network node (also known as a base station) via transceiver circuitry 301 on a radio interface and / or to receive communications from a RAN node via transceiver circuitry 301 on a radio interface. Furthermore, modules can be stored in memory circuitry 305, and these modules can provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by processing circuitry 303, processing circuitry 303 performs corresponding operations (e.g., the operations discussed below with respect to example embodiments relating to wireless communication devices).

[0038] Figure 4This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a radio access network (RAN) node 400 (also referred to as a network node, base station, eNodeB / eNB, gNodeB / gNB, etc.) configured to provide cellular communication according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. (For example, RAN node 400 may be provided as described below regarding...) Figure 9 (As discussed in the network node 4160.) As shown in the figure, the RAN node may include transceiver circuitry 401 (also known as a transceiver, for example, corresponding to...) Figure 9 The transceiver circuitry 401, part of interface 4190, includes a transmitter and receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink radio communication with the mobile terminal. The RAN node may include network interface circuitry 407 (also referred to as a network interface, for example, corresponding to...). Figure 9 The interface 4190 is configured to provide communication with other nodes of the RAN and / or core network CN (e.g., with other base stations). The network node may also include processing circuitry 403 (also referred to as a processor, e.g., corresponding to processing circuitry 4170) coupled to the transceiver circuitry and memory circuitry 405 (also referred to as a memory, e.g., corresponding to...) coupled to the processing circuitry. Figure 9 (Apparatus-readable medium 4180). Memory circuitry 405 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by processing circuitry 403, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, processing circuitry 403 may be defined to include memory so that a separate memory circuitry is not required.

[0039] As discussed herein, the operation of the RAN node can be performed by processing circuitry 403, network interface 407, and / or transceiver 401. For example, processing circuitry 403 can control transceiver 401 to transmit downlink communications to one or more mobile terminal UEs via transceiver 401 on the radio interface and / or receive uplink communications from one or more mobile terminal UEs via transceiver 401 on the radio interface. Similarly, processing circuitry 403 can control network interface 407 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes via network interface 407 and / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes via network interface 407. Furthermore, modules can be stored in memory 405, and these modules can provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by processing circuitry 403, processing circuitry 403 performs corresponding operations (e.g., the operations discussed below with respect to example embodiments relating to the RAN node).

[0040] According to some other embodiments, the network node may be implemented as a core network (CN) node without a transceiver. In such embodiments, the network node may initiate transmissions to the wireless communication device (UE) such that the transmissions to the UE are provided via a network node including a transceiver (e.g., via a base station or RAN node). According to embodiments where the network node is an RAN node including a transceiver, initiating the transmission may include transmission via the transceiver.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating elements of a core network (CN) node (e.g., SMF node, AMF node, etc.) of a communication network configured to provide cellular communication according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. As shown, the CN node may include network interface circuitry 507 (also referred to as a network interface) configured to provide communication with other nodes of the core network and / or radio access network (RAN). The CN node may also include processing circuitry 503 (also referred to as a processor) coupled to the network interface circuitry and memory circuitry 505 (also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuitry. The memory circuitry 505 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 503, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuitry 503 may be defined to include memory so that a separate memory circuitry is not required.

[0042] As discussed herein, the operation of a CN node can be performed by processing circuitry 503 and / or network interface circuitry 507. For example, processing circuitry 503 can control network interface circuitry 507 to transmit communication to or / or receive communication from one or more other network nodes via network interface circuitry 507. Furthermore, modules can be stored in memory 505, and these modules can provide instructions such that when the instructions of a module are executed by processing circuitry 503, processing circuitry 503 performs the corresponding operation (e.g., the operation discussed below with respect to example embodiments relating to core network nodes).

[0043] The various embodiments described herein address the problem of spoofing by providing the UE with additional indications during PDCCH decoding time. These additional indications indicate whether the detection of P-RNTI PDCCH should be interpreted as a signal for PDSCH reception used for paging message reception. In some embodiments, if the UE determines that it does not belong to the subgroup indicated in the paging DCI, it will not continue PDSCH reception, thus saving energy. Various types of indicators are introduced into the content of the paging-related DCI. By providing such indicators / information bits, the UE can reduce the risk of being spoofed. Examples of the content of these indicators are outlined below in various embodiments that can be combined with each other. In additional or alternative embodiments, new configurations are introduced to allow the NW to specifically configure individual groups using the paging timing number (frame and PO number), the timing location (frame offset of PO), and the timing scheduling characteristics (PDCCH-PDSCH time relationship).

[0044] Formulas based on UE-ID exist that partition UEs across different frames and POs configured in the NW-broadcast PCCH-Config (broadcast in SIB1). Assuming UE_IDs are randomly / uniformly distributed among UEs, these formulas can distribute UEs evenly across the configured frames and POs. A PO can be the sole dimension that triggers some idle UEs to decode PDSCH while others do not—all UEs that detect a P-RNTI PDCCH in a given PO will continue decoding the associated PDSCH, while UEs in other POs will remain unaffected.

[0045] In some embodiments, within the context of paging, the proposed NW selects to group UEs (or subsets of UEs) based on specific criteria, rather than randomly distributing UEs within the PO. The term "assigning a subset of UEs to a group" means that the NW may choose to randomly distribute UEs from one group within the NW across the PO using existing methods, while another group of UEs specifically follows a newly introduced paging grouping procedure. In some examples, the NW dynamically groups UEs and delivers the groups to the UEs via a dedicated / broadcast configuration. In additional or alternative examples, the NW statically / implicitly assigns UEs to groups based on one / a combination of subscription, UE identity, UE type (e.g., eMBB or degraded device), UE subtype (e.g., various types of degraded devices), UE capabilities (based on the device's SW / HW capabilities), and UE version (e.g., 3GPP Rel-17 UEs). The NW may decide whether to dynamically enable / disable the paging grouping feature / procedure in the NW, thereby informing the UEs in the NW about the availability of that feature via a dedicated / broadcast configuration.

[0046] In additional or alternative embodiments, UEs in each group are assigned specific frames and POs, each frame and PO configured individually by specific characteristics. Characteristics include one or more of the following parameters: frame number, frame offset, number of the PO associated with the frame, and the specific location of the PO associated with the frame; all of these can be configured individually and updated dynamically as the NW desires to update them (e.g., based on traffic load, time of day, or any other method, some of which are outlined below). This can be enabled, for example, by introducing a group-specific PDCCH-Cfg (a 3GPP structure common to all UEs in a cell) that includes the aforementioned parameters. For example, suppose the NW configures two groups (e.g., G1 and G2), with both G1 and G2 having an NW paging frame configuration of "every other frame," and for G2, the "frame offset" is set to 1. Such an example results in paging UEs belonging to G1 in even-numbered frames and paging UEs belonging to G2 in odd-numbered frames, thus preventing spurious paging within each other's groups. In other examples, similar exercises can be performed on the PO level residing in the frame.

[0047] In additional or alternative embodiments, a further feature of this configuration includes a PDCCH-PDSCH timing relationship known as the minimum scheduling offset. In some examples, these timing relationships are configured via a TDRA table (a list of K0s in pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList of pdsch-ConfigCommon) provided in the broadcast SIB1 and are applicable to all idle / inactive related activities; for example, those affecting system information reception, paging, and random access procedures. In some embodiments, it is proposed to provide this configuration separately for paging, and in one aspect, to provide this configuration for each paging-related group and / or for each PO or for each UE. In this way, the UE can benefit from making the PDSCH available for system information and random access related procedures as quickly as possible (e.g., with K0=0 in the table), while for paging, configuring K0>0 for the UE (or the UEs of a certain group) allows them to enjoy power-saving schemes associated with cross-timeslot scheduling (receiving only the PDCCH and turning off the receiver, then turning it back on to receive the PDSCH, thus processing only paging indicated by the PDCCH of that group). Different ranges of K0>0 can be applied to different types / groups of UEs; for example, a less capable UE may benefit from a longer distance between the PDCCH and PDSCH. In some examples, a K0=0 configuration is appropriate for UEs in a particular group that frequently page and / or require immediate access (e.g., URLLC type devices or UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state). Regarding providing a TDRA table to each group, or PO, or UE, this can be done in connected mode via a specific RRC_Idle / Inactive mode TDRA table with RRC signaling, or via an RRC release command before the UE enters RRC_Idle / Inactive, or via SI updates using SIBn (where n>1).

[0048] In additional or alternative embodiments, the configuration outlined above can be further separated for different operators sharing the same equipment. For example, in a multi-operator CN (MOCN) multi-operator RAN (MORAN) NW, the NW can configure separate paging capacity for subscribers of various operators within the NW. Therefore, the configuration structures PDCCH-Config, TDRA tables, and DRX periods described above (e.g., a list of the configuration structures) can be further expanded for each operator.

[0049] In additional or alternative embodiments, the NW can configure the UE to collect statistics on the frequency of false paging and the areas and times in which false paging occurs. Such statistics can be based on reports using a framework such as MDT (Minimum Drive Test). Based on this input, the NW can distribute the UEs into groups or alternatively reconfigure the paging configuration features described above.

[0050] In additional or alternative embodiments, 3GPP formulas are used to assign UEs to different Public Addresses (POs) that potentially have different characteristics outlined in the previous section. However, the inputs to the formulas (e.g., UE identity) are customized by the NW and assigned to the UE so that different UEs of interest can be assigned to specific POs. The NW (e.g., the core NW itself or based on input received from the radio NW) selects the UE ID value such that the PO location determined using the current PO mapping formula will be the PO assigned to the relevant UE group. (As an extension, the PO formula can also be modified for subsequent versions of the UE to provide additional PO allocation flexibility.) If it becomes desired that the NW assign the UE to another paging group, the NW may reassign the UE to another identity, either for simple distribution or to assign the UE to a PO with a specific and more suitable configuration (e.g., across time slots). Therefore, group indication is somewhat implicit (e.g., not indicated for each paging occasion).

[0051] In additional or alternative embodiments, potentially combined with the implicit embodiments described above, a set of indicator bits (e.g., one or more indicator bits) in the DCI can be used to indicate which (or which) subgroups the current paging message targets. For example, a bit field can be configured in DCI format 1-0 scrambled using P-RNTI, and this bit field contains a combination of bits pointing to a specific group. In one aspect, these numbers of indicator bits / code points are configurable by the NW. For example, the NW can configure which bits in the PDCCH DCI will be used for group indication. Furthermore, via configuration, the NW can explicitly assign the UE to look up specific bits / code points in a specific location within the paging DCI. In additional or alternative examples, based on certain criteria applicable to it, the UE may know which configured bits / code points it should look up in the DCI. When a paging DCI exists in the PO, the NW indicates via the aforementioned code points which subgroups need to be awakened and the PDSCH decoded. In additional or alternative embodiments, the NW can configure a meaning (e.g., one or more related groups) for each code point. For example, the NW can configure eight specific groups via three bits in the DCI, configuring different multicast-capable devices / applications / subscribers belonging to each of these groups (potentially, some UEs belong to several groups), and reserving code points or alternatively reserved indicators if the NW wants all UEs listening to the PO to wake up and decode the PDSCH; for example, "1xxx" indicates that all UEs should wake up, or a specific value is reserved (e.g., 000), or even no grouping bits are included to wake up all UEs, and 001 indicates that UEs in group 1 should wake up, 010 indicates that UEs in group 2 should wake up, and so on. In additional or alternative embodiments, if the NW wants all UEs in the PO to wake up, it does not send any bit combinations in the paging group bit field. The configuration of bits and combinations can be done via RRC signaling or SI updates. In addition to grouping based on specific bit maps in specific bit fields of the paging group configuration, the indication may also indicate invalid indices, for example, indicating invalid (reserved) MCS indices.

[0052] In additional or alternative embodiments, multiple UE grouping standards and multiple sets of group indication bits can be used in the paging DCI. For example, the paging DCI may include two separate group indication bitmaps, one indicating mobility status and the other indicating UE category. The UE may also have group members assigned based on both its mobility status and its type / category. The UE will then demodulate and decode the PDSCH if both group indication bitmaps indicate its group. Another UE may have only one group member; then, for aspects it does not have an assigned group member, it will ignore the group indication bitmap in the DCI.

[0053] In additional or alternative embodiments, the group indication bit set in the paging DCI may further include a separate overwrite indicator that explicitly or implicitly instructs all UEs monitoring the PO (regardless of their group membership) to decode the associated PDSCH based on a given situation (e.g., a sunshine service). For example, this allows a packet bit to be temporarily needed for a higher priority purpose (e.g., a public warning system), and thus, when such a service is in progress, UEs implicitly know they must wake up regardless of the packet information. If overwriting occurs (whether implicit or explicit), the UE monitoring the DCI may ignore any group indication bit in the DCI, even if it is associated with a group (e.g., automatically assigned to or mapped to that group), and receive data on the PDSCH (e.g., by sampling and decoding the PDSCH). If no overwrite bit is set, a UE with group membership checks the group indication bit in the DCI and, if it indicates the group to which it is assigned, decodes the PDSCH.

[0054] In an additional or alternative embodiment, each UE is assigned to only one group at a time, while in another embodiment, the NW may assign UEs to different groups simultaneously. For example, a UE may belong to both the Mobile Group and the RedCap Group, or only to one of them.

[0055] In additional or alternative embodiments, if the NW wants to change the UE group, in one approach this can be done via an SI update in RRC_Idle / Inactive, or in another approach the UE is first paged, woken up, and then reconfigured via RRC signaling.

[0056] In some embodiments, the UE receives a paging configuration from the NW, wherein the configuration includes an association with one or more UE groups. In an additional or alternative embodiment, the paging configuration is transmitted before paging is required due to pending data. In an additional or alternative embodiment, the paging configuration includes a paging transmission, which is transmitted once an actual paging is required due to pending data. The configuration is further associated with a bitmap in a bit field of one or more POs and / or DCI format 1-0.

[0057] In an additional or alternative embodiment, if paging occurs, the UE monitors the paging DCI in a group-specific PO, and then it reads the PDSCH.

[0058] In an additional or alternative embodiment, if the paging DCI contains a bitmap of the group to which the UE belongs (or any other indication method mentioned above), the UE wakes up and reads the paging PDSCH.

[0059] In an additional or alternative embodiment, if the minimum scheduling offset k0 > 0, the UE can adopt any suitable sleep scheme (e.g., micro-sleep) until PDSCH by turning off the RF portion of the receiver.

[0060] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE may utilize knowledge of NW behavior related to paging and / or paging packets so that it is beneficial from the UE's power-saving perspective, regardless of the configuration provided by the NW.

[0061] Although the TDRA table includes K0=0 (or any short K0 value that does not allow a particular UE to be in a dormant state between PDCCH and PDSCH operations), the UE can still choose to operate in a cross-slot manner (as if the K0 value were high enough to allow the UE to be in a dormant state between PDCCH and PDSCH operations). In one aspect, the UE can observe the occurrence and number of NW repeat paging messages by, for example, not responding to paging messages and observing behavior in the absence of a response from the UE side to learn the paging strategy of the gNB. Such paging messages may be self-induced by the UE for the purpose of learning behavior. Alternatively, NW behavior can be retrieved from an external application, node, or another UE. In the case of repeat paging messages in the absence of paging, the UE will assume the risk of operating in a cross-slot manner, and if it notices a PDCCH indicating that the UE should have obtained the PDSCH within the slot, the UE will change its behavior in the upcoming (one or more) PO until successful paging. In one aspect, the UE can correlate this behavior with potential paging packet indicators within the DCI. For example, unless the UE sees that it is paging certain groups, it can operate in a cross-timeslot manner regardless of the configuration. The UE may have already gathered the knowledge that, generally, when a UE is paging a group, it is likely to be paged soon and therefore will change its behavior back to in-slot, thus minimizing the risk of losing paging messages. Conversely, the UE may learn that when paging some groups (e.g., mission-critical multicast groups), it will generally not be paged and will operate in a cross-timeslot manner during this period. Alternatively, the UE may also learn that it will typically be paged during certain hours and / or when there is a certain time interval between paging messages, and outside of these times, it will operate in a cross-timeslot manner.

[0062] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE indicates to the NW that it can support group paging. Capability signaling may further indicate that the UE can use group paging to save power. Capabilities may further indicate other information, such as the UE's primary mission, or capabilities or use cases, etc. In some examples, the UE may indicate 'desired power savings', 'eMBB', 'RedCap', 'MC / BC', 'Police', 'expected paging rate', etc. (not a verbatim description, but illustrative examples relevant to paging configuration) or combinations thereof.

[0063] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE may provide more information in the form of direct / indirect auxiliary information or capabilities (indirectly as the NW derives / understands from another source such as UE type, UE capabilities, connection mode minimum K0 value indication, etc.) to help the NW configure the preferred paging group. For example, the UE may mention that the preferred configuration is 'RedCap' and K0>n, where n>0.

[0064] The NW receives UE capabilities and can determine UE configuration based on the packet paging concept discussed in this invention. For example, the NW can receive RedCap and power-saving capabilities from a UE, and then decide to assign the UE to the RedCap group, and further configure the TDRA table for the UE except for K0=0.

[0065] Reference will now be made to some embodiments based on the inventive concept. Figure 6 The flowchart discusses the operation of network nodes. For example, modules can be stored in... Figure 4 The memory 405 contains these modules, and these modules provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the corresponding RAN node processing circuit 403, the processing circuit 403 performs the corresponding operation of the flowchart. Although reference (using...) Figure 4 (The structure implemented) RAN node 400 description Figure 6 However, other implementations are also possible; for example, CN node 500 can be used as a reference for description. Figure 6 .

[0066] Figure 6 An example of a process performed by a network node is shown.

[0067] In block 610, processing circuitry 403 assigns the UE to a group associated with the PO in the DRX cycle based on information associated with the UE. In some embodiments, assigning the UE to the group includes assigning the UE to the group based on one or more of the following: the subscription associated with the UE, the UE identity associated with the UE, the UE type associated with the UE, the UE subtype associated with the UE, the UE capabilities, and the UE version. In additional or alternative embodiments, the assignment of the UE to the group is performed dynamically based on the paging frequency associated with the UE.

[0068] In some embodiments, assigning a UE to a group associated with a PO in a DRX cycle includes: determining the UE identity to be mapped to / assigned to the group associated with the PO; and assigning a UE identity to the UE based on information associated with the UE.

[0069] In block 620, processing circuitry 403 transmits paging configuration to the UE via transceiver 401. In some embodiments, transmitting paging configuration to the UE includes: in response to assigning the UE to the group, transmitting a group-based paging configuration to the UE via a dedicated or broadcast signal. In additional or alternative embodiments, the paging configuration includes one or more of the following: frame number, frame offset, number of the PO associated with the frame, location of the PO associated with the frame, and minimum scheduling offset.

[0070] In block 630, processing circuit 403 determines that there is data to be transmitted to the UE.

[0071] In block 640, processing circuitry 403 transmits DCI on PDCCH via transceiver 401 during PO. In some embodiments, DCI includes a set of one or more indicator bits indicating the group.

[0072] In block 650, processing circuitry 403 receives paging statistics from the UE via transceiver 401. In some embodiments, paging statistics include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is paging falsely, in what area the UE is paging falsely, and at what time the UE is paging falsely; and

[0073] In block 660, processing circuitry 403 reassigns the UE to another group associated with another PO in the DRX cycle based on paging statistics.

[0074] Some embodiments regarding network nodes and related methods, from Figure 6 Various operations in the flowchart can be optional. For example, for the method of Example 1 (described below), Figure 6 The operations in boxes 630, 640, 650, and 660 can be optional.

[0075] Reference will now be made to some embodiments based on the inventive concept. Figure 7-8 Flowchart discussion (using) Figure 3 The operation of the communication device 300 is implemented using the block diagram structure. For example, the module can be stored in... Figure 3 The memory 305 contains these modules, and these modules can provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processing circuit 303 via the corresponding communication device, the processing circuit 303 executes the corresponding operation of the flowchart.

[0076] Figure 7An example of the process by which a UE receives a paging based on its paging configuration is shown.

[0077] In block 710, processing circuitry 303 transmits a message instructing a UE to support group paging to a network node via transceiver 710. In some embodiments, the message includes additional information associated with the UE, including the primary task performed by the UE, the UE's capabilities, the UE's type, and the preferred minimum scheduling offset.

[0078] In block 720, processing circuitry 303 receives a paging configuration indicating PO via transceiver 710. In some embodiments, the paging configuration further includes an indication of a group to which the UE has been assigned.

[0079] In block 730, processing circuitry 303 receives DCI on PDCCH via transceiver 710 during PO.

[0080] In block 740, processing circuitry 303 determines whether to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH based on the DCI and / or paging configuration. In some examples, the PDSCH is associated with the PDCCH based on a PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH. In additional or alternative examples, the PDSCH is associated with the PDCCH based on a PDSCH configured by the PDCCH. In additional or alternative examples, the PDSCH is associated with the PDCCH based on a minimum scheduling offset indicating the timing of the PDSCH relative to the PDCCH.

[0081] In some embodiments, determining whether to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH based on the DCI and paging configuration includes determining whether the DCI includes one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to a group. In some examples, in response to determining that the DCI includes indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to a group, it is determined that data will be received on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH. In additional or alternative examples, in response to determining that the DCI does not include indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to a group, it is determined that the power is reduced during the time window (e.g., time slot) associated with the PDSCH.

[0082] In an additional or alternative embodiment, determining whether to receive data on a PDSCH associated with a PDCCH based on DCI and paging configuration includes: determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period; determining that power consumption will be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on a PDSCH associated with a PDCCH; and maintaining a power-reduced state during the time interval associated with the PDSCH in response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period and determining that power consumption will be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on a PDSCH associated with a PDCCH.

[0083] In block 750, processing circuitry 303 records paging statistics. In some embodiments, paging statistics include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged.

[0084] In block 760, processing circuitry 303 transmits paging statistics to network nodes via transceiver 710. In some embodiments, in response to transmitting paging statistics, the UE receives a new UE identity or a new group associated with the PO that will reduce false paging.

[0085] Figure 8 An example of the UE's paging process is shown, which includes determining whether to skip the PDSCH.

[0086] In block 810, processing circuit 303 determines that the DCI indication associated with the UE during PO on PDCCH is available for reception on PDSCH.

[0087] In block 820, processing circuitry 303 determines that network nodes will retransmit data during subsequent PDSCH events.

[0088] In block 830, processing circuitry 303 determines that power consumption will be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH.

[0089] In block 840, processing circuitry 303 determines whether to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH based on the DCI and / or paging configuration. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 303 determines whether to receive data in response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a subsequent PDSCH and determining that power consumption will be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

[0090] Some embodiments of communication devices and related methods, from Figure 7-8 Various operations in the flowchart can be optional. Regarding the method of Example 16 (described below), for example, Figure 7 The frames 710, 750, and 760 and Figure 8 The operations of boxes 810, 820, 830, and 840 can be optional. Regarding the method of example embodiment 30 (described below), for example, Figure 7 The frames 710, 720, 730, and 740, and Figure 8 The operations of boxes 810, 820, 830, and 840 can be optional. Regarding the method of example embodiment 39 (described below), for example, Figure 7 The operations in boxes 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, and 760 can be optional.

[0091] The following discusses example implementations.

[0092] Example 1. A method for operating a network node in a communication network, the method comprising:

[0093] Based on information associated with a wireless device (UE) operating in a communication network, the UE is assigned (610) to a group associated with a paging opportunity (PO) in a discontinuous reception DRX cycle;

[0094] The paging configuration (620) is passed to the UE, and the paging configuration is based on this group.

[0095] Example 2. The method of Example 1, wherein assigning a UE to the group includes assigning a UE to the group based on one or more of the following: subscription associated with the UE, UE identity associated with the UE, UE type associated with the UE, UE subtype associated with the UE, UE capabilities, and UE version.

[0096] Example 3. A method of any of the embodiments of Examples 1-2, wherein assigning a UE to the group is performed dynamically based on the paging frequency associated with the UE.

[0097] Example 4. A method of any of the embodiments of Examples 1-3, wherein transmitting the paging configuration to the UE includes: in response to assigning the UE to the group, transmitting the paging configuration based on the group to the UE via a dedicated or broadcast signal.

[0098] Example 5. The method of any of the embodiments of Examples 1-4, wherein the paging configuration includes one or more of the following: frame number, frame offset, number of PO associated with the frame, location of PO associated with the frame, and minimum scheduling offset.

[0099] Example 6. A method of any of the embodiments of Examples 1-5, wherein the paging configuration includes an indication of the group, the method further comprising:

[0100] It is confirmed (630) that there is data to be transmitted to the UE;

[0101] In response to determining that there is data to be transmitted to the UE, during PO, downlink control information (640) DCI is transmitted on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, the DCI including a set of indicator bits indicating the group.

[0102] Example 7. The method of any of the embodiments in Examples 1-6, further comprising:

[0103] The UE receives (650) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0104] Based on paging statistics, the UE is reassigned (660) to another group associated with another PO in the DRX cycle.

[0105] Example 8. A method of any of Examples 1-7, wherein assigning the UE to a group associated with the PO in the DRX cycle includes:

[0106] Determine the identity of the UE to be assigned to the group associated with the PO; and

[0107] The UE identity is assigned to the UE based on the information associated with the UE.

[0108] Example 9. A network node (400, 500), comprising:

[0109] Processing circuits (403, 503); and

[0110] A memory (405, 505) coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0111] Based on information associated with a wireless device operating in a communication network, the wireless device UE is assigned (610) to a group associated with paging timing PO in a discontinuous DRX reception cycle.

[0112] The paging configuration (620) is passed to the UE, and the paging configuration is based on this group.

[0113] Example 10. The network node of Example 8, the operation of which further includes any of the examples 2-8.

[0114] Example 11. A network node (400, 500) suitable for performing operations, the operations including:

[0115] Based on information associated with a wireless device operating in a communication network, the wireless device UE is assigned (610) to a group associated with paging timing PO in a discontinuous DRX reception cycle.

[0116] The paging configuration (620) is passed to the UE, and the paging configuration is based on this group.

[0117] Example 12. The network node of Example 11, the operation further includes any of the examples in Examples 2-8.

[0118] Example 13. A computer program containing program code that will be executed by the processing circuitry (403, 503) of a network node (400, 500), whereby the execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations including:

[0119] Based on information associated with a wireless device operating in a communication network, the wireless device UE is assigned (610) to a group associated with paging timing PO in a discontinuous DRX reception cycle.

[0120] The paging configuration (620) is passed to the UE, and the paging configuration is based on this group.

[0121] Example 14. The computer program of Example 13, further comprising any of the embodiments in Examples 2-8.

[0122] Example 15. A computer program product including a non-transitory storage medium (405, 505) containing program code that will be executed by processing circuitry (403, 503) of a network node (400, 500), whereby the execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations including:

[0123] Based on information associated with a wireless device operating in a communication network, the wireless device UE is assigned (610) to a group associated with paging timing PO in a discontinuous DRX reception cycle.

[0124] The paging configuration (620) is passed to the UE, and the paging configuration is based on this group.

[0125] Example 16. The computer program product of Example 15, further comprising any of the embodiments in Examples 2-8.

[0126] Example 17. A method for operating a wireless device UE in a communication network, the method comprising:

[0127] Receive (720) paging configuration from network node indicating paging timing PO;

[0128] During PO, downlink control information (DCI) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH (730); and

[0129] Based on the DCI and / or paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

[0130] Example 18. The method of Example 17, wherein the paging configuration includes an indication of the group to which the UE has been assigned.

[0131] The process of determining whether to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH based on DCI and paging configuration includes:

[0132] Determine whether the DCI contains an indicator bit that indicates the group the UE has been assigned to.

[0133] In response to determining that the DCI contains an indicator bit indicating that the UE has been assigned to a group, it is determined to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, and

[0134] In response to determining that the DCI does not contain an indicator bit indicating that the UE has been assigned to a group, it is determined to remain in a power-reduced state during the time slot associated with the PDSCH.

[0135] Example 19. The method of Example 17, wherein determining whether to receive data on a PDSCH associated with a PDCCH based on DCI and paging configuration includes:

[0136] It is determined that the network nodes will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period;

[0137] It was determined that power consumption would be reduced by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and

[0138] In response to determining that a network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH and that it will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, it remains in a power-reduced state during the time interval associated with the PDSCH.

[0139] Example 20. The method of any of the embodiments of Examples 17-19, further comprising:

[0140] Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0141] The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

[0142] Example 21. The method of any of the embodiments of Examples 17-20, further comprising:

[0143] Transmit (710) a first message instructing the network node to paging the UE support group.

[0144] The paging configuration includes receiving a second message from the network node indicating that the UE has been assigned a paging group.

[0145] Example 22. The method of Example 21, wherein the first message further includes information associated with the UE, the information including at least one of the following: the main task performed by the UE, the capabilities of the UE, the type of the UE, and the preferred minimum scheduling offset.

[0146] Example 23. A wireless device (300) comprising:

[0147] Processing circuit (303); and

[0148] A memory (305) coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0149] Receive paging configuration (720) from network node;

[0150] During the paging timing PO indicated in the paging configuration, downlink control information DCI (730) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH; and

[0151] Based on the DCI and paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

[0152] Example 24. The wireless device of Example 23, further comprising any of the embodiments of Examples 18-22.

[0153] Example 25. A wireless device (300) suitable for performing operations, the operations including:

[0154] Receive paging configuration (720) from network node;

[0155] During the paging timing PO indicated in the paging configuration, downlink control information DCI (730) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH; and

[0156] Based on the DCI and paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

[0157] Example 26. The wireless device of Example 25, further comprising any of the embodiments of Examples 18-22.

[0158] Example 27. A computer program including program code, which is executed by the processing circuitry (303) of a wireless device (300), whereby the execution of the program code causes the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0159] Receive paging configuration (720) from network node;

[0160] During the paging timing PO indicated in the paging configuration, downlink control information DCI (730) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH; and

[0161] Based on the DCI and paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

[0162] Example 28. The computer program of Example 27, which further includes any of the examples in Examples 18-22.

[0163] Example 29. A computer program product including a non-transitory storage medium (305) containing program code to be executed by a processing circuitry (303) of a wireless device (300), whereby execution of the program code causes the wireless device to perform operations including:

[0164] Receive paging configuration (720) from network node;

[0165] During the paging timing PO indicated in the paging configuration, downlink control information DCI (730) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH; and

[0166] Based on the DCI and paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

[0167] Example 30. The computer program product of Example 29, further comprising any of the embodiments in Examples 18-22.

[0168] Example 31. A method for operating a wireless device UE in a communication network, the method comprising:

[0169] Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0170] The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

[0171] Example 32. The method of Example 31 further includes any of the operations in Examples 17-22.

[0172] Example 33. A wireless device (300) comprising:

[0173] Processing circuit (303); and

[0174] A memory (305) coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0175] Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0176] The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

[0177] Example 34. The wireless device of Example 33, further comprising any of the embodiments of Examples 17-22.

[0178] Example 35. A wireless device (300) suitable for performing operations, the operations including:

[0179] Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0180] The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

[0181] Example 36. The wireless device of Example 35, further comprising any of the embodiments of Examples 17-22.

[0182] Example 37. A computer program containing program code, which is executed by the processing circuitry (303) of a wireless device (300), whereby the execution of the program code causes the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0183] Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0184] The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

[0185] Example 38. The computer program of Example 37, further comprising any of the embodiments in Examples 17-22.

[0186] Example 39. A computer program product including a non-transitory storage medium (305) containing program code to be executed by a processing circuitry (303) of a wireless device (300), whereby execution of the program code causes the wireless device to perform operations including:

[0187] Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; and

[0188] The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

[0189] Example 40. The computer program product of Example 39, the operation of which further includes any of the examples of Examples 17-22.

[0190] Example 41. A method for operating a wireless device UE in a communication network, the method comprising:

[0191] Determine (810) that during paging opportunity PO, the downlink control information DCI on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH indicates that the data associated with the UE is available to be received on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH;

[0192] It is determined that (820) network nodes will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period;

[0193] It is determined that (830) will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and

[0194] In response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time slot associated with the PDSCH.

[0195] Example 42. The method of Example 41 further includes the operation of any of the embodiments in Examples 17-22.

[0196] Example 43. A wireless device (300) comprising:

[0197] Processing circuit (303); and

[0198] A memory (305) coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0199] Determine (810) that during paging opportunity PO, the downlink control information DCI on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH indicates that the data associated with the UE is available to be received on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH;

[0200] It is determined that (820) network nodes will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period;

[0201] It is determined that (830) will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and

[0202] In response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time slot associated with the PDSCH.

[0203] Example 44. The wireless device of Example 43, further comprising any of the embodiments of Examples 17-22.

[0204] Example 45. A wireless device (300) suitable for performing operations, the operations including:

[0205] Determine (810) that during paging opportunity PO, the downlink control information DCI on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH indicates that the data associated with the UE is available to be received on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH;

[0206] It is determined that (820) network nodes will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period;

[0207] It is determined that (830) will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and

[0208] In response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time slot associated with the PDSCH.

[0209] Example 46. The wireless device of Example 45, further comprising any of the embodiments of Examples 17-22.

[0210] Example 47. A computer program containing program code, which is executed by the processing circuitry (303) of a wireless device (300), whereby the execution of the program code causes the wireless device to perform operations, including:

[0211] Determine (810) that during paging opportunity PO, the downlink control information DCI on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH indicates that the data associated with the UE is available to be received on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH;

[0212] It is determined that (820) network nodes will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period;

[0213] It is determined that (830) will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and

[0214] In response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time slot associated with the PDSCH.

[0215] Example 48. The computer program of Example 47, further comprising any of the embodiments in Examples 17-22.

[0216] Example 49. A computer program product including a non-transitory storage medium (305) containing program code to be executed by a processing circuitry (303) of a wireless device (300), whereby execution of the program code causes the wireless device to perform operations including:

[0217] Determine (810) that during paging opportunity PO, the downlink control information DCI on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH indicates that the data associated with the UE is available to be received on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH;

[0218] It is determined that (820) network nodes will retransmit data during a later PDSCH period;

[0219] It is determined that (830) will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and

[0220] In response to determining that the network node will retransmit data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving data on a later PDSCH instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time slot associated with the PDSCH.

[0221] Example 50. The computer program product of Example 49, further comprising any of the embodiments in Examples 17-22.

[0222] Additional explanations are provided below.

[0223] Generally, unless a different meaning is explicitly given and / or implied in the context of the use of the term, all terms used herein shall be interpreted in accordance with their ordinary meaning in the relevant art. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references to a (a / an) / element, device, component, part, step, etc. shall be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, device, component, part, step, etc. Unless a step is explicitly described as occurring after or before another step and / or implied that a step must occur after or before another step, the steps of any method disclosed herein are not necessarily performed in the exact order disclosed. Where appropriate, any feature of any embodiment of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment of the embodiments may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the appended embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0224] Some embodiments of the ideas contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0225] Figure 9 A wireless network according to some embodiments is shown.

[0226] While the subject matter described herein can be implemented using any suitable components in any appropriate type of system, the embodiments disclosed herein are related to, for example... Figure 9 The example wireless network shown is used to describe wireless networks. For simplicity, Figure 9 The wireless network depicted only includes network 4106, network nodes 4160 and 4160b, and WD 4110, 4110b, and 4110c (also referred to as mobile terminals). In practice, the wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (such as a landline telephone, service provider, or any other network node or end device). Among the components shown, network node 4160 and wireless device (WD) 4110 are depicted with additional detail. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access to and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0227] Wireless networks may include any type of communications, telecommunications, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar system and / or be connected to it via an interface. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of a wireless network may implement: communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and / or ZigBee standards.

[0228] Network 4106 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communication between devices.

[0229] Network node 4160 and WD 4110 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide the functionality of the network node and / or wireless device, such as providing wireless connectivity in a wireless network. In various embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection.

[0230] As used herein, a network node is a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network, in order to enable and / or provide wireless access to the wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NRNode Bs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels) and are thus also referred to as femtocells, picocells, microcells, or macrocells. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls the relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station, such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as remote radio headends (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as antenna-integrated radios. A portion of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment (such as an MSR BS), network controllers (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC)), base transceiver stations (BTS), transport points, transport nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSC, MME), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, location nodes (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or MDTs. As another example, a network node can be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node can represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to a wireless network to wireless devices or to provide some service to wireless devices already connected to the wireless network.

[0231] exist Figure 9 In the network node 4160, processing circuitry 4170, device-readable medium 4180, interface 4190, auxiliary equipment 4184, power supply 4186, power circuitry 4187, and antenna 4162 are included. Although in Figure 9The network node 4160 shown in the example wireless network may represent an apparatus including the illustrated combination of hardware components, but other embodiments may include network nodes having different combinations of components. It should be understood that a network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, while the components of network node 4160 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 4180 may include multiple separate hard disk drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0232] Similarly, network node 4160 may consist of multiple physically separate components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In some scenarios where network node 4160 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single independent network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node 4160 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 4180 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., these RATs may share the same antenna 4162). Network node 4160 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for integrating different wireless technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) into network node 4160. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 4160.

[0233] Processing circuitry 4170 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 4170 may include: processing information acquired by processing circuitry 4170 (by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information); and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0234] Processing circuitry 4170 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic, alone or in combination with other network node 4160 components (such as device-readable medium 4180), operable to provide the functionality of network node 4160. For example, processing circuitry 4170 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 4180 or in memory stored within processing circuitry 4170. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 4170 may include a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0235] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 4170 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 4172 and a baseband processing circuitry 4174. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 4172 and the baseband processing circuitry 4174 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (such as radio units and digital units). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 4172 and the baseband processing circuitry 4174 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0236] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be executed by processing circuitry 4170 by executing instructions stored on device-readable medium 4180 or in memory within processing circuitry 4170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 4170, for example, by hardwiring, without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable media. In any of those embodiments, processing circuitry 4170 may be configured to perform the described functionality regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 4170 or other components of network node 4160 individually, but are enjoyed by network node 4160 as a whole, and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0237] Device-readable medium 4180 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to: persistent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, compact discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 4170. Device-readable medium 4180 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.) and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 4170 and usable by network node 4160. Device-readable medium 4180 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 4170 and / or any data received via interface 4190. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 4170 and the device-readable medium 4180 may be considered as integrated.

[0238] Interface 4190 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 4160, network 4106, and / or WD 4110. As shown, interface 4190 includes, for example, one or more ports / terminals 4194 for sending data to and receiving data from network 4106 via a wired connection. Interface 4190 also includes radio front-end circuitry 4192, which may be coupled to antenna 4162 or, in some embodiments, is part of antenna 4162. Radio front-end circuitry 4192 includes filter 4198 and amplifier 4196. Radio front-end circuitry 4192 may be connected to antenna 4162 and processing circuitry 4170. Radio front-end circuitry 4192 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 4162 and processing circuitry 4170. Radio front-end circuitry 4192 may receive digital data to transmit to other network nodes or WD via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 4192 may use a combination of filter 4198 and / or amplifier 4196 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 4162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 4162 may collect radio signals and then convert them into digital data via radio front-end circuit 4192. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 4170. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0239] In some alternative embodiments, network node 4160 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 4192. Instead, processing circuitry 4170 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 4162 without separate radio front-end circuitry 4192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 4172 may be considered part of interface 4190. In other embodiments, interface 4190 may include one or more ports or terminals 4194, radio front-end circuitry 4192, and RF transceiver circuitry 4172 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 4190 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 4174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0240] Antenna 4162 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 4162 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 4192 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 4162 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector, or planar antennas operable to transmit / receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area, and planar antennas can be line-of-sight antennas used to transmit / receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 4162 may be separate from network node 4160 and may be connectable to network node 4160 via an interface or port.

[0241] Antenna 4162, interface 4190, and / or processing circuitry 4170 may be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquire operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 4162, interface 4190, and / or processing circuitry 4170 may be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0242] Power circuit 4187 may include or be coupled to power management circuitry and is configured to supply power to the components of network node 4160 to perform the functionality described herein. Power circuit 4187 may receive power from power source 4186. Power source 4186 and / or power circuit 4187 may be configured to supply power to various components of network node 4160 in a manner suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power source 4186 may be included in power circuit 4187 and / or network node 4160, or external to it. For example, network node 4160 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via input circuitry or an interface (such as a cable), thereby supplying power to power circuit 4187. As a further example, power source 4186 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into power circuit 4187. The battery can provide backup power if the external power source fails. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0243] Alternative embodiments of network node 4160 may include, in addition to Figure 9 Additional components, beyond those shown herein, may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functionalities described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the topics described herein. For example, network node 4160 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into and output from network node 4160. This allows users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for network node 4160.

[0244] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) means a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise indicated, the term WD may be used interchangeably with User Equipment (UE) herein. Wireless communication may involve transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network according to a predetermined schedule, triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WD include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, IP-based voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, recycle bins, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, on-laptop embedded devices (LEEs), on-laptop devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, and the like. A WD can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for secondary link communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in this case, it can be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. In this case, the WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, a WD can be a UE that implements the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD can represent a vehicle or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. As described above, WD can represent a wireless connection endpoint, in which case the device can be called a wireless terminal. Furthermore, as described above, WD can be mobile, in which case it can be called a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0245] As shown in the figure, the wireless device 4110 includes an antenna 4111, an interface 4114, processing circuitry 4120, a device-readable medium 4130, a user interface device 4132, auxiliary devices 4134, a power supply 4136, and a power circuit 4137. WD 4110 may include multiple sets of components for one or more of the shown components for different wireless technologies supported by WD 4110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMax, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chipsets as other components within WD 4110.

[0246] Antenna 4111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to interface 4114. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 4111 may be separate from WD 4110 and may be connected to WD 4110 via an interface or port. Antenna 4111, interface 4114, and / or processing circuitry 4120 may be configured to perform any receive or transmit operations described herein as performed by a WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from network nodes and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front-end circuitry and / or antenna 4111 may be considered as an interface.

[0247] As shown in the figure, interface 4114 includes radio front-end circuitry 4112 and antenna 4111. Radio front-end circuitry 4112 includes one or more filters 4118 and amplifiers 4116. Radio front-end circuitry 4112 is connected to antenna 4111 and processing circuitry 4120 and is configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 4111 and processing circuitry 4120. Radio front-end circuitry 4112 may be coupled to antenna 4111 or is part of antenna 4111. In some embodiments, WD 4110 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 4112; instead, processing circuitry 4120 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 4111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 4122 may be considered part of interface 4114. Radio front-end circuitry 4112 may receive digital data and transmit the digital data to other network nodes or WD via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 4112 may use a combination of filter 4118 and / or amplifier 4116 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 4111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 4111 may collect radio signals and then convert them into digital data via radio front-end circuit 4112. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 4120. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0248] Processing circuitry 4120 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic, alone or in combination with other WD 4110 components (such as device-readable medium 4130), operable to provide WD 4110 functionality. Such functionality may include any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 4120 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 4130 or in memory within processing circuitry 4120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0249] As shown in the figure, the processing circuit 4120 includes one or more of the following: RF transceiver circuit 4122, baseband processing circuit 4124, and application processing circuit 4126. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4120 of WD 4110 may include a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 4122, baseband processing circuit 4124, and application processing circuit 4126 may be on separate chips or chipsets. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the baseband processing circuit 4124 and application processing circuit 4126 may be combined into a single chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 4122 may be on separate chips or chipsets. In still alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 4122 and baseband processing circuit 4124 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 4126 may be on separate chips or chipsets. In other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 4122, baseband processing circuitry 4124, and application processing circuitry 4126 may be combined on the same chip or chipset. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 4122 may be part of interface 4114. The RF transceiver circuitry 4122 may modulate the RF signal used for processing circuitry 4120.

[0250] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by WD may be provided by processing circuitry 4120 executing instructions stored on device-readable medium 4130, which in some embodiments may be computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 4120, for example, by hardwiring, without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable storage media. In any of those particular embodiments, processing circuitry 4120 may be configured to perform the described functionality regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 4120 alone or other components of WD 4110, but are enjoyed by WD 4110 as a whole, and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0251] Processing circuitry 4120 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. Such operations performed by processing circuitry 4120 may include: processing information acquired by processing circuitry 4120 (processing in ways such as: converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in WD 4110, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information); and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0252] Device-readable medium 4130 may be operable to store computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.) and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 4120. Device-readable medium 4130 may include computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., CD or DVD), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory means that stores information, data, and / or instructions available for use by processing circuitry 4120. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 4120 and device-readable medium 4130 may be considered integrated.

[0253] User interface device 4132 provides components that allow a human user to interact with WD 4110. Such interaction can take many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. User interface device 4132 may be operable to produce outputs to the user and allow the user to provide inputs to WD 4110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device 4132 installed in WD 4110. For example, if WD 4110 is a smartphone, interaction may be via a touchscreen; if WD 4110 is a smart meter, interaction may be via a screen providing usage information (e.g., gallons used) or a speaker providing an audible alarm (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface device 4132 may include input interfaces, means, and circuitry, as well as output interfaces, means, and circuitry. User interface device 4132 is configured to allow information to be input into WD 4110 and is connected to processing circuitry 4120 to allow processing circuitry 4120 to process the input information. User interface device 4132 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity sensor or other sensor, buttons / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface device 4132 is also configured to allow information output from WD 4110 and to allow processing circuitry 4120 to output information from WD 4110. User interface device 4132 may include, for example, a speaker, display, vibration circuitry, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry of user interface device 4132, WD 4110 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks, allowing them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0254] Auxiliary device 4134 is operable to provide more specific functionality that is not generally performed by WD. This may include dedicated sensors for measuring for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communication, etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary device 4134 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0255] In some embodiments, power source 4136 may take the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power battery. WD 4110 may further include power circuitry 4137 for delivering power from power source 4136 to various parts of WD 4110 that require power from power source 4136 to perform any functionality described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, power circuitry 4137 may include power management circuitry. Power circuitry 4137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, WD 4110 may be connectable to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via input circuitry or an interface (such as a power cable). In some embodiments, power circuitry 4137 may also be operable to deliver power from an external power source to power source 4136. This may be used, for example, for charging power source 4136. The power circuit 4137 can perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power source 4136 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of the WD 4110 that it powers.

[0256] Figure 10 A user device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0257] Figure 10 An embodiment of a UE according to the various aspects described herein is illustrated. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, a UE may refer to a device intended to be sold to or operated by a human user, but which may or may not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may refer to a device not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user, but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter). UE 42200 may be any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including NB-IoT UEs, Machine-Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs. Figure 10 As shown, UE 4200 is an example of a WD configured for communication under one or more communication standards (such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards) as promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). As previously mentioned, the terms WD and UE can be used interchangeably. Therefore, although... Figure 10 It is a UE, but the components discussed in this article are also applicable to WD, and vice versa.

[0258] exist Figure 10In this embodiment, UE 4200 includes processing circuitry 4201, which is operatively coupled to an input / output interface 4205, a radio frequency (RF) interface 4209, a network connectivity interface 4211, a memory 4215 including random access memory (RAM) 4217, read-only memory (ROM) 4219, and storage medium 4221, a communication subsystem 4231, a power supply 4213, and / or any other components or any combination thereof. Storage medium 4221 includes an operating system 4223, application programs 4225, and data 4227. In other embodiments, storage medium 4221 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize... Figure 10 The components shown may be all or only a subset of the components. The degree of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0259] exist Figure 10 In this embodiment, processing circuitry 4201 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 4201 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored in memory as a machine-readable computer program, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic along with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, a general-purpose processor such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), along with appropriate software; or any combination of the foregoing. For example, processing circuitry 4201 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a form suitable for computer use.

[0260] In the depicted embodiments, the input / output interface 4205 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or both. The UE 4200 may be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 4205. The output device may use an interface port of the same type as the input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from the UE 4200. The output device may be a speaker, sound card, video card, display, monitor, printer, actuator, transmitter, smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 4200 may be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 4205 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 4200. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, digital camcorder, web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a navigation pad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. A presence-sensitive display may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from the user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, light sensors, proximity sensors, other similar sensors, or any combination thereof. For example, input devices can be accelerometers, magnetometers, digital cameras, microphones, and light sensors.

[0261] exist Figure 10 In this configuration, RF interface 4209 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Network connectivity interface 4211 can be configured to provide a communication interface to network 4243a. Network 4243a may encompass wired and / or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), computer networks, wireless networks, telecommunications networks, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, network 4243a may include a Wi-Fi network. Network connectivity interface 4211 can be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces for communicating with one or more other devices over a communication network according to one or more communication protocols such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc. Network connectivity interface 4211 can implement receiver and transmitter functionality suitable for (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.) communication network links. Transmitter and receiver functionality may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0262] RAM 4217 may be configured to be connected to processing circuitry 4201 via an interface through bus 4202 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers. ROM 4219 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 4201. For example, ROM 4219 may be configured to store immutable low-level system code or data for basic system functions (such as basic input and output (I / O), booting, or receiving keystrokes from a keyboard) stored in non-volatile memory. Storage medium 4221 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable magnetic tape, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 4221 may be configured to include: an operating system 4223; an application 4225, such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or another application; and a data file 4227. Storage medium 4221 may store any of a wide variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by UE 4200.

[0263] Storage medium 4221 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital multifunction disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory (such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module), other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 4221 may allow UE 4200 to access computer-executable instructions, applications, etc., stored on transient or non-transient storage media, and to unload or upload data. Articles of manufacture (such as articles utilizing communication systems) may be tangibly embodied in storage medium 4221, which may include device-readable media.

[0264] exist Figure 10In this embodiment, processing circuitry 4201 can be configured to communicate with network 4243b using communication subsystem 4231. Networks 4243a and 4243b can be the same one or more networks or different one or more networks. Communication subsystem 4231 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with network 4243b. For example, communication subsystem 4231 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating wirelessly with one or more remote transceivers of another device (such as another WD, UE, or radio access network (RAN) base station) according to one or more communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.). Each transceiver can include transmitter 4233 and / or receiver 4235, respectively implementing transmitter or receiver functionality (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.) suitable for the RAN link. Furthermore, transmitter 4233 and receiver 4235 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively can be implemented separately.

[0265] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 4231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 4231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 4243b may encompass wired and / or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 4243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 4213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 4200.

[0266] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 4200 or partitioned across multiple components of UE 4200. Furthermore, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 4231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Additionally, processing circuitry 4201 may be configured to communicate with any of such components via bus 4202. In another example, any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory, which, when executed by processing circuitry 4201, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any of such components may be partitioned between processing circuitry 4201 and communication subsystem 4231. In yet another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0267] Figure 11 A virtualized environment according to some embodiments is shown.

[0268] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 4300 in which functionalities implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus, which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to nodes (e.g., virtualized base stations or virtualized radio access nodes) or apparatuses (e.g., UEs, wireless devices, or any other type of communication apparatus) or components thereof, and relates to implementations in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0269] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines, which are implemented in one or more hosted virtualization environments 4300 within hardware node 4330. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), the network node may be fully virtualized.

[0270] The functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 4320 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 4320 operate in a virtualization environment 4300, which provides hardware 4330 including processing circuitry 4360 and memory 4390. Memory 4390 contains instructions 4395 executable by the processing circuitry 4360, thereby enabling application 4320 to operate to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0271] The virtualization environment 4300 includes general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 4330. Device 4330 includes a collection of one or more processors or processing circuitry 4360, which may be a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processor, a dedicated application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or a dedicated processor. Each hardware device may include memory 4390-1, which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 4395 or software executed by the processing circuitry 4360. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 4370 (also known as network interface cards), which include physical network interfaces 4380. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage medium 4390-2 in which software 4395 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuitry 4360 are stored. Software 4395 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 4350 (also known as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machine 4340, and software that allows it to perform the functions, features, and / or benefits described in conjunction with some of the embodiments described herein.

[0272] Virtual machine 4340 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface, and virtual storage devices, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 4350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of virtual appliance 4320 may be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 4340, and the implementation may be carried out in different ways.

[0273] During operation, the processing circuitry 4360 executes software 4395 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 4350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 4350 can present a virtual operating platform that appears to be networked hardware to the virtual machine 4340.

[0274] like Figure 11As shown, hardware 4330 can be a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 4330 may include antenna 43225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 4330 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)) in which many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration (MANO) 43100, which, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of application 4320.

[0275] In some contexts, hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to integrate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can reside in data centers and client devices.

[0276] In the context of NFV, virtual machine 4340 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, and its programs run as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine in 4340, as well as the portion of hardware 4330 that executes that virtual machine (which is the hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or the hardware shared by that virtual machine and other virtual machines in 4340), forms a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0277] Within the context of NFV, a Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 4340 on top of the hardware networking infrastructure 4330, and corresponds to... Figure 11 Application 4320.

[0278] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 43200, each including one or more transmitters 43220 and one or more receivers 43210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 43225. The radio unit 43200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 4330 via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a radio-capable virtual node, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0279] In some embodiments, some signaling can be implemented using a control system 43230, which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware node 4330 and radio unit 43200.

[0280] Figure 12 A telecommunications network is shown that is connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to some embodiments.

[0281] Reference Figure 12According to an embodiment, the communication system includes a telecommunications network 4410, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, an access network 4411, such as a radio access network, and a core network 4414. The access network 4411 includes multiple base stations 4412a, 4412b, and 4412c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of wireless access points, each base station defining a corresponding coverage area 4413a, 4413b, or 4413c. Each base station 4412a, 4412b, or 4412c can be connected to the core network 4414 via a wired or wireless connection 4415. A first UE 4491 located in coverage area 4413c is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 4412c. A second UE 4492 located in coverage area 4413a can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station 4412a. Although multiple UEs 4491 and 4492 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is in the coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station 4412.

[0282] Telecommunication network 4410 is itself connected to host computer 4430, which may be embodied in the hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. Host computer 4430 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 4421 and 4422 between telecommunication network 4410 and host computer 4430 may extend directly from core network 4414 to host computer 4430, or may be made via optional intermediate network 4420. Intermediate network 4420 may be one or a combination of public, private, or hosted networks; intermediate network 4420 (if any) may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 4420 may include two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0283] Figure 12The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 4491 and 4492 and the host computer 4430. This connectivity can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 4450. The host computer 4430 and the connected UEs 4491 and 4492 are configured to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 4450 using access network 4411, core network 4414, any intermediate network 4420, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 4450 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices traversed by the OTT connection 4450 are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, it may not be necessary or required to notify the base station 4412 of past routing of incoming downlink communications containing data originating from the host computer 4430 to be forwarded (e.g., transferred) to the connected UE 4491. Similarly, base station 4412 does not need to know the future routing of outgoing uplink communications from UE 4491 toward host computer 4430.

[0284] Figure 13 A host computer is shown that communicates with a user equipment via a base station through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments.

[0285] According to the embodiments, reference will now be made to Figure 13 Example implementations of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs are described. In the communication system 4500, the host computer 4510 includes hardware 4515, which includes a communication interface 4516 configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection to an interface with different communication devices of the communication system 4500. The host computer 4510 further includes processing circuitry 4518, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. Specifically, the processing circuitry 4518 may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or combinations of such programmable processors, ASICs, and FPGAs (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The host computer 4510 further includes software 4511, which is stored in or accessible by the host computer 4510 and executable by the processing circuitry 4518. The software 4511 includes a host application 4512. Host application 4512 is operable to provide services to remote users, such as UE 4530 connected via OTT connection 4550 terminated between UE 4530 and host computer 4510. In providing services to remote users, host application 4512 can provide user data, which is transmitted using OTT connection 4550.

[0286] The communication system 4500 further includes a base station 4520, which is disposed in the telecommunications system and includes hardware 4525 to enable it to communicate with a host computer 4510 and a UE 4530. Hardware 4525 may include a communication interface 4526 for establishing and maintaining wired or wireless connections to different communication devices of the communication system 4500, and for establishing and maintaining connections with the coverage area served by the base station 4520. Figure 13 The UE 4530 (not shown) has at least a radio interface 4527 for a wireless connection 4570. A communication interface 4526 can be configured to facilitate a connection 4560 to a host computer 4510. The connection 4560 can be direct, or it can be via the core network of a telecommunications system (…). Figure 13 (Not shown) and / or via one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 4525 of the base station 4520 further includes processing circuitry 4528, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations of such programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, and field-programmable gate arrays (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The base station 4520 further has software 4521 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0287] The communication system 4500 further includes the already mentioned UE 4530. Its hardware 4535 may include a radio interface 4537 configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 4570 with a base station serving the coverage area currently occupied by the UE 4530. The hardware 4535 of the UE 4530 further includes processing circuitry 4538, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or combinations of such programmable processors, ASICs, and FPGAs (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The UE 4530 further includes software 4531 stored in or accessible to the UE 4530 and executable by the processing circuitry 4538. The software 4531 includes a client application 4532. The client application 4532 may be operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 4530 with the support of a host computer 4510. In host computer 4510, a executing host application 4512 can communicate with a executing client application 4532 via an OTT connection 4550 terminated between UE 4530 and host computer 4510. In providing services to a user, client application 4532 can receive request data from host application 4512 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 4550 can transmit both request data and user data. Client application 4532 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0288] Notice, Figure 13 The host computer 4510, base station 4520, and UE 4530 shown can be similar to or equivalent to, respectively. Figure 12 The host computer 1230, one of base stations 4412a, 4412b, and 4412c, and one of UEs 4491 and 4492. That is to say, the internal operations of these entities can be as follows: Figure 13 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Figure 12 As it is.

[0289] exist Figure 13 The diagram abstractly illustrates OTT connection 4550 to describe communication between host computer 4510 and UE 4530 via base station 4520, without explicitly mentioning any intermediate devices or the exact routing of messages via these devices. The network infrastructure can determine the routing, which can be configured to be hidden from UE 4530, the service provider operating host computer 4510, or both. When OTT connection 4550 is active, the network infrastructure can make further decisions (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or network reconfiguration), through which it dynamically changes the routing.

[0290] The wireless connection 4570 between UE 4530 and base station 4520 is based on the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more embodiments in the various embodiments may improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 4530 using OTT connection 4550, in which wireless connection 4570 forms the final segment. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments may improve random access speed and / or reduce random access failure rate, and thus provide benefits such as faster and / or more reliable random access.

[0291] A measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that improve upon them in one or more embodiments. Optional network functionality may further exist for reconfiguring the OTT connection 4550 between the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 4550 may be implemented in the software 4511 and hardware 4515 of the host computer 4510, or in the software 4531 and hardware 4535 of the UE 4530, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with communication devices through which the OTT connection 4550 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by being supplied with values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above or values ​​of other physical quantities (based on which the software 4511, 4531 may calculate or estimate the monitored quantities). Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 4550 may include message formatting, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not need to affect the base station 4520, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 4520. Such processes and functionality may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling, which enables the host computer 4510 to measure throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. Measurements can be made because software 4511 and 4531 cause messages (especially empty or 'false' messages) to be transmitted using the OTT connection 4550 while it monitors propagation time, errors, etc.

[0292] Figure 14 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment are illustrated according to some embodiments.

[0293] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be referenced... Figure 12-13 The host computers, base stations, and UEs described herein. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 14 The accompanying drawings are referenced. In step 4610, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 4611 of step 4610 (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 4620, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. In step 4630 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 4640 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0294] Figure 15Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated.

[0295] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be referenced... Figure 12-13 The host computers, base stations, and UEs described herein. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 15 The accompanying drawings are referenced. In step 4710 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 4720, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission can be made via a base station. In step 4730 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0296] Figure 16 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated.

[0297] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be referenced... Figure 12-13 The host computers, base stations, and UEs described herein. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 16 The accompanying drawings are referenced. In step 4810 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 4820, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 4821 of step 4820 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 4811 of step 4810 (which may be optional), the UE responds to the received input data provided by the host computer by executing the client application that provides user data. In providing user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific method used to provide user data, in sub-step 4830 (which may be optional), the UE initiates the transmission of user data to the host computer. In step 4840 of the method, the host computer receives user data transmitted from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0298] Figure 17 Methods implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment, according to some embodiments, are illustrated.

[0299] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be referenced... Figure 12-13 The host computers, base stations, and UEs described herein. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 17 The accompanying drawings are referenced. In step 4910 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 4920 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 4930 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0300] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include multiple such functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry (which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers) and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc.). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for implementing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause corresponding functional units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0301] The term “unit” may have its conventional meaning in the field of electronic, electrical and / or electronic devices, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, output and / or display functions, such as those described herein.

[0302] abbreviation

[0303] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure. In the event of any inconsistency between the abbreviations, the usage described above shall prevail. If abbreviations are listed multiple times below, the first listing shall take precedence over any subsequent listing(s).

[0304]

[0305]

[0306]

[0307]

[0308]

[0309] Further definitions and examples are discussed below.

[0310] In the above description of various embodiments of the concept of the invention, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the concept of the invention. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the concept of the invention pertains. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and related art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0311] When an element is referred to as “connected to,” “coupled to,” “responding to,” or a variation thereof, it may be directly connected to, coupled to, or responding to another element, or there may be intermediate elements. Conversely, when an element is referred to as “directly connected to,” “directly coupled to,” “directly responding to,” or a variation thereof, there are no intermediate elements. Similar reference numerals throughout this disclosure refer to similar elements. Furthermore, “coupled,” “connected,” “responding,” or variations thereof, as used herein, may include wireless coupling, connection, or response. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a (a, an)” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, known functions or constructions may not be described in detail. The term “and / or” (abbreviated as “ / ”) includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0312] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements / operations, these elements / operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element / operation from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the concept of the invention, a first element / operation in some embodiments may be referred to as a second element / operation in other embodiments. Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals or the same reference indicators denote the same or similar elements.

[0313] As used herein, the terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “comprises,” “include,” “have,” “has,” or variations thereof are open-ended and include one or more features, integers, elements, steps, components, or functions of the statement, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions, or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the common abbreviation “eg” (for example), derived from the Latin phrase “exempli gratia,” can be used to introduce or specify one or more general examples of previously mentioned items, rather than to limit such items. The common abbreviation “ie” (i.e.), derived from the Latin phrase “id est,” can be used to specify a particular item from a more general statement.

[0314] Example embodiments are described herein with reference to block diagrams and / or flowcharts illustrating computer-implemented methods, apparatus (systems and / or devices), and / or computer program products. It should be understood that blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented by computer program instructions executed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions can be provided to processor circuitry of general-purpose computer circuitry, special-purpose computer circuitry, and / or other programmable data processing circuitry to produce a machine, such that instructions executed by the processor of a computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus transform and control transistors, values ​​stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuitry to implement the functions / actions specified in one or more block diagrams and / or flowcharts, thereby creating components (functionality) and / or structures for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more block diagrams and / or flowcharts.

[0315] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangible computer-readable medium, which can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of writing including instructions that implement the functions / actions specified in one or more block diagrams and / or flowchart blocks. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention concept can be embodied in hardware and / or software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) running on a processor such as a digital signal processor, the hardware and software being collectively referred to as a “circuit,” a “module,” or variations thereof.

[0316] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions / actions recorded in the boxes may not be performed in the order shown in the flowchart. For example, two boxes shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or boxes may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions / actions involved. Furthermore, the functionality of a given box in a flowchart and / or block diagram may be divided into multiple boxes, and / or the functionality of two or more boxes in a flowchart and / or block diagram may be at least partially integrated. Finally, without departing from the scope of the inventive concept, other boxes may be added / inserted between the shown boxes, and / or boxes / actions may be omitted. Additionally, although some diagrams include arrows on the communication path to indicate the primary communication direction, it should be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the depicted arrows.

[0317] Many variations and modifications may be made to the embodiments without materially departing from the principles of the inventive concept. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the inventive concept herein. Therefore, the subject matter disclosed above is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the examples of embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept. Thus, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the scope of the inventive concept should be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of this disclosure, including examples of embodiments and their equivalents, and should not be limited or restricted by the foregoing detailed description.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless device (UE) in a communication network, the method comprising: Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; as well as The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Receive (720) paging configuration from network node indicating paging timing PO; During the PO period, downlink control information (DCI) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH (730). as well as Based on the DCI and / or the paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The paging configuration includes an indication of the groups that the UE has been assigned to. The determination of whether to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, based on the DCI and the paging configuration, includes: Determine whether the DCI contains one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to the group. In response to determining that the DCI contains one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to the group, it is determined that the data will be received on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, and In response to determining that the DCI does not contain one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to the group, it is determined to remain in a power-reduced state during the time window associated with the PDSCH.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, Determining whether to receive the data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH based on the DCI and the paging configuration includes: It is determined (810) that the network node will retransmit the data during a later PDSCH; It is determined (820) that power consumption will be reduced by receiving the data on the PDSCH at a later time instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and In response to determining that the network node will retransmit the data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving the data on the later PDSCH instead of the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time interval associated with the PDSCH.

5. The method according to any one of claims 3-4, further comprising: The network node transmits (710) a first message instructing the UE support group to paging. Receiving the paging configuration includes receiving a second message from the network node indicating that the UE has been assigned a paging group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first message further includes information associated with the UE, the information including at least one of the following: the main task performed by the UE, the capabilities of the UE, the type of the UE, and the preferred minimum scheduling offset.

7. A method for operating a wireless device (UE) in a communication network, the method comprising: Record (750) paging statistics, which include one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged; as well as The paging statistics are transmitted (760) to the network node. The method further includes: Determine (810) that during paging opportunity PO, the downlink control information DCI on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH indicates that the data associated with the UE is available to be received on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; It is determined (820) that the network node will retransmit the data during a later PDSCH; It is determined (830) that power consumption will be reduced by receiving the data on the PDSCH at a later time instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and In response to determining that the network node will retransmit the data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving the data on the later PDSCH instead of the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time window associated with the PDSCH.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises: Receive (720) paging configuration from network node indicating paging timing PO; During the PO period, downlink control information (DCI) is received on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH (730). as well as Based on the DCI and / or the paging configuration, determine (740) whether to receive data on the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH associated with the PDCCH.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The paging configuration includes an indication of the groups that the UE has been assigned to. The determination of whether to receive data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, based on the DCI and the paging configuration, includes: Determine whether the DCI contains one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to the group. In response to determining that the DCI contains one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to the group, it is determined that the data will be received on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, and In response to determining that the DCI does not contain one or more indicator bits indicating that the UE has been assigned to the group, it is determined to remain in a power-reduced state during the time window associated with the PDSCH.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, Determining whether to receive the data on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH based on the DCI and the paging configuration includes: It is determined (810) that the network node will retransmit the data during a later PDSCH; It is determined (820) that power consumption will be reduced by receiving the data on the PDSCH at a later time instead of on the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH; and In response to determining that the network node will retransmit the data during a later PDSCH and determining that it will reduce power consumption by receiving the data on the later PDSCH instead of the PDSCH associated with the PDCCH, (840) remains in a power-reduced state during the time interval associated with the PDSCH.

11. The method according to any one of claims 9-10, further comprising: The network node transmits (710) a first message instructing the UE support group to paging. Receiving the paging configuration includes receiving a second message from the network node indicating that the UE has been assigned a paging group.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first message further includes information associated with the UE, the information including at least one of the following: the main task performed by the UE, the capabilities of the UE, the type of the UE, and the preferred minimum scheduling offset.

13. A method for operating a network node in a communication network, the method comprising: Paging statistics are received from a wireless device (UE) operating in the communication network, the paging statistics including one or more of the following: how frequently the UE is falsely paged, in what area the UE is falsely paged, and at what time the UE is falsely paged. The method further includes: Based on the information associated with the UE, the UE is assigned (610) to a group associated with paging timing PO in discontinuous reception DRX cycles; A paging configuration (620) is passed to the UE, the paging configuration being based on the group, wherein assigning the UE to the group is performed dynamically based on the paging frequency associated with the UE.

14. A wireless device (300), comprising: Processing circuit (303); as well as A memory (305) coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the wireless device to perform the operation of the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

15. A network node (400, 500), comprising: Processing circuits (403, 503); as well as A memory (405, 505) coupled to the processing circuitry, wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the wireless device to perform the operation described in claim 13.

16. A computer program product comprising program code, which, when executed by a processing circuit, causes the processing circuit to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

17. A non-transitory storage medium storing program code, which, when executed by a processing circuit, causes the processing circuit to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

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