Method and apparatus for user equipment in an inactive state for subsequent transmissions in wireless communications

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) device is described that includes an antenna, a memory, RF circuitry communicatively coupled to the antenna, and a processor configured to perform operations. In an example embodiment, the operations include receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) release message, where the RRC release message includes a suspend configuration for transitioning the UE to an RRC_Inactive state. Further, the operations include entering the RRC_Inactive state. The operations include performing an initial data transmission while the UE is in the RRC_Inactive state without transitioning from the RRC_Inactive state to an RRC_Connected state. Additionally, the operations include monitoring, while the UE is in the RRC_Inactive state, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling during an active period for transmission or reception of subsequent data. Further, the operations include performing the transmission or reception of the subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless technology, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for subsequent data transmission for a user equipment (UE) in an inactive state. BACKGROUND

[0002] In wireless communication networks, 5G New Radio (NR) provides a faster network with higher capacity, which can facilitate control of Internet of Things (IoT) such as remote devices in applications where real-time network performance is critical. As the demand for faster data exchange and seamless communication grows, reducing latency and battery consumption has become a key to support such performance-maintaining needs of 5G NR technology.

[0003] 5G NR supports three RRC states, including RRC connected, RRC inactive, and RRC idle. The 5G NR protocol stack, including the control plane and the user plane, provides connectivity between a UE and a gNB or a core network (CN). In terms of the control plane for the Release 15 inactive state, the UE has a non-access stratum (NAS) connection to the CN. In addition, the UE has no dedicated access stratum (AS) resources, and the UE maintains the RRC configuration before the UE enters the inactive state. In terms of the user plane for the Release 15 inactive state, the UE cannot perform any dedicated data transmission / reception. If the UE has dedicated data transmission / reception, the UE should enter the connected state. Specifically, for DL data transmission, the gNodeB pages the UE via a RAN paging mechanism to trigger the UE to enter the connected state. For uplink (UL) data transmission, the UE will trigger a RACH procedure to enter the connected state. In terms of mobility for the Release 15 inactive state, the UE in the inactive state can move within an RNA (i.e., RAN notification area) without notifying the NG-RAN. The cell selection / reselection procedure is the same as in the RRC_idle state.

[0004] There are three common state transition scenarios between the inactive state and the connected state. First, the state transition from the connected state to the inactive state includes an RRC release with suspend information. The state transition from the inactive state to the connected state includes an RRC resume procedure. The state transition from the inactive state to the idle state includes (1) an RRC release and (2) an exceptional case (a cell for camping cannot be found).

[0005] A UE with small and infrequent data transmission is typically maintained by the network in the RRC_inactive state. Smartphone applications such as traffic from instant messaging services and push notifications from mobile applications are some examples of small and infrequent data traffic. The connection setup and subsequent release to the inactive state for each data transmission result in unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead.

[0006] Generally, an uplink or downlink (DL) transmission will be accompanied by a feedback transmission (e.g., TCP ACK or RLC status report) in the DL / UL. If the UE performs a first UL transmission and then returns directly to the inactive state, when the NW transmits feedback in the downlink direction, the NW has to perform RAN paging to trigger the UE to return to the connected state for feedback reception. Such a procedure can eliminate the benefit of direct transmission in the inactive state.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for an enhancement mechanism for the UE to continue monitoring for potential NW scheduling after the first data transmission in the inactive state, thereby reducing the data transmission latency and the amount of signaling overhead generated during state transition. Thus, the enhancement mechanism can take advantage of the benefit of direct transmission in the inactive state. SUMMARY

[0008] Methods of apparatus of a device are described. In an example embodiment, a user equipment (UE) device having a processor configured to perform operations including receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) release message. The RRC release message includes a suspend configuration that transitions the UE to an RRC_Inactive state. Further, the operations include entering the RRC_Inactive state. The operations also include performing an initial data transmission while the UE is in the RRC_Inactive state without transitioning from the RRC_Inactive state to an RRC_Connected state. Additionally, the operations include monitoring, while the UE is in the RRC_Inactive state, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling during an active period for transmission or reception of subsequent data. Moreover, the operations include performing the transmission or reception of the subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH.

[0009] In some embodiments, the operations further include receiving, from the base station, one or more configurations for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

[0010] In some embodiments, the one or more configurations are received as part of the RRC release message.

[0011] In some embodiments, the one or more configurations are received as part of a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB is broadcast by the base station.

[0012] In some embodiments, the operations include receiving, from the base station, an indication indicating a configuration for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data from the one or more configurations.

[0013] In some embodiments, the operation further includes receiving a value for a timer for the active time period. The value for the timer is part of one or more configurations. The operation further includes stopping monitoring the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active time period.

[0014] In some embodiments, the operation includes applying a pre-defined configuration for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

[0015] In some embodiments, the operation includes receiving a start indication of the active time period from the base station after the initial data transmission, stopping monitoring the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon receiving a stop indication of the active time period from the base station.

[0016] In some embodiments, the operation includes receiving a start indication of the active time period from the base station after the initial data transmission. The start indication includes a value for a timer for the active time period. The operation further includes stopping monitoring the PDCCH for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active time period.

[0017] In some embodiments, the start indication is Layer 1 (L1) signaling.

[0018] In some embodiments, the start indication is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0019] In some embodiments, the start indication is RRC signaling, where the RRC signaling includes one or more configurations for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

[0020] In some embodiments, the operation includes verifying the PDCCH for UE-specific scheduling during the active time period for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data based on a TC-RNTI type, an I-RNTI type, or a CG-RNTI type of RNTI.

[0021] In some embodiments, the operation includes monitoring UE-specific scheduling within an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP) and monitoring UE-specific scheduling in a common search space for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active time period.

[0022] In some embodiments, the operation includes receiving a start indication of an active time period for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data from a base station of a current cell after the initial data transmission and an indication indicating a measurement configuration. The measurement configuration is based on a SIB3 or SIB4 configuration associated with the UE in an idle or inactive state. The measurement configuration includes at least a predetermined threshold.

[0023] In some embodiments, the operations include receiving dedicated signaling including a measurement configuration for measurements during an active period.

[0024] In some embodiments, the operations include determining whether one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied. The one or more conditions include a radio quality of a current cell being below a received predetermined threshold and a radio quality of a neighboring cell being above the predetermined threshold. The operations further include performing a neighboring cell measurement in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied.

[0025] In some embodiments, the operations include triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied. The operations further include receiving a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message, where the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state. The operations further include entering the connected state, sending an RRC ResumeComplete message to a base station of a current camped cell, receiving a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, and sending a handover CommandComplete message to a base station of the neighboring cell.

[0026] In some embodiments, the operations include triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied, receiving a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message and a HO command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell. The dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state. The operations include entering the connected state, and sending an RRC ResumeComplete message to a base station of the neighboring cell.

[0027] In some embodiments, the operations include triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied, and sending an RRC resume request message or performing a data transmission to a base station of a neighboring cell.

[0028] In some embodiments, the operations include sending a UE preference to a base station of a current cell, receiving a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message and a HO command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell. The dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state. The operations further include entering the connected state, and sending an RRCResumeComplete message to a base station of the neighboring cell.

[0029] In yet another aspect of the disclosure, embodiments of the disclosure also provide a baseband processor configured to perform the processes as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] The application is illustrated by way of example and is not limited to the figures of the individual drawings, in which similar references indicate similar elements.

[0031] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0032] Figure 2 A base station (BS) in communication with a user equipment (UE) device is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0033] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a BS is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 5 An exemplary block diagram of cellular communication circuitry is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0036] Figure 6 is a diagram of some embodiments of UE triggered transition from RRC_Inactive state to RRC_Connected state in accordance with some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 7A is a diagram of some embodiments of legacy procedures in accordance with some embodiments.

[0038] Figure 7B is a diagram of some embodiments of small data transmission in accordance with some embodiments.

[0039] Figure 8 is a diagram of some embodiments of uplink / downlink transmission and feedback transmission in accordance with some embodiments.

[0040] Figures 9A-9C is a diagram of some embodiments of configuration for subsequent data transmission / reception in accordance with some embodiments.

[0041] Figure 10 is a diagram of some embodiments of UE behavior during subsequent active period in Inactive state in accordance with some embodiments.

[0042] Figure 11 is a diagram of some embodiments of UE operation triggered based on measurement event in accordance with some embodiments.

[0043] Figure 12 is a diagram of some embodiments of UE operation triggered based on measurement event in accordance with some embodiments.

[0044] Figure 13is an illustration of some embodiments of UE operation based on a measurement event being triggered, according to some embodiments.

[0045] Figure 14 is an illustration of some embodiments of UE operation based on a measurement event being triggered, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Methods and apparatuses are described that enable an apparatus of a device to monitor for potential network scheduling after an initial data transmission while the UE is in an inactive state. The UE receives a radio resource control (RRC) release message from a base station. The RRC release message includes a suspend configuration that transitions the UE to an RRC_inactive state. The UE enters the RRC_inactive state. The UE performs an initial data transmission while in the RRC_inactive state without transitioning from the RRC_inactive state to an RRC_connected state. While the UE is in the RRC_inactive state, the UE monitors a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling during an active period for transmission or reception of subsequent data. The UE performs transmission or reception of subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH. In this way, the UE can continue to monitor for potential network scheduling after an initial data transmission while the UE is in an inactive state, thereby reducing data transmission latency and the amount of signaling overhead generated during state transitions. This enhanced mechanism can thus leverage the benefits of data transmission while the UE is in an inactive state without transitioning from the RRC_inactive state to the RRC_connected state.

[0047] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough explanation of embodiments of the application. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the application can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0048] Reference throughout this specification to “some embodiments” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0049] In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, can be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. “Coupled” is used to indicate that two or more elements, which can or can not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, co-operate or interact with each other. “Connected” is used to indicate the establishment of communication between two or more elements that are coupled with each other.

[0050] The processes depicted in the following figures are performed by processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g. circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such as is run on a general-purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or a combination of both. Although the processes are described in a particular sequential order, some of which can be performed in different orders or concurrently, it is intended that this implementation be illustrative. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The terms "server," "client," and "device" are intended to refer generally to data processing systems, and not specifically to the particular form factor of a server, client, and / or device.

[0052] Figure 1 A simplified exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 1 The system of FIG. 1 is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of various systems as desired.

[0053] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices 106A, 106B through 106N, etc. Each user device can be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Thus, the user devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0054] The base station (BS) 102A can be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site ("cell site station"), and can include hardware necessary to facilitate wireless communication with UEs 106A through 106N. The base station 102A can also be more generally referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station, a cell site, or an access point. A base station can be a fixed station that is typically fixed to one location and provides a coverage area to a plurality of UEs.

[0055] The communication area (or coverage area) for the base station can be referred to as a "cell." The base station 102A and UEs 106 can be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G-NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., lxRTT, lxEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, it can alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB." Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it can alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB."

[0056] As shown, base station 102A can also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., with a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among various possibilities). As such, base station 102A can facilitate communication between and among user equipment and the network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A can provide UEs 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0057] Base station 102A and other similar base stations such as base stations 102B... 102N, operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards, can thus provide network coverage for UEs 106A through 106N and similar devices as cells, which can provide continuous or approximately continuous overlapping service to such devices via one or more cellular communication standards over a geographic area.

[0058] Thus, while base station 102A can act as a “serving cell” for UEs 106A through 106N as shown in Figure 1 each UE 106 can also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within range of communication with) one or more other cells, which can be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations, which can be referred to as “neighboring cells.” Such cells can also facilitate communication between and among user equipment and the network 100. Such cells can include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and / or any of various other granularities of service area sizes. For example, base stations 102A through 102B can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible. Figure 1

[0059] In some embodiments, base station 102A can be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or “gNB.” In some embodiments, a gNB can connect to a traditional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (NRC) network. Further, a gNB cell can include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR can connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0060] ​Note that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, e.g., WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., lxRTT, lxEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using a wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, the UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0061] Figure 2 User equipments 106A and 106B are shown that can communicate directly with each other (also referred to as device-to-device or sidelink). Sidelink communications can utilize a dedicated sidelink channel and sidelink protocols to facilitate communication directly between devices. For example, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) can be used for actual data transmission between devices, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) can be used to transmit sidelink control information (SCI), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) can be used for HARQ feedback information, and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH) can be used for synchronization. Additional details are discussed in other sections.

[0062] Additionally, sidelink communications can be used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-person (V2P), vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications, among other types of direct communications.

[0063] According to some embodiments, the UE 106A can also communicate with the base station 102 through uplink and downlink communications. The UEs can each be a device with cellular communication capability, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer or a tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device. The UEs 106A-B can include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UEs 106A-B can perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored program instructions. Alternatively, or additionally, the UEs 106A-B can include programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) that is configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0064] The UEs 106A-B can include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, the UEs 106A-B can be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (lxRTT / lxEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio, and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio. The shared radio can be coupled to a single antenna, or can be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, a radio can include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). Similarly, the radio can implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the UEs 106A-B can share one or more parts of a receive and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0065] In some embodiments, the UEs 106A-B can include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol for which they are configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UEs 106A-B can include one or more radios that are shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radios that are used only by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UEs 106A-B can include a shared radio for communicating using either of LTE or 5G NR (or either of LTE or lxRTT, or either of LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0066] Figure 3 Block diagram of a UE

[0067] Figure 3 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Note that Figure 3The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of a possible communication device. The communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, and / or combinations of devices, among other devices, according to embodiments. As shown, the communication device 106 can include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. The set of components can be implemented as, for example, a system on a chip (SoC), which can include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 can be implemented to be separate or part of integrated components for various purposes. The set of components 300 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuitries of the communication device 106.

[0068] For example, the communication device 106 can include various types of memory, such as NAND flash 310, input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a dock; a charging station; an input device, such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; an output device, such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that can be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330, such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 can include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card, for example, for Ethernet.

[0069] The cellular communication circuitry 330 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 shown. The short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329 can also be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 shown. Alternatively, the short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to antennas 335 and 336 in addition to or instead of being coupled to antennas 337 and 338. The short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0070] In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a dedicated receive chain (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) a dedicated processor and / or radio) for multiple RATs, as further described below (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). Further, in some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radios dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio can be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain as well as a transmit chain shared with additional radios, such as a second radio that can be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain as well as the shared transmit chain.

[0071] Communication device 106 can also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements can include any of a variety of elements such as a display 360 (which can be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which can be a discrete keyboard or can be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone, and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0072] Communication device 106 can also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) 345.

[0073] As shown, SOC 300 can include a processor 302, which can execute program instructions for communication device 106, and a display circuit 304, which can perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 360. Processor 302 can also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 340, which can be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or to other circuits or devices, such as display circuit 304, short range wireless communication circuitry 229, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 can be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, MMU 340 can be included as part of processor 302.

[0074] As described above, the communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. The communication device 106 can also be configured to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for user equipment devices and base stations. Further, the communication device 106 can be configured to select CCs from a wireless link and group them, and determine a virtual CC from the selected CC group. The wireless device can also be configured to perform physical downlink resource mapping based on an aggregated resource matching pattern of the CC group.

[0075] As described herein, the communication device 106 can include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features for determining physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for the communication device 106 and a base station. For example, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 can be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 302 of the communication device 106 can be configured, in conjunction with one or more other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0076] Further, as described herein, the processor 302 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 302 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the one or more processors 302.

[0077] Further, as described herein, the cellular communication circuitry 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329 can each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements can be included in the cellular communication circuitry 330 and, similarly, one or more processing elements can be included in the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuitry 330. In addition, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuitry 230. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329 can include one or more ICs that are configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuitry 32. In addition, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuitry 329.

[0078] Figure 4 —Block diagram of a base station

[0079] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include a processor 404 capable of executing program instructions specific to base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuitry or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0080] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access rights as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The telephone network described herein includes multiple devices such as UE device 106.

[0081] Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0082] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0083] The base station 102 can include at least one antenna 434, and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 434 can be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and can be further configured to communicate with UE devices 106 via the radio 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 can be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio 430 can be configured to communicate via a variety of wireless communication standards including, but not limited to, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0084] The base station 102 can be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, the base station 102 can include multiple radios that can enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 can include an LTE radio for performing communications according to LTE and a 5G NR radio for performing communications according to 5G NR. In this case, the base station 102 can be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station 102 can include a multi-mode radio capable of performing communications according to any of a plurality of wireless communication technologies, such as 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.

[0085] As described further herein below, the BS 102 can include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 can be configured, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein. Alternatively, the processor 404 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), or as a combination of both. Alternatively (or additionally) the processor 404 of the base station 102, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, can be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0086] Further, as described herein, the processor 404 can be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements can be included in the processor 404. Thus, the processor 404 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the processor 404. Further, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the one or more processors 404.

[0087] Additionally, as described herein, the radio 430 can be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements can be included in the radio 430. Thus, the radio 430 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the radio 430. Further, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the radio 430.

[0088] Figure 5 Block diagram of a cellular communication circuit

[0089] Figure 5 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Note that Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. The cellular communication circuit 330 can be included in a communication device, such as the communication device 106 described above, in accordance with embodiments. As described above, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop or computing device, a mobile computing device (such as a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0090] The cellular communication circuit 330 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335a-b and 336 shown in Figure 3 In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 can include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radios) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). For example, as shown in Figure 5 The cellular communication circuit 330 can include modems 510 and 520. The modem 510 can be configured for communication in accordance with a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 can be configured for communication in accordance with a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0091] As illustrated, modem 510 can include one or more processors 512 and memory 516 in communication with the processors 512. Modem 510 can be in communication with radio frequency (RF) front end 530. RF front end 530 can include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 530 can include receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 532 can be in communication with downlink (DL) front end 550, which can include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0092] Similarly, modem 520 can include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 in communication with the processors 522. Modem 520 can be in communication with RF front end 540. RF front end 540 can include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 can include receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 542 can be in communication with DL front end 560, which can include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0093] In some embodiments, switch 570 can couple transmit circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front end 572. Further, switch 570 can couple transmit circuitry 544 to UL front end 572. UL front end 572 can include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives instructions to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported via modem 510), switch 570 can be switched to a first state that allows modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuitry 534 and UL front end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives instructions to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported via modem 520), switch 570 can be switched to a second state that allows modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuitry 544 and UL front end 572).

[0094] As described herein, modem 510 can include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for selecting periodic resource portions for user equipment devices and base stations, as well as for various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 512 can be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) to the above, processor 512 can be configured, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0095] Further, as described herein, processor 512 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 512 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor 512. In addition, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0096] As described herein, modem 520 can include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for selecting periodic resource portions on wireless links between UEs and base stations, as well as for various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 522 can be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) to the above, processor 522 can be configured, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0097] Further, as described herein, processor 522 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 522 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor 522. In addition, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0098] Figure 6A state transition from RRC_Inactive state 610 to RRC_Connected state 620 triggered by the UE (e.g., 602) is shown. The RRC_Inactive state 610 hides the radio connection state from the core network to reduce the signaling overhead and the tunnel setup between the radio network and the core network. For example, in a smartphone, a background application such as an instant messaging software continues to exchange data with the network to keep the connection active on a frequent basis even when the screen of the smartphone is turned off.

[0099] The network (e.g., 604) can indicate the UE 602 to transition to the RRC_Inactive state 610 with an RRC release message including a “suspendConfig”. When the UE needs to transition from the RRC_Inactive state 610 to the RRC_Connected state 620, the RRC connection resumption can be initiated by the upper layers or by the RRC layer to perform an RNA update, or by a RAN paging from the NG-RAN. This RRC connection resumption procedure reactivates the AS security and reestablishes SRBs and DRBs.

[0100] For example, when the UE 602 has uplink data, the procedure to transition from the RRC_Inactive state 610 to the RRC_Connected state 620 is triggered by the UE in response to a paging. When the UE 602 is in the RRC_Inactive state, the UE triggers the RRC connection reactivation procedure by sending an RRCResumeRequest to the network (e.g., base station or gNB 604). The UE 602 remains CM-Connected during the RRC_Inactive state. Upon receiving the RRCResumeRequest 612, the network 604 retrieves the UE context request 616 based on the UE context ID, performs the necessary mobility actions, and responds with the UE context response 618. Upon receiving the RRCResume 614, the UE 602 confirms the successful completion of the RRC connection resumption procedure by sending an RRCResumeComplete (DCCH) message 622 on SRB1 using the AM mode.

[0101] Figure 7B A legacy procedure for subsequent data transmission 710 when the UE 702 is in the Inactive state 706 is shown (e.g., Figure 7A) compared to the enhancements of the embodiments 700 described in this disclosure. Contrary to the conventional procedures, the embodiments 700 described in this disclosure can be used for the subsequent transmissions 710 when the UE 702 is in the inactive state after the initial data transmission 708, thereby avoiding the network 704 performing RAN paging to trigger the UE 702 to enter the connected state for feedback reception. The described embodiments 700 allow data (e.g., small data) transmission in the RRC inactive state without the need for state transition to the RRC connected state. In this way, UE energy efficiency can be enhanced when transmitting small data in the RRC inactive state.

[0102] As Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 8, uplink (UL) or downlink data transmission is accompanied by feedback transmission (e.g., TCP ACK or RLC status report). If the UE 802 performs initial UL transmission while in the inactive state, then returns to the inactive state. After the UE returns to the inactive state, when the network transmits feedback in the downlink direction, the network has to perform RAN paging to trigger the UE to enter the connected state for feedback reception. This procedure would defeat the benefit of direct transmission in the inactive state. In contrast, the embodiments described herein enable the UE to continue monitoring the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling for a period of time (i.e., active period) after the UE performs initial uplink (UL) data transmission for potential subsequent data transmission or reception. The network can control the subsequent data transmission or reception based on explicit configuration or based on timer-based control.

[0103] Figure 9A A communication flow 900 between a UE 902 and a network 904 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, for example, the UE 902 receives a radio resource control (RRC) release message from the base station 904 at 906. The RRC release message includes a suspend configuration that transitions the UE to an RRC_inactive state 908. After the UE 902 receives the RRC release message, the UE 902 enters the RRC_inactive state 908. Then, while the UE is in the RRC_inactive state 908, the UE 902 performs an initial data transmission at 910 without transitioning from the RRC_inactive state to the RRC_connected state. While the UE is in the RRC inactive state 908, the UE 902 monitors a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling during an active period 912 for transmission or reception of subsequent data. Thereafter, the UE 902 performs transmission or reception of subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH.

[0104] In some other embodiments, the base station 904 receives initial data from the UE 902 in the RRC_Inactive 908, and the UE 902 does not transition from the RRC_Inactive state 908 to the RRC_Connected state. While the UE 902 is in the RRC Inactive state 908, the base station 904 transmits a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling during an active period 912 for transmission or reception of subsequent data. The base station 904 receives or transmits the subsequent data transmission based on the specific scheduling.

[0105] In some other embodiments, the base station 904 transmits an indication indicating a configuration from the one or more configurations for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

[0106] Figure 9B A communication flow 920 between the UE 902 and the network 904 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the UE 902 receives one or more configurations for transmission or reception of subsequent data from the base station 904. In these embodiments, the one or more configurations are received as part of an RRC release message at 922. In these embodiments, the one or more configurations are also received as part of a system information block (SIB) at 924. The SIB is broadcast by the base station 904.

[0107] In some embodiments, the UE receives an indication from the base station indicating a configuration from the one or more configurations for the transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

[0108] Figure 9C A communication flow 940 between the UE 902 and the network 904 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the UE 902 receives a value for the timer 924 for the active period at 942. The value for the timer 924 is part of the one or more configurations. The UE 902 then stops monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data when the timer 924 for the active period expires.

[0109] In some embodiments, the UE 902 applies a predefined configuration for transmission or reception of subsequent data.

[0110] In some embodiments (see Figure 9A ), the UE 902 receives an indication of a start of an active period from the base station 904 at 914 after the initial data transmission 910. The UE 902 stops monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data when an indication of a stop of the active period is received from the base station 904 at 916.

[0111] In some embodiments (see Figure 9C), the UE 902 receives a start indication of an active period from the base station after the initial data transmission. The start indication includes a value of a timer 924 for the active period. The UE stops monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data upon expiration of the timer 924 for the active period.

[0112] In some embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a start indication of an active period from the base station after the initial data transmission. The monitoring of the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data stops upon receiving a stop indication of the active period at the UE.

[0113] In some embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a start indication of an active period to the UE after the initial data transmission. The start indication includes a value of a timer for the active period. The monitoring of the PDCCH for transmission or reception of subsequent data stops upon expiration of the timer for the active period.

[0114] In some embodiments, the start indication is Layer 1 (L1) signaling.

[0115] In some other embodiments, the start indication is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0116] In some embodiments, the start indication is RRC signaling. The RRC signaling includes one or more configurations for transmission or reception of subsequent data.

[0117] In some embodiments, the base station 904 scrambles the PDCCH for UE-specific scheduling during the active period for transmission or reception of subsequent data based on a TC-RNTI type, an I-RNTI type, or a CG-RNTI type of RNTI.

[0118] In some embodiments, the UE validates the PDCCH for UE-specific scheduling during the active period for transmission or reception of subsequent data based on a TC-RNTI type, an I-RNTI type, or a CG-RNTI type of RNTI. The UE behavior while in the active period is the same as conventional in the connected mode. For example, UE-specific scheduling can be scrambled via one or more RNTIs: (1) T-C-RNTI (allocated by the network via initial transmission), (2) I-RNTI or truncated I-RNTI, and (3) CG-RNTI (if initial transmission is performed via pre-CG resources based on one or more pre-CG configurations). The one or more pre-CG configurations refer to pre-configured Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) resource configurations.

[0119] In some embodiments, the UE monitors UE-specific scheduling within an initial bandwidth part (BWP). The UE also monitors, during the active period, a common search space for UE-specific scheduling of transmission or reception of subsequent data.

[0120] Layer 1 (LI) behavior of the UE when in the active period is the same as the legacy connected mode configuration. LI does not support CA / DC, but it supports Nta maintenance, power control, LI CSI reporting, LI ACK / NACK, BFD, etc. Transmission is restricted in the initial BWP, and / or PDCCH scheduling is only in the common search space to reduce UE complexity.

[0121] L2 behavior of the UE when in the active period is the same as the legacy connected mode configuration. MAC: BSR, PHR, DRX, UL / DL HARQ, TA, CG / SPS, new LCP restrictions. For RLC / PDCP aspects: no support for duplicate / split bearers. SDAP is according to legacy connected mode.

[0122] For serving cell measurements, the measurement requirements are similar to connected mode, optional support for L3 filters, optional measurement reporting. For neighbor cell measurements, it is the same as legacy idle / inactive measurements.

[0123] In some embodiments, RLM is the same as the legacy connected mode RLM procedure.

[0124] In some other embodiments, it does not support RLM or is based on configuration.

[0125] Figure 11 A communication flow 1100 between a UE 1102 and a base station is shown in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, at 1108, the UE 1102 receives, from a base station of a current cell 1104, after an initial data transmission, an indication of a start of an active period for subsequent data transmission or reception and an indication indicating a measurement configuration. The measurement configuration is based on a SIB3 or SIB4 configuration associated with a UE in an idle or inactive state. The measurement configuration includes at least a predetermined threshold.

[0126] In some embodiments, the UE receives dedicated signaling including a measurement configuration for measurements during the active period.

[0127] Figure 10Communication flow 1000 between a UE 1002 and a base station is shown. In some embodiments, the UE maintains RLM and idle / inactive state measurements 1010. For example, if the UE radio quality is below a threshold (or an RLF is triggered), the UE 1002 triggers a recovery procedure at 1008. If the UE 1002 moves to another cell 1006, the UE 1002 triggers a recovery procedure / direct data transmission in the newly accessed cell 1006 at 1012.

[0128] Figure 11 Communication flow 1100 between a UE 1102 and a base station is shown. In some embodiments, the UE 1102 determines whether one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied 1110, where the one or more conditions 1110 include: a radio quality of a current cell is below a received predetermined threshold, and a radio quality of a neighboring cell is above a predetermined threshold. In response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied, the UE 1102 performs a neighboring cell measurement.

[0129] In some embodiments, at 1112, the UE 1102 triggers a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied. At 1114, a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message is received. The dedicated RRC message triggers the UE 1102 to transition to a connected state 1116. The UE 1102 enters the connected state 1116. At 1118, the UE 1102 transmits an RRC ResumeComplete message to a base station of the current camped cell 1104. At 1120, the UE 1102 receives a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE 1102 to a neighboring cell 1106. At 1122, the UE 1102 transmits a handover CommandComplete message to a base station of the neighboring cell 1106.

[0130] Figure 12 Communication flow 1200 between a UE 1202 and a base station is shown, in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, at 1208, the UE 1202 triggers a measurement report in response to determining that one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event 1212 are satisfied. At 1210, the UE 1202 receives a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message and a HO command to initiate a handover of the UE 1202 to a neighboring cell 1206. The dedicated RRC message triggers the UE 1202 to transition to a connected state 1214. The UE 1202 enters the connected state 1214. At 1216, the UE 1202 transmits an RRC ResumeComplete message to a base station of the neighboring cell 1206.

[0131] Figure 13Communication flow 1300 between a UE 1302 and a base station is shown in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the UE 1302 performs cell reselection directly in response to determining that one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are met 1308. At 1310, the UE 1302 transmits an RRC resume request message or performs a data transmission to the base station of the neighboring cell 1306.

[0132] Figure 14 Communication flow 1400 between a UE 1402 and a base station is shown in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, at 1408, the UE 1402 transmits a UE preference to the base station of the current cell 1404. At 1410, the UE receives a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message and a HO command to initiate a handover of the UE 1402 to the neighboring cell 1406. The dedicated RRC message triggers the UE 1402 to transition to a connected state 1412. The UE enters the connected state. The UE 1402 transmits an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell 1406.

[0133] In some embodiments, the processes or methods depicted in the preceding Figures can be performed by a user equipment (UE) device comprising a processor.

[0134] In some other embodiments, the processes or methods depicted in the preceding Figures can be performed by a baseband processor.

[0135] Portions of what was described above can be implemented with logic circuitry such as a special purpose logic circuitry or with a microcontroller or other form of processing core that executes program code instructions in a manner taught by the discussion above. Thus, the processes taught by the discussion above can be performed using program code such as machine executable instructions that cause a machine to perform certain functions in a manner taught by the discussion above. In this context, a "machine" can be a machine that converts intermediate form (or "abstract") instructions into specific processor instructions (e.g., an abstract execution environment such as a "virtual machine" (e.g., a Java Virtual Machine), an interpreter, a common language runtime, a high-level language virtual machine, etc.), and / or a machine designed for executing specific processor instructions, such as a general purpose processor and / or a special purpose processor. The processes taught by the discussion above can also be performed by (in addition to a machine or as an alternative to a machine) electronic circuitry designed to perform the processes (or a portion thereof) without the need to execute software codes.

[0136] The present application also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. This apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it can comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.

[0137] The machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes read-only memory ("ROM"); random access memory ("RAM"); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; etc.

[0138] The article of manufacture can be used for storing program code. The article of manufacture storing program code can be embodied as, but is not limited to one or more memory (e.g., one or more flash memories, random access memories (static, dynamic or other)), optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, other type of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Program code can also be downloaded from a remote computer (e.g., server) to a requesting computer (e.g., client) by way of data signals embodied in a transmission medium (e.g., a network link (e.g., a local area network link, a wide area network link, or the Internet)) via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).

[0139] The foregoing detailed description has presented the algorithm and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

[0140] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "selecting" "determining" "receiving" "forming" "grouping" "aggregating" "generating" "removing" or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

[0141] The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose systems can be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it can prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the operations of the present application. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent from the description below. In addition, the present application is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages can be used to implement the teachings of the application as described herein.

[0142] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use of the data and that used in a manner that is consistent with the practices of an intended service area.

[0143] The foregoing discussion merely presents some exemplary embodiments of the application. Various modifications to these embodiments can be readily made by those skilled in the art, and the concepts taught herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the application.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) device, the UE device comprising: an antenna; a memory; a radio frequency (RF) circuit communicatively coupled to the antenna; and a processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) release message, wherein the RRC release message includes a suspend configuration for transitioning the UE to an RRC inactive state, and wherein the RRC release message includes one or more configurations for transmission or reception of subsequent data during an active time period; receiving dedicated signaling including a measurement configuration for measurements to be performed during the active time period, wherein the UE is in an RRC inactive state during the active time period; entering the RRC inactive state; performing an initial data transmission while the UE is in the RRC inactive state without transitioning from the RRC inactive state to an RRC connected state; monitoring, while the UE is in the RRC inactive state, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling based on the one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active time period; and performing transmission or reception of the subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more configurations are received as part of a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB is broadcast by the base station.

3. The UE of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station, an indication indicating a configuration of the one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a value of a timer for the active time period, wherein the value of the timer is part of the one or more configurations; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active time period.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: applying a predefined configuration for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station, an indication of a start of the active time period after the initial data transmission; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon receiving an indication of a stop of the active time period from the base station.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station, an indication of a start of the active time period after the initial data transmission, wherein the indication of the start includes a value of a timer for the active time period; and ​ stop monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active period.

8. The UE of any one of claims 6-7, wherein the start indication is Layer 1 (LI) signaling.

9. The UE of any one of claims 6-7, wherein the start indication is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

10. The UE of any one of claims 6-7, wherein the start indication is RRC signaling, wherein the RRC signaling comprises the one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: verifying the PDCCH for the UE-specific scheduling based on a temporary cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) type, an inactive RNTI type, or a configured grant RNTI type for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period.

12. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: monitoring the UE-specific scheduling within an initial bandwidth part (BWP); and monitoring the UE-specific scheduling in a common search space for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period.

13. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station of a current cell after the initial data transmission, a start indication of the active period for subsequent data transmission or reception and an indication indicating a measurement configuration, wherein the measurement configuration is based on a System Information Block (SIB) SIB3 or SIB4 configuration associated with the UE in an idle or inactive state, and wherein the measurement configuration comprises at least a predetermined threshold.

14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: determining whether one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied, wherein the one or more conditions comprise: a radio quality of the current cell is below the predetermined threshold; a radio quality of a neighboring cell is above the predetermined threshold; and performing a neighboring cell measurement in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied.

15. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC resume message, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of a current camped cell; receiving a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell; and ​ ​ transmitting a Handover Command Complete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

16. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; receiving a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message and a Handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; and transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

17. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: performing a cell reselection in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; and transmitting an RRC resume request message or performing a data transmission to the base station of the neighboring cell.

18. The UE of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: transmitting a UE preference to the base station of the current cell; receiving a dedicated RRC message including an RRC resume message and a Handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; and transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

19. A baseband (BB) processor of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the BB processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) release message from a base station, wherein the RRC release message includes a suspend configuration for transitioning the UE to an RRC inactive state, and wherein the RRC release message includes one or more configurations for transmission or reception of subsequent data during an active period; receiving dedicated signaling including a measurement configuration for measurements to be performed during the active period, wherein the UE is in an RRC inactive state during the active period; entering the RRC inactive state; performing an initial data transmission while the UE is in the RRC inactive state without transitioning from the RRC inactive state to an RRC connected state; monitoring, while the UE is in the RRC inactive state, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period based on the one or more configurations; and performing transmission or reception of the subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH.

20. The BB of claim 19, wherein the one or more configurations are received as part of a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB is broadcast by the base station. ​ 21. The BB of any one of claims 19-20, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station, an indication indicating a configuration of the one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

22. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a value of a timer for the active period, wherein the value of the timer is part of the one or more configurations; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active period.

23. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: applying a predefined configuration for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

24. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station, a start indication of the active period after the initial data transmission; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon receiving a stop indication of the active period from the base station.

25. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station, a start indication of the active period after the initial data transmission, wherein the start indication includes a value of a timer for the active period; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active period.

26. The BB of any one of claims 24-25, wherein the start indication is Layer 1 (LI) signaling.

27. The BB of any one of claims 24-25, wherein the start indication is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

28. The BB of any one of claims 24-25, wherein the start indication is RRC signaling, wherein the RRC signaling includes the one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

29. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: verifying the PDCCH for the UE-specific scheduling for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period based on a temporary cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) type, an inactive RNTI type, or a configured grant RNTI type.

30. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: monitoring the UE-specific scheduling within an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP); and monitoring the UE-specific scheduling in a common search space for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period.

31. The BB of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from the base station of a current cell after the initial data transmission, an indication of a start of the active period for a subsequent data transmission or reception and an indication indicating a measurement configuration, wherein the measurement configuration is based on a system information block (SIB) SIB3 or SIB4 configuration associated with the UE in an idle or inactive state, and wherein the measurement configuration comprises at least a predetermined threshold.

32. The BB of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising during the active period: determining whether one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied, wherein the one or more conditions comprise: a radio quality of the current cell is lower than the predetermined threshold; a radio quality of a neighboring cell is higher than the predetermined threshold; and performing a neighboring cell measurement in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied.

33. The BB of claim 32, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC resume message, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of a current camped cell; receiving a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell; and transmitting a handover CommandComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

34. The BB of claim 32, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC resume message and a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; and transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

35. The BB of claim 32, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: performing a cell reselection in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; and transmitting an RRC resume request message or performing a data transmission to the base station of the neighboring cell.

36. The BB of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: transmitting a UE preference to the base station of the current cell; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC resume message and a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; ​ ​ ​ entering the connected state; and transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

37. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) release message, wherein the RRC release message includes a suspend configuration for transitioning the UE to an RRC inactive state, and wherein the RRC release message includes one or more configurations for transmission or reception of subsequent data during an active time period; receiving dedicated signaling including a measurement configuration for measurements to be performed during the active time period, wherein the UE is in the RRC inactive state during the active time period; entering the RRC inactive state; performing an initial data transmission while the UE is in the RRC inactive state without transitioning from the RRC inactive state to an RRC connected state; monitoring, while the UE is in the RRC inactive state, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for UE-specific scheduling for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active time period based on the one or more configurations; and performing transmission or reception of the subsequent data based on the monitoring of the PDCCH.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the one or more configurations are received as part of a system information block (SIB), wherein the SIB is broadcast by the base station.

39. The method of any one of claims 37-38, further comprising: receiving, from the base station, an indication indicating a configuration of the one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising: receiving a value of a timer for the active time period, wherein the value of the timer is part of the one or more configurations; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active time period.

41. The method of claim 37, further comprising: applying a pre-defined configuration for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

42. The method of claim 37, further comprising: receiving, from the base station, a start indication of the active time period after the initial data transmission; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon receiving a stop indication of the active time period from the base station.

43. The method of claim 37, further comprising: receiving, from the base station, a start indication of the active time period after the initial data transmission, wherein the start indication includes a value of a timer for the active time period; and stopping monitoring the PDCCH for transmission or reception of the subsequent data upon expiration of the timer for the active time period.

44. The method of any one of claims 42-43, wherein the start indication is layer 1 (LI) signaling. ​ ​ ​ 45. The method of any one of claims 42-43, wherein the start indication is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

46. The method of any one of claims 42-43, wherein the start indication is RRC signaling, wherein the RRC signaling comprises one or more configurations for transmission or reception of the subsequent data.

47. The method of claim 37, further comprising: monitoring the PDCCH for the UE-specific scheduling based on a temporary cell RNTI type of a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), an inactive RNTI type, or a configured grant RNTI type for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period.

48. The method of claim 37, further comprising: monitoring the UE-specific scheduling within an initial bandwidth part (BWP); and monitoring the UE-specific scheduling in a common search space for transmission or reception of the subsequent data during the active period.

49. The method of claim 37, further comprising: receiving, from the base station of a current cell after the initial data transmission, a start indication of the active period for subsequent data transmission or reception and an indication indicating a measurement configuration, wherein the measurement configuration is based on a system information block (SIB) SIB3 or SIB4 configuration associated with the UE in an idle or inactive state, and wherein the measurement configuration comprises at least a predetermined threshold.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising: determining whether one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied, wherein the one or more conditions comprise: a radio quality of the current cell is lower than the predetermined threshold; a radio quality of a neighboring cell is higher than the predetermined threshold; and performing a neighboring cell measurement in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising: triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC resume message, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of a current camped cell; receiving a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell; and transmitting a handover CommandComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

52. The method of claim 50, further comprising: triggering a measurement report in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC resume message and a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; and ​ ​ ​ transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

53. The method of claim 50, further comprising: performing cell reselection in response to determining that the one or more conditions for triggering a measurement event are satisfied; and transmitting an RRC Resume Request message to the base station of the neighboring cell or performing data transmission.

54. The method of claim 49, further comprising: transmitting a UE preference to the base station of the current cell; receiving a dedicated RRC message comprising an RRC Resume message and a handover (HO) command to initiate a handover of the UE to a neighboring cell, wherein the dedicated RRC message triggers the UE to transition to a connected state; entering the connected state; and transmitting an RRC ResumeComplete message to the base station of the neighboring cell.

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