Systems, methods, and devices for enhanced short data transmission (SDT)

Abstract

Techniques described herein include a solution for enabling radio resource management (RRM) relaxation and short data transmission (SDT) in a user equipment (UE) including a reduced capability ("power down") UE. In some implementations, RRM relaxation may be terminated during SDT; rRM relaxation can be paused during the actual SDT transmission period; implementing RRM relaxation during the SDT based on one or more RRM relaxation conditions; rRM relaxation can be realized only for some carriers during the SDT period; and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks, including techniques for reducing power usage during periods of device inactivity. Background Art

[0002] As the number of mobile devices and demand for mobile data traffic within wireless networks continues to increase, changes are being made to system requirements and architectures to better address current and anticipated needs. For example, some wireless communication networks may be developed to implement fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) technology, sixth generation (6G) technology, etc. One aspect of such technology includes enabling user equipment (UE) to participate in radio resource management (RRM) at the appropriate time and in an appropriate manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The present disclosure will be easily understood and implemented through the specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The same figure numerals may designate the same features and structural elements. The accompanying drawings and corresponding descriptions are provided as non-limiting examples of aspects, specific implementations, etc. of the present disclosure, and reference to "one" or "an" aspect, specific implementation, etc. may not necessarily refer to the same aspect, specific implementation, etc., and may mean at least one, one or more, etc.

[0004] Figure 1 is an illustration of an example network according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0005] Figure 2 is an illustration of an example process for radio resource management (RRM) relaxation.

[0006] Figure 3 is an illustration of an example process for short data transmission (SDT).

[0007] Figure 4 is an illustration of an example process for timing advance (TA) verification and SDT initialization.

[0008] Figures 5 to 9 is an illustration of an example process for enhanced SDT and RRM according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0009] Fig.10 is an illustration of an example of components of a device according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0010] Fig.11 is a diagram of an example interface of a baseband circuit according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0011] Fig.12is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein in accordance with one or more specific implementations described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar features, elements, operations, etc. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the following description, as other specific implementations may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0013] A telecommunications network may include user equipment (UE) that is capable of communicating with base stations and other network nodes. The UE and base stations may implement various techniques for establishing and maintaining connections. For example, the UE and base stations may implement radio resource management (RRM), which may involve the management of co-channel interference, radio resources, and other radio transmission characteristics. RRM may involve processes for controlling parameters such as transmit power, user allocation, beamforming, data rate, switching criteria, modulation schemes, error decoding schemes, etc. The goal of RRM is to utilize limited radio spectrum resources and radio network infrastructure as efficiently as possible.

[0014] The UE may be configured to implement RRM relaxation. RRM relaxation may involve RRM processes and procedures that are performed at a reduced rate or frequency. Whether the UE participates in RRM relaxation may depend on one or more conditions, such as the location of the UE (e.g., whether the UE is on the edge of a cell), the UE having low mobility or being stationary, etc. For example, RRM may be applicable to UEs that have a strong connection with a serving base station (e.g., not on the edge of a cell) and are stationary (e.g., unlikely to move to a location with a weaker connection). RRM relaxation can help save radio resources and battery power by reducing the rate at which RRM processes and procedures are performed.

[0015] The UE may also be configured to implement small data transmission (SDT), which may include restrictions on the number and rate of transmission and data that the UE can transmit and receive from the network. When the UE switches from active mode to inactive mode, the UE may receive SDT configuration information from the network. The SDT configuration information may describe how and when the UE can communicate with the network when the UE is inactive. And when competing for a successful timing advance (TA) process (e.g., TA verification), the UE may communicate with the network according to the SDT configuration information.

[0016] SDT may enable data and / or signaling transmission while the UE remains in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE) state. SDT may be enabled on a radio bearer basis and may be initiated by the UE when: less than a configured amount of uplink (UL) data is waiting to be sent on all radio bearers where SDT is enabled; the downlink (DL) reference signal received power (RSRP) is above a configured threshold; and valid SDT resources (random access channel (RACH) or configuration grant (CG)) are available. Similar to RRM relaxation, SDT may help save radio resources and battery power by moderating (e.g., reducing) the number and / or rate of transmissions and data between the UE and the network. However, in contrast to RRM relaxation, SDT may be limited to scenarios in which the UE is inactive and TA verification has been performed.

[0017] Although RRM relaxation and SDT can each help save radio resources and battery power, currently available telecommunication technologies fail to provide solutions to resolve conflicts that may arise between simultaneous or overlapping implementations of RRM relaxation and SDT. For example, a UE that implements RRM relaxation (e.g., to remain stationary and / or have a strong signal from the network) enters an inactive mode and completes TA verification, currently available telecommunication technologies fail to address whether / how RRM relaxation and SDT are implemented relative to each other. More specifically, current solutions fail to specify whether a UE implements RRM relaxation instead of SDT, implements SDT instead of RRM relaxation, implements some type of hybrid or combination of RRM relaxation and SDT, etc.

[0018] The techniques described herein include one or more solutions for implementing RRM relaxation and SDT. In some examples, RRM relaxation can be implemented until SDT is initiated (e.g., after the UE enters inactive mode and performs TA verification). In some examples, the UE may continue RRM relaxation throughout the SDT, but suspend RRM relaxation during actual SDT transmission (Tx) and / or reception (Rx). In some examples, the UE may continue to perform RRM relaxation throughout the SDT, but only perform RRM relaxation on different carriers (e.g., inter-frequency and inter-radio access technology (inter-RAT) carrier measurements). In some examples, the UE may continue to perform RRM relaxation throughout the SDT as long as one or more conditions are met (e.g., during stationary or low mobility conditions, the UE is not located at the edge of a cell, etc.). In addition, in some examples, the UE may implement one or more types of RRM relaxation (e.g., RRM relaxation or reduced RRM relaxation (with a longer measurement relaxation interval)) depending on one or more conditions being met. Therefore, the techniques described herein include multiple solutions and alternatives for implementing RRM relaxation and SDT.

[0019] In some specific implementations, the techniques described herein may involve reduced capability ("redcap") devices. A "redcap" device may be a UE with lower device complexity, improved power consumption, and a data transmission rate not less than the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Category 1 (Cat-1) standard. Examples of "redcap" devices (or "redcap" UEs) may include industrial sensors (e.g., pressure sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, and actuators), surveillance cameras (e.g., cameras for smart cities, factories, and other industrial sites), and wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, rings, electronic health-related devices, and medical monitoring devices). Other examples of "redcap" devices may be UEs with high data transmission rates, location-based service applications, sidelink (SL) capabilities, and / or both licensed and unlicensed band capabilities.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is an example network 100 according to one or more implementations described herein. The example network 100 may include UEs 110-1, 110-2, etc. (collectively referred to as "UEs 110" and individually referred to as "UEs 110"), a radio access network (RAN) 120, a core network (CN) 130, an application server 140, an external network 150, and satellites 160-1, 160-2, etc. (collectively referred to as "satellites 160" and individually referred to as "satellites 160"). As shown, the network 100 may include a non-terrestrial network (NTN) including one or more satellites 160 (e.g., of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)) in communication with the UEs 110 and the RAN 120.

[0021] The systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate in accordance with one or more communication standards, such as the second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) (e.g., long term evolution (LTE)), and / or fifth generation (5G) (e.g., new radio (NR)) communication standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate in accordance with other communication standards and protocols discussed herein, including future versions or generations of 3GPP standards (e.g., sixth generation (6G) standards, seventh generation (7G) standards, etc.), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (e.g., wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), etc.), and more.

[0022] As shown, UE 110 may include a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can be connected to one or more wireless communication networks). In addition or alternatively, UE 110 may include other types of mobile or non-mobile computing devices capable of wireless communication, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handheld terminal, etc. In some specific implementations, UE 110 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device (or IoT UE), which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize transient UE connections. In addition or alternatively, IoT UE may utilize one or more types of technologies, such as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine-type communication (MTC) (e.g., to exchange data with an MTC server or other device via a public land mobile network (PLMN)), proximity services (ProSe), device-to-device (D2D) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, sensor networks, IoT networks, and the like. Depending on the scenario, the M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange, and the IoT network may include IoT UEs interconnected with transient connections (which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the Internet infrastructure). In some scenarios, the IoT UE may execute background applications (eg, keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0023] UE 110 may communicate and establish connections with one or more other UEs 110 via one or more radio channels 112, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. The connections may include M2M connections, MTC connections, D2D connections, V2X connections, etc. In some implementations, UE 110 may be configured to discover each other, negotiate radio resources between each other, and establish connections between each other without intervention or communication involving RAN node 122 or another type of network node. In some implementations, discovery, authentication, resource negotiation, registration, etc. may involve communication with RAN node 122 or another type of network node.

[0024] UE 110 may communicate and establish a connection (e.g., communicatively coupled) with RAN 120, which may involve one or more radio channels 114-1 and 114-2, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. In some implementations, the UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC) as a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), where a UE capable of multiple receptions and transmissions (Rx / Tx) may use resources provided by different network nodes (e.g., 122-1 and 122-2), which may be connected via a non-ideal backhaul (e.g., where one of the network nodes provides NR access and the other network node provides E-UTRA for LTE or NR access for 5G). In such a scenario, one network node may act as a master node (MN) and the other node may act as a secondary node (SN). The MN and the SN may be connected via a network interface, and at least the MN may be connected to CN 130. In addition, at least one of the MN or the SN may operate with shared spectrum channel access, and the functionality specified for the UE 110 may be used for an integrated access and backhaul mobile terminal (IAB-MT). Similar to the UE 101, the IAB-MT may access the network using one network node or using two different nodes with an enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC) architecture, a new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) architecture, etc. In some implementations, a base station (as described herein) may be an example of a network node 122.

[0025] As shown, UE 110 may also or alternatively be connected to access point (AP) 116 via connection interface 118, which may include an air interface that enables UE 110 to communicatively couple with AP 116. AP 116 may include a wireless local area network (WLAN), a WLAN node, a WLAN termination point, etc. Connection 1207 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 702.11 protocol, and AP 116 may include a wireless fidelity router or other AP. Figure 11, but AP 116 may be connected to another network (e.g., the Internet) without being connected to RAN 120 or CN 130. In some scenarios, UE 110, RAN 120, and AP 116 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) technology or LTE WLAN radio level technology integrated with IPsec tunneling (LWIP). LWA may involve UE 110 in RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN 120 to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP may involve UE 110 using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection interface 118) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) communicated through connection interface 118. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0026] The RAN 120 may include one or more RAN nodes 122-1 and 122-2 (collectively referred to as RAN nodes 122 and individually referred to as RAN nodes 122) that enable channels 114-1 and 114-2 to be established between the UE 110 and the RAN 120. The RAN node 122 may include a network access point configured to provide a radio baseband function for data and / or voice connections between a user and a network based on one or more of the communication technologies described herein (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, etc.). Thus, as an example, the RAN node may be an E-UTRAN Node B (e.g., an enhanced Node B, eNodeB, eNB, 4G base station, etc.), a next generation base station (e.g., a 5G base station, an NR base station, a next generation eNB (gNB), etc.). The RAN node 122 may include a roadside unit (RSU), a transmit receive point (TRxP or TRP), and one or more other types of ground stations (e.g., a ground access point). In some scenarios, the RAN node 122 may be a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell, etc. having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than a macrocell. As described below, in some implementations, the satellite 160 may operate as a base station (e.g., RAN node 122) relative to the UE 110. Therefore, references herein to a base station, RAN node 122, etc. may relate to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 122, etc. is a terrestrial network node, and also to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 122, etc. is a non-terrestrial network node (e.g., satellite 160).

[0027] Some or all or portions of the RAN nodes 122 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a centralized RAN (CRAN) and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these specific implementations, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement a RAN functional split, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) split, where the radio resource control (RRC) and PDCP layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other layer 2 (L2) protocol entities may be operated by individual RAN nodes 122; a medium access control (MAC) / physical (PHY) layer split, where the RRC, PDCP, radio link control (RLC), and MAC layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer may be operated by individual RAN nodes 122; or a "lower PHY" split, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layer, and upper portions of the PHY layer may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layer may be operated by individual RAN nodes 122. The virtualization framework may allow idle processor cores of the RAN node 122 to perform or execute other virtualized applications.

[0028] In some implementations, the separate RAN nodes 122 may represent separate gNB distributed units (DUs) connected to a gNB control unit (CU) via separate F1 or other interfaces. In such implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or radio frequency (RF) front end modules (RFEMs), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 120 or by a server pool (e.g., a group of servers configured to share resources) in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 122 may be next generation eNBs (i.e., gNBs) that may provide Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 110 and may be connected to the 5G core network (5GC) 130 via an NG interface.

[0029] Any of the RAN nodes 122 may serve as an endpoint for an air interface protocol and may be a first point of contact for the UE 110. In some implementations, any of the RAN nodes 122 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 120, including but not limited to functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling, and mobility management. The UE 110 may be configured to communicate with each other or any of the RAN nodes 122 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink (SL) communications), although the scope of such implementations may not be limited in this respect. An OFDM signal may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0030] In some implementations, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 122 to the UE 110, and similar techniques may be used for uplink transmissions. The grid may be a time-frequency grid (e.g., a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid) that represents the physical resources for the downlink in each time slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is common for OFDM systems, which makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block may include a set of resource elements (REs); in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0031] In addition, the RAN nodes 122 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the UE 110 and / or each other over a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band"), an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"), or a combination thereof. For example, the licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band. The licensed spectrum may correspond to channels or frequency bands that are selected, reserved, regulated, etc. for certain types of wireless activities (e.g., wireless telecommunications network activities), while the unlicensed spectrum may correspond to one or more frequency bands that are not restricted for certain types of wireless activities. Whether a particular frequency band corresponds to a licensed medium or an unlicensed medium may depend on one or more factors, such as frequency allocations determined by a public sector organization (e.g., a government agency, a regulatory agency, etc.) or by a private sector organization involved in developing wireless communication standards and protocols, etc.

[0032] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may operate using license assisted access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed in accordance with a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0033] The LAA mechanism can be built on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of the advanced LTE system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). In some cases, each CC may have a bandwidth different from that of other CCs. In a time division duplex (TDD) system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC may be the same for DL ​​and UL. CA also includes individual service cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the service cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary service cell or PCell may provide a primary component carrier (PCC) for both UL and DL, and may handle RRC and non-access stratum (NAS) related activities. Other service cells are called SCells, and each SCell may provide a single secondary component carrier (SCC) for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require UE 110 to undergo switching. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCell"), and the LAA SCells are assisted by PCells operating in licensed spectrum. When the UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe. To operate in unlicensed spectrum, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may also operate using independent unlicensed operation, where the UE may be configured with a PCell in the unlicensed spectrum in addition to any SCells.

[0034] The PDSCH may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 110. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about, among other things, a transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH may also inform the UE 110 about transport formats, resource allocations, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to uplink shared channels. Typically, downlink scheduling (e.g., allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 110-2 within the cell) may be performed on any of the RAN nodes 122 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 110. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of the UEs 110.

[0035] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCEs) to convey control information, where many CCEs (e.g., 6, etc.) can be composed of resource element groups (REGs), where REGs are defined as physical resource blocks (PRBs) in OFDM symbols. Before being mapped to resource elements, PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quaternions, which may then be arranged, for example, using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be sent using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and channel conditions, one or more CCEs may be used to send the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats may be defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, 8, or 16).

[0036] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize an extended (E)-PDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to send EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as EREGs. In some cases, an ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0037] The RAN nodes 122 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 123. In a specific implementation where the system is an LTE system, the interface 123 may be an X2 interface. In an NR system, the interface 123 may be an Xn interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 122 (e.g., two or more eNBs / gNBs or a combination thereof) connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) or CN 130, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user data packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs or gNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transferred from the master eNB (MeNB) to the secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP packet data units (PDUs) from the SeNB to the UE 110 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that were not delivered to the UE 110; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for sending user data to the UE; etc. X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions (e.g., including context transfer from the source eNB to the target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.), load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0038] As shown, RAN 120 may be connected (e.g., communicatively coupled) to CN 130. CN 130 may include a plurality of network elements 132 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 110) connected to CN 130 via RAN 120. In some implementations, CN 130 may include an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G CN, and / or one or more additional or alternative types of CNs. The components of CN 130 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some implementations, network function virtualization (NFV) may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node roles or functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 130 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 130 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources including a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0039] As shown, CN 130, application server 140 and external network 150 can be connected to each other through interfaces 134, 136 and 138, which may include IP network interfaces. Application server 140 may include one or more server devices or network elements (e.g., virtual network functions (VNFs) that provide applications that use IP bearer resources through CM 130 (e.g., universal mobile telecommunications system packet service (UMTS PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). Application server 140 may also or alternatively be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice over IP (VoIP sessions, push-to-talk (PTT) sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.)) of UE 110 via CN 130. Similarly, external network 150 may include one or more of various networks, including the Internet, thereby providing network access to various additional services, information, interconnectivity and other network features to mobile communication networks and UE 110.

[0040] As shown, the example network 100 may include an NTN that may include one or more satellites 160-1 and 160-2 (collectively, "satellites 160"). The satellites 160 may communicate with the UE 110 via a serving link or wireless interface 162 and / or communicate with the RAN 120 via a feeder link or wireless interface 164 (depicted individually as 164-1 and 164). In some implementations, the satellites 160 may operate as passive or transparent network relay nodes with respect to communications between the UE 110 and a terrestrial network (e.g., the RAN 120). In some implementations, the satellites 160 may operate as active or regenerative network nodes such that the satellites 160 may operate as base stations to the UE 110 (e.g., as gNBs for the RAN 120) with respect to communications between the UE 110 and the RAN 120. In some implementations, the satellites 160 can communicate with each other through a direct wireless interface (e.g., 166) or an indirect wireless interface (e.g., via the RAN 120 using interfaces 164-1 and 164-2).

[0041] Additionally or alternatively, the satellite 160 may include a GEO satellite, a LEO satellite, or another type of satellite. The satellite 160 may also or alternatively relate to one or more satellite systems or architectures, such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), etc. In some specific implementations, the satellite 160 may operate as a base station (e.g., a RAN node 122) relative to the UE 110. Therefore, references to base stations, RAN nodes, etc. herein may relate to specific implementations in which the base stations, RAN nodes 122, etc. are ground network nodes, and to specific implementations in which the base stations, RAN nodes 122, etc. are non-ground network nodes (e.g., satellites 160). As described herein, the UE 110 and the base station 122 may communicate with each other via the interface 114 to implement enhanced power saving techniques.

[0042] Figure 2 2 is a diagram of an example process 200 for RRM relaxation. Figure 2 As shown, in some scenarios, UE 110 may enter RRM relaxation mode after entering RRC inactive mode. In other specific implementations, UE 110 may enter RRM relaxation mode during RRC IDLE mode. For example, UE 110 may enter RRM relaxation mode due to one or more conditions that are not related to being in inactive mode (such as mobility or stationary state, whether UE 110 is located at the edge of a cell, etc.).

[0043] As shown, UE 110 may enter an RRC inactive mode of operation at 210. In response, or just thereafter, base station 122 may communicate RRM relaxation criteria to UE 110 via system information at 220. UE 110 may receive the system information and measure the serving cell (e.g., signaling from base station 122) to check the RRM relaxation criteria described or indicated by the system information at 230.

[0044] In some implementations, the RRM relaxation criteria may include one or more factors, such as the mobility state of UE 110, whether UE 110 measures a threshold level of signal strength from base station 122, and / or one or more additional or alternative conditions or criteria. In some implementations, satisfying only one of the many criteria may be sufficient for UE 110 to enter RRM relaxation, while in other implementations, entering RRM relaxation may require satisfying all or a combination of one or more criteria.

[0045] For purposes of explaining process 200, assume that UE 110 determines that sufficient relaxation criteria are met (at 240). As described herein, RRM may involve management of co-channel interference, radio resources, and other radio transmission characteristics. RRM may involve processes for controlling parameters such as transmit power, user allocation, beamforming, data rate, switching criteria, modulation schemes, error decoding schemes, etc. The goal of RRM is to utilize limited radio spectrum resources and radio network infrastructure as efficiently as possible. RRM relaxation may involve RRM processes and procedures that are performed selectively (e.g., limited to one or more processes and / or procedures) and / or at a reduced rate.

[0046] In addition, whether the UE participates in RRM relaxation may depend on one or more conditions, such as the location of the UE (e.g., whether the UE is at the edge of a cell), the UE having low mobility or being stationary, etc. For example, when the UE 110 measures a strong signal strength from the base station 122 (e.g., by not being at the edge of a cell) and / or is stationary (e.g., unlikely to move to a location with a weaker connection), RRM relaxation may be appropriate. In response, the UE 110 may enter an operating mode for relaxed RRM measurements (at 250). In some implementations, this may include intervals or periods at which the UE 110 performs relaxation of the RRM process.

[0047] At some point, base station 122 may communicate system information to UE 110 indicating a change or removal of RRM relaxation criteria (at 260). For example, base station 122 may increase thresholds for immobile state, low mobility state, sufficient signal strength, whether one or more criteria are to be met for RRM relaxation, etc. In response, UE 110 may remeasure the serving cell (e.g., the cell of base station 122) to determine whether one or more, or a sufficient number or combination of criteria are met to maintain RRM relaxation (at 270). And based on the determination, remeasurement, etc., UE 110 may remain in RRM relaxation mode or exit RRM relaxation mode. Thus, process 200 provides an example of how a network may enable and / or cause UE 110 to enter and / or exit RRM relaxation mode.

[0048] Figure 3 is an illustration of an example process 300 for SDT. As shown, UE 110 and base station 122 may be in RRC connected mode (at 310). At some point, UE 110 may receive information from base station 122 for RRC release with pause decoding (at 320). In some implementations, the information may include SDT configuration information, or be otherwise received in conjunction with SDT configuration information. SDT configuration information (or "SDT configuration", etc.) may include instructions, parameters, and one or more other types of information to cause, prompt, or enable UE 110 to perform SDT with respect to base station 122 or another network device.

[0049] As described herein, SDT may include an operating mode that limits the amount and rate of transmissions and data that UE 110 may transmit and receive from the network (e.g., to communicate with the network). When UE 110 transitions from an active mode to an inactive mode, UE 110 may receive SDT configuration information from the network. The SDT configuration information may describe how and when the UE may communicate with the network when UE 110 is inactive. When competing for a successful TA procedure (e.g., TA verification), the UE may communicate with the network according to the SDT configuration information.

[0050] SDT may enable data and / or signaling transmission while the UE remains in an RRC inactive (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE) state. SDT may be enabled on a radio bearer basis and may be initiated by UE 110 when, for example: 1) less than a configured amount of UL data is waiting to be sent on all radio bearers for which SDT is enabled; 2) DL RSRP is above a configured threshold; 3) and valid SDT resources (RACH or CG) are available. Similar to RRM relaxation, SDT may help save wireless resources and battery power by moderating (e.g., reducing) the number and / or rate of transmissions and data communicated between UE 110 and base station 122.

[0051] At some point, UE 110 may enter an RRC inactive mode (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE) (at 330). In response, UE 110 may perform a TA verification procedure, which may be a prerequisite for implementing SDT configuration information. As described herein, TA verification may include a procedure by which UE 110 verifies the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Upon receiving a TAT-SDT configuration (which may be in the RSRP configuration) from base station 122, UE 110 may perform a TA verification procedure, which may be a prerequisite for implementing SDT configuration information. As described herein, TA verification may include a process by which UE 110 verifies the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Figure 3 320 of ), UE 110 may initiate a method based on an SDT-TA timer. In some implementations, the SDT-TA timer may be started and / or restarted when a TA command is received from base station 122. Successful TA verification may result in UE 110 receiving a CG for SDT resources, and in some implementations, the CG may last until the SDT-TA timer expires. The method based on RSRP change may include UE 110 measuring the RSRP from base station 122 and determining that the TA is invalid or no longer valid if / when the change in RSRP exceeds a preselected threshold. As indicated in a system information block (e.g., SIB1), the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually sent may be used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0052] For purposes of explaining example 300, assume that UE 110 successfully performs TA verification (at 340). In response to the successful verification, UE 110 may transmit an initial SDT transmission via RACH and / or CG resources (at 350). Whether UE 110 uses RACH resources or CG resources (e.g., SDT CG resources) may depend on SDT configuration, TA verification, and / or one or more other factors or conditions. At some point thereafter, UE 110 and base station 122 may continue to use SDT for subsequent Tx / Rx communications (at 360). In this way, after UE 110 enters RRC inactive mode and successfully performs TA verification, UE 110 and base station 122 may implement SDT to save transmission resources, battery power, etc.

[0053] Figure 4 4 is a diagram of an example process 400 for TA verification and SDT initialization. Process 400 may be implemented by UE 110. In some implementations, part or all of process 400 may be performed by one or more other systems or devices, including Figure 1 In addition, process 400 may include Figure 4In some implementations, some or all of the operations of process 400 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., relative to one or more of the other operations of process 400. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to Figure 4 The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes depicted in the .

[0054] The SDT procedure may be initiated by a transmission on the RACH (referred to as RA-SDT) or by a type 1 CG resource (referred to as CG-SDT). The SDT resources may be configured on an initial bandwidth part (BWP) (for both RACH and CG). The RACH resources and CG resources used for SDT may be configured on either or both of the normal UL (NUL) and supplementary UL (SUL) carriers. The initial PUSCH transmission during the SDT procedure may include at least a common control channel (CCCH) message. When the SDT procedure is in progress, if data appears in the buffer of any radio bearer that is not enabled for SDT, the UE 110 may initiate the transmission of a non-SDT data arrival indication to the base station 122 using a UE assistance information message and, if available, may include a recovery cause. When UE 110 initiates SDT in a cell in which UE 110 receives an RRC release and transitions to an RRC inactive state, or when UE 110 initiates SDT in a cell of its RAN-based notification area (RNA), base station 122 may configure the UE to apply robust header compression (ROHC) continuity for SDT.

[0055] For RA-SDT, the base station 122 may configure 2-step and / or 4-step RA resources. A UE 110 in an RRC inactive state may initiate a RACH procedure and request RRC recovery along with UL SDT data / signaling. If the UE 110 accesses another base station 122 (e.g., different from the last serving base station 122), the UL SDT data / signaling may be buffered at the receiving base station 122, and then the receiving base station 122 may trigger an Xn Access Protocol (XnAP) retrieval UE context procedure. RA-SDT may be supported with and without UE context relocation.

[0056] CG-SDT resources may be valid within the cell in which the UE 110 receives the previous RRC release (e.g., only for the case where there is no cell change). When using CG resources for initial SDT transmission, if the UE 110 does not receive an acknowledgment from the base station 122, the UE 110 may perform an autonomous retransmission of the initial transmission, and the base station 122 may use a dynamic grant to schedule subsequent UL transmissions, or they may occur on subsequent CG resource opportunities. Dynamic allocation may be used to schedule DL transmissions. The UE 110 may initiate subsequent UL transmissions after receiving an acknowledgment of the initial PUSCH transmission from the base station 122. For subsequent UL transmissions, the UE 110 may not initiate retransmissions through CG-SDT resources. CG-SDT may be initiated with valid UL timing alignment. UL timing alignment may be maintained by the UE 110 based on an SDT-specific timing alignment timer configured by the base station 122 via dedicated signaling, and for initial CG-SDT transmission, it may also be maintained by a configured number of DL RSRPs of the highest level of system synchronization blocks (SSBs) above the configured RSRP threshold. When the timing alignment timer specific to the SDT expires, the CG resources may be released.

[0057] The SDT process may be initiated by UE 110 when the following criteria are met: 1) the amount of SDT data available for UL is less than or equal to the SDT data amount threshold; 2) the DL RSRP is greater than or equal to the configured SDT RSRP threshold; and 3) valid SDT resources are available (e.g., RA-SDT resources or CG-SDT resources). The SDT process may be initiated via transmission on RA-SDT resources or CG-SDT resources. For subsequent CG-SDT transmissions, UE 110 may be enabled to initiate UL data transmission after receiving confirmation of the initial CG-SDT transmission from base station 122. In addition, base station 122 may schedule subsequent UL / DL transmissions using dynamic grants / allocations or UL transmissions on the next CG resource opportunity. For subsequent RA-SDT transmissions, base station 122 may schedule UL / DL transmissions using dynamic grants and allocations after completing the RA process.

[0058] Reference Figure 4, T1 may include the time at which the UE 110 obtains the latest TA command MAC control element transmission via the timing advance command MAC control element. T1' may include the time at which the UE 110 has completed the first RSRP measurement (e.g., RSRP1). T2 may include the time at which the UE 110 performs TA verification for transmission using CG-SDT. T2' may include the time at which the UE 110 has completed the second RSRP measurement (e.g., RSRP2). TA verification may include a method based on an SDT TA timer (SDT-TATimer or SDT-TAT), wherein the TA timer may be started when an SDT-TAT configuration is received from the base station 122, and restarted when a TA command is received from the base station 122. When the TA timer expires, the UE 110 may release the CG-SDT resources. TA verification may also include a method based on RSRP changes, wherein when the change in RSRP is greater than a threshold, the UE 110 may determine that the UL TA is invalid. In addition, as indicated in SIB1, the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually transmitted may be used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0059] Figures 5 to 9 1 is an illustration of example processes 500 through 900 (collectively referred to as processes 500 through 900, and individually referred to as processes 500, 600, 700, 800, or 900) for enhanced SDT and RRM according to one or more implementations described herein. One or more of processes 500 through 900 may be implemented by UE 110. In some implementations, some or all of processes 500 through 900 may be performed by one or more other systems or devices, including Figure 1 One or more devices in the device, such as base station 122. In addition, processes 500 to 900 may include Figures 5 to 9 The operations shown may be fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged than one or more operations. In some implementations, some or all of the operations of any of processes 500 to 900 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., with one or more of the other operations of any of processes 500 to 900.

[0060] Additionally, while RRM relaxation may be depicted as preceding one or more other operations (e.g., entering an inactive mode), RRM relaxation may also or alternatively be initiated or performed at one or more other times, such as after entering an inactive mode, enabling SDT, etc. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to Figure 4The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes depicted in the . In addition, the techniques described herein include corresponding operations that can be performed by one or more devices (e.g., a device that transmits or communicates information to a device that receives information). Therefore, the scope of processes 500 to 900 includes processes that are performed by other devices for specific implementation purposes, such as those described above with reference to Figure 1 Corresponding and / or supported operations performed in the described environment.

[0061] Reference Figure 5 , process 500 may include RRM relaxation (block 510). For example, UE 110 may initiate RRM relaxation in response to one or more conditions or scenarios. As described herein, such conditions or scenarios may include a mobility state of UE 110, such as UE 110 being stationary, having a mobility below a preselected threshold, etc. Another (or alternative) condition may include a measured signal strength at or below a preselected threshold, a location of UE 110 within a cell, etc. As described herein, an RRM relaxation mode may involve an operating mode in which UE 110 performs RRM measurements, communications, and / or other RRM operations with a reduced priority, frequency, etc.

[0062] Process 500 may include entering an inactive mode (block 520). For example, UE 110 may enter an inactive mode. The inactive mode may include an RRC inactive mode, which may be triggered by one or more of known or preselected conditions corresponding thereto. Entering the inactive mode may enable or facilitate UE 110 to operate under a different set of conditions, parameters, schedules, etc., in order to utilize radio resources, consume battery power, etc., in a manner more commensurate with a relatively inactive UE 110.

[0063] Process 500 may include enabling SDT (block 530). For example, UE 110 may enter SDT mode after entering an inactive mode or upon entering an inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode). Prior to or in conjunction with entering SDT, process 500 may also or alternatively include performing TA verification. As described herein, TA verification may include a process by which UE 110 may verify the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Upon receiving an SDT TA timer configuration (which may be configured in a manner similar to that in FIG. 1 ) from base station 122, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Figure 3320 of ), UE 110 may initiate a method based on SDT-TAT. In some implementations, SDT-TAT may be started and / or restarted upon receiving a TA command from base station 122. Successful TA verification may result in UE 110 receiving a CG for SDT resources, and in some implementations, the CG may last until the SDT-TAT expires. The method based on RSRP change may include UE 110 measuring RSRP from base station 122 and determining that the TA is invalid or no longer valid if / when the change in RSRP exceeds a preselected threshold. As indicated in the system information block (e.g., SIB1), the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually sent are used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0064] Process 500 may include disabling RRM relaxation (block 540). For example, as a result of enabling SDT, UE 110 may disable RRM relaxation (e.g., previously initiated in block 510). In such implementations, UE 110 may be configured to exclusively enable SDT and RRM relaxation, such that when SDT is enabled, RRM relaxation will be disabled if / when RRM relaxation is also enabled. Thus, such configurations and / or implementations may be designed to implement SDT and RRM relaxation with exclusivity, thereby giving SDT priority over RRM relaxation.

[0065] Process 500 may include performing RRM (block 550). For example, when RRM relaxation is disabled due to SDT enablement, UE 110 may start, initiate, and / or otherwise perform RRM (e.g., non-relaxed, default, standard, or legacy RRM). For example, for implementations in which SDT enablement is exclusively prioritized over RRM, UE 110 may be configured to disable RRM relaxation during SDT enablement and revert to legacy (e.g., normal, default, etc. RRM procedures). In doing so, UE 110 may achieve communication performance via SDT without completely abandoning the benefits of RRM procedures.

[0066] Reference Figure 6 , process 600 may include RRM relaxation (block 610). For example, UE 110 may initiate RRM relaxation in response to one or more conditions or scenarios. As described herein, such conditions or scenarios may include a mobility state of UE 110, such as UE 110 being stationary, having a mobility below a preselected threshold, etc. Another (or alternative) condition may include a measured signal strength at or below a preselected threshold, a location of UE 110 within a cell, etc. As described herein, an RRM relaxation mode may involve an operating mode in which UE 110 performs RRM measurements, communications, and / or other RRM operations with a reduced priority, frequency, etc.

[0067] Process 600 may include entering an inactive mode (block 620). For example, UE 110 may enter an inactive mode. The inactive mode may include an RRC inactive mode, which may be triggered by one or more of known or preselected conditions corresponding thereto. Entering the inactive mode may enable or facilitate UE 110 to operate under a different set of conditions, parameters, schedules, etc., in order to utilize radio resources, consume battery power, etc., in a manner more commensurate with a relatively inactive UE 110.

[0068] Process 600 may include enabling SDT (block 630). For example, UE 110 may enter SDT mode after entering an inactive mode or upon entering an inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode). Prior to or in conjunction with entering SDT, process 600 may also or alternatively include performing TA verification (not shown). As described herein, TA verification may include a process by which UE 110 may verify the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Upon receiving an SDT TA timer configuration (which may be in a RSRP-based configuration) from base station 122, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT). Figure 3 320 of ), UE 110 may initiate a method based on SDT-TAT. In some implementations, SDT-TAT may be started and / or restarted upon receiving a TA command from base station 122. Successful TA verification may result in UE 110 receiving a CG for SDT resources, and in some implementations, the CG may last until the SDT-TAT expires. The method based on RSRP change may include UE 110 measuring RSRP from base station 122 and determining that the TA is invalid or no longer valid if / when the change in RSRP exceeds a preselected threshold. As indicated in a system information block (e.g., SIB1), the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually sent may be used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0069] Process 600 may also include disabling RRM relaxation during actual SDT transmission (block 640). For example, UE 110 may receive a grant or otherwise reserve SDT resources for SDT transmissions to and from base station 122. UE 110 may disable RRM relaxation (and / or check RRM relaxation conditions) during SDT transmissions (e.g., SDT transmission periods), and re-enable RRM relaxation after SDT transmissions. In such implementations, RRM relaxation may be implemented even though SDT may be enabled as long as UE 110 does not participate in SDT transmissions. Additionally, when RRM relaxation is disabled, UE 110 may implement non-relaxed or conventional RRM operations. Thus, in such implementations, UE 110 may enable RRM relaxation before enabling SDT and / or after enabling SDT; however, RRM relaxation will not be performed during SDT transmissions.

[0070] Process 600 may also include enabling RRM relaxation after the SDT is sent (block 650). For example, UE 110 may disable RRM relaxation during the SDT transmission and may enable (or re-enable RRM relaxation) after the SDT is sent. Thus, the techniques described herein may enable RRM relaxation to be implemented during the SDT, but not during the SDT transmission.

[0071] Reference Figure 7 , process 700 may include RRM relaxation (block 710). For example, UE 110 may initiate RRM relaxation in response to one or more conditions or scenarios. As described herein, such conditions or scenarios may include a mobility state of UE 110, such as UE 110 being stationary, having a mobility below a preselected threshold, etc. Another (or alternative) condition may include a measured signal strength at or below a preselected threshold, a location of UE 110 within a cell, etc. As described herein, an RRM relaxation mode may involve an operating mode in which UE 110 performs RRM measurements, communications, and / or other RRM operations with a reduced priority, frequency, etc.

[0072] Process 700 may include entering an inactive mode (block 720). For example, UE 110 may enter an inactive mode. The inactive mode may include an RRC inactive mode, which may be triggered by one or more of known or preselected conditions corresponding thereto. Entering the inactive mode may enable or facilitate UE 110 to operate under a different set of conditions, parameters, schedules, etc., in order to utilize radio resources, consume battery power, etc., in a manner more commensurate with a relatively inactive UE 110.

[0073] Process 700 may include enabling SDT (block 730). For example, UE 110 may enter SDT mode after entering an inactive mode or upon entering an inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode). Prior to or in conjunction with entering SDT, process 700 may also or alternatively include performing TA verification. As described herein, TA verification may include a process by which UE 110 may verify the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Upon receiving an SDT TA timer configuration (which may be in a RSRP-based configuration) from base station 122, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT). Figure 3 320 of ), UE 110 may initiate a method based on SDT-TAT. In some implementations, SDT-TAT may be started and / or restarted upon receiving a TA command from base station 122. Successful TA verification may result in UE 110 receiving a CG for SDT resources, and in some implementations, the CG may last until the SDT-TAT expires. The method based on RSRP change may include UE 110 measuring RSRP from base station 122 and determining that the TA is invalid or no longer valid if / when the change in RSRP exceeds a preselected threshold. As indicated in a system information block (e.g., SIB1), the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually sent may be used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0074] Process 700 may include disabling RRM relaxation for intra-frequency carriers (block 740). For example, UE 110 may disable RRM relaxation for intra-frequency carriers. In such implementations, UE 110 may perform non-relaxed or legacy RRM on intra-frequency carriers. Additionally or alternatively, UE 110 may continue to perform RRM relaxation on inter-RAT carriers, which may include RRM relaxation condition checks and RRM measurement relaxation (block 750).

[0075] Reference Figure 8 , process 800 may include RRM relaxation (block 810). For example, UE 110 may initiate RRM relaxation in response to one or more conditions or scenarios. As described herein, such conditions or scenarios may include a mobility state of UE 110, such as UE 110 being stationary, having a mobility below a preselected threshold, etc. Another (or alternative) condition may include a measured signal strength at or below a preselected threshold, a location of UE 110 within a cell, etc. As described herein, an RRM relaxation mode may involve an operating mode in which UE 110 performs RRM measurements, communications, and / or other RRM operations with a reduced priority, frequency, etc.

[0076] Process 800 may include entering an inactive mode (block 820). For example, UE 110 may enter an inactive mode. The inactive mode may include an RRC inactive mode, which may be triggered by one or more of known or preselected conditions corresponding thereto. Entering the inactive mode may enable or facilitate UE 110 to operate under a different set of conditions, parameters, schedules, etc., in order to utilize radio resources, consume battery power, etc., in a manner more commensurate with a relatively inactive UE 110.

[0077] Process 800 may include enabling SDT (block 830). For example, UE 110 may enter SDT mode after entering an inactive mode or upon entering an inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode). Prior to or in conjunction with entering SDT, process 800 may also or alternatively include performing TA verification. As described herein, TA verification may include a process by which UE 110 may verify the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Upon receiving an SDT TA timer configuration (which may be in a RSRP-based configuration) from base station 122, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT). Figure 3 320 of ), UE 110 may initiate a method based on SDT-TAT. In some implementations, SDT-TAT may be started and / or restarted upon receiving a TA command from base station 122. Successful TA verification may result in UE 110 receiving a CG for SDT resources, and in some implementations, the CG may last until the SDT-TAT expires. The method based on RSRP change may include UE 110 measuring RSRP from base station 122 and determining that the TA is invalid or no longer valid if / when the change in RSRP exceeds a preselected threshold. As indicated in a system information block (e.g., SIB1), the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually sent may be used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0078] Process 800 may include determining whether multiple RRM relaxation conditions are met (block 840). For example, after enabling SDT, UE 110 may determine whether multiple RRM relaxation conditions are met. Examples of such conditions may include any combination of the following: a stationary state of UE 110, a mobility state of UE 110 (e.g., whether the UE is in a low mobility state), whether UE 110 is located at an edge of a serving cell according to one or more cell edge criteria, etc. Whether UE 110 is located at the edge of a serving cell may include that the RSRP received strength of the serving cell is greater than a certain threshold value X. Additionally or alternatively, whether UE 110 is located at the edge of a serving cell may include that the RSRP received strength is greater than a certain threshold value Y, and Y may be greater than or equal to X. In some implementations, UE 110 may be considered to be located at the edge of a serving cell when multiple definitions of being at the edge of a serving cell are met.

[0079] When the selected RRM relaxation condition is not met (block 840-No), the UE 110 may continue to disable RRM relaxation (block 850). In some implementations, non-relaxed or conventional RRM may be performed instead. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 110 may disable RRM relaxation for the entire SDT duration, only during SDT transmissions, and / or only for certain carriers (e.g., intra-frequency carriers). When the selected RRM relaxation condition is met (block 840-No), the UE 110 may continue to perform RRM relaxation (block 860).

[0080] Reference Fig. 9 , process 900 may include RRM relaxation (block 910). For example, UE 110 may initiate RRM relaxation in response to one or more conditions or scenarios. As described herein, such conditions or scenarios may include a mobility state of UE 110, such as UE 110 being stationary, having a mobility below a preselected threshold, etc. Another (or alternative) condition may include a measured signal strength at or below a preselected threshold, a location of UE 110 within a cell, etc. As described herein, an RRM relaxation mode may involve an operating mode in which UE 110 performs RRM measurements, communications, and / or other RRM operations with a reduced priority, frequency, etc.

[0081] Process 900 may include entering an inactive mode (block 920). For example, UE 110 may enter an inactive mode. The inactive mode may include an RRC inactive mode, which may be triggered by one or more of known or preselected conditions corresponding thereto. Entering the inactive mode may enable or facilitate UE 110 to operate under a different set of conditions, parameters, schedules, etc., in order to utilize radio resources, consume battery power, etc., in a manner more commensurate with a relatively inactive UE 110.

[0082] Process 900 may include enabling SDT (block 930). For example, UE 110 may enter SDT mode after entering an inactive mode or upon entering an inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode). Prior to or in conjunction with entering SDT, process 900 may also or alternatively include performing TA verification. As described herein, TA verification may include a process by which UE 110 may verify the TA state of UE 110 relative to base station 122. In some implementations, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT) and / or a method based on RSRP changes. Upon receiving an SDT TA timer configuration (which may be in a RSRP-based configuration) from base station 122, TA verification may include a method based on an SDT-TA timer (SDT-TAT). Figure 3 320 of ), UE 110 may initiate a method based on SDT-TAT. In some implementations, SDT-TAT may be started and / or restarted upon receiving a TA command from base station 122. Successful TA verification may result in UE 110 receiving a CG for SDT resources, and in some implementations, the CG may last until the SDT-TAT expires. The method based on RSRP change may include UE 110 measuring RSRP from base station 122 and determining that the TA is invalid or no longer valid if / when the change in RSRP exceeds a preselected threshold. As indicated in a system information block (e.g., SIB1), the highest number (N) of all SSBs actually sent may be used for RSRP-based TA verification.

[0083] Process 900 may include determining whether any one of the RRM relaxation conditions is satisfied (block 840). For example, after enabling SDT, UE 110 may determine whether a specific RRM relaxation condition is satisfied, or whether any one of a plurality of possible RRM relaxation conditions is satisfied. Examples of such conditions may include any combination of the following: a stationary state of UE 110, a mobility state of UE 110 (e.g., whether the UE is in a low mobility state), whether UE 110 is located at an edge of a serving cell according to one or more cell edge criteria, and the like. Whether UE 110 is located at an edge of a serving cell may include an RSRP reception strength of the serving cell being above a certain threshold value X. Additionally or alternatively, whether UE 110 is located at an edge of a serving cell may include an RSRP reception strength being above a certain threshold value Y, and Y may be greater than or equal to X.

[0084] When the RRM relaxation conditions are not met (block 940-No), the UE 110 may continue to disable RRM relaxation (block 950). In some implementations, non-relaxed or conventional RRM may be performed instead. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 110 may disable RRM relaxation for the entire SDT duration, only during SDT transmissions, and / or only for certain carriers (e.g., intra-frequency carriers). When the selected RRM relaxation conditions are met (block 940-No), the UE 110 may continue to perform RRM relaxation (block 960).

[0085] Fig.10 1000 is an illustration of an example of a component of a device according to one or more specific implementations described herein. In some specific implementations, the device 1000 may include an application circuit 1002, a baseband circuit 1004, an RF circuit 1006, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 1008, one or more antennas 1010, and a power management circuit (PMC) 1012 (at least coupled together as shown). The components of the illustrated device 1000 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some specific implementations, the device 1000 may include fewer elements (for example, the RAN node may not utilize the application circuit 1002, but include a processor / controller to process IP data received from a CN such as a 5GC130 or an evolved packet core (EPC)). In some specific implementations, the device 1000 may include additional elements, such as, for example, a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, a sensor (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations in the device 1000, etc.) or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other implementations, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be separately included in more than one device for a Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0086] The application circuit 1002 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 1002 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1000. In some specific implementations, the processor of the application circuit 1002 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0087] The baseband circuit 1004 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 1004 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1006 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1006. The baseband circuit 1004 may interact with the application circuit 1002 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 1006. For example, in some specific implementations, the baseband circuit 1004 may include a 3G baseband processor 1004A, a 4G baseband processor 1004B, a 5G baseband processor 1004C, or other baseband processors 1004D of other existing generations, being developed, or to be developed in the future (e.g., 2G, 6G, etc.). The baseband circuit 1004 (e.g., one or more baseband processors of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 1006. In other implementations, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D may be included in a module stored in the memory 1004G and executed via the central processing unit (CPU) 1004E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some implementations, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1004 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some implementations, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1004 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other aspects.

[0088] In some implementations, the baseband circuit 1004 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1004F. The audio DSP 1004F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other implementations. In some implementations, the components of the baseband circuit may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some implementations, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuit 1004 and the application circuit 1002 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0089] In some implementations, the baseband circuit 1004 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, the baseband circuit 1004 may support communications with NG-RAN, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. Implementations in which the baseband circuit 1004 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0090] RF circuit 1006 can use modulated electromagnetic radiation to communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium. In various specific implementations, RF circuit 1006 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 1006 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits that down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuit 1008 and provide baseband signals to baseband circuit 1004. RF circuit 1006 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits that up-convert baseband signals provided by baseband circuit 1004 and provide RF output signals to FEM circuit 1008 for transmission.

[0091] In some implementations, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1006 may include a mixer circuit 1006A, an amplifier circuit 1006B, and a filter circuit 1006C. In some implementations, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1006 may include a filter circuit 1006C and the mixer circuit 1006A. The RF circuit 1006 may also include a synthesizer circuit 1006D for synthesizing frequencies used by the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1008 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1006D. The amplifier circuit 1006B may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 1006C may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 1004 for further processing. In some implementations, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0092] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1006D to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1008. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1004 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1006C.

[0093] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006A of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1006A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006A of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0094] In some implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. In some alternative implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative implementations, RF circuit 1006 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and baseband circuit 1004 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuit 1006.

[0095] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0096] In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1006D can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, the synthesizer circuit 1006D can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0097] The synthesizer circuit 1006D can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 1006A of the RF circuit 1006. In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1006D can be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0098] In some implementations, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input can be provided by the baseband circuit 1004 or the application circuit 1002 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 1002.

[0099] The synthesizer circuit 1006D of the RF circuit 1006 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some implementations, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some implementations, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry output) to provide a fractional frequency division ratio. In some example implementations, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these implementations, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0100] In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1006D can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other implementations, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some implementations, the output frequency can be an LO frequency (fLO). In some implementations, the RF circuit 1006 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0101] The FEM circuitry 1008 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1010, amplify the receive signals, and provide an amplified version of the receive signals to the RF circuitry 1006 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1008 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuitry 1006 for transmission via one or more of the one or more antennas 1010. In various implementations, amplification by the transmit or receive signal paths may be accomplished only in the RF circuitry 1006, only in the FEM circuitry 1008, or in both the RF circuitry 1006 and the FEM circuitry 1008.

[0102] In some implementations, the FEM circuit 1008 may include a Tx / Rx switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 1006). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 1008 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 1006); and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more of the one or more antennas 1010).

[0103] In some implementations, the PMC 1012 can manage the power provided to the baseband circuit 1004. Specifically, the PMC 1012 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When the device 1000 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE, the PMC 1012 can generally be included. The PMC 1012 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing a desired implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0104] Although Fig.10 The PMC 1012 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 1004. However, in other implementations, the PMC 1012 may be additionally or alternatively coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 1002, the RF circuit 1006, or the FEM 1008) and perform similar power management operations.

[0105] In some implementations, the PMC 1012 can control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 1000. For example, if the device 1000 is in the RRC_Connected state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, then after a period of inactivity, the device can enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 1000 can be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power.

[0106] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 1000 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 1000 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 1000 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the device may transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0107] An additional power saving mode can keep a device from using the network for a period longer than the paging interval (which can range from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device cannot connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, and it is assumed that latency is acceptable.

[0108] The processor of the application circuit 1002 and the processor of the baseband circuit 1004 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 1004 can be used alone or in combination to perform the functions of layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1, and the processor of the baseband circuit 1004 can utilize the data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform the functions of layer 4 (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layer). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0109] Fig.11 is a diagram of an example interface of a baseband circuit according to one or more specific implementations described herein. As discussed above, Fig.10 The baseband circuit 1004 may include processors 1004A-1004E and a memory 1004G used by the processors. Each of the processors 1004A-1004E may include a memory interface 1104A-1104E for transmitting / receiving data to / from the memory 1004G, respectively.

[0110] The baseband circuit 1004 may also include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1112 (e.g., an interface for transmitting / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1004), an application circuit interface 1114 (e.g., an interface for transmitting / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1004), and an application circuit interface 1115 (e.g., an interface for transmitting / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1004). Fig.10 The application circuit 1002 sends / receives data), the RF circuit interface 1116 (for example, for sending / receiving data to / from Fig.10 an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a RF circuit 1006), a wireless hardware connection interface 1118 (e.g., for sending / receiving data to / from a near field communication (NFC) component, Components (e.g. Low power consumption), components and other communication components to send / receive data) and a power management interface 1109 (for example, an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 1012).

[0111] Fig.12 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, Fig.12 A diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 1200 is shown, which includes one or more processors (or processor cores) 1210, one or more memory / storage devices 1220, and one or more communication resources 1230, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 1240. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1202 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1200.

[0112] Processor 1210 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1212 and processor 1214.

[0113] The memory / storage device 1220 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1220 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0114] The communication resources 1230 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1204 or one or more databases 1206 via the network 1208. For example, the communication resources 1230 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via a universal serial bus (USB)), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, Components (e.g. Low power consumption), components and other communication components.

[0115] The instructions 1250 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 1210 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 1250 may reside in whole or in part in at least one of the processor 1210 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 1220, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 1250 may be transmitted to the hardware resources 1200 from any combination of the peripheral device 1204 or the database 1206. Thus, the memory of the processor 1210, the memory / storage device 1220, the peripheral device 1204, and the database 1206 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0116] Embodiments herein may include subject matter, such as a method, components for performing actions or blocks of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform actions of a method or apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the described specific implementations and embodiments.

[0117] In embodiment 1 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), a baseband processor of a user equipment (UE) may include: one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: enter an inactive operating mode; during the inactive mode, determine whether the UE is configured for small data transmission (SDT); when the UE is not configured for SDT, perform radio resource management (RRM) relaxation; and when the UE is configured for SDT, perform RRM relaxation based on SDT.

[0118] In embodiment 2 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), performing RRM relaxation based on SDT includes: suppressing performing RRM relaxation when the UE is configured for SDT. In embodiment 3 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), performing RRM relaxation based on SDT includes: suppressing performing RRM relaxation during SDT transmission. In embodiment 4 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), performing RRM relaxation based on SDT includes: suppressing performing RRM relaxation on one or more preselected frequency carriers. In embodiment 5 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), performing RRM relaxation based on SDT includes: suppressing performing RRM relaxation when one or more relaxation conditions are met.

[0119] In embodiment 6 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), the one or more relaxation conditions include at least one of the following: the location of the UE relative to the cell perimeter; the stationary state of the UE; or the mobility state of the UE. In embodiment 7 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), performing RRM relaxation based on SDT includes: suppressing performing RRM relaxation with a measurement interval of 1 hour or more than 1 hour. In embodiment 8 (which may also include one or more of the embodiments described herein), when the UE is performing RRM relaxation in low mobility mode, timing advance (TA) verification for SDT is satisfied.

[0120] The above description of illustrative examples, implementations, aspects, etc. of the disclosed subject matter, including what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific examples, implementations, aspects, etc. are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications can be considered within the scope of such examples, implementations, aspects, etc., as can be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art.

[0121] In this regard, while the subject matter of the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with various examples, implementations, aspects, etc. and corresponding figures, it should be understood that other similar aspects may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the disclosed subject matter, where applicable, for performing the same, similar, alternative or alternative functions of the subject matter without departing from the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single example, implementation, or aspect described herein, but should be interpreted in accordance with the breadth and scope of the following claims.

[0122] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components or structures (components, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "members") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary implementations illustrated herein. In addition, while particular features have been disclosed with respect to only one of a plurality of implementations, for any given or particular application, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

[0123] As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive arrangements. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to be directed to the singular form. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including", "comprising", "having", "having", "with", or variations thereof are used in the detailed description and claims, such terms are intended to be included in a manner similar to the term "comprising". In addition, where one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X", "second X", etc.) are discussed, generally, the one or more numbered items may be different or they may be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or that they are the same.

[0124] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

Claims

1. A baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), the baseband processor include: One or more processors configured to: Enter inactive operating mode; during the inactive mode, determining whether the UE is configured for small data transmission (SDT); performing radio resource management (RRM) relaxation when the UE is not configured for SDT; as well as When the UE is configured for SDT, RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT.

2. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: refraining from performing RRM relaxation when the UE is configured for SDT.

3. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Execution of RRM relaxation is refrained during SDT transmission.

4. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Performing RRM relaxation on one or more pre-selected frequency carriers is refrained.

5. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Execution of RRM relaxation is suppressed when one or more relaxation conditions are met.

6. The baseband processor of claim 5, wherein the one or more relaxation conditions include at least one of the following: The location of the UE relative to the cell perimeter; The UE is in a stationary state; or The mobility state of the UE.

7. The baseband processor of claim 1 , wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Execution of RRM relaxation is refrained at measurement intervals of 1 hour or more.

8. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein when the UE is performing RRM relaxation in a low mobility mode, a timing advance (TA) verification for SDT is satisfied.

9. A user equipment (UE), wherein the user equipment (UE) include: One or more processors configured to: Enter inactive operating mode; during the inactive mode, determining whether the UE is configured for small data transmission (SDT); performing radio resource management (RRM) relaxation when the UE is not configured for SDT; as well as When the UE is configured for SDT, RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: refraining from performing RRM relaxation when the UE is configured for SDT.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Execution of RRM relaxation is refrained during SDT transmission.

12. The UE according to claim 9, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Performing RRM relaxation on one or more pre-selected frequency carriers is refrained.

13. The UE according to claim 9, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Execution of RRM relaxation is suppressed when one or more relaxation conditions are met.

14. The UE according to claim 13, wherein the one or more relaxation conditions include at least one of the following: The location of the UE relative to the cell perimeter; The UE is in a stationary state; or The mobility state of the UE.

15. The UE according to claim 9, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Performing RRM relaxation is refrained at measurement intervals of 1 hour or more. 16 . The UE of claim 9 , wherein when the UE is performing RRM relaxation in a low mobility mode, a timing advance (TA) verification for SDT is satisfied.

17. A method performed by a user equipment, the method include: Enter inactive operating mode; during the inactive mode, determining whether the UE is configured for small data transmission (SDT); performing radio resource management (RRM) relaxation when the UE is not configured for SDT; as well as When the UE is configured for SDT, RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: refraining from performing RRM relaxation when the UE is configured for SDT.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein RRM relaxation is performed based on the SDT include: Execution of RRM relaxation is refrained during SDT transmission.

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