Access restrictions in energy-saving networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for access barring in an energy saving network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE includes a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, where the processor is configured to receive, via the transceiver, at least one of access related information of a new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell; and performing access restriction on the new cell based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for access restriction in energy-efficient networks. Background Art

[0002] The following abbreviations are defined herein, at least some of which are referred to in the following description: New Radio (NR), Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI), Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM or Flash), Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), User Equipment (UE), Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation Node B (gNB), Uplink (UL), Downlink (DL), Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Radio Resource Control (RRC), User Entity / Equipment (Mobile Terminal), Transmitter (TX), Receiver (RX), Master Information Block (MIB), Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), System Information Block (SIB), Unified Access Control (UAC), Access Class (AC), Access Identity (AI), Network Energy Saving (NES), Random Access Channel (RACH), Information Element (IE).

[0003] A UE that supports the Network Energy Saving (NES) technical feature may be referred to as a new UE. A UE that does not support the Network Energy Saving technical feature may be referred to as a legacy UE. A cell that supports the Network Energy Saving technical feature may be referred to as a new cell. A cell that does not support the Network Energy Saving technical feature may be referred to as a legacy cell.

[0004] The new cell may have different states, for example, a non-sleeping state and multiple sleeping states.

[0005] The present invention is directed to access control in energy efficient networks, eg for new UEs and / or new cells. Summary of the invention

[0006] Disclosed are a method and device for access restriction in an energy-saving network.

[0007] In one embodiment, the UE includes a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to receive at least one of access-related information of the new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell via the transceiver; and perform access restriction on the new cell based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

[0008] In some embodiments, the access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for the new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

[0009] In some embodiments, the UE is a new UE or a new UE without a specific service.

[0010] In some embodiments, the indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs. If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "prohibited", and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not prohibited".

[0011] In some embodiments, if the indication of the cell status of the new cell is "not barred", access restriction to the new cell is performed based on access-related information of the new cell.

[0012] In some embodiments, the processor is also configured to receive at least one of a cell reselection indication of a new UE and a cell reselection indication of a legacy UE via the transceiver, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication of the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication of the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell.

[0013] In another embodiment, the method performed by the UE includes receiving at least one of access-related information of the new cell and an indication of the cell status of the new cell; and performing access restriction on the new cell based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell status of the new cell.

[0014] In yet another embodiment, the base station unit includes a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to send at least one of access-related information of the new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell to the UE via the transceiver, wherein access restriction of the UE to the new cell is performed based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

[0015] In some embodiments, the access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for the new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

[0016] In some embodiments, access restriction to new cells by new UEs or new UEs without specific services is performed.

[0017] In some embodiments, the indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs. If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "prohibited", and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not prohibited".

[0018] In some embodiments, depending on different states of the new cell, different access control parameters are configured to access relevant information of the new cell.

[0019] In some embodiments, the processor is also configured to send at least one of a cell reselection indication for a new UE and a cell reselection indication for a legacy UE to the UE via the transceiver, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication for the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication for the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell.

[0020] In yet another embodiment, the method performed by the base station unit includes sending at least one of access-related information of the new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell to the UE, wherein access restriction of the UE to the new cell is performed based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The embodiments briefly described above will be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only some embodiments and are not therefore to be considered limiting in scope, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the method; and

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Detailed Description

[0026] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, certain aspects of the embodiments may be embodied as systems, devices, methods, or program products. Thus, the embodiments may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, which are generally referred to herein as "circuits," "modules," or "systems." In addition, the embodiments may take the form of a program product embodied in one or more computer-readable storage devices that store machine-readable code, computer-readable code, and / or program code (hereinafter referred to as "code"). The storage device may be tangible, non-temporary, and / or non-transmitting. The storage device may not embody a signal. In a certain embodiment, the storage device only uses a signal to access the code.

[0027] Certain functional units described in this specification may be labeled as "modules" to more specifically emphasize their independent implementation. For example, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit, including a custom very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) circuit or gate array, an off-the-shelf semiconductor (such as a logic chip, transistor, or other discrete component). A module may also be implemented in a programmable hardware device, such as a field programmable gate array, programmable array logic, a programmable logic device, etc.

[0028] Modules may also be implemented in code and / or software for execution by various types of processors. For example, an identified code module may include physical or logical blocks of one or more executable codes, which may be organized, for example, as objects, processes, or functions. Nevertheless, the executable files of the identified modules need not be physically located together, but may include different instructions stored in different locations, which, when logically connected together, comprise the module and implement the stated purpose of the module.

[0029] In fact, a code module may include a single instruction or many instructions, and may even be distributed across several different code segments, between different programs, and across multiple storage devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and described in this article within a module, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within a data structure of any suitable type. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed in different locations, including different computer-readable storage devices. When a module or a portion of a module is implemented in software, the software portion is stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices.

[0030] Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be a storage device storing code. The storage device may be, for example, but need not necessarily be, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, holographic, micromechanical, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0031] A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of storage devices would include the following: an electrical connection with one or more cables, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0032] The code for performing the operations of the embodiments may include any number of lines and may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby, Java, Smalltalk, C++, etc., as well as traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language, etc., and / or machine languages ​​such as assembly language. The code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer, partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the last scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0033] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar language mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, unless expressly provided otherwise, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and similar language appearing in this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, but rather to "one or more but not all embodiments." Unless expressly provided otherwise, the terms "include," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to." Unless expressly provided otherwise, an enumerated list of items does not mean that any or all items are mutually exclusive. Unless expressly provided otherwise, the terms "a," "an," and "the" also refer to "one or more."

[0034] In addition, the features, structures or characteristics of the various embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided, such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid confusing aspects of the embodiments.

[0035] Various aspects of different embodiments are described below with reference to schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams of methods, devices, systems, and program products according to embodiments. It will be understood that each box in the schematic flow chart and / or schematic block diagram and the combination of boxes in the schematic flow chart and / or schematic block diagram can be implemented by code. The code can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device create a device for implementing the functions specified in the schematic flow chart and / or schematic block diagram of one or more boxes.

[0036] The code may also be stored in a storage device that can instruct a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device to operate in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the storage device produce an article of manufacture, including instructions that implement the functions specified in the schematic flowchart and / or schematic block diagram blocks.

[0037] The code may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be executed on the computer, other programmable device, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the code executed on the computer or other programmable device provides a process for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart and / or one or more block diagram blocks.

[0038] The schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams in the figures illustrate possible implementation architectures, functions and operations of devices, systems, methods and program products according to various embodiments. In this regard, each box in the schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams may represent a module, segment or code portion, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a code of a specified logical function.

[0039] It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions indicated in the blocks may not occur in the order indicated in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. Other steps and methods that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more blocks or portions thereof in the illustrated figures are contemplated.

[0040] Although various arrow types and line types can be used in flow charts and / or block diagrams, they should be understood as not limiting the scope of the corresponding embodiments. In fact, some arrows or other connectors can be used to indicate only the logical flow of the depicted embodiment. For example, an arrow can indicate a waiting or monitoring cycle of an unspecified duration between the enumeration steps of the depicted embodiment. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flow chart and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flow chart can be realized by a special hardware system or a combination of special hardware and code that performs a specified function or action.

[0041] The description of elements in each figure may refer to elements in previous figures. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures, including alternative embodiments of the same elements.

[0042] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, embodiments are provided in specific network architectures and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP 5G, 3GPP LTE, 3GPP NR-U, NR wireless access using shared spectrum channel access, etc. It is envisioned that with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems. In addition, the terms described in this application may change, which should not affect the principles of the present application. The embodiments disclosed herein can also be applied to unlicensed spectrum scenarios.

[0043] To make the description clearer, some concepts are clarified.

[0044] The UE, e.g. in an idle (e.g., RRC_IDLE) state, camps on a cell. This means that the UE is able to receive system information broadcast by a base station unit (e.g., gNB) managing the cell. The UE, e.g. in a connected (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED) state, is served by at least one cell. This means that, for each of the at least one cell, the UE communicates with the gNB managing the cell.

[0045] The new cell supporting the network energy-saving technical features may be in a non-sleep state (e.g., normal state, active state, etc.) or a sleep state. The new cell being in a sleep state means that the new cell is in a low energy consumption state. There may be multiple sleep states, such as a micro sleep state, a shallow sleep state, a deep sleep state, etc. (note that the name of each sleep state may be different from the micro sleep state, the shallow sleep state, and / or the deep sleep state. For example, multiple sleep states may be alternatively low-level sleep states, medium-level sleep states, high-level sleep states, etc.). Each sleep state corresponds to a different energy consumption level, and different energy consumption levels may be represented by different state transition times, different reference parameters, different configurations, different configuration cycles, different TX power levels, different power consumption levels, different resource allocation levels, etc. Each different level may be less than 100%. The new cell being in a non-sleep state means that the new cell can utilize the full level of energy or an energy level higher than the energy level of the sleep state. Accordingly, the state transition time, TX power, power consumption, resource allocation, etc. in the non-sleep state can be less than or equal to 100%, or can be higher than the level in the sleep state.

[0046] Considering the compatibility with legacy cells and the support for multi-carrier in NR Release 18 network energy saving, different deployment configurations can be listed in Table 1.

[0047] Condition deploy New cell configuration a-1 (Traditional or) New Cell #1 + New Cell #2 Cell #1: system information; in non-sleeping state; Cell #2: no SSB or reduced SSB, but MIB can be provided; in sleeping state; a-2 (Traditional or) New Cell #1 + New Cell #2 Cell #1: system information; in a non-sleeping state; Cell #2: system information configured with a longer period; in a sleeping state; b New Community #3 Cell #3: system information; for traditional UE or emergency services, in non-sleep state; for non-emergency services, in sleep state;

[0048] Table 1

[0049] In case (a) (i.e., case a-1 or case a-2), cell #1 (which is a legacy cell or a new cell) and cell #2 (which is a new cell) (e.g., it can be an inter-frequency cell) provide coverage, for example, for the same area, or cell #2 provides smaller coverage. In both cases a-1 and a-2, cell #1 provides system information. Specifically, cell #1 needs to provide relevant information of cell #2. This means that if cell #1 is a legacy cell, it should be updated to support the ability to provide relevant information of cell #2. In case a-1, cell #2 does not provide complete access-related information. For example, cell #2 provides neither MIB nor any SIB, or provides MIB but does not provide any SIB. In the MIB and / or SIB (SIB1, etc.) in case a-1, SSB may not be sent and / or received (i.e., SSB-free), or the sending and / or receiving of SSB may be reduced (i.e., reduced SSB), so that complete access-related information is not provided. The reduced SSBs can be achieved by increasing the periodicity, sending and / or receiving on demand, or occupying fewer symbols. On the other hand, in case a-2, cell #2 provides complete access-related information, for example, the periodicity of MIB and SIB1 and / or other SIBs is longer. For case (a) (i.e., case a-1 or case a-2), the new cell #2 in one of the sleep states can only serve new UEs.

[0050] In case (b), cell #3 as a new cell can serve both new UEs and legacy UEs. Specifically, new cell #3 can be in a non-sleeping state when serving legacy UEs or new UEs with emergency services, and can be in a sleeping state or low energy consumption mode when serving new UEs without emergency services.

[0051] It can be seen that for case (a-1), especially for case (a-2), the reduced SSB from the new cell #2 can be searched by the legacy UE. However, the deployment purpose in case (a) is to serve the legacy UE through cell #1 and to serve the new UE through cell #2. Therefore, it is better to bar the legacy UE through cell #2. However, this barring of the legacy UE by the new cell #2 cannot be achieved through the existing cellBarred indication.

[0052] Furthermore, it can be assumed that, since the new cell #2 is designated for new UEs, the transmission resources for legacy UEs and new UEs are different in cases (a-1) and (a-2). Since the signaling overhead may be relatively low considering potential network energy-saving physical layer techniques (e.g., aggregate scheduling and / or feedback signaling), relatively more new UEs can be served by the new cell. Therefore, it is preferred to apply different access restrictions between new UEs and legacy UEs.

[0053] Traditionally, there are two main mechanisms to impose cell reservation or access restrictions. The first mechanism uses an indication of the cell status (e.g., the cellBarred indication in the Master Information Block (MIB)). The second mechanism, known as Unified Access Control (UAC), allows selected Access Categories (ACs) or Access Identities (AIs) to be blocked from sending initial access messages for load control reasons.

[0054] This disclosure proposes enhancements to both of these mechanisms.

[0055] The first embodiment relates to an enhancement of the first mechanism for indication of the cell status.

[0056] In the first mechanism of the traditional cell status indication, the cellBarred indication in the MIB can be set to "barred" or "not barred". When the UE receives the MIB, if the cellBarred indication in the received MIB is set to "barred", the UE considers that the cell is barred. This means that the UE is not allowed to select (or reselect) the cell, which means that the UE should select other cells. When selecting other cells, if the intraFreqReselection indication in the received MIB is set to "notAllowed", the UE considers that reselection of other cells with the same frequency as the barred cell is not allowed (that is, the UE should select other cells on different frequencies).

[0057] The first sub-embodiment of the first embodiment relates to enhancement of the indication of cells to which access is not allowed.

[0058] As described above, the conventional cellBarred indication can be used to prohibit the cell. Specifically, the conventional UE can receive and identify the conventional cellBarred indication. If cellBarred is set to "prohibited", the conventional UE identifies that the cell is prohibited; and if cellBarred is set to "not prohibited", the conventional UE identifies that the cell is not prohibited.

[0059] According to the first sub-embodiment of the first embodiment, a new notallowed-NES indication can be added for new UEs. The notallowed-NES indication can be in the MIB, or in SIB1 or other SIBs. The notallowed-NES indication can be set to "true" (or "barred", "forbidden", etc., which indicates that the cell is barred), which means that the cell is barred (i.e., access is not allowed), or set to "false" (or "notbarred", etc., which indicates that the cell is not barred), which means that the cell is not barred (i.e., access is allowed). The notallowed-NES indication can be applied to all new UEs, or only to new UEs without specific services. Specific services can be predefined or preconfigured. For example, a specific service can be a delay-critical service. A UE without a delay-critical service may mean a new UE that does not support a delay-critical service, or a new UE that a delay-critical service will not reach.

[0060] The new notallowed-NES indication can be used together with the legacy cellBarred indication to indicate the cell status to both legacy UEs and new UEs, as explained in Table 2.

[0061] cellBarred indication notallowed-NES directive Cell status of traditional UE The status of the new community "barred" "true" The neighborhood is banned The neighborhood is banned "barred" "false" The neighborhood is banned The community is not banned "not barred" "true" The community is not banned The neighborhood is banned "not barred" "false" The community is not banned The community is not banned

[0062] Table 2

[0063] Specifically, a legacy UE is able to receive and recognize a legacy cellBarred indication (whereas a legacy UE does not recognize a notallowed-NES indication and therefore ignores a received notallowed-NES indication). If cellBarred is set to "barred", the legacy UE recognizes that the cell is barred, for example, for a legacy UE; and if cellBarred is set to "not barred", the legacy UE recognizes that the cell is not barred, for example, for a legacy UE. On the other hand, a new UE is able to receive and recognize a notallowed-NES indication and ignores the received cellBarred indication. If notallowed-NES is set to "true", the new UE recognizes that the cell is barred, for example, for a new UE; and if notallowed-NES is set to "false", the new UE recognizes that the cell is not barred, for example, for a new UE.

[0064] In addition, new UEs can be classified into new UEs without specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) and new UEs with specific services (e.g., latency-critical services). New UEs with specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) can identify the cell status in the same way as traditional UEs. This means that new UEs with specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) can receive and identify traditional cellBarred indications, while new UEs without specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) can receive and identify notallowed-NES indications. Therefore, the cell status explained in Table 2 can be alternatively explained in Table 3.

[0065] cellBarred indication notallowed-NES directive Cell status of legacy UEs and new UEs with specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) Cell status for new UEs without specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) "barred" "true" The neighborhood is banned The neighborhood is banned "barred" "false" The neighborhood is banned The community is not banned "not barred" "true" The community is not banned The neighborhood is banned "not barred" "false" The community is not banned The community is not banned

[0066] Table 3

[0067] According to a combination of a cellBarred indication and a notallowed-NES indication (e.g., a cellBarred indication set to "barred" and a notallowed-NES indication set to "false"), a new cell that is not in a normal state (e.g., the new cell implements Rel-18 network energy saving technology and can be not in a non-sleep state, which means that the new cell is in a sleep state or in any of a variety of sleep states or in an energy saving mode or in a lower energy consumption level) or does not provide services to legacy UEs or is a non-anchor cell (e.g., the cell is in a non-anchor carrier) can be configured to bar legacy UEs but allow access to new UEs (or bar legacy UEs and new UEs with specific services (e.g., latency-critical services) but allow access to new UEs without specific services (e.g., latency-critical services)).

[0068] According to the second sub-embodiment of the first embodiment, both legacy UEs and new UEs may ignore the legacy intraFreqReselection indication.

[0069] In the conventional, if a cell is barred for access (e.g., by setting the cellBarred indication to "barred"), the intraFreqReselection indication indicates to the UE whether the UE is allowed to select other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell. That is, if the intraFreqReselection indication in the received MIB is set to "Allowed", the UE considers that cell reselection for other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell is allowed, and if the intraFreqReselection indication in the received MIB is set to "Not Allowed", the UE considers that cell reselection for other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell is not allowed (i.e., the UE should select other cells on different frequencies).

[0070] According to the second sub-embodiment of the first embodiment, if a cell is prohibited from access (for example, for a legacy UE or for a legacy UE and a new UE with a specific service (for example, a delay-critical service), identified by a cellBarred indication set to "prohibited", or for a new UE or for a new UE without a specific service (for example, a delay-critical service), identified by a notallowed-NES indication set to "true"), both the legacy UE and the new UE (with or without the specific service (for example, a delay-critical service)) ignore the intraFreqReselection indication. This means that both the legacy UE and the new UE consider that the intraFreqReselection indication is set to "allowed".

[0071] By the way, the barred cell may not be explicitly indicated (e.g., by cellBarred indication and / or by notallowed-NES indication). This means that the barred cell may be implicitly indicated. For example, reduced SSBs may implicitly indicate a barred cell for a UE with a specific service (e.g., a latency-critical service).

[0072] According to a variation of the second sub-embodiment of the first embodiment, the legacy UE (or the legacy UE and the new UE with a specific service) considers the intraFreqReselection indication, while the new UE (or the new UE without a specific service) ignores the intraFreqReselection indication (i.e., considers that the intraFreqReselection indication is set to "allowed"). For example, the actions after MIB reception specified in TS 38.311 can be modified as follows (underlined modifications (i.e., additions))

[0073] Upon receiving the MIB, the UE shall:

[0074] 1> Store the obtained MIB;

[0075] 1> If the UE is in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, or if the UE is in RRC_CONNECTED state when T311 is running:

[0076] 2> If cellBarred in the obtained MIB is set to disabled:

[0077] 3> the cell is considered barred according to TS 38.304

[20] ;

[0078] 3> If intraFreqReselection is set to notAllowed; and

[0079] 3> If the cell operates in licensed spectrum, or the cell belongs to a PLMN indicated as equivalent to the registered PLMN, or the cell belongs to the registered SNPN of the UE:

[0080] 4> Cell reselection to other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell is considered not allowed, as specified in TS38.304

[20] .

[0081] 4> If the UE is a new UE, the cell reselection to other new cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell is regarded as allow.

[0082] According to the third sub-embodiment of the first embodiment, a new intraFreqReselection-NES indication may be added for a new UE (or for a new UE without a specific service).

[0083] The intraFreqReselection-NES indication can be set to "Not Allowed", which means that cell reselection to other cells (or other new cells) on the same frequency as the barred cell is not allowed, or to "Allowed", which means that cell reselection to other cells (or other new cells) on the same frequency as the barred cell is allowed.

[0084] If the cell is barred (e.g., indicated by the legacy cellBarred indication set to "barred" or the notallowed-NES indication set to "true"), the new UE shall regard cell reselection to other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell as not allowed if the intraFreqReselection-NES indication is set to "not allowed", or shall regard cell reselection to other new cells on the same frequency as the barred cell as not allowed.

[0085] If the cell is barred (e.g. indicated by the legacy cellBarred indication set to "barred" or the notallowed-NES indication set to "true"), the new UE shall consider cell reselection to other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell as allowed, or shall consider cell reselection to other new cells on the same frequency as the barred cell as allowed, if the intraFreqReselection-NES indication is not set (or it is set to "allowed").

[0086] If a new UE (or a UE without a specific service) receives a new intraFreqReselection-NES indication, the new UE may ignore the legacy intraFreqReselection indication.

[0087] The second embodiment relates to the enhancement of the second mechanism of UAC.

[0088] In a traditional UAC, if the UAC-BarringPerCatList contains a UAC-BarringPerCat entry corresponding to an access category, the UAC-BarringPerCat entry is selected. The UAC-BarringPerCatList, which is an information element (IE), provides the following access control parameters for the access category list:

[0089] UAC-BarringInfoSetList Information Element

[0090]

[0091] If UAC-BarringInfoSetList contains a UAC-BarringInfoSet entry corresponding to the selected uac-barringInfoSetIndex in UAC-BarringPerCat, then the UAC-BarringInfoSet entry is selected. UAC-BarringInfoSetList, which is an information element (IE), provides a list of access control parameter sets as follows. Access parameters can be configured for an access category according to one of the sets.

[0092] UAC-BarringInfoSetList Information Element

[0093]

[0094] Access barring check is performed on the access category using the selected UAC-BarringInfoSet as the "UAC Barring Parameter".

[0095] One or more access identities are indicated. For at least one of these indicated access identities, if the corresponding bit in uac-BarringForAccessIdentity contained in the "UAC Barring Parameters" is set to zero, the access attempt is considered allowed.

[0096] According to the second embodiment, three enhancements are proposed: (1) defining a new AI (for new UEs); (2) defining a new AC (for new UEs); and (3) defining new parameters in an existing AI or an existing AC (for new UEs).

[0097] According to the first sub-embodiment of the second embodiment, a new AI is defined.

[0098] For example, a new AI (e.g., "k") can be newly defined to indicate a new UE. Alternatively, multiple new AIs can be newly defined for the new UE to distinguish it from the legacy UE. For example, the legacy AI = 1 indicates that the UE (i.e., the legacy UE) is configured for the multimedia priority service (MPS). Therefore, a new AI = 20 can be newly defined to indicate that the new UE is configured for the multimedia priority service (MPS). This can be applied when the new cell is not in the normal state, when the new cell is in the sleep state or one of the multiple sleep states, or when the new cell is in any state.

[0099] Furthermore, a new AI (eg, 'p') can be newly defined to indicate a new UE that does not have a specific service (eg, latency-critical service).

[0100] Thus, if one or more access identities are indicated (e.g., 'k' and 'p' are indicated), and if for at least one of these access identities, the corresponding bit in uac-BarringForAccessIdentity contained in the "UAC Barring Parameters" is set to zero, then the access attempt is considered allowed.

[0101] According to the second sub-embodiment of the second embodiment, a new AC is defined.

[0102] One or more new ACs can be newly defined to indicate legacy or new access categories for new UEs. This can be applied when the new cell is not in a normal state, when the new cell is in a sleep state or one of multiple sleep states, or when the new cell is in any state.

[0103] A new AC can be added to the access category list to provide access control parameters for the new AC. For example, the traditional UAC-BarringPerCatList can be extended to include the new AC. Corresponding access control parameters can be provided for each new AC.

[0104] For example, AC values ​​0~63 are already occupied, and AC=1 is defined for delay tolerance in legacy (for legacy UEs). A new AC with a value of 70 can be added for delay tolerance for new UEs.

[0105] The new UE can perform access barring check based on the new AC.

[0106] According to the third embodiment of the second embodiment, new parameters (for new UEs) are defined in the existing AI or AC. This can be applied when the new cell is not in the normal state, or when the new cell is in the sleep state or one of multiple sleep states, or when the new cell is in any state.

[0107] New parameters (access control parameters) can share the same entries with existing ACs. For example, new parameters can be added to the existing UAC-BarringInfoSet as follows (the newly added parameters are underlined):

[0108]

[0109] Alternatively, a new parameter can also be added in a specific entry, for example, a specific entry can be added to the existing UAC-BarringPerCat as follows (the specific entry is underlined):

[0110]

[0111] Further alternatively, UAC-BarringPerCat can be extended to UAC-BarringPerCat-NES as follows:

[0112]

[0113] Different access control parameters can be set for different cell states (e.g., different levels of sleep states, such as micro-sleep state, light sleep state, and deep sleep state). For example, different uac-BarringFactors corresponding to different uac-barringInfoSetIndex-NES, or different uac-BarringTimes corresponding to different uac-barringInfoSetIndex-NES, or different uac-BarringFactor-NES, different uac-BarringTime-NES, and / or different uac-BarringForAccessIdentity-NES can be set. For example, the uac-BarringFactor can be set to 60% for the light sleep state and 80% for the deep sleep state, or the uac-BarringFactor-NES can be set to 60% for the light sleep state and 80% for the deep sleep state.

[0114] The third embodiment involves separate RACH resources.

[0115] Separate RACH resources can be configured for legacy UEs and new UEs. Separate RACH resources may refer to separate preambles, separate preamble groups, and / or separate RACH opportunities.

[0116] The individual RACH resources may be broadcasted via system information, or configured via dedicated signaling, or predefined in the specification, or configured as a default configuration.

[0117] Figure 1 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 100 according to the present application. In some embodiments, the method 100 is performed by a device such as a remote unit (UE). In some embodiments, the method 100 may be performed by a processor that executes program code, for example, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, an FPGA, etc.

[0118] Method 100 can be performed by a UE and includes 102 receiving at least one of access-related information of a new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell; and 104 performing access restriction on the new cell based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

[0119] In some embodiments, the access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for the new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

[0120] In some embodiments, the UE is a new UE or a new UE without a specific service.

[0121] In some embodiments, the indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs. If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "prohibited" and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not prohibited".

[0122] In some embodiments, if the indication of the cell status of the new cell is "not barred", access restriction to the new cell is performed based on access-related information of the new cell.

[0123] In some embodiments, the method also includes receiving at least one of a cell reselection indication for a new UE and a cell reselection indication for a legacy UE, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication of the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication of the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell.

[0124] Figure 22 is a schematic flow chart illustrating another embodiment of a method 200 according to the present application. In some embodiments, the method 200 is performed by a device such as a base station unit or a network device. In some embodiments, the method 200 can be performed by a processor that executes program code, for example, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, an FPGA, etc.

[0125] Method 200 can be performed by a base station unit and includes 202 sending at least one of access-related information of a new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell to a UE, wherein access restriction of the UE to the new cell is performed based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

[0126] In some embodiments, the access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for the new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

[0127] In some embodiments, access restriction to new cells by new UEs or new UEs without specific services is performed.

[0128] In some embodiments, the indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs. If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "prohibited" and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not prohibited".

[0129] In some embodiments, depending on different states of the new cell, different access control parameters are configured to access relevant information of the new cell.

[0130] In some embodiments, the method also includes sending at least one of a cell reselection indication for a new UE and a cell reselection indication for a traditional UE to the UE, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication for the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the traditional UE, the cell reselection indication for the traditional UE indicates whether the traditional UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell.

[0131] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing an apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0132] refer to Figure 3 , UE (ie, remote unit or terminal equipment) includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver. Processor implementation Figure 1The functions, processes and / or methods proposed in.

[0133] The UE includes a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to receive at least one of access-related information of a new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell via the transceiver; and perform access restriction on the new cell based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

[0134] In some embodiments, the access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for the new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

[0135] In some embodiments, the UE is a new UE or a new UE without a specific service.

[0136] In some embodiments, the indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs. If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "prohibited", and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not prohibited".

[0137] In some embodiments, if the indication of the cell status of the new cell is "not barred", access restriction to the new cell is performed based on access-related information of the new cell.

[0138] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to receive at least one of a cell reselection indication of a new UE and a cell reselection indication of a legacy UE via the transceiver, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication of the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication of the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell.

[0139] refer to Figure 3 , gNB (i.e. base station unit or network equipment) includes processor, memory and transceiver. Processor implementation Figure 2 The functions, processes and / or methods proposed in.

[0140] The base station unit includes a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to transmit at least one of access-related information of the new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell to the UE via the transceiver, wherein access restriction of the UE to the new cell is performed based on at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

[0141] In some embodiments, the access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for the new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

[0142] In some embodiments, access restriction to new cells by new UEs or new UEs without specific traffic is performed.

[0143] In some embodiments, the indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs. If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "prohibited" and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not prohibited".

[0144] In some embodiments, depending on different states of the new cell, different access control parameters are configured to access relevant information of the new cell.

[0145] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to transmit at least one of a cell reselection indication of a new UE and a cell reselection indication of a legacy UE to the UE via the transceiver, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication for the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell, and if the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "prohibited" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication for the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the prohibited cell.

[0146] Each layer of the radio interface protocol can be implemented by the processor. The memory is connected to the processor to store various information for driving the processor. The transceiver is connected to the processor to send and / or receive radio signals. Needless to say, the transceiver can be implemented as a transmitter for sending radio signals and a receiver for receiving radio signals.

[0147] The memory may be located inside or outside the processor and connected to the processor through various well-known means.

[0148] In the above-described embodiments, the components and features of the embodiments are combined in a predetermined form. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, each component or feature should be considered as an option. Each component or feature can be implemented as not associated with other components or features. In addition, the embodiments can be configured by associating some components and / or features. The order of the operations described in the embodiments can be changed. Some components or features of any embodiment can be included in another embodiment, or replaced with components and features corresponding to another embodiment. Obviously, claims that are not explicitly cited in the claims are combined to form embodiments or are included in new claims.

[0149] The embodiments may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In the case of implementation by hardware, according to hardware implementation, the exemplary embodiments described herein may be implemented by using one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.

[0150] Embodiments may be implemented in other specific forms. The described embodiments should be considered in all respects as merely illustrative and not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. All changes within the equivalent meaning and scope of the claims should be included within their scope.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: processor; as well as a transceiver coupled to the processor, Wherein, the processor is configured to receiving, via the transceiver, at least one of access-related information of a new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell; as well as Access restriction to the new cell is performed based on the at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell status of the new cell.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for a new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The UE is a new UE or a new UE without a specific service.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein: If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "barred", and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not barred".

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: If the indication of the cell status of the new cell is "not prohibited", the access restriction on the new cell is performed based on the access-related information of the new cell.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to receive, via the transceiver, at least one of a cell reselection indication of a new UE and a cell reselection indication of a legacy UE, If the indication of the cell state of the new cell indicates "barred" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication of the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell, and If the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "barred" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication of the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell.

8. A method performed at a UE, comprising: receiving at least one of access related information of a new cell and an indication of a cell state of the new cell; as well as Access restriction to the new cell is performed based on the at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell status of the new cell.

9. A base station unit, comprising: processor; as well as a transceiver coupled to the processor, Wherein, the processor is configured to sending, via the transceiver, to the UE at least one of access related information of the new cell and an indication of the cell state of the new cell, The access restriction of the UE to the new cell is performed according to at least one of the access-related information of the new cell and the indication of the cell state of the new cell.

10. The base station unit according to claim 9, wherein: The access-related information of the new cell includes at least one of a new AI for a new UE, a new AC, and a new parameter defined in an existing AI or AC.

11. The base station unit according to claim 9, wherein: The access restriction of a new UE or a new UE without a specific service to the new cell is performed.

12. The base station unit according to claim 9, wherein: The indication of the cell state of the new cell includes at least one of an indication of the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs and an indication of the cell state of the new cell for new UEs.

13. The base station unit according to claim 12, wherein: If the new cell is not in a normal state, or the new cell is not used for access, or the new cell is a non-anchor cell, the cell state of the new cell for legacy UEs is "barred", and the cell state of the new cell for new UEs is "not barred".

14. The base station unit according to claim 9, wherein: Depending on different states of the new cell, different access control parameters are configured to access relevant information of the new cell.

15. The base station unit according to claim 9, wherein: The processor is further configured to send at least one of a cell reselection indication for a new UE and a cell reselection indication for a legacy UE to the UE via the transceiver, If the indication of the cell state of the new cell indicates "barred" for the new UE, the cell reselection indication for the new UE indicates whether the new UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell, and If the indication of the cell status of the new cell indicates "barred" for the legacy UE, the cell reselection indication for the legacy UE indicates whether the legacy UE is allowed to reselect other cells on the same frequency as the barred cell.

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