Paging information and paging-related actions

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for paging information and paging-related actions. A terminal device may receive, via a first cell, first paging information related to a second cell, or another carrier of the first cell, and perform, based on the first paging information, a paging-related action via the second cell, or the another carrier. The synchronization signal is not transmitted in the second cell or in the other carrier. The paging-related action may include monitoring second paging information in a second cell, or the other carrier, if the first paging information includes a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, or a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message; or if the first paging information includes a paging message, or a wake-up signal, performing at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell, or the other carrier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments described herein relate generally to communication technology, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for paging information and paging-related actions. Background Art

[0002] Certain abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are defined herein as follows:

[0003] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0004] MT Mobile Termination

[0005] NES Network Energy Saving

[0006] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0007] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0008] PEI Paging Early Indication

[0009] PO Paging time

[0010] RA Random Access

[0011] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0012] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0013] SDT Small Data Transfer

[0014] SIB1 System Information Block Type 1

[0015] SSB Synchronous Signal Block

[0016] TRS Tracking Reference Signal

[0017] UE User Equipment

[0018] WUS wake-up signal

[0019] 5G New Radio (NR) is designed to enable denser network deployments for higher capacity and performance, which means a huge increase in energy consumption, which adds up to a large portion of operators' expenses and also leads to environmental impact. Network Energy Saving (NES) is becoming one of the top priorities in the telecommunications industry. NR supports Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle and inactive states of user equipment (UE) for saving power. RRC idle and inactive UEs are required to monitor paging occasions in case the network has signaling or data for the UE. Summary of the invention

[0020] The following provides a brief summary of the exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention summary is not intended to identify the key features of the essential elements or to limit the scope of the embodiments, but is intended to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description below.

[0021] In a first aspect, an example embodiment of a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: receive first paging information related to a second cell or another carrier of the first cell via a first cell, and perform paging-related actions via the second cell or the other carrier based on the first paging information. The second cell or the other carrier may be configured so that a synchronization signal is not sent via the second cell or the other carrier. The paging-related actions may include: monitoring the second paging information in the second cell or the other carrier when the first paging information includes a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, or a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, or performing at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell or the other carrier when the first paging information includes a paging message or a wake-up signal.

[0022] In a second aspect, an example embodiment of a network device is provided. The network device may include: at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: determine to page a terminal device residing on a first cell, and send first paging information via the first cell to redirect the terminal device to a second cell, or another carrier of the first cell. The second cell, or the another carrier, may be configured so that a synchronization signal is not sent via the second cell or the another carrier.

[0023] Example embodiments of methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are also provided. Such example embodiments generally correspond to the above-described example embodiments of terminal devices and network devices, and for convenience, repeated descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0024] Other features and advantages of example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Some example embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0027] Figure 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating a process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 3 is a message flow diagram illustrating a process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a device in a communication system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar elements, and repeated description of the same elements will be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, some example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts, the following description includes specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known circuits, techniques, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts and features described.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to any suitable entity or device that can provide a cell or coverage, through which a terminal device can access a network or receive a service. Network equipment may generally be referred to as a base station. The term "base station" used herein may represent a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB) or a gNB or ng-eNB. A base station may be embodied as a macro base station, a relay node or a low-power node, such as a micro base station or a femto base station. A base station may be composed of several distributed network units, such as a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more remote radio heads (RRH) or remote radio units (RRU). The number and functionality of these distributed units depends on the selected split RAN architecture.

[0035] As used herein, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment" (UE) refers to any entity or device that can communicate wirelessly with network devices or each other. Examples of terminal devices may include mobile phones, mobile terminals, mobile stations, subscriber stations, portable subscriber stations, access terminals, computers, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted communication devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, device-to-device (D2D) communication devices, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication devices, sensors, etc. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, user terminal, mobile terminal, mobile station, or wireless device.

[0036] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile communication network 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The mobile communication network 100 (or cellular communication network), which may be part of a larger network or system, may include one or more base stations (BSs) 120 forming a radio access network (RAN) to provide access to the network for one or more user equipments (UEs) 110. The base stations 120 may be connected to and controlled by a core network (not shown). Figure 1 One base station 120 and one UE 110 are shown as an example. The base station 120 may support more than one cell (not shown), and the UE 110 may camp in a cell and establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the base station 120 to receive data transmitted from the base station 120 on a downlink (DL) channel or to transmit data to the base station 120 on an uplink (UL) channel. When the UE 110 has no UL data to transmit and no DL data to receive, it may transition from the RRC connected state to an idle or inactive state for power saving.

[0037] Since 5G New Radio (NR) base stations can have higher power consumption than 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) base stations and can be deployed at a higher density, the overall power consumption of 5G networks may be multiple times that of 4G networks. Network energy saving (NES) has become a top priority for mobile communication networks 100. One solution for network energy saving is to omit the synchronization signal block (SSB) and system information block type 1 (SIB1) transmission in a cell, and the UE 110 can obtain synchronization with a non-SSB / SIB1 cell from another serving cell that sends SSB and SIB1. Currently, in an intra-band carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, non-SSB / SIB1 operation is supported for a secondary cell (SCell), and it is expected that the non-SSB / SIB1 operation will be extended to an inter-band CA scenario in the public release version 18, where the UE measures the SSB sent on the primary cell (PCell) or another SCell to obtain time and frequency synchronization with the non-SSB / SIB1 SCell. However, the non-SSB / SIB1 operation can only serve UEs in an RRC connected state.

[0038] It would be beneficial to extend the SSB / SIB1-free operation to non-CA cases in order to at least partially serve UEs in the RRC idle or inactive state, thereby enabling, for example, synchronization and paging procedures. Considering a scenario where co-located coverage and capacity cells are deployed at a given base station (e.g., base station 120), the capacity cell may be deactivated for energy saving purposes whenever the load in the system is low. The deactivated capacity cell will not send SSBs (and SIB1) and cannot provide any service to any UE. The RRC idle and inactive UEs will then reside on the coverage cell and connect to the coverage cell when needed because they are unaware of the existence of the deactivated capacity cell. However, when the load starts to increase again and the capacity cell has not yet been reactivated, it may cause load / capacity challenges to the coverage cell. The time to turn on a deactivated dormant cell may be tens of milliseconds or longer, and therefore it is not always possible to offload the UE to the capacity cell immediately. If the capacity cell is reactivated too early, it will reduce the energy saving benefits.

[0039] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a mechanism for SSB / SIB1-free operation in a non-CA situation, thereby enabling the use of SSB / SIB1-free cells for RRC idle and inactive UEs. In an exemplary embodiment, the network can dynamically redirect the UE expected to be paged to the SSB / SIB1-free cell by sending paging information to the UE via an anchor cell co-located with the SSB / SIB1-free cell. It avoids the long delay of paging and accessing the SSB / SIB1-free cell without compromising the network energy saving benefits because it does not require premature reactivation of the dormant SSB / SIB1-free cell. Regardless of the UE state or whether the UE is operating in CA mode, the UE can obtain synchronization and system information of the SSB / SIB1-free cell from the anchor cell where it resides. The UE can then perform paging-related actions / processes in the SSB / SIB1-free cell. Therefore, the SSB / SIB1-free cell can at least partially serve RRC idle and inactive UEs. The proposed mechanism can also be applied to enable SSB / SIB1-free operation for one or more carriers within a single cell operating multiple carriers. For example, the network can dynamically redirect the UE to a SSB / SIB1-free carrier by sending paging information to the UE via another carrier on which SSB and SIB1 are sent.

[0040] Figure 2 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating a process 200 for SSB / SIB1-free cell operation according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The process 200 may be performed at a UE 110, a first cell 120a, and a second cell 120b co-located with the first cell 120a. The first cell 120a and the second cell 120b may be supported by a single base station 120, or supported by different base stations 120. It will be appreciated that the cell-related operations discussed below (e.g., performed by a cell or at a cell) are performed by a base station, a network node, or a component of a base station or a network node that supports the cell. Similarly, the carrier-related operations discussed below (e.g., performed by a carrier or at a carrier) are performed by a base station or a network node that supports the cell, or a component of a base station or a network node. In the description, for simplicity reasons, at least some of the actions are described as if they are performed by a cell / at a cell or by a carrier / at a carrier, because one or more network nodes or base stations may be used to provide two different cells and / or two different carriers. Note further that this solution may be applicable to situations where more than two carriers or cells are used; for example, such that SSB / SIBs are transmitted for one cell, but not for two or more cells.

[0041] refer to Figure 2, the UE 110 may enter or be in (e.g., have previously entered) an RRC idle or inactive state at 210. Being in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state means that the UE 110 is not operating in carrier aggregation (CA) or dual connectivity (DC) mode. In other words, if the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b are supported by a single base station 120, they are not aggregated for CA operation of the UE 110. If the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b are supported by different base stations 120, they are not included in the master cell group (MCG) and the secondary cell group (SCG) for DC operation of the UE 110. The UE 110 may enter the RRC idle or inactive state for energy saving or other reasons. Here, an RRC idle / inactive UE is described as an example, but it will be appreciated that the principles of process 200 also apply to an RRC connected UE having an RRC connection with the first cell 120a.

[0042] At 212, the UE 110 may camp on the first cell 120a. When camping on the first cell 120a, the UE 110 may receive SSBs and system information broadcasts, such as SIB1, from the first cell 120a. If necessary, the UE 110 may initiate a random access process using the received system information to establish an RRC connection with the first cell 120a. The second cell 120b co-located with the first cell 120a may be deactivated, and the UE 110 is unaware of the existence of the second cell 120b. The first cell 120a may also be referred to as a coverage cell or an anchor cell, and the second cell 120b may also be referred to as a capacity cell or a non-anchor cell. In an example embodiment, the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b are not configured for dual connectivity. In an example embodiment, the first cell 120a may be a cell of a first radio access technology (RAT), and the second cell may be a cell of a second RAT different from the first RAT. For example, the first cell 120a may be a 4G LTE cell, and the second cell 120b may be a 5G NR cell. In an example embodiment, the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b share the same carrier. In another example embodiment, the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b operate using different carriers. For example, the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b may operate on different carrier frequencies.

[0043] At 214, UE 110 may receive configuration information associated with second cell 120b from first cell 120a. The configuration information may indicate that second cell 120b is a non-SSB / SIB1 cell, i.e., it does not send SSB or broadcast system information (e.g., SIB1). The configuration information may also include information for acquiring time and frequency synchronization with second cell 120b. For example, the configuration information may include one or more of the following:

[0044] ● Information on the time and frequency resources and configuration of the second cell 120b;

[0045] ● Information of a reference signal of the first cell 120a that can be used to obtain time and frequency synchronization with the second cell 120b;

[0046] ● Timing Advance (TA) information for the second cell 120b, where the first cell

[0047] 120a can be used as a timing reference; or

[0048] ● Information indicating conditional availability of a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) or other Reference Signal (RS) on a second cell 120b that is configured to be co-located with an opportunity for paging related actions, such as with a paging opportunity or near a Random Access Channel (RACH)

[0049] The timing is co-located to facilitate synchronization of the UE with the second cell 120b.

[0050] In an example embodiment, the configuration information may also indicate to the UE 110 paging-related actions to be performed in the second cell 120b. For example, the paging-related actions may include monitoring paging-related information sent from the second cell 120b, such as a wake-up signal (WUS), a paging early indication (PEI), a scheduling message (e.g., downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling a paging message), or a paging message. In an example, the configuration information may also indicate whether a traditional paging message or a paging message with a mobile terminated small data transmission (MT-SDT) is supported at the second cell 120b. Alternatively or additionally, the paging-related actions may include performing at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell 120b, such as transmission on a data channel in pre-configured resources, an action for a random access procedure, an action for an RRC setup procedure, or an action for an RRC recovery procedure.

[0051] Optionally, the configuration information may also indicate when the UE 110 is allowed to perform paging-related actions, for example, after a timer expires, after an offset after the UE 110 receives the paging information, or in the indicated time and frequency resources. For example, the configuration information may optionally include at least one of the following:

[0052] ● paging configuration information indicating paging occasions, such as time and / or frequency information;

[0053] ● Random access resource information, such as random access preamble, time and / or frequency information, random access opportunity; or

[0054] ● Regarding the time when UE 110 should perform paging related actions on the second cell 120b

[0055] Information about the length, for example, time in milliseconds, seconds, minutes, and / or hours.

[0056] In the case where there are multiple SSB / SIB1-free cells available, the configuration information may also indicate the cell identity (e.g., physical cell identity, PCI) of the SSB / SIB1-free cell (i.e., the second cell 120b) in which the UE 110 should perform paging-related actions. The configuration information may also indicate the carrier frequency used in the indicated SSB / SIB1-free cell.

[0057] The above configuration information may be sent via RRC signaling and / or system information broadcast (e.g., SIB type 1 or other types). In the case of system information broadcast, the first cell 120a may send system information associated with the second cell 120b separately from system information associated with the first cell 120a. In an example embodiment, at least a portion of the configuration information may be sent in a paging message sent to the UE 110 as discussed below, or pre-configured at the UE 110.

[0058] Continue to refer Figure 2 At 216, the first cell 120a may receive a paging request or downlink (DL) data for the UE 110 from a core network node (not shown). For example, if the UE 110 is in an RRC idle state and it has an incoming call or a short message, an access and mobility management function (AMF) in the core network may send a paging request to the first cell 120. If the UE 110 is in an RRC inactive state, the core network still maintains the context of the UE 110, and a user plane function (UPF) in the core network may forward the DL data 110 for the UE to the first cell 120a. Based on the received paging request or DL ​​data for the UE 110, the first cell 120a may determine to page the UE 110 at 218.

[0059] At 220, the first cell 120a may decide to redirect the UE 110 to the second cell 120b, i.e., the SSB / SIB1-free cell. In an example embodiment, the first cell 120a may decide to redirect the UE 110 to the second cell 120b based on one or more of the following conditions:

[0060] The type of DL traffic for which the UE 110 is to be paged;

[0061] ● the actual load of the first cell 120a; or

[0062] ●The dormant state of the second cell 120b, that is, the second cell 120b changes from the dormant state

[0063] Transition time to active state.

[0064] For example, the first cell 120a may decide to redirect the UE 110 to the second cell 120b if the DL traffic is of a special type supported on the second cell 120b or the current load of the first cell 120a is too high to accommodate the UE 110. The first cell 120a may decide not to redirect the UE 110 to the second cell 120b if the DL traffic includes emergency data and it takes a relatively long time for the second cell 120b to transition from a dormant mode to an active mode.

[0065] In the case where the first cell 120a decides to redirect the UE 110 to the second cell 120b, the first cell 120a may transmit an activation request to the second cell 120b at 222 to activate or reactivate the second cell 120b. The activation request may include a reason for the activation, for example, for paging the UE, DL data transmission to the UE, or load balancing. If the second cell 120b can be activated, it may respond to the activation request by sending an activation response to the first cell 120a at 224. The activation response may indicate that the second cell 120b can be activated or has been activated. In an example embodiment, the activation response may indicate an activation delay after which the second cell 120b will complete the activation process and enter an active state. If the second cell 120b cannot be activated for some reason, it may send an activation rejection message to the first cell 120a at 224, or it may not respond to the first cell 120a. In the case where the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b are supported by different base stations, the activation request, activation response and activation rejection messages may be transmitted between the different base stations via Xn signaling (or some other interface arranged between base stations or network nodes). If the first cell 120a and the second cell 120b are supported by a single base station, the activation request, activation response and activation rejection messages may be sent via internal signaling within the base station. If the second cell 120b is already in an active state, operations 222, 224 may be omitted.

[0066] After receiving the activation response from the second cell 120b, the first cell 120a may send paging information related to the second cell 120b (also referred to as "first paging information") to the UE 110 at 226 to redirect the UE 110 to the second cell 120b. In an example embodiment, the first paging information may include a paging early indication (PEI), a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, a paging message, or any type of wake-up signal (WUS) indicating a need to monitor for paging. It will be appreciated that the first paging information may include more than one of the above messages. For example, the first cell 120a may first send a PEI, then send a scheduling message to schedule a paging message, and then send the paging message to the UE 110. In another example, the first cell 120a may first send a WUS to wake up the UE 110, and then send a PEI or a scheduling message.

[0067] In an example embodiment, the paging message may include a paging record indicating which UEs should be redirected to the second cell 120b, i.e., paging-related actions should be performed in the second cell 120b. The paging message may also indicate an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI)) of the second cell 120b and / or a carrier frequency of the second cell 120b. The PCI and the carrier frequency may be included in an information element (IE) common to all paged UEs. In another example embodiment, the paging message may be a conventional paging message, and the UE 110 may obtain information about the PCI and the carrier frequency of the second cell 120b from configuration information associated with the second cell 120b, for example, received at 214. As discussed above, the configuration information may indicate whether the UE 110 should perform paging-related actions on the first cell 120a or on the second cell 120b.

[0068] The scheduling message for scheduling the paging message may include downlink control information (DCI) sent on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), which is also referred to as paging DCI. The paging information may be included in a short message of the paging DCI. For example, the short message may include (multiple) paging indication bits indicating whether the paged UE should perform paging-related actions on the second cell 120b. In an example, the paging indication may include a bit indicating the PCI and / or carrier frequency of the second cell 120b.

[0069] A paging early indication (PEI) may be sent in a DCI on a PDCCH to indicate to the paged UE whether to decode the paging occasion. It may improve power saving for idle and inactive UEs. The PEI may also include a paging indication of the PCI and / or carrier frequency of the second cell 120b indicating that the paged UE should perform paging-related actions. In an example embodiment, the PEI may include subgroup configuration information to redirect a subgroup of UEs monitoring the PEI to the second cell 120b or another carrier. Similarly, the WUS may also redirect a group of UEs to the second cell 120b or another carrier using UE grouping information.

[0070] In an example embodiment, the paging information sent to the UE 110 may also indicate a time offset for the UE 110 to perform the paging-related action. The UE 110 may perform the paging-related action on the second cell 120b after at least the time offset after receiving the paging information. The first cell 120a may determine the time offset based on the activation delay in the activation response received from the second cell 120b to ensure that the second cell 120b has been activated when the UE 110 performs the paging-related action on the second cell 120b. The paging information may explicitly indicate the value of the time offset, or implicitly indicate the time offset by mapping the time offset to other parameters or information included in the paging information.

[0071] It will be appreciated that the paging information sent to the UE 110 at 226 is not limited to the above examples. In an example embodiment, at least a portion of the configuration information discussed above may be included in the paging information. Thus, it may not be necessary to separately send configuration information from the first cell 120a to the UE 110 (in step 214) because the configuration information may be included in the paging information (sent at 226). As discussed, in some examples, all or part of the configuration information may be included in the paging information. Thus, in some example embodiments, a portion of the configuration information may be sent at 214, while another portion may be sent together with the paging information at 226.

[0072] Based on receiving the paging information (e.g., when the paging information is received) or based only on the received paging information, the UE 110 may synchronize with the second cell 120b at 228 and perform paging-related actions on the second cell 120b at 230. The UE 110 may acquire synchronization with the second cell 120b by using the SSB or reference signal received from the first cell 120a and the configuration information associated with the second cell 120b. For example, the first cell 120a may be used as a timing reference, and relative timing advance may be used in addition to the timing reference to acquire synchronization with the second cell 120b. The UE 110 may perform synchronization operations after a time offset from receiving the paging information (i.e., when the second cell 120b is already active). As described above, the time offset may be indicated in the configuration information, the paging information, or pre-configured at the UE 110. After acquiring synchronization with the second cell 120b, the UE 110 may perform paging-related actions in the second cell 120b based on the paging information and optionally the configuration information. For example, UE 110 may determine the paging-related action to be performed based on the paging information, or may define the paging-related action to be performed in the configuration information as described above.Some examples of paging-related actions will be discussed below, but example embodiments are not necessarily limited to these examples.

[0073] In an example embodiment, in the case where (e.g., based on) the paging information (first paging information) includes a WUS, a PEI, or a scheduling message (e.g., a paging DCI) for scheduling a paging message, the paging-related action may include the second cell 120b sending and the UE 110 monitoring the second paging information. That is, for the UE, receiving the WUS, the PEI, or the scheduling message from the first cell 120a may cause the UE 110 to monitor the second paging information from the second cell 120b. For example, the UE 110 may monitor the WUS, the PEI, the scheduling message (e.g., the paging DCI) for scheduling a paging message, or the paging message sent from the second cell 120b. Based on (e.g., in response to) the paging message from the second cell 120b, the UE 110 may further trigger an RA procedure or an RRC setup / recovery procedure to establish / recover an RRC connection with the second cell 120b. In an example embodiment, if the configuration information or the first paging information indicates that the second cell 120b supports small data transmission (SDT) together with the paging message, the UE 110 may decode the additional small data sent in the paging message. For example, the small data may include information for initiating a RA procedure or an RRC setup / recovery procedure.

[0074] In an example embodiment, in the case where (e.g., based on) the first paging information includes a WUS or a paging message, the paging-related action may include at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell 120b. Examples of actions for transmitting information may include transmission on a data channel in preconfigured resources, an action for an RA process (e.g., initiating an RA process toward the second cell 120b), an action for an RRC setup process, or an action for an RRC recovery process. For example, if the second cell 120b is the last serving cell of the UE 110 before the UE 110 enters the RRC inactive state, the UE 110 may send a transmission on a data channel in preconfigured resources, an RA preamble, an RRC setup request, or an RRC recovery request to the second cell 120b. The second cell 120b may receive a data channel transmission in preconfigured resources, an RA preamble, an RRC setup request, or an RRC recovery request from the UE 110. In an example embodiment, the RA preamble message, the RRC setup request, or the RRC recovery request message may include a mobile-initiated small data transmission (MO-SDT). For example, UE 110 may indicate in the MO-SDT that it is being redirected from first cell 120a to second cell 120b.

[0075] In the above description, the UE 110 may monitor the second paging information sent from the second cell 120b, or perform at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell 120b based on (e.g., in response to) the first paging information including the WUS. This may depend on the UE configuration, the configuration implementation, or the configuration information or the first paging information may specify which actions the UE 110 and the second cell 120b should perform in response to the WUS.

[0076] At 232, UE 110 and second cell 120b may perform an RRC connection setup or recovery procedure to establish an RRC connection between UE 110 and second cell 120b. In an example embodiment, the RRC connection setup or recovery procedure may be performed in operation 230, and operation 232 may be omitted.

[0077] The first cell 120a may forward DL data received from the UPF for the UE 110 to the second cell 120b (234). This may be done earlier, but after the second cell 120b is activated. When an RRC connection is established between the second cell 120b and the UE 110, the second cell 120b may send DL data to the UE 110 at 236 and receive UL data transmission from the UE 110 at 238.

[0078] In the process 200 discussed above, a technical solution for efficiently redirecting a UE to a non-SSB / SIB1 cell is provided by dynamically controlling the paging-related actions of the UE. It enables non-SSB / SIB1 operation for RRC idle and inactive UEs without compromising network energy saving benefits. It will be appreciated that the principles of process 200 can also be applied to enable non-SSB / SIB1 operation for one or more carriers within a single cell operating multiple carriers, an example of which is shown in FIG. Figure 3 Shown in.

[0079] Figure 3 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating a process 200a for non-SSB / SIB1 carrier operation according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The process 200 discussed is similar, except that it is performed at the UE 110, the first carrier 121, and the second carrier 123. The first carrier 121 is a carrier that transmits SSB and SIB1, while the second carrier 123 is a carrier that does not transmit SSB and SIB1, that is, a non-SSB / SIB1 carrier. The first carrier 121 and the second carrier 123 may operate in a single cell (e.g., the cell 120a supported by the base station 120). Generally, the operations performed at the first cell 120a in the process 200 may be performed at the first carrier 121 in the process 200a, and the operations performed at the second cell 120b in the process 200 may be performed at the second carrier 123 in the process 200a. Other aspects of the process 200a may be the same or similar to the process 200, and for convenience, repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0080] Figure 4 300 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus 300 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 300 may be implemented to include or form at least a portion of a terminal device (such as the UE 110 discussed above) to perform at least a portion of the operations associated with the UE 110. In an example embodiment, the apparatus 300 may include blocks implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof to perform the operations. Since the operations associated with the UE 110 have been referred to above, Figure 1-3 For discussion, therefore, the blocks of the apparatus 300 will be briefly described here and the details thereof can be referred to the above description.

[0081] refer to Figure 4, the apparatus 300 may include: a first component 310, for receiving, via the first cell, first paging information related to the second cell, or another carrier of the first cell, and a second component 320, for performing a paging-related action via the second cell, or the another carrier, based on the first paging information. The second cell or the another carrier may be configured so that the synchronization signal is not sent via the second cell, or the another carrier. The second component 320 may include: a first subcomponent 322, for monitoring the second paging information in the second cell, or the another carrier, when the first paging information includes a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, or a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, and a second subcomponent 324, for performing at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell, or the another carrier, when the first paging information includes a paging message, or a wake-up signal.

[0082] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 300 may further include a third component (not shown) for receiving configuration information associated with the second cell or the other carrier of the first cell via the first cell. The second component 320 may also perform paging-related actions based on the configuration information.

[0083] In an example embodiment, the first cell may be a cell of a first radio access technology (RAT), and the second cell may be a cell of a second RAT different from the first RAT.The first cell and the second cell may share the same carrier.

[0084] In an example embodiment, the first paging information may be received via a first carrier of the first cell, and the other carrier may be a second carrier of the first cell.

[0085] In an example embodiment, the second paging information may include at least one of: a wake-up signal, a paging early indication, a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, or a paging message.

[0086] In an example embodiment, the at least one action for transmitting information may include: an action for a random access procedure, a transmission on a data channel in preconfigured resources, an action for a radio resource control connection setup procedure, or an action for a radio resource control connection recovery procedure.

[0087] In an example embodiment, the second cell, or the other carrier of the first cell, may be configured such that the system information is not broadcast via the second cell, or the other carrier.

[0088] In an example embodiment, at least a portion of the configuration information may be included in the first paging information, included in broadcasted system information that is received by the apparatus 300 , or preconfigured at the apparatus 300 .

[0089] In an example embodiment, the second component 320 may perform paging-related actions after a time offset from receiving the first paging information at the first component 310. The time offset may be indicated by the first paging information, or by configuration information, or preconfigured at the apparatus 300.

[0090] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 300 may further include a fourth component (not shown) for acquiring synchronization with the second cell or the other carrier based at least in part on the configuration information before the paging-related action.

[0091] In an example embodiment, the configuration information may include at least one of the following:

[0092] ● Information indicating the time and frequency resource configuration of the second cell or the other carrier; ● Information indicating the second cell or the other carrier to avoid sending synchronization signal blocks and system information

[0093] information about the status of at least one of the information;

[0094] ● Indicates the time and frequency to be used to acquire contact with the second cell, or the other carrier

[0095] Information of a reference signal of a synchronized first cell;

[0096] ● information on the timing advance for the second cell, or the other carrier;

[0097] ● A second cell co-located with the occasion for paging related actions, or the other carrier

[0098] The information of the reference signal in

[0099] ● Indicate which devices should perform paging on the second cell, or the other carrier

[0100] Information about the action;

[0101] ● Indication paging related actions include monitoring wake-up signals, early paging indication,

[0102] A scheduling message or paging message for scheduling a paging message, or performing a random access procedure, a transmission on a data channel in a pre-configured resource, a radio resource control connection

[0103] information of a connection setup process or a radio resource control connection recovery process;

[0104] ● Time for performing paging related actions via the second cell, or the other carrier

[0105] and frequency resource information;

[0106] ● a cell identifier of the second cell, or information on the carrier frequency of the other carrier;

[0107] ● A decimal indicating whether mobile termination is allowed in the second cell, or the other carrier

[0108] According to the information transmitted;

[0109] ● Information of random access resources related to the second cell, or the other carrier; or ● Information of paging configuration associated with the second cell, or the other carrier.

[0110] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 300 may operate in an idle or inactive state in a non-carrier aggregation mode.The first cell and the second cell may be co-located with each other.

[0111] According to an example embodiment, the first paging information may indicate whether the UE 110 should perform a paging-related action with the first cell 120a or the second cell 120b. For example, the first paging information may include an indicator element (e.g., a one-bit indicator) for indicating whether the paging-related action should be performed with the first cell 120a or the second cell 120b. Thus, for example, the first paging information may indicate whether the UE 110 should monitor the second paging information from the first cell 120a or the second paging information from the second cell 120b. For example, the PEI or the scheduling message may include an indicator indicating which of the cells 120a, 120b to monitor for the paging message. In another example, the paging message may indicate whether to perform an action of sending data using the first cell 120a or to perform an action of sending data using the second cell 120b. For example, the paging message may include an indicator indicating the first cell 120a or the second cell 120b. For example, based on the indicator indicating the second cell 120b, the UE 110 may perform an action of transmitting data using the second cell 120b (eg, transmitting a RA preamble via the second cell 120b).

[0112] Figure 5 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus 400 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 400 may be implemented to include or form at least a portion of a network device (such as the base station 120 discussed above) to perform at least a portion of the operations associated with the base station 120. The apparatus 400 may include blocks implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both to perform the operations. Since the operations associated with the base station 120 have been described above with reference to Figure 1-3 For discussion, therefore, the blocks of the apparatus 400 will be briefly described here and the details thereof can be referred to the above description.

[0113] refer to Figure 5, the apparatus 400 may include: a first component 410, configured to determine to page a terminal device residing on a first cell, and a second component 420, configured to send, via the first cell, first paging information to redirect the terminal device to a second cell, or another carrier of the first cell. The second cell or the another carrier may be configured such that the synchronization signal is not sent via the second cell or the another carrier.

[0114] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 400 may further include a third component (not shown) for performing a paging-related action via the second cell or the other carrier based on the first paging information. In the example, the third component may include a first subcomponent (not shown) for sending the second paging information to the terminal device via the second cell or the other carrier when the first paging information includes a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, or a scheduling message for scheduling the paging message, and a second subcomponent (not shown) for performing at least one action for receiving information from the terminal device via the second cell or the other carrier when the first paging information includes a paging message or a wake-up signal. The first cell and the second cell may be supported by the apparatus 400.

[0115] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 400 may further include a fourth component (not shown) for sending configuration information associated with the second cell or the other carrier of the first cell via the first cell. The third component may also perform paging-related actions based on the configuration information.

[0116] In an example embodiment, the first cell may be a cell of a first radio access technology (RAT) and the second cell may be a cell of a second RAT different from the first RAT. The first cell and the second cell may share the same carrier.

[0117] In an example embodiment, the first paging information may be transmitted via a first carrier of the first cell, and the other carrier may be a second carrier of the first cell.

[0118] In an example embodiment, the second paging information may include at least one of: a wake-up signal, a paging early indication, a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, or a paging message.

[0119] In an example embodiment, at least one action for receiving information may include: an action for a random access procedure, an action for receiving a transmission on a data channel in preconfigured resources, an action for a radio resource control connection setup procedure, or an action for a radio resource control connection recovery procedure.

[0120] In an example embodiment, the second cell, or the other carrier of the first cell, may be configured such that the system information is not broadcast via the second cell, or the other carrier.

[0121] In an example embodiment, at least a portion of the configuration information may be included in the first paging information, or included in the broadcasted system information.

[0122] In an example embodiment, the third component may perform the paging-related action after a time offset from sending the first paging information at the second component 420. The time offset may be indicated to the terminal device by the first paging information, or by configuration information.

[0123] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 400 may further include a fifth component (not shown) for deciding to redirect the terminal device to the second cell, or the other carrier, based on at least one of the following items before sending the first paging information at the second component 420:

[0124] ● The type of downlink traffic of the terminal device to be paged;

[0125] ● The current load of the first cell in which the terminal device resides, or the first carrier of the first cell; or

[0126] • A transition time for the second cell, or the other carrier, to transition from a dormant state to an active state.

[0127] In an example embodiment, the terminal device may operate in an idle or inactive state in a non-carrier aggregation mode.The first cell and the second cell may be co-located with each other.

[0128] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram showing devices in a communication system 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 5 , a communication system 500 may include a terminal device 510 and a network device 520. The terminal device 510 may be implemented as the UE 110 discussed above, and the network device 120 may be implemented as the base station 120 discussed above.

[0129] refer to Figure 6, the terminal device 510 may include one or more processors 511, one or more memories 512, and one or more transceivers 513 interconnected via one or more buses 514. The one or more buses 514 may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fibers, optical devices, or other optical communication devices. Each of the one or more transceivers 513 may include a receiver and a transmitter, which are connected to one or more antennas 516. The terminal device 510 may communicate wirelessly with the radio access network device 520 via the one or more antennas 516. The one or more memories 512 may include instructions 515, which, when executed by the one or more processors 511, may cause the terminal device 510 to perform operations and processes related to the UE 110 as described above.

[0130] The network device 520 may include one or more processors 521, one or more memories 522, one or more transceivers 523, and one or more network interfaces 527 interconnected by one or more buses 524. The one or more buses 524 may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, an optical fiber, an optical component, or other optical communication device. Each of the one or more transceivers 523 may include a receiver and a transmitter, which are connected to one or more antennas 526. The network device 520 may operate as a base station for the terminal device 510 and wirelessly communicate with the terminal device 510 through one or more antennas 526. The one or more network interfaces 527 may provide wired or wireless communication links, through which the network device 520 can communicate with other network devices, entities, elements, or functions. For example, the network device 520 may communicate with a core network device (not shown) via a backhaul connection. The one or more memories 522 may include instructions 525, which, when executed by the one or more processors 521, may cause the network device 520 to perform operations and processes related to the base station 120.

[0131] The one or more processors 511, 521 discussed above may be any suitable type suitable for the local technical network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), one or more processors in a processor-based multi-core processor architecture, and a special purpose processor, such as a special purpose processor developed based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The one or more processors 511, 521 may be configured to control other elements of the terminal / network device and operate in conjunction with them to implement the process discussed above.

[0132] One or more memories 512, 522 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as temporary memory and / or non-temporary memory. Temporary memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM) or cache. Non-temporary memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-temporary" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). In addition, one or more memories 512, 522 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any combination of the above.

[0133] Some exemplary embodiments also provide an instruction or multiple instructions (such as computer code or computer instructions), which, when executed by one or more processors, can cause the device or apparatus to perform the process described above. The program instructions for performing the process of the exemplary embodiments can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program instructions can be provided to one or more processors or controllers of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that the program instructions, when executed by a processor or controller, enable the function / operation specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be realized. The program instructions can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0134] Some exemplary embodiments also provide a computer program product or a computer readable medium in which one or more program instructions are stored. A computer readable medium may be any tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by an instruction execution system, device or equipment or in combination with an instruction execution system, device or equipment. A machine readable medium may be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. A machine readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, device or equipment, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine readable storage media include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0135] The components of the device or UE may be implemented in hardware and / or software. They may include, for example, at least one processor for executing processor instructions to perform the desired functions, at least one memory storing instructions, or both. Alternatively, they may include, for example, circuits designed or configured to implement the desired functions, such as implemented in a chipset or chip, such as an integrated circuit. Typically, the device may include, for example, one or more processing components or processors.

[0136] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions mean at least any one of these elements or at least any two or more of these elements or at least all of them, where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”.

[0137] It should be understood that the blocks in the drawings can be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more blocks can be implemented using software and / or firmware, for example, machine executable instructions stored in a storage medium. In addition to or in place of machine executable instructions, some or all of the blocks in the drawings can be implemented at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, exemplary types of hardware logic components that can be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0138] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or requiring the execution of all the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or implemented in any suitable sub-combination.

[0139] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to at least perform: receiving, via a first cell, first paging information related to a second cell or another carrier of the first cell, wherein the second cell or the another carrier is configured such that a synchronization signal is not transmitted via the second cell or the another carrier; Based on the first paging information, perform a paging-related action via the second cell or the other carrier, wherein the paging-related action includes at least one of the following items: In a case where the first paging information includes a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, or a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, monitoring the second paging information in the second cell or the other carrier, or In case that the first paging information includes a paging message or a wake-up signal, performing at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell or the other carrier; and Configuration information associated with the second cell, or the other carrier of the first cell, is received via the first cell, wherein the paging-related action is also performed based on the configuration information.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the first cell is a cell of a first radio access technology RAT, and the second cell is a cell of a second RAT different from the first RAT, and / or the first cell and the second cell share the same carrier.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the first paging information is received via a first carrier of the first cell, and the other carrier is a second carrier of the first cell; The second paging information includes at least one of the following items: a wake-up signal, an early paging indication, a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, or a paging message.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one action for transmitting information comprises: Action for a random access procedure, transmission on a data channel in pre-configured resources, action for a radio resource control connection setup procedure, or action for a radio resource control connection recovery procedure. 5 . The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the second cell or the other carrier of the first cell is configured so that system information is not broadcast via the second cell or the other carrier.

6. A method implemented at a terminal device, comprising: receiving, via a first cell, first paging information related to a second cell or another carrier of the first cell, wherein the second cell or the another carrier is configured such that a synchronization signal is not transmitted via the second cell or the another carrier; Based on the first paging information, perform a paging-related action via the second cell or the other carrier, wherein the paging-related action includes at least one of the following items: In a case where the first paging information includes a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, or a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, monitoring the second paging information in the second cell or the other carrier, or In case that the first paging information includes a paging message or a wake-up signal, performing at least one action for transmitting information via the second cell or the other carrier; and Configuration information associated with the second cell, or the other carrier of the first cell, is received via the first cell, wherein the paging-related action is also performed based on the configuration information. 7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the first cell is a cell of a first radio access technology (RAT) and the second cell is a cell of a second RAT different from the first RAT, and / or the first cell and the second cell share the same carrier.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first paging information is received via a first carrier of the first cell, and the another carrier is a second carrier of the first cell; The second paging information includes at least one of the following items: a wake-up signal, an early paging indication, a scheduling message for scheduling a paging message, or a paging message.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one action for transmitting information comprises: Action for a random access procedure, transmission on a data channel in pre-configured resources, action for a radio resource control connection setup procedure, or action for a radio resource control connection recovery procedure.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second cell, or the other carrier of the first cell, is configured such that system information is not broadcast via the second cell, or the other carrier.

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