Group common signaling for cell DTX / DRX short cycles

Abstract

The user equipment is configured to decode a configuration of first and second cell on-off modes for a serving cell. The second cell ON-OFF mode includes decoding activation for one or more ON durations of the second cell ON-OFF mode during ON durations during OFF durations of the first cell ON-OFF mode. The UE assumes that the ON duration of the second cell ON-OFF mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control message or in group common signaling, and configure transceiver circuitry to perform uplink transmission for cell reception or downlink reception for cell transmission during the activated on duration of the second cell on-off mode. The UL transmission or DL reception is performed only for traffic having associated priority or delay requirements that meet corresponding thresholds or for random access traffic.

Description

Background Art

[0001] A user equipment (UE) may establish a connection with at least one of a plurality of different networks or network types. For some types of network communications, the UE may be configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or a discontinuous transmission (DTX) cycle to save power. The DRX / DTX cycle for the UE utilizes an active mode (on duration) and an inactive sleep mode (off duration) for data exchange processing. A network cell (e.g., a base station) may configure a DRX / DTX cycle for the UE and exchange communications with the UE according to the parameters of the DRX / DTX cycle configured for the UE, such as sending downlink (DL) data / channel or reference signals and receiving uplink (UL) transmissions.

[0002] In 5G New Radio (NR), techniques may be implemented at a network cell (e.g., a base station or gNB) to save power, including a cell DRX / DTX cycle in which the gNB is configured with an active mode (on duration) and a sleep mode (off duration) pattern. However, if the off duration of the cell DRX / DTX cycle is relatively long, the network may not be able to meet the quality of service (QoS) requirements of high priority traffic (e.g., ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC)). Summary of the invention

[0003] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a device of a user equipment (UE) having a processing circuit configured to: decode configuration of a first cell on-off mode and a second cell on-off mode for the serving cell from signaling received from a serving cell, wherein the second cell on-off mode includes at least one on duration during the off duration of the first cell on-off mode; decode activation of one or more on durations for the second cell on-off mode from signaling received from the serving cell, wherein the UE assumes that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; and configure a transceiver circuit to perform uplink (UL) transmission for cell reception or downlink (DL) reception for cell transmission during the activated one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL transmission or DL ​​reception is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that meets a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

[0004] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a processor configured to: decode, from signaling received from a serving cell, configuration of a first cell on-off mode and a second cell on-off mode for the serving cell, wherein the second cell on-off mode includes at least one on duration during the off duration of the first cell on-off mode; decode, from signaling received from the serving cell, activation of one or more on durations for the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UE assumes that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; and configure a transceiver circuit to perform uplink (UL) transmission for cell reception or downlink (DL) reception for cell transmission during the activated one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL transmission or DL ​​reception is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that satisfies a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

[0005] Still further exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus of a serving cell, the apparatus having a processing circuit configured to: configure a transceiver circuit to send a configuration of a first cell on-off mode and a second cell on-off mode for the serving cell to one or more user equipments (UEs), wherein the second cell on-off mode includes at least one on duration during the off duration of the first cell on-off mode; configure the transceiver circuit to send activation of one or more on durations for the second cell on-off mode to at least a subset of the one or more UEs, wherein the one or more UEs assume that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; and configure the transceiver circuit to perform uplink (UL) reception for UE transmission or downlink (DL) transmission for UE reception during the activated one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL reception or DL ​​transmission is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that satisfies a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

[0006] An additional exemplary embodiment relates to a processor configured to: configure a transceiver circuit to send a configuration of a first cell on-off mode and a second cell on-off mode for the serving cell to one or more user equipment (UE), wherein the second cell on-off mode includes at least one on duration during the off duration of the first cell on-off mode; configure the transceiver circuit to send an activation of one or more on durations for the second cell on-off mode to at least a subset of the one or more UEs, wherein the one or more UEs assume that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; and configure the transceiver circuit to perform uplink (UL) reception for UE transmission or downlink (DL) transmission for UE reception during the activated one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL reception or DL ​​transmission is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that satisfies a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 A timing diagram of a long DTX / DRX cycle for a cell according to an example is shown.

[0008] Figure 2 A timing diagram is shown for multiple short DTX / DRX cycles within a long DTX / DRX cycle for a cell according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 A timing diagram is shown for activation of a short DTX / DRX cycle within a long DTX / DRX cycle of a cell according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 A new MAC-CE format for activating or deactivating a short cell DTX / DRX cycle according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0011] Figure 5 A timing diagram is shown for activation of one or more short DTX cycles and one or more short DRX cycles within a long DTX / DRX cycle of a cell according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0012] Figure 6 Exemplary methods for signaling and configuration of cell DTX / DRX including a long cycle and one or more short cycles according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0013] Figure 7 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0014] Figure 8 An exemplary base station according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0015] Fig. 9 An exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, in which like elements are provided with like reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to operations for configuring a discontinuous reception and / or discontinuous transmission (DRX / DTX) cycle for a network cell (e.g., a gNB), wherein the gNB is configured with an active mode (on duration) and an inactive sleep mode (off duration) for data exchange with one or more user equipment (UE). Specifically, the exemplary embodiments describe the configuration of one or more short DRX / DTX cycles for a cell during an off duration of a long DRX / DRX cycle for the cell, such that some data / signaling transfers may occur during the long off duration. In some aspects, a cell may configure long cell DRX / DTX cycles and short cell DRX / DTX cycles for multiple UEs in the cell, and activate one or more short DRX / DTX cycles for a subset of the multiple UEs (e.g., UEs with strict quality of service (QoS) requirements).

[0017] The exemplary embodiments describe signaling operations for configuring long / short cell DRX / DTX cycles for a UE and activating one or more short cycles. The behavior of the UE during the short cycle may include, for example, the transmission of certain types of uplink (UL) traffic and / or the reception of DL traffic. On the other hand, the UE may request or indicate its preference for activating one or more short cycles by sending auxiliary information to the cell.

[0018] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to UE. However, the use of UE is provided for illustration purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information (e.g., control information) and / or data with a network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic device.

[0019] The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (RAN). However, reference to the 5G NR RAN is provided for illustration purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any network that implements a cell DRX / DTX cycle similar to the cell DRX / DTX cycle described herein. Thus, a 5G NR network as described herein may represent any type of network that implements DRX / DTX functionality similar to a 5G NR network.

[0020] The UE DRX cycle may be configured for the UE according to existing methodologies to save UE power. The UE DRX cycle utilizes an active mode of data exchange processing and an inactive sleep mode. The UE may use the active mode of processing at defined intervals to perform scheduled operations, such as performing measurements related to network conditions, transmission (e.g., requests, measurement reports, uplink data, etc.) and reception (e.g., control channel information, reference signals, synchronization signals, downlink data, etc.). The time period during which the UE may be scheduled to receive may be referred to as the start-up duration of the DRX cycle or the DRX active time. The start-up duration of the DRX cycle involves the duration during which the UE may perform operations that enable the UE to receive data that may be sent to the UE, such as, but not limited to, control channel information, uplink grants, downlink grants, reference signals, synchronization signals, payload data, etc.

[0021] During the DRX cycle, when the on duration is not scheduled, the UE may have the opportunity to utilize the inactive sleep mode and save power. This period may be referred to as the DRX inactive time or the off duration. However, reference to the DRX cycle is provided for illustrative purposes only, and different networks may use different names to refer to similar concepts. The DRX cycle may have a predetermined duration N, such as 100ms, 50ms, 40ms, 20ms, etc. For example, at time 0, there may be an on duration during which an active mode of processing is used. Subsequently, at the end of the on duration, the UE has the opportunity to utilize the inactive sleep mode. Then at time N, there may be another on duration. Subsequently, the sleep mode is used until time 2N. This process continues for the duration of the DRX cycle. Mentioning the inactive sleep mode does not necessarily mean that the UE's processor, transmitter, and receiver are put to sleep, asleep, or disabled. For example, the processor (e.g., baseband and / or application) may continue to execute other applications or processes. The sleep mode involves saving power by interrupting continuous processing functions related to operations that enable the UE to receive data that can be transmitted to the UE and transmit data to the network. In addition, the reference to the DRX cycle configured in ms units is only for illustrative purposes, and the exemplary aspects may utilize a DRX cycle based on a subframe or any other suitable time unit.

[0022] In Rel-18, techniques may be implemented on both the base station (e.g., gNB) and user equipment (UE) sides to improve network energy consumption, e.g., base station transmit and receive power. These techniques may include more efficient dynamic and / or semi-static operation and finer granularity adaptation utilizing potential support / feedback from the UE and the transmission and / or reception of potential UE assistance information, and involve the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, and / or power domain. Techniques may also include information exchange / coordination through network interfaces. Additional / other techniques are not excluded. Idle / vacant and low / medium load scenarios may be considered (the exact definition of such loads has not yet been defined), and different loads in carriers and neighboring cells are allowed.

[0023] In some examples, power saving techniques may include gNB (cell) discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX) (on-off mode) and uplink (UL) wake-up signal (WUS). Similar to the UE DRX cycle described above, cell DTX / DRX may utilize an on duration in which the gNB may transmit / receive signals / channels and an off duration in which the gNB may disable some types of signal Rx / Tx processing and save power. Cell DTX / DRX may be applied to UEs in all RRC states (idle, inactive or connected) and covers both transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) of the gNB.

[0024] As will be described in further detail below, according to the exemplary embodiments described herein, one type of cell DTX / DRX cycle may be referred to herein as a long cycle, while another type of cell DTX / DRX may be referred to herein as a short cycle. The long cell cycle may include a long on duration and a long off duration, which may be similar in length to the on duration and off duration of the UE DRX cycle. In some examples, the long cell DRX / DTX on duration may substantially or partially overlap with the UE DRX on duration.

[0025] Figure 1 A timing diagram 100 of a long DTX / DRX cycle 102 for a cell (e.g., a gNB) is shown according to an example. Each DTX / DRX cycle 102 includes an on duration 104, during which the power amplifier (PA) and radio frequency (RF) front end of the gNB are powered on, and an off duration 106, during which the PA and RF are turned off and the gNB can save power. The duration of the DTX / DRX cycle 102 and the length of the on duration 104 relative to the off duration 106 can vary. When the gNB DTX / DRX cycle 102 is long, the quality of service (QoS) requirements of high priority traffic may not be met if these traffic arrives at the UE during the off duration 106 of the cycle 102 (when the gNB is sleeping).

[0026] According to various exemplary embodiments described herein, the gNB may configure one or more short DTX / DRX cycles between long DTX / DRX cycles for a cell. During the short on duration of the short DTX / DRX cycle, some UL / DL transmissions for high priority traffic (e.g., URLLC traffic) may be allowed. Short DRX / DTX cycles may be further classified into multiple types based on, for example, transmission direction (DL only, UL only, DL+UL), gNB sleep mode, type of UE that can access, priority of data radio bearers (DRBs) or logical channels (LCHs) that can be transmitted, etc., which will be described in more detail below.

[0027] The main contributors to gNB power consumption include random access (RACH) messages, scheduling requests (SRs), and configured grant physical uplink shared channel (CG-PUSCH) receptions, for which the gNB needs to perform blind detection. Therefore, in some embodiments, these types of communications may be allowed during short on-durations, so that, for example, a UE with strict QoS requirements may transmit on the UL during a long on-duration of a cell, but the cell is not required to perform blind detection throughout the long on-duration. In some embodiments, the gNB may activate only a subset of the cell short cycles configured for the UE. In addition, the gNB may activate one or more cell short cycles only for a subset of UEs in the cell (e.g., one or more UE groups) based on certain grouping criteria to be explained below.

[0028] Figure 2 A timing diagram 200 is shown for multiple short DTX / DRX cycles 208 within a long DTX / DRX cycle 202 for a cell (e.g., a gNB) according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 In the timing diagram 100, each long DTX / DRX cycle 202 includes an on duration 204 (long on duration) and an off duration 206 (long off duration). In this example, during the off duration 206 of the long DTX / DRX cycle 202, five short DTX / DRX cycles 208 are configured, each short DTX / DRX cycle including a short on duration 210 and a short off duration 212. Figure 2 2, five short cycles 208 are shown, but a greater or lesser number of short cycles 208 may be configured during the on duration 204 of the long cycle 202. Similar to the long cycle 202, the duration of the short cycles 208 and the length of the short on duration 210 relative to the short off duration 212 may vary. During the long DTX / DRX on duration 202, the gNB may indicate to the UE whether to activate one or more of the configured short DTX / DRX cycles 208, as will be explained in further detail below.

[0029] According to various exemplary embodiments described herein, a UE may receive a configuration for a long cell DTX / DRX cycle and a configuration for a short cell DTX / DRX cycle including one or more on durations during a long cycle off duration. Configurations for long and short cycles may be received via, for example, a system information block (SIB) or dedicated RRC signaling. In some embodiments, multiple short cycles may be configured during a single long cycle (e.g., the short cycle repeats for the configured duration), and one or more of the configured short cycles may be activated or deactivated via an indication received in, for example, a group common (GC) DCI, GC MAC-CE, and / or RRC message, which will be explained in more detail below. In some embodiments, both configuration and activation parameters may be received via SIB or dedicated RRC signaling. In other aspects of these exemplary embodiments, UE behavior and UE assistance information during a short DRX / DTX cycle are described.

[0030] In one option, long and short cell DTX / DRX cycles may be configured in the SIB. The configuration provided in the SIB may include: cell-specific long DTX / DRX cycles (e.g., on-off mode); cell-specific short DTX cycles (e.g., on-off mode) for gNB reception (Rx) during long DRX / DTX off durations; and / or cell-specific short DTX cycles (e.g., on-off mode) for gNB transmission (Tx) during long DRX / DTX off durations. In another option, both long and short cycles may be configured in dedicated RRC signaling. In yet another option, the long cell cycle may be configured in the SIB and the short cell cycle may be configured in dedicated RRC signaling.

[0031] With respect to long cycles, the gNB may choose whether to align the cell DTX / DRX on-off pattern with the UE DRX pattern and / or the core network (CN) or radio access network (RAN) paging cycle based on the gNB specific implementation. In some scenarios, it may be beneficial to align these cycles, for example, aligning the start of the on duration of each cycle. In other scenarios, it may not be necessary to align these cycles. During the long DRX / DTX off duration, and in the absence of any short DRX / DTX configuration, the gNB will turn off its power amplifier (PA) and RF front end (e.g., no Tx or Rx), and the UE will not transmit for gNB reception during the DRX off duration, and will not expect to receive gNB transmissions during the DTX off duration.

[0032] If a short DRX cycle for gNB Rx is configured and activated for one or more UEs, the gNB will turn on its PA and RF for Rx during the short DRX On durations. During these short cell DRX On durations, the UE may be allowed to send some traffic (e.g., high priority traffic) on the UL, which will be described below. If a short cycle for gNB Tx is configured, the gNB will turn on its PA and RF for Tx during the short On durations. During these short cell DTX On durations, the UE may expect to receive some traffic (e.g., high priority traffic) on the DL, which will be described below.

[0033] In some embodiments, the short on-off pattern configured in the SIB / RRC may be assumed to be inactive until activated by the gNB via activation / deactivation signaling, which will be described below. In other embodiments, the short on-off pattern configured in the SIB / RRC may be assumed to be active until deactivated by the gNB. In this scenario, once configured, the UE may follow the short on-off pattern and does not need to receive any activation signaling (e.g., GC signaling). In either scenario, the activation / deactivation signaling may override the activation / deactivation indication in the SIB / RRC configuration.

[0034] The short cycle may be activated only for some UEs (e.g., one or more UE groups) in the cell. Membership in the UE group may be determined based on the network specific implementation. In one example, the UEs may be grouped according to QoS. In another example, the UEs may be grouped according to capabilities. The cell may determine only two groups, for example, UEs with URLLC capabilities and UEs without such capabilities. In another example, the UEs may be grouped according to the priority of the service (e.g., "golden members" or non-golden members) or according to the priority of the DRB or logical channel. In other embodiments, the number of groups may be larger and depends on other UEs and / or network considerations. In yet other embodiments, some UEs may belong to multiple groups.

[0035] UE grouping may be configured in the RRC or may be configured by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) of the Core Network (CN), for example in a manner similar to group paging specified in Rel-17 UE power saving. The AMF may include the configuration of several UE groups and their group members in a NAS message towards the UE.

[0036] In one embodiment, the gNB may associate each UE group with a codepoint and provide a mapping of each codepoint to a UE group index and the identities of the members in the UE group to the UE in the cell, for example via a UE-specific RRC message, so that the UE can determine which group or groups the UE belongs to. In some embodiments, for each codepoint, the UE-specific RRC message may also include an indication of which short DTX / DRX cycles are activated in the upcoming long DTX / DRX off duration. For example, the indication may include: activation for all short DTX / DRX cycles that fall within the long off duration, for the activation / deactivation pattern (alternating or otherwise), for the duration of the indicated activation pattern, etc. However, in some embodiments, any activation / deactivation indication received in the RRC message may be covered by group common (GC) activation / deactivation signaling or another UE-specific RRC message indicating a codepoint associated with a specific UE group to which the UE belongs and a different activation / deactivation pattern.

[0037] Figure 3 A timing diagram 300 is shown for activation of a short DTX / DRX cycle 308 within a long DTX / DRX cycle 302 for a cell (e.g., a gNB) according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 2 In the timing diagram 200, each long DTX / DRX cycle 302 includes an on duration 304 (long on duration) and an off duration 306 (long off duration), and during the off duration 306 of the long DTX / DRX cycle 302, five short DTX / DRX cycles 308 are configured, each short DTX / DRX cycle includes a short on duration 310 and a short off duration 312.

[0038] Five short DTX / DRX cycles 308 may be configured in the SIB or RRC, as described above. Short cycles 308 may be configured for the UE for durations including the on duration 304 of the long cycle 302, for example. In this example, the activation configuration / signaling received by the UE indicates that the first short cycle 308a, the third short cycle 308c, and the fifth short cycle 308e are activated, while the second short cycle 308b and the fourth short cycle 308d remain deactivated.

[0039] The short cycle may be activated by the gNB depending on, for example, the gNB estimate of the UL load across one or more UEs in the cell. Different short DTX / DRX cycles may be activated for different UE groups and / or different UEs / DRBs associated with a specific QoS. The short cycle may be activated for a single long cycle or for multiple long cycles based on the indicated duration or UE specification.

[0040] The activation / deactivation of the short DTX / DRX cycle may be signaled in various ways including: a new group common DCI (GC-DCI); a new MAC-CE transmitted together with the PDSCH associated with the group common RNTI; a combination of DCI and MAC-CE; or an RRC message. The new MAC-CE may include a format including multiple one-bit fields, each field corresponding to a different one of the upcoming configured short cycles, wherein the value of the field indicates whether the corresponding short cycle is activated or deactivated.

[0041] Figure 4 A new MAC-CE format 400 for activating or deactivating a short cell DTX / DRX cycle according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. In this example, the MAC-CE 400 includes 8 fields C0-C7, where Ci=1 indicates that cycle i is activated and Ci=0 indicates that cycle i is deactivated. The MAC-CE 400 may optionally include a tiebreaker field to separate the new MAC-CE 400 from other MAC-CEs.

[0042] The activation signaling may instruct the UE to activate the indicated short DRX / DTX cycle in one or more upcoming long DTX / DRX off durations.Any UE in the cell that does not receive the activation signaling may follow the short DTX / DRX configuration from the SIB / RRC as described above.

[0043] In some aspects, the UE may be configured with multiple short DTX / DRX cycles within a single long cycle OFF duration, where one or more of the short cycles are activated for gNB Rx, one or more short cycles are activated for gNB Tx, and / or one or more short cycles are activated for both Rx and Tx.

[0044] Figure 5 A timing diagram 500 is shown for activation of one or more short DTX cycles 508 and one or more short DRX cycles within a long DTX / DRX cycle 502 for a cell (e.g., a gNB) according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 4 In the timing diagram 400, each long DTX / DRX cycle 502 includes an on duration 504 (long on duration) and an off duration 506 (long off duration), and during the off duration 506 of the long DTX / DRX cycle 502, five short DTX / DRX cycles 508 are configured, each short DTX / DRX cycle includes a short on duration 510 and a short off duration 512.

[0045] Five short DTX / DRX cycles 508 may be configured in the SIB or RRC as described above. In this example, the activation configuration / signaling received by the UE indicates that the first short cycle 508a, the third short cycle 508c, and the fifth short cycle 508e are activated for gNB Rx, while the second short cycle 508b and the fourth short cycle 508d are activated for gNB Tx.

[0046] In another aspect of these example embodiments, various types of UE behaviors may be allowed during an activated short cell DRX / DTX cycle.

[0047] When short cell DRX cycle is activated for gNB Rx, UE may be allowed to transmit on UL during the short DRX cycle. Some UL transmissions may be allowed, for example, if the logical channel (LCH) priority for UL transmission is greater than a configured / predetermined threshold; or if the packet delay budget (PDB) for UL transmission is less than a configured / predetermined threshold.

[0048] In one example, if LCH priority > configured threshold or PDB < configured threshold, the UE may send a scheduling request (SR) during a short DRX cycle. In another example, if triggered by traffic arriving in a logical cell group (LCG) whose minimum LCH priority > configured threshold or PDB < configured threshold, the UE may send a buffer status report (BSR). In yet another example, the UE may send a UL scheduled transmission or retransmission whose LCH priority > configured threshold or PDB < configured threshold. In yet another example, if the LCH priority of the data in the buffer > configured threshold or PDB < configured threshold, the UE may send a configured grant (CG). In yet another example, the UE may send a RACH message.

[0049] In some embodiments, during an activated short on-off cycle for gNB Rx, only UEs with high priority traffic (LCH priority > threshold) will wake up, while UEs with lower priority traffic will not transmit during the short cycle, even if the short cycle is activated.

[0050] When short cell DTX cycles are activated for gNB Tx, UEs may be allowed to receive on the DL during the short DTX cycles. From the UE's perspective, any type of DL transmission may be received, however, the gNB may only send high priority traffic that meets priority or latency requirements similar to those discussed above. For these activated short on-off cycles for gNB Tx, UEs receiving the corresponding activation signaling will wake up during these cycles to receive.

[0051] In yet another aspect of these example embodiments, during the long cell DRX / DTX on duration, the UE may transmit assistance information to the gNB indicating that it prefers to activate one or more short DRX / DTX cycles in an upcoming long cell DRX / DTX off duration, for example, if the UE expects upcoming high priority traffic. The UE assistance information may be transmitted, for example, via UE assistance IE (UAI) or via UL wake-up signal (WUS) signaling.

[0052] Figure 6 An exemplary method 600 for signaling and configuration of cell DTX / DRX including a long cycle and one or more short cycles is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0053] In 605, the UE receives a long cell DTX / DRX configuration (on-off mode) and a short cell DTX and / or DRX configuration (on-off mode) from the serving cell. In some embodiments, the short cycle configuration may include a duration. The cell DTX / DRX configuration may be received from the serving cell via SIB, RRC, or a combination of SIB and RRC.

[0054] As described above, the short on-off pattern configured in the SIB / RRC may be assumed to be in a deactivated state or activated state until activated / deactivated by the gNB via activation / deactivation signaling. If the short cycle is assumed to be activated, the UE may follow the short on-off pattern and does not need to receive any activation signaling (e.g., GC signaling). In either scenario, the activation / deactivation signaling may override the activation / deactivation indication in the SIB / RRC configuration.

[0055] In 610, the UE receives an RRC configuration (or AMF configuration) including a UE group configuration from a serving cell. In some embodiments, the RRC configuration includes an index for multiple GC signaling code points and a mapping of each code point to a UE group index and an identification of the members in the UE group. Based on this information, the UE can determine which group the UE belongs to. The RRC configuration may also indicate which short DRX / DTX cycles are activated in one or more upcoming long DRX / DTX off durations. The RRC configuration may also indicate the duration of short cycle activation, each of which may be mapped to a code point in GC signaling. In other embodiments, the UE group configuration is received from the AMF.

[0056] The UE may follow the activation / deactivation pattern indicated in the RRC configuration (if included) until (further) activation / deactivation signaling is received from the network. In some embodiments, the UE may indicate its preference for the gNB or request the gNB to activate one or more short cycles in the upcoming one or more long durations. The UE may indicate these preferences in UE assistance information transmitted via UE assistance IE (UAI) or UL wake-up signaling (WUS). For example, if the UE has upcoming high priority traffic, the UE may determine to transmit UE assistance information.

[0057] In 615, the UE receives a message, such as GC signaling or an RRC message (indicating a code point of the UE group to which the UE belongs), which instructs the UE to activate / deactivate one or more upcoming short cycles. The message may include a new GC DCI, a new GC MAC-CE, or an RRC. The message may also indicate the duration of the temporary activation / deactivation mode.

[0058] If a short DRX cycle is activated for cell Rx, the UE may be allowed to send certain SRs, BSRs, UL scheduled transmissions or retransmissions, or configured grants if certain priority or timing thresholds for transmissions are met. The UE may also be allowed to send RACH messages. In some embodiments, during the activated short on-off cycle for gNB Rx, only UEs with high priority traffic will wake up, and UEs with lower priority traffic will not transmit during the activated short cycle. If a short DTX cycle is activated for cell Tx, the UE may be allowed to receive on the DL during the short DTX cycle.

[0059] Figure 7 An exemplary network arrangement 700 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 700 includes UEs 710, 712. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that UEs 710, 712 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a tablet phone, an embedded device, a wearable device (e.g., HMD, AR glasses, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It will also be appreciated that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, an example with two UEs 710, 712 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0060] UE 710, 712 can communicate directly with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 700, the networks with which UE 710, 712 can wirelessly communicate are 5G NR radio access network (5G NR-RAN) 720, LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN) 722, and wireless local area network (WLAN) 724. However, UE 710, 712 can also communicate with other types of networks, and UE 710, 712 can also communicate with the network through a wired connection. Therefore, UE 710, 712 may include a 5G NR chipset for communicating UE 710 with 5G NR-RAN 720, an LTE chipset for communicating with LTE-RAN 722, and an ISM chipset for communicating with WLAN 724.

[0061] 5G NR RAN 720 and LTE-RAN 722 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network operator (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks 720, 722 may include, for example, cells or base stations (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to transmit and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. WLAN 724 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0062] UE 710, 712 may be connected to 5G NR-RAN via gNB 720A or gNB 720B. Reference to two gNBs 720A, 720B is for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may apply to any appropriate number of gNBs. UE 710, 712 may also be connected to LTE-RAN 722 via eNBs 722A, 722B. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant process may be performed to connect UE 710, 712 to 5G NR-RAN 720 and LTE-RAN 722. For example, as discussed above, 5G NR-RAN 720 and LTE-RAN 722 may be associated with a particular cellular provider at which UE 710, 712 and / or its user has contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of 5G NR-RAN 720, UE 710, 712 may send corresponding credential information to associate with 5G NR-RAN 720. More specifically, UE 710, 712 may associate with a specific base station (e.g., gNB 720A of 5G NR-RAN 720, eNB 722A of LTE-RAN 722).

[0063] In addition to the networks 720, 722, and 724, the network arrangement 700 includes a cellular core network 730, the Internet 740, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 750, and a network service backbone 760. The cellular core network 730 can be viewed as an interconnected set of components that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. The cellular core network 730 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 740. The IMS 750 can generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 710 using the IP protocol. The IMS 750 can communicate with the cellular core network 730 and the Internet 740 to provide multimedia services to the UE 710. The network service backbone 760 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 740 and the cellular core network 730. The network service backbone 760 can generally be described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 710, 712 to communicate with various networks.

[0064] Figure 8 An exemplary base station 720A is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 7 The base station 720A is described with reference to the network arrangement 700 of FIG. 700. The base station 720A may represent any access node through which the UE 710 may establish a connection and manage network operations. The base station 720A may also represent the network arrangement 700 described above with reference to FIG. Figure 7 Described gNB 720B.

[0065] Base station 720A may include a processor 805, a memory arrangement 810, an input / output (I / O) device 815, a transceiver 820, and other components 825. Other components 825 may include, for example, a battery, a data acquisition device, ports for electrically connecting base station 720A to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0066] The processor 805 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the base station 720A. For example, the engines may include a cell DTX / DRX engine 830 for performing operations related to configuring and activating one or more short DTX / DRX cycles for a UE, as described above.

[0067] The engine 830 described above as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 805 is merely exemplary. The functions associated with the engine 830 may also be represented as a separate combined component of the base station 720A, or may be a modular component coupled to the base station 720A, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit system for receiving signals and a processing circuit system for processing signals and other information. In addition, in some base stations, the functions described for the processor 805 are split between multiple processors (e.g., baseband processors, application processors, etc.). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the base station.

[0068] The memory 810 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station 720A. The I / O device 815 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the base station 720A.

[0069] The transceiver 820 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 710 and any other UE in the system 700. The transceiver 820 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). Therefore, the transceiver 820 may include one or more components (e.g., radio equipment) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs. The transceiver 820 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded with information that implements any of the methods described herein. The processor 805 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 820 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 820 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 805 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from the UE) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0070] Fig. 9 An exemplary UE 710 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE 710 sends Figure 7 UE 710 may also represent UE 712. UE 710 may include a processor 905, a memory arrangement 910, a display device 915, an input / output (I / O) device 920, a transceiver 925, and other components 930. Other components 930 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting UE 710 to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0071] The processor 905 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 710. For example, the engines may include a cell DTX / DRX engine 935 for performing various operations related to configuration and activation of one or more short cell DTX / DRX cycles, as described above.

[0072] The engine 935 described above is provided as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 905 for illustrative purposes only. The functions associated with the engine 935 may also be represented as independent combined components of the UE 710, or may be modular components coupled to the UE 710, for example, an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit system for receiving a signal and a processing circuit system for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functions described for the processor 905 are split between two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary implementation scheme may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0073] The memory arrangement 910 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 710. The display device 915 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 920 may be a hardware component that enables a user to enter input. The display device 915 and the I / O device 920 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen).

[0074] The transceiver 925 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 720 and / or any other appropriate type of network. Therefore, the transceiver 925 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a continuous frequency set). The transceiver 925 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., a control signal, a data signal). Such signals may be encoded with information that implements any of the methods described herein. The processor 905 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 925 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 925 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 905 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from a base station of a network) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0075] Example

[0076] In a first embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a configuration of a first cell on-off mode and a second cell on-off mode for a serving cell, wherein the second cell on-off mode includes at least one on duration during the off duration of the first cell on-off mode; receiving activation of one or more on durations for the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UE assumes that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; and performing uplink (UL) transmission for cell reception or downlink (DL) reception for cell transmission during the activated one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL transmission or DL ​​reception is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that meets a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

[0077] In a second embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment further includes: receiving configurations for multiple UE groups; and determining to which of the multiple UE groups the UE belongs.

[0078] In a third embodiment, according to the method of the second embodiment, the configuration for the multiple UE groups includes an index for multiple GC signaling code points and a mapping of each code point to a UE group index and an identification of members of the UE group.

[0079] In a fourth embodiment, according to the method of the third embodiment, the configuration for the plurality of UE groups is received via RRC or Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0080] In a fifth embodiment, according to the method of the third embodiment, the plurality of UE groups are determined according to Quality of Service (QoS) requirements or capabilities.

[0081] In a sixth embodiment, according to the method of the third embodiment, the activation includes an indication of the UE group to which the UE belongs, and identifies one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off mode.

[0082] In a seventh embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment, wherein the activation further includes a duration of an activation mode.

[0083] In an eighth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment, wherein the activation is received via a group common (GC) downlink control information (DCI), a GC medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a combination of the GC DCI and the GCMAC-CE, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0084] In a ninth embodiment, a processor is provided, wherein the processor is configured to execute any of the methods according to the first to eighth embodiments.

[0085] In a tenth embodiment, a user equipment (UE) includes: a transceiver, the transceiver is configured to communicate with a serving cell; and a processor, the processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver and is configured to perform any of the methods described in the first to eighth embodiments.

[0086] In an eleventh embodiment, a method performed by a serving cell includes: sending a configuration of a first cell on-off mode and a second cell on-off mode for the serving cell to one or more user equipments (UEs), wherein the second cell on-off mode includes at least one on duration during the off duration of the first cell on-off mode; sending an activation of one or more on durations for the second cell on-off mode to at least a subset of the one or more UEs, wherein the one or more UEs assume that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; and performing uplink (UL) reception for UE transmission or downlink (DL) transmission for UE reception during the activated one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL reception or DL ​​transmission is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that meets a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

[0087] In a twelfth embodiment, the method according to the eleventh embodiment further includes sending configurations for multiple UE groups, wherein each UE receiving the configurations for the multiple UE groups determines to which one of the multiple UE groups the UE belongs.

[0088] In a thirteenth embodiment, the method according to the twelfth embodiment, wherein the configuration for the multiple UE groups includes indexes for multiple GC signaling code points and a mapping of each code point to a UE group index and an identifier of the members of the UE group.

[0089] In a fourteenth embodiment, according to the method of the thirteenth embodiment, the configuration for the multiple UE groups is sent via RRC or Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0090] In a fifteenth embodiment, according to the method of the thirteenth embodiment, the multiple UE groups are determined according to Quality of Service (Qos) requirements or capabilities.

[0091] In a sixteenth embodiment, according to the method of the thirteenth embodiment, the activation includes an indication of the UE group to which the subset of UEs belongs, and identifies one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off mode.

[0092] In a seventeenth embodiment, the method according to the sixteenth embodiment, wherein the activation further includes a duration of the activation mode.

[0093] In an eighteenth embodiment, the method according to the eleventh embodiment, wherein the activation is sent via a group common (GC) downlink control information (DCI), a GC medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a combination of the GC DCI and the GC MAC-CE, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0094] In a nineteenth embodiment, a processor is provided, the processor being configured to perform any of the methods according to the eleventh to eighteenth embodiments.

[0095] In a twentieth embodiment, a base station comprises: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any of the methods according to the eleventh to eighteenth embodiments.

[0096] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. In other examples, the exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program including lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0097] Although this application describes various embodiments, each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner that is not expressly negated or that is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the prescribed function of the disclosed embodiment.

[0098] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0099] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: decoding, from signaling received from a serving cell, configurations of a first cell on-off pattern and a second cell on-off pattern for the serving cell, wherein the second cell on-off pattern includes at least one on duration during an off duration of the first cell on-off pattern; decoding, from signaling received from a serving cell, an activation for one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UE assumes that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; as well as The transceiver circuit is configured to perform uplink (UL) transmission for cell reception or downlink (DL) reception for cell transmission during one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL transmission or DL ​​reception is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that meets a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: decoding a configuration for a plurality of UE groups from signaling received from the serving cell; and Determine to which of the plurality of UE groups the UE belongs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the configuration for the plurality of UE groups comprises an index for a plurality of GC signaling code points and a mapping of each code point to a UE group index and an identification of members of the UE groups.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the configuration for the plurality of UE groups is received via RRC or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of UE groups are determined according to Quality of Service (QoS) requirements or capabilities.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the activation comprises an indication of the UE group to which the UE belongs and identifies one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off mode. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the activation further comprises a duration of an activation mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the activation is received via a group common (GC) downlink control information (DCI), a GC medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a combination of the GC DCI and the GC MAC-CE, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

9. A processor, the processor being configured to: decoding, from signaling received from a serving cell, configurations of a first cell on-off pattern and a second cell on-off pattern for the serving cell, wherein the second cell on-off pattern includes at least one on duration during an off duration of the first cell on-off pattern; decoding, from signaling received from a serving cell, an activation for one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UE assumes that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until the activation is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; as well as The transceiver circuit is configured to perform uplink (UL) transmission for cell reception or downlink (DL) reception for cell transmission during one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL transmission or DL ​​reception is performed only for traffic having an associated priority or delay requirement that meets a corresponding threshold or for random access (RACH) traffic.

10. The processor of claim 9, further configured to: decoding a configuration for a plurality of UE groups from signaling received from the serving cell; and Determine to which of the plurality of UE groups the UE belongs.

11. The processor of claim 10, wherein the configuration for the plurality of UE groups comprises an index for a plurality of GC signaling code points and a mapping of each code point to a UE group index and identification of members of the UE groups.

12. The processor of claim 11, wherein the configuration for the plurality of UE groups is received via RRC or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

13. A device of a serving cell, the device comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to: configuring a transceiver circuit to transmit, to one or more user equipments (UEs), configurations of a first cell on-off pattern and a second cell on-off pattern for the serving cell, wherein the second cell on-off pattern includes at least one on duration during an off duration of the first cell on-off pattern; configuring a transceiver circuit to send an activation for one or more on durations of the second cell on-off mode to at least a subset of the one or more UEs, wherein the one or more UEs assume that the at least one on duration of the second cell on-off mode is deactivated until receiving the activation in a radio resource control (RRC) message or group common (GC) signaling; as well as The transceiver circuit is configured to perform uplink (UL) reception for UE transmission or downlink (DL) transmission for UE reception during one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off mode, wherein the UL reception or DL ​​transmission is performed only for traffic with associated priority or delay requirements that meet corresponding thresholds or for random access (RACH) traffic.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The transceiver circuit is configured to transmit a configuration for a plurality of UE groups, wherein each UE receiving the configuration for the plurality of UE groups determines to which of the plurality of UE groups the UE belongs.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the configuration for the plurality of UE groups comprises an index for a plurality of GC signaling code points and a mapping of each code point to a UE group index and identification of members of the UE groups.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the configuration for the plurality of UE groups is transmitted via RRC or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plurality of UE groups are determined according to Quality of Service (Qos) requirements or capabilities.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the activation comprises an indication of the UE group to which the subset of UEs belongs and identifies one or more activated on durations of the second cell on-off pattern. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the activation further comprises a duration of an activation mode.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the activation is sent via a group common (GC) downlink control information (DCI), a GC medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), a combination of the GC DCI and the GC MAC-CE, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

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