Paging unlicensed new radios

Abstract

The disclosure relates to paging unlicensed new radios. Methods and apparatus related to paging for an unlicensed new radio (NR-U) are disclosed. The method includes means for performing paging using multiple paging occasions (POs) during a DRX cycle, performing paging using a paging window, performing paging using a PO including multiple scans and / or repetitions, signaling a DL channel access indication for paging, and performing paging using dynamic DRX. According to one embodiment, an apparatus may receive a signal including a plurality of PO, where each PO includes a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions. The apparatus may monitor a portion of a plurality of paging occasions based on receiving an identifier associated with the apparatus. The apparatus may detect paging downlink control information (DCI) in a PDCCH monitoring occasion of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions in the monitored portion.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the PCT application entering the Chinese national phase, with an international filing date of August 14, 2019, national application number 201980063414.X, and invention name “Paging Unlicensed New Radio”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 736,850, filed on September 26, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0004] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops technical standards for cellular telecommunications network technologies, including radio access, core transport networks, and service capabilities - including work on codecs, security, and quality of service. Recent Radio Access Technology (RAT) standards include WCDMA (commonly referred to as 3G), LTE (commonly referred to as 4G), and LTE-Advanced standards. 3GPP has begun work on the standardization of the next generation of cellular technology, known as "New Radio (NR)", also referred to as "5G". Summary of the invention

[0005] This summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed description below. This summary is neither intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to limitations that address any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

[0006] Methods and apparatus for paging an unlicensed new radio (NR-U) are described herein. The method includes means for performing paging using multiple paging occasions (POs) during a DRX cycle, performing paging using a paging window, performing paging using a PO that includes multiple sweeps and / or repetitions, signaling a DL channel access indication for paging, and performing paging using dynamic DRX. According to one embodiment, a device may receive a signal including multiple POs, wherein each PO includes multiple physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions. The device may monitor a portion of the multiple paging occasions based on receiving an identifier associated with the device. The device may detect paging downlink control information (DCI) in a PDCCH monitoring occasion among the multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions in the monitored portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] A more detailed understanding may be obtained from the following description given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1 is a diagram of a bandwidth adaptation (BA) example;

[0009] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example multiplexing of paging occasions (POs) in the time and frequency domains;

[0010] Figure 3 This is a diagram of an example time-division multiplexing of continuous PO;

[0011] Figure 4 This is a diagram of an example time-division multiplexing of non-continuous PO;

[0012] Figure 5 This is a diagram of an example time-division multiplexing of non-continuous PO;

[0013] Figure 6 is a diagram of example time and frequency division multiplexing of continuous PO;

[0014] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example frequency division multiplexing of the monitored PO;

[0015] Figure 8 is an exemplary configuration with non-contiguous POs in the paging search space;

[0016] Fig. 9 is an exemplary configuration with contiguous POs in the paging search space;

[0017] Fig. 10A is a diagram of an example organization of POs from different PDCCH monitoring opportunity groups;

[0018] Fig. 10B is a diagram of another example organization of POs from different PDCCH monitoring opportunity groups;

[0019] Fig.11A is an exemplary configuration for monitoring POs in multiple PFs;

[0020] Fig. 11B is another exemplary configuration for monitoring POs in multiple PFs;

[0021] Fig.12 is a flow chart of an example algorithm that can determine whether a subsequent PO should be monitored;

[0022] Fig.13 is a flow chart of an alternative example algorithm that may determine whether a subsequent PO should be monitored;

[0023] Fig.14 is a diagram of an example paging monitoring window;

[0024] Fig.15is a diagram of an example PO for a scenario with multiple scans;

[0025] Fig.16 is a diagram of an example PO for a scenario with repetition;

[0026] Fig.17 is a diagram of an example PO for a scenario with multiple scans and / or repetitions;

[0027] Fig.18 is a graph of an extended PO, where T=32, N=16, Ns=4, M=2 and S=3;

[0028] Fig.19 is a diagram of an example procedure for signaling a DL channel access indication for paging using a paging DCI (LBT succeeds on first attempt);

[0029] Fig. 20 is a diagram of an example procedure for signaling a DL channel access indication for paging using a paging DCI (LBT succeeds on the second attempt);

[0030] Fig.21A One embodiment of an example communication system is illustrated in which the methods and apparatus described and claimed herein may be implemented;

[0031] Fig. 21B is a block diagram of an example apparatus or device configured for wireless communications, such as, for example, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), according to embodiments illustrated herein;

[0032] Fig. 21C is a system diagram of a RAN and a core network according to an embodiment;

[0033] Fig.21D is a system diagram of a RAN and a core network according to an embodiment;

[0034] Fig.21E is a system diagram of a RAN and a core network according to an embodiment;

[0035] Fig.21F It can be implemented Fig.21A , 21C , a block diagram of an exemplary computing system of one or more devices of the communication network shown in 21D and 21E; and

[0036] Figure 21G One embodiment of an example communication system is illustrated in which the methods and apparatus described and claimed herein may be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Methods and apparatus for paging an unlicensed new radio (NR-U) are described herein. According to embodiments described herein, an apparatus may receive a signal including a plurality of POs, wherein each PO includes a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring opportunities. The apparatus may monitor a portion of the plurality of paging opportunities based on receiving an identifier associated with the apparatus. The apparatus may detect paging downlink control information (DCI) in a PDCCH monitoring opportunity in a plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities in the monitored portion.

[0038] The following is a list of acronyms that may appear in the following descriptions. Unless otherwise noted, the acronyms used in this article refer to the corresponding terms listed below:

[0039] BA Bandwidth Adaptation

[0040] BWP Bandwidth Part

[0041] CAI Channel Access Indicator

[0042] CORESET Control Resource Set

[0043] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0044] DL Downlink

[0045] DRS Discovery Reference Signal

[0046] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0047] DwPTS Downlink Pilot Time Slot

[0048] eNB Evolved Node B

[0049] gNB NR NodeB

[0050] IE Information Elements

[0051] L1 Layer 1

[0052] LAA License Assisted Access

[0053] LBT Listen before you speak

[0054] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0055] MAC Media Access Control

[0056] MT Mobile Terminal

[0057] NR New Radio

[0058] NR-U NR without permission

[0059] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0060] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0061] PF Paging Framework

[0062] PHY Physical Layer

[0063] PO Paging time

[0064] P-RNTI Paging Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0065] PSB Paging Subband

[0066] PWS Public Warning System

[0067] RAN Radio Access Network

[0068] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0069] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0070] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0071] SCell Secondary Cell

[0072] SI System Information

[0073] SpCell Special Cell

[0074] SS Sync Signal

[0075] SSB SS Block

[0076] TRP Send and Receive Points

[0077] UE User Equipment

[0078] UL Uplink

[0079] Carrier aggregation with at least one SCell operating in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as Licensed Assisted Access (LAA). Thus, in LAA, the set of serving cells configured for a UE may include at least one SCell operating in an unlicensed spectrum according to frame structure type 3, which may also be referred to as an LAA SCell. Typically, an LAA SCell may act as a regular SCell.

[0080] LAA eNB and UE may apply Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) before transmission on LAA SCell. When LBT is applied, the transmitter may listen / sense the channel to determine whether the channel is idle or busy. If the channel is determined to be idle, the transmitter may perform the transmission; otherwise, it may not be able to perform the transmission. If the LAA eNB uses channel access signals of other technologies, for example, for the purpose of LAA channel access, it may continue to meet the LAA maximum energy detection threshold requirement.

[0081] LTE frame structure type 3 may be applicable to LAA auxiliary cell operation which usually has only a normal cyclic prefix. Each radio frame may be T f =307200·T s = 10ms long and can be composed of 20 frames of length T slot =15360·T s =0.5 ms, numbered from 0 to 19. A subframe may be defined as two consecutive time slots, where subframe i may consist of time slots i and 2i+1.

[0082] 10 subframes within a radio frame may be available for downlink or uplink transmission. A downlink transmission may occupy one or more consecutive subframes, e.g., starting anywhere within a subframe and ending with the last subframe being fully occupied or in one of the following DwPTSs. An uplink transmission may occupy one or more consecutive subframes.

[0083] The UE may use discontinuous reception (DRX) in the RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE states to reduce power consumption. The UE may monitor one paging occasion (PO) in each DRX cycle. A PO may be a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions and may consist of multiple time slots (e.g., subframes or OFDM symbols) in which paging downlink control information (DCI) may be sent. A paging frame (PF) is a radio frame and may contain one or more POs or the starting point of a PO.

[0084] In multi-beam operation, the length of one PO may be one period of a beam sweep, and the UE may assume that the same paging message is repeated in all beams in the sweep mode, so the selection of (one or more) beams for receiving the paging message may depend on the UE implementation. The paging message may be the same for both RAN-initiated and CN-initiated paging.

[0085] The UE may initiate the RRC connection recovery procedure after receiving a RAN paging. If the UE receives a CN initiated paging in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may move to RRC_IDLE and may notify the NAS.

[0086] PF and PO may be determined by the following formula: SFN for PF may be determined by: (SFN+PF_offset) mod T=(T div N)*(UE_ID mod N).

[0087] The index (i_s) indicating the start of the PDCCH monitoring occasion set for paging DCI may be determined by: i_s=floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns.

[0088] If configured, the PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging may be determined according to paging-SearchSpace and firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO. Otherwise, the PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging may be determined according to the default association (ie, the PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging may be the same as for RMSI).

[0089] For the default association, Ns can be 1 or 2. For Ns=1, there can be only one PO starting in the PF. For Ns=2, the PO can be located in the first half (i_s=0) or the second half (i_s=1) of the PF.

[0090] For non-default associations (i.e., when paging-SearchSpace is used), the UE may monitor the (i_s+1)th PO, where the first PO may start in the PF. Starting from the first PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in the PF, the PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging that do not overlap with UL symbols may be numbered sequentially from zero. When there is a firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO, the (i_s+1)th PO may be a set of "S" consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging starting from the PDCCH monitoring occasion indicated by the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO (i.e., the (i_s+1)th value of the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO parameter). Otherwise, the (i_s+1)th PO may be a set of "S" consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities starting from the (i_s*S)th PDCCH monitoring opportunity for paging, where "S" may be the number of SSBs actually transmitted, which is determined based on ssb-PositionsInBurst in SystemInformationBlock1. The Kth PDCCH monitoring opportunity for paging in the PO may correspond to the Kth transmitted SSB.

[0091] The following parameters can be used for the calculation of PF and i_s above:

[0092] (1) T: DRX cycle of the UE (if configured by RRC or upper layers, T may be determined by the shortest value among the UE-specific DRX values, and T may be determined by the default DRX value broadcasted in the system information. If UE-specific DRX is not configured by RRC or by upper layers, the default value may be applied);

[0093] (2) N: total number of paging frames in units of T;

[0094] (3) Ns: number of paging occasions used for PF;

[0095] (4) PF_offset: offset used for PF determination; and

[0096] (5)UE_ID: 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024.

[0097] The parameters N, Ns, first-PDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO, PF_offset and the length of the default DRX cycle can be signaled in SIB1. If the UE does not have a 5G-S-TMSI, for example when the UE has not yet registered on the network, then the UE can use the default value: identity UE_ID=0 in the above PF and i_s formulas. The 5G-S-TMSI can be a 48-bit long bit string. The 5G-S-TMSI in the above formula can be interpreted as a binary number, where the leftmost bit represents the most significant bit.

[0098] Table 1 below shows information that can be transmitted through DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by P-RNTI.

[0099]

[0100] Table 1: Paging DCI

[0101] Table 2 below shows information that may be transmitted via DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by P-RNTI.

[0102] Bit Field describe 00 reserve 01 The DCI contains only scheduling information for paging. 10 Only short messages exist in DCI 11 DCI contains both scheduling information and short messages for paging.

[0103] Table 2: Short message indicators

[0104] With bandwidth adaptation (BA), the receive and transmit bandwidth of a UE generally does not have to be as large as the bandwidth of the cell, and can be adjusted: the width can be commanded to change (e.g., shrink to save power during times of low activity); the location can be moved in the frequency domain (e.g., to increase scheduling flexibility); and the subcarrier spacing can be commanded to change (e.g., to allow different services). A subset of the total cell bandwidth of a cell can be referred to as a bandwidth part (BWP), and BA can be implemented by configuring (one or more) BWPs to the UE and telling the UE which of the configured BWPs is currently active.

[0105] Figure 1 An example of a BA 100 is shown. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , three different BWPs are shown with respect to time 102 and frequency: BWP1 110, BWP2 111, and BWP3 112. The BWPs may be configured as follows: BWP1 110 may have a width of 40 MHz and a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz; BWP2 111 may have a width of 10 MHz and a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz; and BWP3 112 may have a width of 20 MHz and a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz.

[0106] A serving cell can be configured with up to four BWPs, and generally, for an activated serving cell, there is one active BWP at any point in time. BWP switching for a serving cell can be used to activate an inactive BWP and deactivate an active BWP at one time, and can be controlled by a PDCCH indicating a downlink assignment or uplink grant. After adding a SpCell (special cell) or activating an SCell, a BWP may initially be active without receiving a PDCCH indicating a downlink assignment or uplink grant. The active BWP for a serving cell may be indicated by RRC or PDCCH. For unpaired spectrum, a DL BWP may be paired with a UL BWP, and BWP switching may be common to both UL and DL.

[0107] The embodiments described herein address several issues in conventional paging procedures. For NR, the UE monitors one PO per DRX cycle, where a PO may be a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions, each of which corresponds to a fixed time instance (e.g., one or more OFDM symbols) within a paging frame (PF) in which a paging DCI may be sent. For NR-U, the gNB may need to perform LBT before performing a DL transmission, which may prevent the gNB from transmitting a paging DCI during the PO. This may result in the gNB having to wait for a full DRX cycle before attempting to page the UE again, which is unacceptable in some scenarios. In addition, NR has introduced the RRC_INACTIVE state, which, for example, is intended to allow the UE to transition from a low power state to a fully connected state very quickly and efficiently. For NR-U, the benefits of this state may be lost if the paging process is severely affected by LBT. Therefore, the NR-U paging process needs to be enhanced to ensure that the UE can be paged reliably and without incurring excessive delays.

[0108] Aspects disclosed herein include the following solutions to the above problems:

[0109] (1) A method of performing paging using multiple POs during a DRX cycle, such as, for example:

[0110] A method for a UE to monitor multiple POs during a DRX cycle, wherein the POs to be monitored may be multiplexed in the time domain and / or the frequency domain;

[0111] A method for a UE to select a PO to monitor from one or more Paging-SearchSpace fields during a DRX cycle;

[0112] A method for a UE to select a PO to monitor from one or more groups of PDCCH monitoring opportunities during a DRX cycle;

[0113] A method for a UE to select a PO to monitor from among POs associated with a plurality of PFs during a DRX cycle;

[0114] A method for the UE to determine the next PO to monitor in a DRX cycle based on a set of configured rules;

[0115] Method for UE to monitor PO configured for multiple BWP / subbands; and

[0116] A method for the UE to determine when it should monitor subsequent POs configured in a DRX cycle.

[0117] (2) A method of performing paging using a paging window, such as, for example:

[0118] A way to define a flexible starting point for a PO.

[0119] (3) A method of performing paging using PO including multiple scans / repetitions, such as, for example:

[0120] PO definition, where PO is defined as a set of consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities that can be used for transmission of paging DCI using multiple scans and / or repetitions.

[0121] (4) Methods for signaling DL channel access indication for paging, such as, for example:

[0122] A method of signaling a DL channel access indication via paging DCI.

[0123] (5) Method of performing paging using dynamic DRX, such as, for example:

[0124] A method to dynamically adjust the DRX cycle when the UE detects that the gNB can / cannot acquire the channel during PO.

[0125] Figure 2 is an example 200 of multiplexing POs in the time and frequency domains according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Figure 2 2 shows a plurality of POs 210 multiplexed in the time domain 202 and the frequency domain 201. Figure 2 As shown in the example of , in order to improve the robustness of the paging process, the UE may monitor one or more POs 210 during a DRX cycle, where the one or more POs 210 to be monitored may be multiplexed in the time domain 202 and / or the frequency domain 201. The number of POs 210 to be monitored during a DRX cycle may be preconfigured or may be configured by a higher layer using broadcast or dedicated signaling, and may depend on, for example, the type of service, system access latency requirements, and power consumption requirements.

[0126] For example, the PCCH-Config field included in the DownlinkConfigCommonSIB IE can be used to signal a parameter; for example, Nm, which is used to configure the number of POs to be monitored during the DRX cycle. For purposes of illustration, the case where the parameter Nm can be set to a value equal to 1, 2, 4, or 8 is considered herein. The parameter can be signaled using the PCCH-Config field defined as shown below. In this example, when the parameter Nm is not explicitly signaled, a default value of 1 can be assumed. Extensions to other parameters are signaled via the IE; for example, support for additional SCSs, Ns values, N values, PF offset values, etc. can be performed in a similar manner as described below.

[0127]

[0128] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is an example of monitoring a plurality of consecutive POs multiplexed in the time domain according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Figure 3 In an example, a UE may be configured to monitor multiple POs, such as Nm, during a DRX cycle, where the monitored POs may correspond to a set of POs multiplexed in the time domain. The POs to be monitored may be associated with a PF using an SFN determined by: (SFN+PF_offset) mod T = (T div N) * (UE_ID mod N). For example, the monitored POs may correspond to a set of consecutive POs that may be multiplexed in the time domain, where the UE is assigned to different sets of consecutive POs based on the UE_ID. In one aspect, the index i_s m The start of a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions that may indicate the paging DCI for the mth monitored PO (where 1≤m≤Ns) may be determined by: i_s m =(floor(UE_ID / N)+(m-1))mod Ns.

[0129] Table 3 below shows the scenarios for T=32, N=16, Ns=8 and Nm=4. Figure 3 Calculation results for three different UEs (UE1 302, UE33 303 and UE225 304) are shown in FIG.

[0130] UE_ID <![CDATA[i_s1]]> <![CDATA[i_s2]]> <![CDATA[i_s3]]> <![CDATA[i_s4]]> 1 0 1 2 3 33 2 3 4 5 225 6 7 0 1

[0131] Table 3: i_s of aspects with continuous PO m calculate,

[0132] Where T = 32, N = 16, Ns = 8 and Nm = 4

[0133] refer to Figure 3 , showing a plurality of POs 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, and 317 in a time domain 301. UE1 302 may monitor PO 320 during PO 310, 311, 312, 313, and not monitor PO 321 during PO 314, 315, 316, and 317. UE33 303 may monitor PO 323 during PO 312, 313, 314, and 315, and not monitor PO 322 during PO 310, 311, 316, and 317. UE2 25 304 may monitor PO 324 during PO 310, 311, 316, and 317, and not monitor PO 325 during PO 312, 313, 314, and 315.

[0134] Figure 4 4 is an example of monitoring multiple non-contiguous POs multiplexed in the time domain according to one embodiment, which can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. The channel access probabilities of POs multiplexed in the time domain can be highly correlated, especially if the POs are close to each other in time. To address this issue, Figure 4 As shown in the example of , the UE can be configured to monitor a set of non-contiguous POs multiplexed in the time domain, where the UE can be distributed to different sets of non-contiguous POs based on the UE_ID. m The start of a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions that may indicate the paging DCI for the mth monitored PO (where 1≤m≤Ns) may be determined by: i_s m =(floor(UE_ID / N)+(Ns div Nm)*(m-1))mod Ns.

[0135] Table 4 shows the scenarios for T=32, N=16, Ns=8 and Nm=4. Figure 4 Calculation results for three different UEs (UE1 402, UE17 403 and UE33 404) are shown in FIG.

[0136] UE_ID <![CDATA[i_s1]]> <![CDATA[i_s2]]> <![CDATA[i_s3]]> <![CDATA[i_s4]]> 1 0 2 4 6 17 1 3 5 7 33 2 4 6 0

[0137] Table 4: i_s of examples with continuous PO m calculate,

[0138] Where T = 32, N = 16, Ns = 8 and Nm = 4

[0139] refer to Figure 4, showing a plurality of POs 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, and 417 in a time domain 401. UE1 402 may monitor PO 420 during PO 410, 412, 414, and 416, but not monitor PO 421 during PO 411, 413, 415, and 417. UE17 403 may monitor PO 423 during PO 411, 413, 415, and 417, but not monitor PO 422 during PO 410, 412, 414, and 416. UE33 404 may monitor PO 424 during PO 410, 412, 414, and 416, but not monitor PO 425 during PO 411, 413, 415, and 417.

[0140] Figure 5 is another example 500 of monitoring a plurality of non-contiguous POs multiplexed in the time domain according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein.

[0141] Table 5 shows the scenarios for T=32, N=16, Ns=8 and Nm=2. Figure 5 Calculation results for three different UEs (UE1 502, UE17 503 and UE33 504) are shown in FIG.

[0142] UE_ID <![CDATA[i_s1]]> <![CDATA[i_s2]]> 1 0 4 17 1 5 33 2 6

[0143] Table 5: i_s of embodiments with non-continuous PO m calculate,

[0144] Where T = 32, N = 16, Ns = 8 and Nm = 2

[0145] refer to Figure 5 , showing a plurality of POs 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, and 517 in a time domain 501. UE1 502 may monitor PO 520 during PO 510 and 514, but not monitor PO 521 during PO 511, 512, 513, 515, 516, and 517. UE1 503 may monitor PO 523 during PO 511 and 515, but not monitor PO 522 during PO 510, 512, 513, 514, 516, and 517. UE3 504 may monitor PO 525 during PO 512 and 516, but not monitor PO 524 during PO 510, 511, 513, 514, 515, and 517.

[0146] Figure 6600 is another example of monitoring PO multiplexed in the time and frequency domains according to one embodiment, which can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. For wideband carriers, the DL channel can be divided into subbands, where LBT can be performed independently on each subband. A paging subband (PSB) can be defined as a subband on which a UE can monitor the PDCCH for paging. Figure 6 In an example, a UE may be configured to monitor a PDCCH for paging on one or more PSBs during a DRX cycle, where the UE may be assigned to different PSBs based on the UE_ID. The UE may monitor paging on different PSBs during each monitored PO of the DRX cycle, where the PSB monitored by the UE for paging during the mth monitored PO may be determined by: PSB m =(floor(UE_ID / (N*Ns))+(m-1))mod N PSB .

[0147] Table 6 shows the calculation results for three different UEs (UE1, UE33 and UE225) for the scenario where the UE monitors continuous PO and T=32, N=16, Ns=8, Nm=4 and Npsb=4.

[0148] UE_ID <![CDATA[PSB1]]> <![CDATA[PSB 2]]> <![CDATA[PSB 3]]> <![CDATA[PSB 4]]> 1 0 1 2 3 33 0 1 2 3 225 1 2 3 0

[0149] Table 6: PSB of Examples with Continuous PO m calculate,

[0150] Where T = 32, N = 16, Ns = 8 and Nm = 4

[0151] refer to Figure 6 , shows multiple POs 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, and 617 in the time domain 601 and multiple subbands: subband 3 602, subband 2 603, subband 1 604, and subband 0 605. UE1 can monitor PO 621. UE33 can monitor PO 622. UE225 can monitor PO 620. The UE does not monitor PO 623.

[0152] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is an example 700 of monitoring PO multiplexed in the frequency domain according to only one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Figure 7 In the example of , the UE may monitor only the PO multiplexed with frequency during the DRX cycle. Figure 7 , PO is frequency multiplexed when T=32, N=16, Ns=8, Nm=4 and Npsb=4. Figure 7A plurality of POs 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716 and 717 and a plurality of subbands in the time domain 701 are shown: subband 3 702, subband 2 703, subband 1 704 and subband 0 705. UE1 may monitor PO 720. UE33 may monitor PO 721. UE225 may monitor PO 722. UE does not monitor PO 723.

[0153] The following is an example of a PCCH-Config Information Element (IE) that may be used to signal the parameters described herein:

[0154]

[0155]

[0156]

[0157] Table 7: PCCH-Config field description

[0158] The Paging-SearchSpace field signaled via the PDCCH-ConfigCommon IE can be used for configuration of non-default association of PO and SSB. For NR-U, multiple Paging-SearchSpace fields can be used to configure the set of POs that the UE should monitor during the DRX cycle. The PO to be monitored can be associated with the PF using the SFN which can be determined by the following formula: (SFN+PF_offset) mod T = (T div N) * (UE_ID mod N). The index (i_s) indicating the start of the set of PDCCH monitoring opportunities for paging DCI can be determined by the following formula: i_s = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns.

[0159] The set of POs to be monitored during a DRX cycle may consist of the (i_s+1)th PO in each of the Nm configured Paging-SearchSpaces. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The POs in each paging search space are organized as shown in the example of , thereby allowing the POs monitored by a given UE within a DRX cycle to be grouped in time or dispersed in time.

[0160] Figure 8 800 is an example configuration of an exemplary configuration with non-contiguous POs in a paging search space according to one embodiment, which can be used in combination with any of the embodiments described herein. In this example, each paging search space includes multiple non-contiguous POs, each non-contiguous PO including one of multiple PDCCH monitoring opportunities. Figure 8 The example shows paging search space 4 840 and PO1 841 , PO2 842 , PO3 843 , and PO4 844 relative to the time domain 804 . Figure 8 Also shown are paging search space 3 830 and PO1 831 , PO2 832 , PO3 833 , and PO4 834 with respect to the time domain 803 . Figure 8 Also shown are paging search space 2 820 and PO1 821 , PO2 822 , PO3 823 , and PO4 824 with respect to the time domain 802 . Figure 8 Also shown are paging search space 1 810 and PO1 811 , PO2 812 , PO3 813 , and PO4 814 with respect to the time domain 801 .

[0161] Fig. 9 900 is an example configuration of an exemplary configuration with contiguous POs in a paging search space according to one embodiment, which can be used in combination with any of the embodiments described herein. In this example, each paging search space includes multiple contiguous POs, each contiguous PO including one of multiple PDCCH monitoring opportunities. Fig. 9 The example shows paging search space 4 940 and PO1 941 , PO2 942 , PO3 943 and PO4 944 with respect to the time domain 904 . Fig. 9 Also shown are paging search space 3 930 and PO1 931 , PO2 932 , PO3 933 , and PO4 934 with respect to the time domain 903 . Fig. 9 Also shown are paging search space 2 920 and PO1 921 , PO2 922 , PO3 923 , and PO4 924 with respect to the time domain 902 . Fig. 9 Also shown are paging search space 1 910 and PO1 911 , PO2 912 , PO3 913 , and PO4 914 with respect to the time domain 901 .

[0162] The following is an example of a PDCCH-ConfigCommon IE that can be used to configure the above multiple paging search spaces:

[0163]

[0164]

[0165]

[0166]

[0167] Table 8 PDCCH-ConfigCommon field description

[0168] The UE may be configured to monitor multiple POs during a DRX cycle, where the monitored POs may be associated with multiple groups of PDCCH monitoring occasions. In one aspect, the POs to be monitored may be associated with a PF using a SFN that may be determined by: (SFN+PF_offset) mod T = (T div N) * (UE_ID mod N). The index (i_s) indicating the start of a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging DCI in each group may be determined by: i_s = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns.

[0169] The set of POs monitored by the UE during the DRX cycle may include the (i_s+1)th PO selected from each configured group of PDCCH monitoring occasions.

[0170] Multiple sets of PDCCH monitoring occasions may be configured by higher layers using broadcast or dedicated signaling.

[0171] Fig. 10A is an example 1000 of interleaved POs from different PDCCH monitoring occasion groups according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Each PO in this example includes one of a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions. Fig. 10A The example of shows that each PO from different PDCCH monitoring occasion groups is interleaved with other POs of other monitoring occasion groups. The PDCCH monitoring occasions in each group can be organized into POs and interleaved with respect to the time domain 1001 as follows: PO 1,1 ,PO 2,1 ,PO 3,1 ,PO 4,1 ,PO 1,2 ,PO 2,2 ,PO 3,2 ,PO 4,2 ,PO 1,3 ,PO 2,3 ,PO 3,3 ,PO 4,3 ,PO 1,4 ,PO 2,4 ,PO 3,4 and PO 4,4 . Fig. 10A The index of the PO shown in is the PDCCH monitoring time group and the PO number.

[0172] Fig. 10Bis an example of non-interleaved POs from different PDCCH monitoring opportunity groups according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Each PO in this example includes one of a plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities. The PDCCH monitoring opportunities in each group may be organized into POs with respect to the time domain 1002 as follows: PO 1,1 ,PO 1,2 ,PO 1,3 ,PO 1,4 ,PO 2,1 ,PO 2,2 ,PO 2,3 ,PO 2,4 ,PO 3,1 ,PO 3,2 ,PO 3,3 ,PO 3,4 ,PO 4,1 ,PO 4,2 ,PO 4,3 and PO 4,4 . Fig. 10B The index of the PO shown in is the PDCCH monitoring time group and the PO number.

[0173] For example, the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO field included in the PCCH-Config IE may be defined as follows to allow the UE to monitor POs associated with up to 4 different PDCCH monitoring occasion groups:

[0174]

[0175]

[0176]

[0177] Table 9: PCCH-Config field description

[0178] The UE may be configured to monitor multiple POs during a DRX cycle, wherein the monitored POs may be associated with multiple PFs. In one aspect, the POs to be monitored may be associated with PFs using a SFN which may be determined by: (SFN+PF_offset m )modT=(T div N)*(UE_ID mod N), where PF_offset m is the offset associated with the mth PF containing one or more POs to be monitored during the DRX cycle.The index (i_s) indicating the start of the set of PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging DCI in each PF may be determined by: i_s=floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns.

[0179] The set of PF_offsets used may be configured by higher layers using broadcast or dedicated signaling. For example, the nAndPagingFrameOffset field included in the PCCH-Config IE may be defined as follows to allow the UE to monitor POs associated with up to 4 PFs:

[0180]

[0181]

[0182] Fig.11A is an example 1100 of monitoring continuous PF according to one embodiment, which can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig.11A The example shows each PF and its offset: PF 1101 and PF_Offset11111, PF 1102 and PF_Offset2 1112, PF 1103 and PF_Offset3 1113, and PF 1104 and PF_Offset4 1114.

[0183] Fig. 11B is an example of monitoring non-continuous PF according to one embodiment, which can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig. 11B The example shows each PF and its offset: PF 1121 and PF_Offset1 1131 , PF 1122 and PF_Offset2 1132 , PF 1123 and PF_Offset3 1133 , and PF 1124 and PF_Offset4 1134 .

[0184] A rule-based approach may be used to determine additional POs that may be monitored for a DRX cycle. The PF SFN and index i_s corresponding to the first PO to be monitored during a DRX cycle may be determined using: (SFN+PF_offset)modT=(T div N)*(UE_ID mod N) and i_s=floor(UE_ID / N)mod Ns.

[0185] For example, if the UE determines that the gNB cannot acquire a DL channel to transmit a paging DCI during a PO, the UE may monitor additional POs during the DRX cycle. The UE may use the methods described herein to determine whether the gNB has acquired a DL channel. The use of alternative methods (e.g., detection of a Discovery Reference Signal (DRS), a Channel Access Indicator (CAI) signal, or any other signal transmitted by the gNB) that may be used to determine whether the gNB has acquired a DL channel is not excluded.

[0186] Aspects include methods for monitoring a next PO. A UE may monitor a next PO associated with a PF, where the index of the next PO may be calculated as: i_s next_PO =i_s+1, where i_s<(Ns-1). For the scenario where the monitored PO is the last PO associated with PF-i_s=(Ns-1), the UE may stop monitoring additional POs during the DRX cycle. Alternatively, the UE may monitor the PO associated with the next PF, where the SFN of the next PF may be calculated as: SFNNext_PF=SFNPF+floor(T / N).

[0187] The UE may monitor up to m POs during a DRX cycle, where the number m may be predefined or configured by the layers using broadcast or dedicated signaling. The UE may be configured to monitor more than one PO in a PF.

[0188] When the UE detects LBT failure in a PO, where the UE may use the methods described herein to determine whether the gNB has acquired the DL channel or any alternative methods (e.g., detection of a discovery reference signal (DRS), a CAI signal, or any other signal transmitted by the gNB), the UE may monitor up to a maximum number of the next additional k consecutive POs after the first PO in which the UE detected LBT failure within the DRX cycle. The UE may monitor the additional POs until, for example, the UE detects LBT success (or equivalently no LBT failure) or the UE has monitored additional k consecutive POs after the first PO in which the UE detected LBT failure and no LBT success. The additional POs being monitored may belong to the same PF, or may belong to different PFs. The parameter k may be configured to the UE by the gNB, or may be specified as (one or more) predefined values. The value of the parameter k may depend on, for example, service requirements and / or UE power saving settings / preferences.

[0189] In another alternative, when the UE detects LBT failure in a PO, the UE may monitor up to a maximum number of the next k additional POs after the first PO in which the UE detected LBT failure within the DRX cycle. The additional monitored POs may be separated from each other in time by a time interval, which time interval may be expressed in terms of subframes and / or time slots and / or mini-time slots and / or symbols. The UE may monitor the additional POs until, for example, the UE detects LBT success (or equivalently no LBT failure) or the UE has monitored k consecutive POs after the first PO in which the UE detected LBT failure and no LBT success. The additional monitored POs may belong to the same PF, or may belong to different PFs. The parameter k may be configured to the UE by the gNB, or may be specified as (one or more) fixed values. The value of the parameter k may depend on, for example, service requirements and / or UE power saving settings / preferences. Similarly, the time interval between the additional monitored POs may be configured to the UE by the gNB, or may be specified as (one or more) predefined values. The value of the timer interval between additional monitored POs may depend on, for example, service requirements and / or UE power saving settings / preferences.

[0190] When the UE detects LBT failure in a PDCCH monitoring opportunity within a PO, typically the UE may monitor up to a maximum number of the next k consecutive additional PDCCH monitoring opportunities after the first PDCCH monitoring opportunity in which the UE detects LBT failure within the DRX cycle. The UE may monitor additional PDCCH opportunities, for example until the UE detects LBT success (or equivalently no LBT failure) or the UE has monitored additional k consecutive PDCCH opportunities after the first PDCCH opportunity in which the UE detects LBT failure and no LBT success. The additional consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities may belong to the same PO and / or the same PF, or may belong to different POs and / or different PFs. In addition, the additional consecutive PDCCH opportunities may be constructed to be indexed as consecutive PDCCH opportunities in the time domain and / or frequency domain. The parameter k may be configured to the UE by the NB, or may be specified as (one or more) predefined values. The value of the parameter k may depend on, for example, service requirements and / or UE power saving settings / preferences.

[0191] When the UE detects LBT failure in a PDCCH monitoring opportunity within a PO, the UE may typically monitor up to a maximum number of the next k PDCCH monitoring opportunities after the first PDCCH monitoring opportunity in which the UE detects LBT failure within the DRX cycle. The monitored PDCCH opportunities may be separated from each other in time by a configurable time interval and / or separated from each other in the frequency domain by a configured distance. In the time domain, the distance between PDCCH monitoring opportunities may be expressed in terms of subframes and / or time slots and / or mini-time slots and / or symbols. The UE may monitor the PDCCH until, for example, the UE detects LBT success (or equivalently no LBT failure) or the UE has monitored additional k consecutive PDCCH opportunities after the first PDCCH opportunity in which the UE detects LBT failure and no LBT success. The monitored PDCCH monitoring opportunities may belong to the same PO and / or the same PF, or may belong to different POs and / or different PFs. In addition, consecutive PDCCH opportunities may be constructed to be indexed as consecutive PDCCH opportunities in the time domain and / or frequency domain. In this case, the distance between the additional PDCCH monitoring opportunities within the DRX cycle can be expressed based on the difference between two additional PDCCH monitoring opportunities. The parameter k can be configured to the UE by the NB, or can be specified as (one or more) fixed values. The value of the parameter k can depend on, for example, service requirements and / or UE power saving settings / preferences. Similarly, the time interval between additional monitored POs can be configured to the UE by the NB, or can be specified as (one or more) predefined values. The value of the timer interval between additional monitored POs can depend on, for example, service requirements and / or UE power saving settings / preferences.

[0192] The UE may monitor POs configured for multiple paging BWPs during a PO, where a paging BWP is a BWP on which the UE may monitor the PDCCH for paging. A common paging configuration may be used for each paging BWP. Alternatively, the configuration for each paging BWP may be configured independently. In one aspect, if the gNB obtains access to more than one paging BWP configured for a given UE during a PO, then the gNB may page the UE on all the paging BWPs for which it has obtained access. The UE may then attempt to receive paging DCI on any paging BWP that the UE can determine the gNB can access. Alternatively, the paging BWPs may be ranked, and if the gNB obtains access to more than one paging BWP configured for a given UE during a PO, then the gNB may use the paging BWP with the highest rank to page the UE. The UE may then attempt to receive paging DCI on the highest-ranked paging BWP that the UE can determine the gNB can access. The same process may be applied to scenarios where the DL channel may be partitioned into subbands - the UE may monitor the POs configured for multiple paging subbands during a PO.

[0193] When determining the number of POs that the UE may monitor in each DRX cycle, there may be a trade-off between paging reliability and UE power consumption. Increasing the number of POs that the UE monitors in each DRX cycle may improve paging reliability but may also increase UE power consumption. In general, to optimize power consumption, the UE may monitor subsequent POs during a DRX cycle only under certain conditions.

[0194] Fig.12 is a flowchart of an example algorithm 1200 that may determine whether subsequent POs should be monitored according to one embodiment, which may be used in combination with any of the embodiments described herein. When the UE detects that the gNB cannot obtain access to the DL channel for the transmission of paging DCI, the UE may monitor subsequent POs only during a DRX cycle. In Fig.12 the example, the PO i may correspond to the i-th monitored PO in a DRX cycle, where i = 1 may be the first monitored PO in a DRX cycle, i = 2 may be the second monitored PO in a DRX cycle, and so on. When i = m, the i-th monitored PO in a DRX cycle does not necessarily correspond to the (i_sm + 1)-th PO. Referring to Fig.12 , m may be set to 1 (step 1201). If the UE detects a CAI during the PO m (step 1202), then the UE monitors the PO m (step 1205). Otherwise, if m < Nm, then the UE increments m (step 1203) and repeats the process (step 1204).

[0195] The same mechanism also applies to determining the number of PDCCH monitoring opportunities used to monitor aspects of PO including multiple scans / repetitions (e.g., extended PO).

[0196] In some configurations, the paging capacity may not be sufficient to page all UEs that may need to be paged during a given PO. In this scenario, it is preferred for the UE to monitor subsequent POs during the DRX cycle. To achieve this behavior, on the one hand, the gNB may provide an indication to the UE to signal the UE when the paging capacity is insufficient to page all UEs that may need to be paged during a given PO and that subsequent POs should be monitored. On the one hand, as shown in Table 10 below, the paging DCI may include a field such as "Paging Capacity Exceeded" to indicate that the paging capacity is insufficient to page all UEs that may need to be paged during the PO.

[0197]

[0198]

[0199] Table 10: NR-U paging DCI

[0200] Fig.13 1300 is a flow chart of an example algorithm 1300 that can determine whether a subsequent PO should be monitored according to one embodiment, which can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. When determining whether a UE should monitor a subsequent PO during a DRX cycle, Fig.13 The example algorithm 1300 may check whether the paging capacity of the PO is exceeded and whether the UE ID is included in the paging message. Alternatively, this indication may be included as a field in the paging message signaled via RRC. i It may correspond to the i-th monitored PO in the DRX cycle, where i=1 may be the first monitored PO in the DRX cycle, i=2 may be the second monitored PO in the DRX cycle, and so on. When i=m, the i-th monitored PO in the DRX cycle does not necessarily correspond to the (i_sm+1)th PO. Fig.13 , m can be set to 1 (step 1301). m During the period, CAI is detected (step 1302), then the UE monitors PO m (Step 1305). Otherwise, if m <Nm, the UE increments m (step 1303) and repeats the process (step 1304). The UE may determine whether a paging DCI is received (step 1306). If a paging DCI is received, the UE may determine whether the paging capacity is exceeded (step 1306). If the paging capacity is exceeded, the UE may determine whether the UE ID is in the paging message (step 1308).

[0201] For NR, a PO may be a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions, each of which may correspond to a fixed time instance within a PF (e.g., one or more OFDM symbols) at which a paging DCI may be sent. If the gNB is unable to acquire a DL channel before the start of the first PDCCH monitoring occasion in a PO, the gNB may have to wait an entire DRX cycle before attempting to page the UE again, even if the channel becomes idle shortly after the start of the PO (e.g., a few symbols after the start of the PO). To reduce the latency associated with paging a UE for NR-U, in one aspect, a PO may be defined such that it may start at a flexible starting point within a paging monitoring window.

[0202] Fig.14 1 is a diagram of an example paging monitoring window 1400 according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. The starting point of PO 1404 (i.e., PO offset 1403) may be defined to occur at a flexible position (e.g., symbol / slot x) within the paging monitoring window 1402, where a maximum value of PO offset 1403 may be specified or may be configured by higher layers using broadcast or dedicated signaling, such as a field included in a PCCH-Config IE.

[0203] In multi-beam operation, the length of a PO can be defined as one or more periods of beam scanning, and the UE can assume that the same paging message is repeated in all beams of the scanning pattern. Then, the PO can be defined as S = (N SSB ×M) consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities, where N SSB The Kth PDCCH monitoring opportunity for paging in PO may be the same as the Kth PDCCH monitoring opportunity for paging in PO. SSB ) corresponding to the SSB of the transmission.

[0204] Fig.15 is according to one embodiment for which N SSB=3 and M=3, which embodiment can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig.15 PO 1501 is shown including multiple scans: scan 1 1511, scan 2 1512, and scan 3 1513. Scan 1 1511 includes PDCCH MO0 1520 of scanning beam 0 1530, PDCCH MO1 1521 of scanning beam 1 1531, and PDCCH MO2 1522 of scanning beam 2 1532. Scan 2 1512 includes PDCCH MO3 1523 of scanning beam 0 1530, PDCCH MO4 1524 of scanning beam 1 1531, and PDCCH MO5 1525 of scanning beam 2 1532. Scan 3 1513 includes PDCCH MO6 1526 of scanning beam 0 1530 , PDCCH MO7 1527 of scanning beam 1 1531 , and PDCCH MO8 1528 of scanning beam 2 1532 .

[0205] Alternatively, PO can be defined as S = (N SSB ×R) consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities, where N SSB may be the number of SSBs actually transmitted as determined by the parameter ssb-PositionsInBurst in SystemInformationBlock1, and R may be the number of repetitions for paging transmissions. In this example, the Kth PDCCH monitoring opportunity for paging in PO may correspond to the (floor(K / R))th transmitted SSB.

[0206] Fig.16 is according to one embodiment for which N SSB =3 and R=3, which embodiment can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig.16 A PO 1601 is shown including multiple MOs: PDCCH MO0 1610 of scanning beam 0 1620, PDCCH MO1 1611 of scanning beam 0 1620, PDCCH MO2 1612 of scanning beam 0 1620, PDCCH MO3 1613 of scanning beam 1 1621, PDCCH MO4 1614 of scanning beam 1 1621, PDCCH MO5 1615 of scanning beam 1 1621, PDCCH MO6 1616 of scanning beam 2 1622, PDCCH MO7 1617 of scanning beam 2 1622, and PDCCH MO8 1618 of scanning beam 2 1622.

[0207] In yet another aspect, PO can be defined as S=(N SSB ×R×M) consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities, where N SSB may be the number of SSBs actually transmitted as determined by the parameter ssb-PositionsInBurst in SystemInformationBlock1, R may be the number of repetitions for paging transmission, and M may be the number of scans for paging transmission. In this example, the Kth PDCCH monitoring opportunity for paging in PO may be the same as the (floor((Kmod(Nth)). SSB ×R)) / R)) corresponding to the SSB of the transmission.

[0208] Fig.17 According to one embodiment, N SSB =3, R=2 and M=2, which embodiment can be used in combination with any embodiment described herein. Fig.17 PO 1701 is shown including multiple scans: scan 1 1711 and scan 2 1712. Scan 1 1711 includes PDCCH MO0 1720 of scanning beam 0 1740, PDCCH MO1 1721 of scanning beam 0 1740, PDCCH MO2 1722 of scanning beam 1 1741, PDCCH MO3 1723 of scanning beam 1 1741, PDCCH MO4 1724 of scanning beam 2 1742, and PDCCH MO5 1725 of scanning beam 2 1742. Scan 2 1712 includes PDCCH MO6 1726 of scanning beam 0 1740, PDCCH MO7 1727 of scanning beam 0 1740, PDCCH MO8 1728 of scanning beam 1 1741, PDCCH MO9 1729 of scanning beam 1 1741, and PDCCH MO of scanning beam 2 1742. 10 1730 and PDCCH MO of scanning beam 2 1742 11 1731.

[0209] Parameters M and / or R may be signaled via a higher layer (e.g., RRC). For example, the PCCH-Config field included in the DownlinkConfigCommonSIB IE may be used to signal these parameters. Parameters may take continuous or non-continuous integer values. For purposes of illustration, this document considers scenarios in which parameters M and R may be set to values ​​equal to 1, 2, 4, or 8. The parameters may be signaled using the PCCH-Config field defined as shown below. In this example, when parameters M and R are not explicitly signaled, a default value of 1 may be assumed. Extensions to other parameters signaled via IE (e.g., support for additional SCS, Ns values, N values, PF offset values, etc.) may also be performed in a similar manner as shown below.

[0210] PCCH-Config::=SEQUENCE{

[0211] defaultPagingCycle PagingCycle,

[0212] nAndPagingFrameOffset CHOICE{

[0213] oneT NULL,

[0214] halfT INTEGER(0..1),

[0215] quarterT INTEGER(0..3),

[0216] oneEighthT INTEGER(0..7),

[0217] oneSixteenthT INTEGER(0..15)

[0218] },

[0219] Ns ENUMERATED{four, two, one},

[0220] firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO CHOICE{

[0221] sCS15KHZoneT

[0222] SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPO-perPF))OF INTEGER(0..139),

[0223] sCS30KHZoneT-SCS15KHZhalfT

[0224] SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPO-perPF))OF INTEGER(0..279),

[0225] sCS60KHZoneT-SCS30KHZhalfT-SCS15KHZquarterT

[0226] SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPO-perPF))OF INTEGER(0..559),

[0227] sCS120KHZoneT-SCS60KHZhalfT-SCS30KHZquarterT-SCS15KHZoneEighthT

[0228] SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPO-perPF))OF INTEGER(0..1119),

[0229] sCS120KHZhalfT-SCS60KHZquarterT-SCS30KHZoneEighthT-

[0230] SCS15KHZoneSixteenthT

[0231] SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxPO-perPF))OF INTEGER(0..2239),

[0232] sCS120KHZquarterT-SCS60KHZoneEighthT-SCS30KHZoneSixteenthT

[0233]

[0234] In the above embodiment, the symbol used to refer to the number of SSBs transmitted according to the parameter ssb-PositionsInBurst in SystemInformationBlock1 can be used with the parameter S instead of N. SSB For the aspects described herein, this alternative notation corresponds to a set of (S×M), (S×R), or (S×R×M) consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities defined as PO.

[0235] A PO that performs paging using a PO including multiple scans / repetitions as described herein, as defined in accordance with aspects of the method, may be referred to as an extended PO. For example, this document considers aspects in which a PO is defined as a set of (S×M) consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities. For scenarios where M>1, additional PDCCH monitoring opportunities including a PO may be viewed as an extension of the PO.

[0236] Fig.18 is an example 1800 of monitoring an extended PO according to one embodiment, which can be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig.18 , showing multiple extended POs 1810, 1811, 1812, and 1813. UE1 1801 may monitor the PDCCH monitoring opportunity during extended PO 1810, and not monitor during extended POs 1811, 1812, and 1813. UE17 1802 may monitor the PDCCH monitoring opportunity during extended PO 1811, and not monitor during extended POs 1810, 1812, and 1813. UE33 1803 may monitor the PDCCH monitoring opportunity during extended PO 1812, and not monitor during extended POs 1810, 1811, and 1813. UE49 1804 may monitor the PDCCH monitoring opportunity during extended PO 1813, and not monitor during extended POs 1810, 1811, and 1812.

[0237] The Kth PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in set m of PO corresponds to the Kth transmitted SSB, where m = 1, 2, ..., M and is the mth set of consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions in PO. This may also be referred to as the [(m-1)*S+K]th PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in PO.

[0238] When the parameter firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO is present in the configuration provided by a higher layer; for example PCCH-Config, the starting PDCCH monitoring occasion number of the (i_s+1)th PO is the (i_s+1)th value of the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO parameter; otherwise it is equal to i_s*S*M.

[0239] Table 11 shows the calculation results of i_s and the starting PDCCH monitoring opportunity number of the (i_s+1)th PO for the extended PO for 4 different UEs for the scenario of T=32, N=16, Ns=4, M=2 and S=3. In this example, the SFN for PF is the same for each UE, but each UE is assigned to a different PO in PF, so Fig.18The different sets of PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging are shown in FIG.

[0240]

[0241] Table 11: Calculation of i_s and starting PDCCH monitoring opportunity number for extended PO,

[0242] Where T = 32, N = 16, Ns = 4, M = 2 and S = 3

[0243] To optimize power consumption, if the UE determines during a monitored PDCCH opportunity that the gNB has acquired access to the channel, the UE is not required to monitor subsequent PDCCH monitoring opportunities corresponding to the same PO, where the UE may use (if used) the method for signaling DL channel access indication for paging described in this document.

[0244] For example, if the UE receives a PDCCH transmission with a CRC scrambled by the P-RNTI in a PDCCH monitoring opportunity for a PO, the UE may assume that the gNB is able to access the channel; and therefore is not required to monitor subsequent PDCCH monitoring opportunities corresponding to the same PO.

[0245] For NR, the gNB may only transmit paging DCI when one or more UEs need to be paged during the PO. If the UE cannot detect DCI format 1_0 using the CRC scrambled by the P-RNTI during the PO, it may be assumed that it is not being paged and may enter DRX until the next PO. In one aspect, for NR-U, the gNB behavior may be modified such that paging DCI may be transmitted during each PO, regardless of whether any UE needs to be paged during the PO. If the UE cannot detect DCI format 1_0 using the CRC scrambled by the P-RNTI during the PO, it may be assumed that the gNB does not have access to the DL channel to transmit the paging DCI, and the UE may adjust its behavior accordingly using the methods described herein. If the UE receives a paging DCI during the PO, it may process the paging DCI based on its content - if there is a short message in the DCI, then read the short message; if there is scheduling information for paging in the DCI, then decode the PDSCH carrying the paging message.

[0246] To handle the scenario where a paging DCI is transmitted but no UE is paged, the gNB may indicate the presence of a short message in the DCI and may set the bits of the short message field to a predefined value which may indicate that no UE is paged, where the predefined value may be specified.

[0247] Alternatively, a short message indicator field may be defined as shown in Table 12 to indicate such a scenario. And in yet another alternative, the paging DCI may include a field such as a paging indicator to indicate whether any UE is paged.

[0248] Bit Field describe 00 There is neither scheduling information for paging nor short messages in the DCI. 01 The DCI contains only scheduling information for paging. 10 Only short messages exist in DCI 11 DCI contains both scheduling information and short messages for paging.

[0249] Table 12: NR-U short message indicator

[0250] Fig.19 19 is a flow chart of an example process 1900 for signaling a DL CAI for paging using a paging DCI according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig.19 In the example shown in Figure 2, the gNB obtains access to the DL channel on the first attempt. Fig.19 , gNB 1902 may perform LBT on DL and obtain access to the channel (step 1911). gNB 1902 may transmit paging DCI during PO using the mechanism proposed in this article to indicate that there are no UEs being paged (step 1912). UE 1901 may process the paging DCI and may determine that there are no UEs being paged and enter DRX (step 1913). During a subsequent DRX cycle, gNB 1902 may perform LBT on DL and obtain access to the channel (step 1914). gNB 1902 may transmit paging DCI during PO using the mechanism proposed in this article to indicate that there are one or more UEs being paged (step 1915). UE 1901 may process the paging DCI, may determine that there are one or more UEs being paged, and may prepare to receive a PDSCH carrying a paging message (step 1916). gNB 1902 may transmit a paging message (step 1917). UE 1901 may process the paging message and, if it is paged (ie, if the paging message includes a paging record with the identity of the UE), may (re)establish a connection with the network, otherwise, the UE enters DRX (step 1918).

[0251] Fig. 20 is a flow chart of another example process 2000 for signaling a DL CAI for paging using a paging DCI according to one embodiment, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments described herein. Fig. 20 In the example shown in Figure 2, the gNB does not gain access to the channel in the first attempt, but gains access to the DL channel in the second attempt. Fig. 20, gNB 2002 performs LBT on the DL but cannot obtain access to the channel (step 2011). gNB 2002 does not transmit paging DCI (step 2012). UE 2001 cannot decode the paging DCI and determines that the gNB cannot access the DL channel used to transmit the paging DCI, where the UE can use the mechanism described in this document to adjust its behavior to monitor subsequent PO (step 2013). During the same DRX cycle, gNB 2002 can perform LBT on the DL and obtain access to the channel (step 2014). gNB 2002 can use the mechanism proposed in this document to transmit paging DCI for subsequent PO to indicate that there are one or more UEs to be paged (step 2015). UE 2001 can process the paging DCI, can determine that there are one or more UEs to be paged, and can prepare to receive the PDSCH carrying the paging message (step 2016). gNB 2002 can transmit the paging message (step 2018). UE 2001 may process the paging message and, if it is paged (ie, if the paging message includes a paging record with the identity of the UE), may (re)establish a connection with the network, otherwise, the UE enters DRX (step 2018).

[0252] In other alternatives, if the UE receives a PDCCH or detects a signal transmitted by the gNB (e.g., a CAI signal, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), etc.) in any of the search space sets monitored during PO, the UE can determine that the gNB has acquired access to the channel.

[0253] In one aspect, DCI-based CAI may be used. A new DCI format may be defined that includes parameters indicating channel occupancy time (COT) as shown in Table 13 and is transmitted on a PDCCH masked by an RNTI (e.g., CAI-RNTI) for indicating DL channel access.

[0254] Field Name Notes COT Duration The length of the COT. Sub-band The subband on which channel access has been acquired.

[0255] Table 13: NR-U channel access DCI

[0256] On the other hand, the discovery reference signal (DRS) transmitted by the gNB can be used to indicate that the gNB has acquired access to the channel. The DRS can be transmitted in the symbol before the PO and can also include channel access information; for example, COT duration, subbands to which channel access has been acquired, etc., allowing the UE to determine during which PDCCH monitoring opportunity the gNB will access the channel.

[0257] The gNB may perform LBT before paging the UE for NR-U. If the gNB is unable to acquire the channel during the PO configured for a given UE, the gNB may have to wait an entire DRX cycle before attempting to page the UE again. On the one hand, if the gNB is unable to acquire the channel during the PO configured for a given UE, then in order to reduce the latency associated with paging the UE, the DRX cycle may be dynamically reduced so that the gNB may not have to wait an entire DRX cycle before attempting to page the UE again. The reduced DRX cycle may remain in effect for a given amount of time or until an event occurs; for example, the gNB may be able to acquire the channel for multiple consecutive POs. Thereafter, the DRX cycle may be dynamically increased to the original value or an intermediate value, and may then remain in effect for a given amount of time or until an event occurs.

[0258] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops technical standards for cellular telecommunication network technologies, including radio access, core transport networks, and service capabilities - including work on codecs, security, and quality of service. Recent radio access technology (RAT) standards include WCDMA (commonly referred to as 3G), LTE (commonly referred to as 4G), and LTE-Advanced standards. 3GPP has begun work on the standardization of the next generation of cellular technology, which is called New Radio (NR), also known as "5G". The development of the 3GPP NR standard is expected to include the definition of the next generation radio access technology (new RAT), which is expected to include new flexible radio access below 6 GHz, and new ultra-mobile broadband radio access above 6 GHz. Flexible radio access is expected to include new, non-backward compatible radio access in new spectrum below 6 GHz, and is expected to include different operating modes that can be multiplexed together in the same spectrum to address a wide set of 3GPP NR use cases with different requirements. Ultra-mobile broadband is expected to include cmWave and mmWave spectrum, which will provide opportunities for ultra-mobile broadband access for indoor applications and hotspots, for example. In particular, ultra-mobile broadband is expected to share a common design framework with sub-6 GHz flexible radio access, leveraging design optimizations specific to cmWave and mmWave.

[0259] 3GPP has identified a variety of use cases that NR is expected to support, resulting in a wide variety of user experience requirements for data rates, latency, and mobility. Use cases include the following general categories: enhanced mobile broadband (e.g., broadband access in dense areas, ultra-high broadband access indoors, broadband access in crowds, ubiquitous 50+Mbps, ultra-low-cost broadband access, in-vehicle mobile broadband), critical communications, massive machine-type communications, network operations (e.g., network slicing, routing, migration and interworking, energy saving), and enhanced vehicle-to-everything (eV2X) communications, which can include vehicle-to-vehicle communications (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure communications (V2I), vehicle-to-network communications (V2N), vehicle-to-pedestrian communications (V2P), and any communications between vehicles and other entities. Specific services and applications in these categories include, for example, surveillance and sensor networks, device remote control, two-way remote control, personal cloud computing, video streaming, wireless cloud-based offices, first responder connectivity, car ecalls, disaster alerts, real-time gaming, multi-person video calls, autonomous driving, augmented reality, tactile Internet, and virtual reality. All of these use cases and others are considered in this article.

[0260] Fig.21A An embodiment of an example communication system 100 is illustrated in which the methods and apparatus described and claimed herein may be implemented. As shown, the example communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f, and / or 102g (generally or collectively referred to as WTRUs 102), a radio access network (RAN) 103 / 104 / 105 / 103b / 104b / 105b, a core network 106 / 107 / 109, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, other networks 112, and a V2X server (or ProSe function and server) 113, but it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f, 102g may be any type of device or apparatus configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. Figures 21A-21E, but it should be understood that for a variety of use cases contemplated for 5G wireless communications, each WTRU may include or be implemented in any type of device or apparatus configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. By way of example only, the apparatus or apparatus includes a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a tablet, a netbook, a notebook computer, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a consumer electronic product, a wearable device (such as a smart watch or smart clothing), a medical or e-health device, a robot, an industrial equipment, a drone, a vehicle (such as a car, truck, train or airplane, etc.).

[0261] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and a base station 114b. The base station 114a may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c to facilitate access to one or more communication networks (such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112). The base station 114b may be any type of device configured to wired and / or wirelessly interface with at least one of the RRHs (remote radio heads) 118a, 118b, TRPs (transmit and receive points) 119a, 119b, and / or RSUs (roadside units) 120a and 120b to facilitate access to one or more communication networks (such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, other networks 112, and / or V2X servers (or ProSe functions and servers) 113). The RRHs 118a, 118b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102c to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The TRPs 119a, 119b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The RSUs 120a and 120b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102e or 102f to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the Internet 110, other networks 112, and / or a V2X server (or ProSe function and server) 113. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (Node B), an eNodeB, a home NodeB, a home eNodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0262] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114b may be part of the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals within a specific geographic area, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wired and / or wireless signals within a specific geographic area, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in an embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, for example, one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may therefore use multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell.

[0263] The base station 114a may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over an air interface 115 / 116 / 117, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115 / 116 / 117 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0264] The base station 114b may communicate with one or more of the RRHs 118a, 118b, TRPs 119a, 119b, and / or RSUs 120a and 120b via a wired or air interface 115b / 116b / 117b, which may be any suitable wired (e.g., cable, optical fiber, etc.) or wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115b / 116b / 117b may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0265] The RRHs 118a, 118b, TRPs 119a, 119b and / or RSUs 120a, 120b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f via an air interface 115c / 116c / 117c, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115c / 116c / 117c may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0266] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f and / or 102g may communicate with each other via an air interface 115d / 116d / 117d (not shown), which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, cmWave, mmWave, etc.). The air interface 115d / 116d / 117d may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0267] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple-access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c or the RRHs 118a, 118b, TRPs 119a, 119b and RSUs 120a, 120b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 or 115c / 116c / 117c, respectively. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0268] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c or the RRH 118a, 118b, TRP 119a, 119b and / or RSU 120a, 120b and WTRU 102c, 102d in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may use Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advance (LTE-A) to establish an air interface 115 / 116 / 117 or 115c / 116c / 117c, respectively. In the future, the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 may implement 3GPP NR technology. LTE and LTE-A technologies include LTE D2D and V2X technologies and interfaces (such as sidelink communications, etc.). 3GPP NR technologies include NR V2X technologies and interfaces (such as sidelink communications, etc.).

[0269] In an embodiment, the base station 114a in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c or the RRHs 118a, 118b, TRPs 119a, 119b and / or RSUs 120a, 120b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f in the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.16 (e.g., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 IX, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0270] Fig.21AThe base station 114c in the example may be, for example, a wireless router, a home Node B, a home eNode B, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, etc. In an embodiment, the base station 114c and the WTRU 102e may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114c and the WTRU 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In another embodiment, the base station 114c and the WTRU 102e may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, etc.) to establish a picocell or a femtocell. Fig.21A As shown in FIG, base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Therefore, base station 114c may not be required to access the Internet 110 via core network 106 / 107 / 109.

[0271] The RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b may be in communication with a core network 106 / 107 / 109, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. For example, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions (such as user authentication).

[0272] Although not in Fig.21A 105b and / or the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b, which may utilize an E-UTRA radio technology, the core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs a GSM radio technology.

[0273] The core network 106 / 107 / 109 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices using common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and Internet Protocol (IP) in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) / Internet Protocol (IP) network protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 103 / 104 / 105 and / or the RAN 103b / 104b / 105b or a different RAT.

[0274] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities, e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, and 102e may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links. Fig.21A The WTRU 102e shown in FIG. 1 may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114c, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0275] Fig. 21B 1 is a block diagram of an example apparatus or device (such as, for example, WTRU 102) configured for wireless communication according to the embodiments described herein. Fig. 21BAs shown in , the example WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad / indicator 128, a non-removable memory 130, a removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment. Moreover, embodiments contemplate that the base stations 114a and 114b, and / or the nodes that the base stations 114a and 114b may represent (such as, but not limited to, a transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a home node-B, an evolved home node-B (eNodeB), a home evolved node-B (HeNB), a home evolved node-B gateway, and a proxy node, etc.) may include Fig. 21B Some or all of the elements depicted in and described herein.

[0276] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Fig. 21B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0277] The send / receive element 122 may be configured to send a signal to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) or receive a signal from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via an air interface 115 / 116 / 117. For example, in an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to send and / or receive an RF signal. In an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be a transmitter / detector configured to, for example, send and / or receive an IR, UV or visible light signal. In yet another embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and receive both RF and optical signals. It should be appreciated that the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0278] In addition, although the transmission / reception element 122 is Fig. 21B Although depicted as a single element in the figure, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 115 / 116 / 117.

[0279] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As described above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, for example, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11.

[0280] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad / indicator 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit), and may receive user input data therefrom. The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad / indicator 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In an embodiment, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0281] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute power to and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0282] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0283] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include various sensors such as accelerometers, biometric (e.g., fingerprint) sensors, electronic compasses, satellite transceivers, digital cameras (for photos or videos), universal serial bus (USB) ports or other interconnect interfaces, vibration devices, television transceivers, hands-free headsets, Bluetooth modules, FM radio units, digital music players, media players, video game player modules, internet browsers, etc.

[0284] The WTRU 102 may be implemented in other devices or equipment, such as sensors, consumer electronics, wearable devices (such as smart watches or smart clothing), medical or e-health equipment, robots, industrial equipment, drones, vehicles (such as cars, trucks, trains or airplanes, etc.) The WTRU 102 may be connected to other components, modules or systems of such devices or equipment via one or more interconnect interfaces (such as the interconnect interface that may include one of the peripheral devices 138).

[0285] Fig. 21C 1 is a system diagram of the RAN 103 and the core network 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 103 may employ UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 115. The RAN 103 may also communicate with the core network 106. Fig. 21CAs shown in FIG. 1 , the RAN 103 may include Node-Bs 140a, 140b, 140c, each of which may include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 115. The Node-Bs 140a, 140b, 140c may each be associated with a particular cell (not shown) within the RAN 103. The RAN 103 may also include RNCs 142a, 142b. It will be appreciated that the RAN 103 may include any number of Node-Bs and RNCs while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0286] like Fig. 21C As shown, Node-B 140a, 140b can communicate with RNC 142a. In addition, Node-B 140c can communicate with RNC 142b. Node-B 140a, 140b, 140c can communicate with corresponding RNC 142a, 142b via Iub interface. RNC 142a, 142b can communicate with each other via Iur interface. Each of RNC 142a, 142b can be configured to control the corresponding Node-B 140a, 140b, 140c connected thereto. In addition, each of RNC 142a, 142b can be configured to perform or support other functions, such as outer loop power control, load control, admission control, packet scheduling, handover control, macro diversity, security functions, data encryption, etc.

[0287] Fig. 21C The core network 106 shown in FIG. 1 may include a media gateway (MGW) 144, a mobile switching center (MSC) 146, a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 148, and / or a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 150. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the core network 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0288] The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may be connected to the MSC 146 in the core network 106 via an IuCS interface. The MSC 146 may be connected to the MGW 144. The MSC 146 and the MGW 144 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices.

[0289] The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may also be connected to the SGSN 148 in the core network 106 via an IuPS interface. The SGSN 148 may be connected to the GGSN 150. The SGSN 148 and the GGSN 150 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0290] As described above, core network 106 may also be connected to networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0291] Fig.21D 1 is a system diagram of the RAN 104 and the core network 107 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the core network 107.

[0292] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0293] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the uplink and / or downlink, etc. Fig.21D As shown in FIG, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with each other via an X2 interface.

[0294] Fig.21DThe core network 107 shown in FIG. 1 may include a mobility management gateway (MME) 162, a serving gateway 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the core network 107, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than a core network operator.

[0295] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may also provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.

[0296] The serving gateway 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The serving gateway 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The serving gateway 164 may also perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when downlink data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0297] The serving gateway 164 may also be connected to the PDN gateway 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0298] The core network 107 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the core network 107 may include, or may be in communication with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the core network 107 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0299] Fig.21E 1 is a system diagram of the RAN 105 and the core network 109 according to an embodiment. The RAN 105 may be an access service network (ASN) that employs IEEE 802.16 radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 117. As discussed further below, the communication links between the different functional entities of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, the RAN 105, and the core network 109 may be defined as reference points.

[0300] like Fig.21E As shown in the RAN 105, the RAN 105 may include base stations 180a, 180b, 180c and an ASN gateway 182, but it will be appreciated that the RAN 105 may include any number of base stations and ASN gateways while remaining consistent with the embodiment. The base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may each be associated with a particular cell in the RAN 105 and may include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 117. In an embodiment, the base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the base station 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to send wireless signals to the WTRU 102a and receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. The base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may also provide mobility management functions, such as handover triggering, tunnel establishment, radio resource management, traffic classification, quality of service (QoS) policy enforcement, and the like. The ASN gateway 182 may serve as a traffic aggregation point and may be responsible for paging, caching of subscriber profiles, routing to the core network 109, and the like.

[0301] The air interface 117 between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and the RAN 105 may be defined as an R1 reference point that implements the IEEE 802.16 specification. In addition, each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c may establish a logical interface (not shown) with the core network 109. The logical interface between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and the core network 109 may be defined as an R2 reference point, which may be used for authentication, authorization, IP host configuration management, and / or mobility management.

[0302] The communication link between each of the base stations 180a, 180b, and 180c may be defined as an R8 reference point that includes protocols for facilitating data transfer between base stations and WTRU handovers. The communication link between the base stations 180a, 180b, 180c and the ASN gateway 182 may be defined as an R6 reference point. The R6 reference point may include protocols for facilitating mobility management based on mobility events associated with each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0303] like Fig.21E As shown in , the RAN 105 may be connected to a core network 109. The communication link between the RAN 105 and the core network 109 may be defined as an R3 reference point, which includes protocols for facilitating, for example, data transfer and mobility management capabilities. The core network 109 may include a mobile IP home agent (MIP-HA) 184, an authentication, authorization, accounting (AAA) server 186, and a gateway 188. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the core network 109, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the core network operator.

[0304] The MIP-HA may be responsible for IP address management and may enable the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c to roam between different ASNs and / or different core networks. The MIP-HA 184 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and IP-enabled devices. The AAA server 186 may be responsible for user authentication and supporting user services. The gateway 188 may facilitate interworking with other networks. For example, the gateway 188 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c and traditional land-line communication devices. In addition, the gateway 188 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c with access to the networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0305] Although not in Fig.21E 105 may be connected to other ASNs and the core network 109 may be connected to other core networks. The communication link between the RAN 105 and the other ASNs may be defined as an R4 reference point, which may include protocols for coordinating the mobility of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c between the RAN 105 and the other ASNs. The communication link between the core network 109 and the other core networks may be defined as an R5 reference point, which may include protocols for facilitating interworking between a home core network and a visited core network.

[0306] This article describes and Fig.21A , 21C The core network entities shown in 21D and 21E are identified by the names given to these entities in certain existing 3GPP specifications, but it will be appreciated that in the future, these entities and functions may be identified by other names, and that certain entities or functions may be combined in future specifications published by 3GPP (including future 3GPP NR specifications). Fig.21A , 21B The specific network entities and functions described and illustrated in 21C, 21D and 21E are provided as examples only, and it should be understood that the subject matter disclosed and claimed herein may be implemented or realized in any similar communication system, whether currently defined or defined in the future.

[0307] Fig.21F is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system 90 in which Fig.21A ,21C , 21D and 21E, such as certain nodes or functional entities in the RAN 103 / 104 / 105, the core network 106 / 107 / 109, the PSTN 108, the Internet 110 or other networks 112. The computing system 90 may include a computer or a server and may be primarily controlled by computer-readable instructions, which may be in the form of software, wherever or in any manner such software is stored or accessed. Such computer-readable instructions may be executed within the processor 91 to enable the computing system 90 to operate. The processor 91 may be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 91 may perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other function that enables the computing system 90 to operate in a communication network. Coprocessor 81 is an optional processor distinct from main processor 91 that may perform additional functions or assist processor 91. Processor 91 and / or coprocessor 81 may receive, generate, and process data related to the methods and apparatus disclosed herein.

[0308] In operation, processor 91 fetches, decodes and executes instructions and transfers information to and from other resources via the computing system's main data transfer path, system bus 80. Such a system bus connects components in computing system 90 and defines a medium for data exchange. System bus 80 typically includes data lines for sending data, address lines for sending addresses, and control lines for sending interrupts and for operating the bus. An example of such a system bus 80 is a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus.

[0309] The memory coupled to the system bus 80 includes a random access memory (RAM) 82 and a read-only memory (ROM) 93. Such memory includes a circuit system that allows information to be stored and retrieved. ROM 93 generally contains stored data that is not easily modified. The data stored in RAM 82 can be read or changed by a processor 91 or other hardware device. Access to RAM 82 and / or ROM 93 can be controlled by a memory controller 92. The memory controller 92 can provide an address translation function that converts a virtual address into a physical address when an instruction is executed. The memory controller 92 can also provide a memory protection function that isolates processes within the system and isolates system processes from user processes. Therefore, a program running in the first mode can only access memory mapped by its own process virtual address space; unless memory sharing between processes has been set up, it cannot access memory within the virtual address space of another process.

[0310] In addition, the computing system 90 may include a peripheral device controller 83 that is responsible for transmitting instructions from the processor 91 to peripheral devices such as a printer 94 , a keyboard 84 , a mouse 95 , and a disk drive 85 .

[0311] The display 86 controlled by the display controller 96 is used to display the visual output generated by the computing system 90. Such visual output may include text, graphics, animated graphics, and video. The visual output may be provided in the form of a graphical user interface (GUI). The display 86 may be implemented with a CRT-based video display, an LCD-based flat panel display, a gas plasma-based flat panel display, or a touch pad. The display controller 96 includes the electronic components required to generate the video signal sent to the display 86.

[0312] Additionally, computing system 90 may include communications circuitry such as, for example, a network adapter 97 that may be used to connect computing system 90 to an external communications network such as Fig.21A , 21B , RAN 103 / 104 / 105 of 21C, 21D and 21E, core network 106 / 107 / 109, PSTN 108, Internet 110 or other network 112) to enable computing system 90 to communicate with other nodes or functional entities of these networks. Alone or in combination with processor 91, the communication circuit system can be used to perform the sending and receiving steps of certain devices, nodes or functional entities described herein.

[0313] Figure 21GAn embodiment of an example communication system 111 is illustrated in which the methods and apparatus described and claimed herein may be implemented. As shown, the example communication system 111 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) A, B, C, D, E, F, base stations, a V2X server, and RSUs A and B, but it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. One or several or all of the WTRUs A, B, C, D, E may be outside the network range (e.g., outside the cell coverage shown by the dashed lines in the figure). WTRUs A, B, C form a V2X group, where WTRU A is the group leader and WTRUs B and C are group members. WTRUs A, B, C, D, E, F may communicate over a Uu interface or a sidelink (PC5) interface.

[0314] It should be understood that any or all of the devices, systems, methods, and processes described herein may be implemented in the form of computer executable instructions (e.g., program code) stored on a computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed by a processor (such as processor 118 or 91), causes the processor to perform and / or implement the systems, methods, and processes described herein. Specifically, any step, operation, or function described herein may be implemented in the form of such computer executable instructions executed on a processor of a device or computing system configured for wireless and / or wired network communication. Computer-readable storage media include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any non-transient (e.g., tangible or physical) method or technology for storing information, but such computer-readable storage media do not include signals. Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, cassettes, tapes, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible or physical media that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by a computing system.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor, a memory, and a communication circuit system, the apparatus being connected to a network via its communication circuit system, the apparatus further comprising computer executable instructions stored in the memory of the apparatus, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform operations comprising: receiving a signal associated with an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the signal is associated with a plurality of paging occasions; monitoring a portion of the plurality of paging occasions; and In a PDCCH monitoring opportunity among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities, paging downlink control information (DCI) is detected. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities are consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities correspond to the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted and the number of scans for paging transmission.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor, memory, and communication circuit system are configured to monitor at least one second PDCCH monitoring opportunity among the multiple PDCCH monitoring opportunities during a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle based on determining that the gNB cannot acquire a downlink channel to transmit a paging DCI during the portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the number of transmitted SSBs is configured with a parameter included in a system information block (SIB). 6 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a K-th PDCCH monitoring occasion in a set m of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions in a paging occasion of the plurality of paging occasions corresponds to a K-th transmitted SSB.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor, memory, and communication circuitry are configured to monitor the portion of the plurality of paging occasions during a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the monitored portion of the plurality of paging occasions comprises a single paging occasion of the plurality of paging occasions during a DRX cycle.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the monitored portion of the plurality of paging occasions comprises a plurality of paging occasions of the plurality of paging occasions during a DRX cycle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of paging occasions are multiplexed in time, multiplexed in frequency, or multiplexed in time and frequency.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portion of the plurality of paging occasions is monitored based on an identifier, the identifier comprising a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI).

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities are consecutive PDCCH monitoring opportunities with respect to time.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions are non-consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions with respect to time.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor, memory, and communication circuitry are configured to monitor the portion of the plurality of paging occasions in one or more paging subbands of a received signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions are associated with one or more repetitions of a paging DCI transmitted by a gNB.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a processor, a memory, and a communication circuit system, the apparatus being connected to a network via its communication circuit system, the apparatus further comprising computer executable instructions stored in the memory of the apparatus, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform further operations comprising: A failure in acquiring a downlink channel for transmitting a paging DCI is detected by the gNB during the portion, and wherein the portion includes only a PDCCH monitoring opportunity subsequent to the failure among the multiple PDCCH monitoring opportunities.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising a processor, a memory, and a communication circuit system, the apparatus being connected to a network via its communication circuit system, the apparatus further comprising computer executable instructions stored in the memory of the apparatus, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform further operations comprising: During a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, up to a maximum number of next k consecutive additional PDCCH monitoring occasions after a failure in the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions are monitored.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of paging occasions comprises a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the paging DCI comprises a short message indicating that the apparatus can stop monitoring subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasions in the portion of the plurality of paging occasions associated with the unlicensed spectrum.

20. A method, the method being applied to a device, the method comprising: receiving a signal associated with an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the signal is associated with a plurality of paging occasions, and wherein each of the plurality of paging occasions comprises a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions; monitoring a portion of the plurality of paging occasions; as well as In a PDCCH monitoring opportunity among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities, paging downlink control information (DCI) is detected.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions are consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions corresponding to the number of transmitted synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and the number of scans for paging transmission.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the portion of the plurality of paging occasions is monitored based on an identifier, the identifier comprising a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI).

23. The method of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of paging occasions comprises a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the paging DCI comprises a short message indicating that the apparatus can stop monitoring subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasions in the portion of the plurality of paging occasions associated with the unlicensed spectrum.

25. An apparatus comprising a processor, a memory, and a communication circuit system, the apparatus being connected to a network via its communication circuit system, the apparatus further comprising computer executable instructions stored in the memory of the apparatus, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform operations comprising: receiving an indication for monitoring a plurality of paging occasions; monitoring a plurality of paging occasions for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) based on the indication; receiving ranking information associated with the plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs); Determining that the network is capable of accessing one or more of the plurality of BWPs; determining a ranking of the BWP based on the WTRU determining that the network is accessible to the BWP and the ranking information; as well as Paging downlink control information (DCI) is received at any BWP having a determined highest ranking among the one or more BWPs among the plurality of BWPs via a downlink channel.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the downlink channel is divided into a plurality of sub-bands and the WTRU is configured to monitor paging occasions configured for the plurality of sub-bands.

27. A method, the method being applied to a device, the method comprising: receiving an indication for monitoring a plurality of paging occasions; monitoring a plurality of paging occasions for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) based on the indication; receiving ranking information associated with the plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs); Determining that the network is capable of accessing one or more of the plurality of BWPs; determining a ranking of the BWP based on the WTRU determining that the network is accessible to the BWP and the ranking information; as well as Paging downlink control information (DCI) is received at any BWP having a determined highest ranking among the one or more BWPs among the plurality of BWPs via a downlink channel.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the downlink channel is divided into a plurality of sub-bands and the WTRU is configured to monitor paging occasions configured for the plurality of sub-bands.

Images