Handling emergency access

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to handling emergency access. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring, at a first device, an indication related to emergency access in a cell in accordance with a determination that access by the first device to the cell is blocked; and determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on a result of the monitoring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for handling emergency access. Background Art

[0002] The Radio Access Network (RAN) of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) has agreed on work items with specific reasons and goals on enhanced support for reduced-capability new radio (NR) devices. For example, one of the goals of the fifth generation (5G) is to accelerate industrial transformation and digitalization, which can increase flexibility, enhance productivity and efficiency, reduce maintenance, and improve operational safety. Industrial sensors play an important role in achieving this vision. Industrial sensors are widely used not only in industrial automation and digitalization use cases, but also in general environmental monitoring use cases, such as monitoring of critical infrastructure (e.g., buildings, bridges, dams, etc.) or monitoring of natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.). Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first device at least: monitors an indication related to emergency access in the cell according to determining that the first device's access to the cell is blocked; and determines whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the monitoring result.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second device at least: sends an indication related to emergency access in a cell, the indication indicating whether a first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell, wherein the access of the first device to the cell is blocked.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: monitoring an indication related to emergency access in a cell according to determining that access of a first device to a cell is blocked; and determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on a result of the monitoring.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: sending an indication related to emergency access in a cell, the indication indicating whether a first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first device to the cell is blocked.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for monitoring an indication related to emergency access in a cell based on determining that the first device's access to the cell is blocked; and a component for determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on a result of the monitoring.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for sending an indication related to emergency access in a cell, the indication indicating whether a first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first device to the cell is blocked.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating communications according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 5shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0018] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the ways described below.

[0021] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0022] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0024] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0025] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0026] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "include", "comprises", "has", "includes", and / or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of the features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits) as well as (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and (ii) hardware processors (including digital signal processors), software and storage with software Any part of a device that works together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (eg, firmware) for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0028] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example (and if applicable to a particular claim element), a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0029] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course communication technologies and systems of future types that can implement the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0030] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femto, a micro, a non-terrestrial network (NTN)) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device), etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) located at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves similarly to a UE toward a parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node behaves similarly to a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0031] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a user station (SS), a portable user station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless regional loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0032] As used herein, the terms "resources", "transmission resources", "resource blocks", "physical resource blocks" (PRBs), "uplink resources" or "downlink resources" may refer to any resources used to perform communications, for example, communications between a terminal device and a network device, such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other resources that enable communication.

[0033] As discussed above, the RAN of 3GPP has agreed on a work item with specific rationales and goals on enhanced support of new radio devices with reduced capabilities. Example rationales and goals are discussed below.

[0034] One of the purposes of 5G is to accelerate industrial transformation and digitalization, which can improve flexibility, enhance productivity and efficiency, reduce maintenance, and improve operational safety. Industrial sensors play an important role in realizing such a vision. Industrial sensors are widely used not only in industrial automation and digitalization use cases, but also in general environmental monitoring use cases, such as monitoring of critical infrastructure (e.g., buildings, bridges, dams, etc.) or monitoring of natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.).

[0035] Another emerging category of new 5G use cases is the smart city vertical, which covers data collection and processing to more effectively monitor and control city resources and provide services to city residents. In particular, the deployment of surveillance cameras is an important part of smart cities as well as factories and industries.

[0036] In addition, there is growing interest in wearable device use cases such as smart watches, e-health-related devices, and medical monitoring devices. These use cases require different design considerations and have different requirements in terms of form factor, UE complexity, and energy efficiency compared to enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) devices.

[0037] Support for industrial sensors, video surveillance, and wearables is the motivation behind Release 17 (Rel-17) RedCap. Through the Rel-17 NR RedCap work item, 3GPP has established a framework for implementing reduced-capability NR devices suitable for a range of use cases, including industrial sensors, video surveillance, and wearables, which have requirements for low UE complexity and sometimes low UE power consumption.

[0038] In order to further expand the market for RedCap use cases with relatively low cost, low energy consumption and low data rate requirements, such as industrial wireless sensor network use cases, some further complexity reduction enhancements should be considered.

[0039] Rel-18 RedCap should provide NR support for low-tier devices between the capabilities of existing Low Power Wide Area (LPWA, sometimes also called Low Power Network (LPN) or Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN)) UEs and Rel-17 reduced capability UEs. The supported peak data rate target for Rel-18 RedCap is 10Mbps. Rel-18 RedCap should not overlap with existing LPWA solutions.

[0040] Enhancements should be introduced while maintaining the integrity of the RedCap ecosystem and maximizing the benefits of economies of scale. The goal of this work item is to target enhancements applicable to the RedCap framework defined in Rel-17, including the principle of network awareness of device capabilities.

[0041] In the 3GPP standard, a study item numbered TR 38.865 has been studied to further reduce the complexity of the UE.

[0042] The goal is to specify support for the following enhancements.

[0043] One enhancement is about power saving and / or energy efficiency enhancement, for example, enhanced extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) in RRC_INACTIVE (>10.24s). Another enhancement is about complexity and / or cost reduction, for example, further reducing UE complexity in frequency range 1 (FR1), including but not limited to: UE baseband (BB) bandwidth reduction; Only the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) (used for both unicast and broadcast) and PUSCH are 5MHz BB bandwidth, and the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) are 20MHz radio frequency (RF) bandwidth; Other physical channels and signals are still allowed to use the bandwidth part (BWP) of up to 20 MHz maximum UE RF and BB bandwidth; Support for additional separate early instructions; UE peak data rate reduction; Relax the peak data rate reduction constraint (vLayers·Qm·f≥4); The relaxed constraint is, for example, 1 (instead of 4); The parameters (v Layers, Qm, f) can be the same as in Rel-17 RedCap; Supports both 15kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS) and 30kHz SCS; Define at most one Rel-18 RedCap UE type to further reduce UE complexity; Use the existing UE capability framework and specify changes to capability signalling only where necessary. By default, all UE capabilities applicable to Rel-17 RedCap UEs are applicable unless otherwise specified.

[0044] It is important to note that the work defined as part of this work item does not overlap with LPWA use cases and is expected to ensure coexistence with non-RedCap UEs and Rel-17 RedCap UEs. Furthermore, this work item considers all applicable duplex modes unless otherwise stated.

[0045] Whether the UE peak data rate reduction of the UE can be limited only by the UE BB bandwidth reduction, or can exist independently, requires further discussion.

[0046] In addition, RAN has agreed on work items with specific rationales and goals in terms of network energy saving for NR. Example rationales and goals are discussed below.

[0047] Network energy efficiency is very important for environmental sustainability, reducing environmental impact (greenhouse gas emissions), and saving operating costs. As 5G becomes ubiquitous across industries and geographic areas, very high data rates are required to handle more advanced services and applications (e.g., extended reality (XR)), and networks become denser, using more antennas, greater bandwidth, and more frequency bands. The environmental impact of 5G needs to be kept under control, and new solutions need to be developed to improve network energy efficiency.

[0048] Energy consumption has become a key part of operators' operating expenses (OPEX). According to a report by the Global Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the energy cost of mobile networks accounts for 23% of operators' total costs. Most of the energy consumption comes from the radio access network, especially from the active antenna unit (AAU), while data centers and optical fiber transmission account for a smaller share. The power consumption of wireless access can be divided into two parts: a dynamic part that is consumed only when data transmission / reception is in progress, and a static part that is always consumed to maintain the necessary operation of the wireless access equipment, even if data transmission / reception is not in progress.

[0049] Furthermore, a network energy consumption model for base stations (BS) is defined, including reference configurations for FR1 time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) and FR2, deep / light / micro-sleep power states based on two BS categories with corresponding relative power, transition times and energy consumption between different power states, and scaling rules for active DL / UL power states considering the partition of BS power by static and dynamic parts, the latter part reflects the dynamic power consumption with respect to transmit / receive resource configuration in time, frequency, space and power domains. Furthermore, evaluation methods and assumptions are implemented to study and evaluate the network energy saving gains of potential technologies with respect to other key performance indicators (KPIs) including Universal Personal Telecommunication (UPT), access delay, UE power consumption, etc.

[0050] Based on the agreed BS energy consumption model as well as the evaluation methods and assumptions, potential network energy-saving techniques in various domains are evaluated in terms of energy-saving gains and corresponding performance impacts considering the above KPIs. The studied techniques are divided into time, frequency, space and power domains. Techniques in the time and frequency domains mainly aim to reduce the power consumption of the dynamic part by trying to turn off more symbols on one or more carriers to achieve BS micro-sleep, or even by enlarging the interval between consecutive active transmission / reception opportunities to achieve BS light / deep sleep. Techniques in the space and power domains mainly aim to reduce the power consumption of the transceiver (TRX) chain and power amplifier (PA) by trying to turn off more spatial elements and / or reduce the transmit power / power spectral density or increase the PA efficiency. Some of the studied techniques are beneficial to network energy saving.

[0051] The following discusses example goals of a research project, a core part work project, or a test part work project. Specifically, the goals of the work project are discussed first.

[0052] If RAN4 studies deem it feasible, specify secondary cell (SCell) operation without synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSB) for inter-band carrier aggregation (CA) of FR1 and co-located cells, where the UE measures time / frequency synchronization (including downlink automatic gain control, AGC) and layer 1 (L1) / layer 3 (L3) measurements for the SCell sent on the primary cell (PCell) or another SCell, including potential enhancements to the SCell activation procedure if necessary.

[0053] Specifies enhancements to the cell DTX / DRX mechanism, including alignment of cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX) and UE DRX in RRC_CONNECTED mode, and inter-node information exchange on cell DTX / DRX.

[0054] It should be noted that the changes in SSB transmission due to cell DTX / DRX and the impact of the above enhancements on IDLE / INACTIVE UEs should be avoided.

[0055] Specify the following techniques in the spatial and power domains: Specify the necessary enhancements to CSI and beam management related procedures, including measurements and reporting, and signaling, to enable efficient adaptation of spatial elements (e.g., antenna ports, active transceiver chains), and Specify the necessary enhancements to CSI related procedures, including measurements and reporting, and signaling, to enable efficient adaptation of the power offset value between PDSCH and CSI-RS.

[0056] It should be noted that the above objectives are only for UE specific channels / signals and when considering the total number of CSI reports and requirements, legacy UE channel state information (CSI) / CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) capabilities may be applicable.

[0057] If necessary, specify the mechanism to prevent legacy UEs from camping on cells that adopt Rel-18 Network Energy Saving (NES) technology. Specify the conditional handover (CHO) procedure enhancements when the source / target cell is in NES mode. Specify the enhancements for inter-node beam activation and paging in restricted areas. Specify the corresponding radio resource management (RRM) / RF core requirements, if necessary.

[0058] It has been proposed that a RedCap UE providing voice services, which considers a RedCap cell supporting NR as barred from access due to the inability to support the 1Rx (i.e. 1 receive (Rx) branch) / 2Rx (i.e. 2 Rx branches) requirements of the system information block 1 (SIB1) broadcasted from the information elements (IE) cellBarredRedCap1Rx-r17 and cellBarredRedCap2Rx-r17, is allowed to consider the NR cell as an acceptable cell for the purpose of placing emergency calls.

[0059] However, this is only the case when the RedCap UE supports all capabilities based on SIB1 except the 1Rx / 2Rx requirements. In addition, when access to 1Rx / 2Rx / NES / non-NES devices is prohibited, the UE cannot perform emergency calls. Specifically, the network cannot individually prohibit 1Rx or 2Rx devices as expected by the Rel-17 design, because emergency calls will always be allowed, so the only option will be to completely prohibit RedCap devices, which cannot achieve the purpose of individual prohibition.

[0060] According to the present disclosure, a solution for handling emergency calls is proposed. In the solution, based on determining that access of a first device to a cell is blocked, an indication related to emergency access in the cell is monitored; based on the monitoring result, it is determined whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell. In an embodiment, the determination is followed by a subsequent action based on the determination, such as one of the following: enabling / performing emergency access in the cell, or disabling / preventing emergency access in the cell.

[0061] In this way, an emergency call may be attempted even if access to the associated device is blocked in the system information, the network device may allow or disallow emergency calls for the associated device regardless of other access prohibitions for such device, and the network device may completely prohibit access to certain device types (for example, where interoperability development testing (IODT) testing has not been performed with this type of device).

[0062] In this disclosure, the terms "emergency access" and "emergency call" may be used interchangeably. System specifications may logically distinguish emergency access and emergency calls from regular access or calls in a cell.

[0063] In the present disclosure, the term "NES device" refers to a device that supports the scenario of operating a cell in NES mode. In some example embodiments, the NES device may at least support cell DTX / DRX. The NES device may also be referred to as a "NES-capable device."

[0064] In the present disclosure, the term "non-NES device" refers to a device that does not support the scenario of operating a cell in NES mode. In some example embodiments, a non-NES device may not support cell DTX / DRX.

[0065] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0066] It should be noted that any section / subsection headings provided herein are not intended to be limiting. Embodiments are described herein, and any type of embodiment may be included under any section / subsection. In addition, the embodiments disclosed in any section / subsection may be combined in any manner with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or in different sections / subsections. Example Environment

[0067] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication environment 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120. The service area provided by the second device 120 is referred to as a cell. The second device 120 may provide one or more cells, such as Figure 1 Cell 102 is shown.

[0068] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may be included in a terminal device, and the second device 120 may be included in a network device serving the terminal device.

[0069] In the following, for the purpose of explanation, some example embodiments describe the first device 110 as operating as a terminal device and the second device 120 as operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other devices, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other devices.

[0070] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is a RX device (or receiver).

[0071] The communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc., and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future. How it works and example signaling used for communication

[0072] refer to Figure 2 , which shows a signaling diagram 200 of communications according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The signaling diagram 200 is discussed, for example, by using the first device 110 and the second device 120 .

[0073] It should be understood that the operations at the first device 110 and the second device 120 should be coordinated. In other words, the second device 120 and the first device 110 should have a common understanding about configurations, parameters, etc. This common understanding can be achieved through any suitable interaction between the second device 120 and the first device 110, or by both the second device 120 and the first device 110 applying the same rules / policies.

[0074] In the following, although some operations are described from the perspective of the first device 110, it should be understood that the corresponding operations should be performed by the second device 120. Similarly, although some operations are described from the perspective of the second device 120, it should be understood that the corresponding operations should be performed by the first device 110. For the sake of brevity, some identical or similar contents are omitted here.

[0075] The present disclosure focuses on network awareness of UE sleep state.

[0076] exist Figure 2 In the example, the first device 110 may be a terminal device, and the second device 120 may be a network device.

[0077] Additionally, the first device 110 may include at least one of: a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, a device with 2 Rx branches, a bit rate reduced device, a bandwidth (BW) reduced device, or a non-NES device. A bit rate reduced device may mean that the bit rate of the first device is limited in the system specification from the maximum bit rate provided by the system to a device without such a limitation. A RedCap device is an example of such a device.

[0078] In operation, the first device 110 determines that its access to a cell is blocked and monitors 220 for indications related to emergency access in the cell. The first device 110 then determines 230 whether the first device 110 is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the monitoring result.

[0079] In addition, in some example embodiments, the first device 110 may perform 240 a corresponding operation based on this determination. Specifically, in some example embodiments, the first device 110 performs 240-1 emergency access in the cell based on this determination. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first device 110 prevents emergency access in the cell based on this determination.

[0080] In some example embodiments, in accordance with determining that an indication related to emergency access is received, first device 110 may determine whether first device 110 is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the indication.

[0081] In some example embodiments, based on determining that no indication related to emergency access is received, first device 110 may determine that first device 110 is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell.

[0082] Alternatively, in some embodiments, based on determining that no indication related to emergency access is received, the first device 110 may determine that the first device 110 is not allowed to perform emergency access in the cell.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the indication may be included in at least one of: System information broadcasted from the second device 120, An indicator related to emergency access sent from the second device 120, or • Indications sent from the second device 120 that are specific to the first device 110 .

[0084] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for one or more of the following devices: A device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, Devices with 2 Rx branches, · Devices with reduced bit rates, Devices with reduced bandwidth (BW), or Non-NES devices.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for devices having 1 receive (Rx) leg.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with 2 Rx legs.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for a reduced bit rate device.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with reduced bandwidth (BW).

[0089] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for non-NES devices.

[0090] If the first device 110 is or includes one of such devices, and one of the multiple indications is also detected to indicate that emergency access is allowed specifically for this one of such devices, the first device 110 can proceed with the emergency access. On the other hand, if emergency access is blocked / not allowed for this one of such devices, the first device 110 can seek another cell for emergency access. In other words, the first device 110 can disable emergency access in the cell.

[0091] In some example embodiments, based on determining that first device 110 is allowed to perform emergency access in a cell, first device 110 may perform at least one of the following: determine the cell as an acceptable cell, receive system information on the cell, or store information about the cell for cell selection.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the presence of the indication is dependent on information that the cell is inaccessible to the first device 110 .

[0093] In some example embodiments, based on determining that the first device 110 is to initiate emergency access, the first device 110 may select a target cell for emergency access from at least one candidate cell, wherein each of the at least one candidate cell is accessible to the first device 110 or inaccessible to the first device 110.

[0094] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may be blocked from non-emergency access to the cell based on the device type of first device 110. Additionally, in some example embodiments, first device 110 is blocked from non-emergency access to the cell if first device 110 includes at least one of the following: a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, a device with 2 Rx branches, a device with reduced bit rate, a device with reduced bandwidth (BW), or a non-NES device.

[0095] The above discussion is mainly described from the perspective of the first device 110. In the following, more example processes will be described from the perspective of the second device 120.

[0096] In operation, the second device 120 may send 225 an indication related to emergency access in a cell, wherein the indication indicates whether the first device 110 is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first device 110 to the cell is blocked.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may broadcast system information including the indication.

[0098] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send an indicator related to emergency access to the first device 110 .

[0099] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second device 120 may send an indication specific to the first device 110 to the first device 110 .

[0100] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may determine 210 whether to send an indication based on the information that the cell is inaccessible to the first device 110 .

[0101] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for one or more of the following devices: A device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, Devices with 2 Rx branches, · Devices with reduced bit rates, Devices with reduced bandwidth (BW), or Non-NES devices.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for devices having 1 receive (Rx) leg.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with 2 Rx legs.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices targeting bit rate reduction.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for bandwidth (BW) reduced devices.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for non-NES devices.

[0107] Through the above example process, a device (e.g., a 1Rx / 2Rx / NES device) can attempt an emergency call even if access is blocked in the system information, a network device can allow or disallow emergency calls for a device (e.g., a 1Rx / 2Rx / NES device) regardless of other access blocking situations of such devices, and / or a network device can completely block access for certain device types (e.g., if interoperability development testing (IODT) has not yet been performed for such device types).

[0108] Just for a better understanding of the above process, some example embodiments will be discussed below.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the general policy is to allow / disallow emergency calls by device(s) in the NES cell (such as 1Rx / 2Rx / bit rate reduced / BW reduced devices or non-NES devices) regardless of access barring of such devices.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the network device may broadcast in the system information whether emergency access of device(s) in the NES cell (such as 1Rx / 2Rx / bit rate reduction / BW reduction devices or non-NES devices) is allowed or not allowed, regardless of whether access of such devices is blocked. In one example, one or more bits are introduced in the system information for this purpose.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the network device may indicate with a single indicator whether emergency calls for devices (e.g., 1Rx / 2Rx / bit rate reduction / BW reduction devices or non-NES devices) (or a subset or one of these devices) in the NES cell are allowed or not allowed.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the network device may indicate whether emergency access is allowed or not with a separate indication (for each device type, i.e., a device in a NES cell, such as a 1Rx / 2Rx / bit rate reduction / BW reduction device or a non-NES device in a NES cell).

[0113] In some example embodiments, emergency access by devices (e.g., 1Rx / 2Rx / bitrate reduction / BW reduction devices or non-NES devices) in an NES cell is allowed or not allowed if no content related to emergency access by such devices is broadcast (e.g., as described above).

[0114] In some example embodiments, if the network device allows emergency access, then (multiple) devices in a NES cell (such as 1Rx / 2Rx / bit rate reduction / BW reduction devices or non-NES devices) may consider the cell as an acceptable cell (e.g., in cell selection) even if the cell is blocked.

[0115] In some example embodiments, a non-NES device may attempt to receive / decode SIB1 on a cell even if the cell is set to blocking if the non-NES device is attempting an emergency call.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the UE may store information about cells that allow emergency access while performing cell selection. In some example embodiments, this is done only if access to the cell is barred for the device.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the presence of a network indication as to whether emergency access is allowed / not allowed in a cell depends on whether access by 1Rx / 2Rx / bit rate reduction / non-NES devices is blocked in the NES cell.

[0118] In some example embodiments, when a UE initiates an emergency call, the UE will release any ongoing barring it may have and check whether any cell it can find (eg, through cell selection) can provide emergency services.

[0119] In this way, a device (such as a 1Rx / 2Rx / NES device) can attempt an emergency call even if its access is blocked in the system information, the network device can allow or disallow emergency calls for a device (such as a 1Rx / 2Rx / NES device) regardless of other access blocks for such devices, and the network device can completely block access for certain device types (for example, if Interoperability Development Testing (IODT) has not yet been performed for such device types). Example Method

[0120] Figure 3A flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The method 300 is described from the perspective of the first device 110.

[0121] At block 310 , in response to determining that access of the first device to the cell is blocked, the first device monitors the cell for indications related to emergency access.

[0122] In block 320 , the first device determines whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the result of the monitoring.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus may, based on the determination, perform one of: perform emergency access in the cell, or prevent emergency access in the cell.

[0124] In some example embodiments, based on determining that an indication related to emergency access is received, the first device determines whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the indication.

[0125] In some example embodiments, based on determining that no indication related to emergency access is received, the first device determines that the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell; or based on determining that no indication related to emergency access is received, the first device determines that the first device is not allowed to perform emergency access in the cell.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the indication may be included in at least one of: system information broadcast from the second device, an indicator related to emergency access sent from the second device, or a specific indication for the first device sent from the second device.

[0127] In some example embodiments, based on determining that the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in a cell, the first device may determine the cell as an acceptable cell, receive system information on the cell, or store information about the cell for cell selection.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the presence of the indication may be dependent on information that the cell is inaccessible to the first apparatus.

[0129] In some example embodiments, based on determining that the first device is to initiate emergency access, the first device may select a target cell for emergency access from at least one candidate cell, each of which is accessible to the first device or inaccessible to the first device.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the first device may be blocked from performing non-emergency access to the cell based on the first device comprising at least one of: a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, a device with 2 Rx branches, a device with a reduced bit rate, a device with reduced bandwidth (BW), a non-NES device, or a NES device that is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for one or more of the following devices: devices with 1 receive (Rx) branch, devices with 2 Rx branches, devices with reduced bit rate, devices with reduced bandwidth (BW), or non-NES devices.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for devices having 1 receive (Rx) leg.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with 2 Rx legs.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for a reduced bit rate device.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for bandwidth (BW) reduced devices.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for non-NES devices.

[0137] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The method 400 is described from the perspective of the second device 120.

[0138] At block 410 , the second device sends an indication related to emergency access in a cell, the indication indicating whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first device to the cell is blocked.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the second device may broadcast system information including the indication; send an indicator related to emergency access to the first device; or send a specific indication for the first device to the first device.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus may determine whether to send the indication based on information that the cell is inaccessible to the first apparatus.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first device may include at least one of: a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, a device with 2 Rx branches, a device with reduced bit rate, a device with reduced bandwidth (BW), a non-NES device, or a NES device that allows emergency access in the cell.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for one or more of the following devices: devices with 1 receive (Rx) branch, devices with 2 Rx branches, devices with reduced bit rate, devices with reduced bandwidth (BW), or non-NES devices.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for devices having 1 receive (Rx) leg.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with 2 Rx legs.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for a reduced bit rate device.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for bandwidth (BW) reduced devices.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for non-NES devices. Example devices, equipment, and media

[0148] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 300 may include a device for performing the corresponding operation of the method 300. The device may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the device may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for monitoring indications related to emergency access in a cell based on determining that the first device's access to the cell is blocked; a component for determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on a result of the monitoring; and a component for performing one of the following based on the determination: performing emergency access in the cell, or preventing emergency access in the cell.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining, based on determining that an indication related to emergency access is received, whether the first apparatus is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the indication.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for determining that the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on determining that no indication related to emergency access is received; or a component for determining that the first device is not allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on determining that no indication related to emergency access is received.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the indication is included in at least one of: system information broadcast from the second device, an indicator related to emergency access sent from the second device, or a specific indication sent from the second device to the first device.

[0153] In some example embodiments, based on determining that the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in a cell, the first device may also include: a component for determining the cell as an acceptable cell; a component for receiving system information on the cell; or a component for storing information about the cell for cell selection.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the presence of the indication may be dependent on information that the cell is inaccessible to the first apparatus.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the first device may further include: a component for selecting a target cell for emergency access from at least one candidate cell based on determining that the first device is to initiate emergency access, wherein each of the at least one candidate cell is accessible to the first device or inaccessible to the first device.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the first device may be blocked from non-emergency access to the cell based on the first device comprising at least one of: a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, a device with 2 Rx branches, a device with reduced bit rate, a device with reduced bandwidth (BW), or a non-NES device.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for one or more of the following devices: devices with 1 receive (Rx) branch, devices with 2 Rx branches, devices with reduced bit rate, devices with reduced bandwidth (BW), or non-NES devices.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for devices having 1 receive (Rx) leg.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with 2 Rx legs.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for a reduced bit rate device.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for bandwidth (BW) reduced devices.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for non-NES devices.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 300 or the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to perform corresponding operations.

[0164] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 400 may include a device for performing the corresponding operation of the method 400. The device may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the device may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for sending an indication related to emergency access in a cell, the indication indicating whether the first apparatus is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first apparatus to the cell is blocked.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus may further include: means for broadcasting system information including the indication; means for sending an indicator related to emergency access to the first apparatus; or means for sending a specific indication for the first apparatus to the first apparatus.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus may further include: means for determining whether to send an indication based on the following information: the cell is inaccessible to the first apparatus.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the first device may include at least one of: a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, a device with 2 Rx branches, a device with reduced bit rate, a device with reduced bandwidth (BW), a non-NES device, or a NES device that allows emergency access in the cell.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for one or more of the following devices: devices with 1 receive (Rx) branch, devices with 2 Rx branches, devices with reduced bit rate, devices with reduced bandwidth (BW), or non-NES devices.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for devices having 1 receive (Rx) leg.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for devices with 2 Rx legs.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for a reduced bit rate device.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed, not allowed, or blocked for bandwidth (BW) reduced devices.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate that emergency access is allowed / not allowed / blocked for non-NES devices.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 400 or the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to perform corresponding operations.

[0176] Figure 5 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 As shown in the first device 110 or the second device 120 , the apparatus 500 includes one or more processors 510 , one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510 , and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processor 510 .

[0177] The communication module 540 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 540 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 540 may include at least one antenna.

[0178] Processor 510 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 500 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0179] The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that will not persist during a power outage.

[0180] Computer program 530 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 510. The instructions of program 530 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Program 530 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 524. Processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 530 into RAM 522.

[0181] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 530 so that the device 500 may execute a reference Figures 2 to 4 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 522 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0183] Figure 6 An example of a computer readable medium 600 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. Computer readable medium 600 has program 530 stored thereon.

[0184] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or illustrated and described using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0185] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those computer executable instructions executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor included in a program module, to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local storage media and remote storage media.

[0186] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller in a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be realized. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0187] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0188] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0189] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all illustrated operations, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specified in a particular embodiment. Unless expressly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless expressly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0190] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Instead, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: monitoring for indications related to emergency access in the cell in response to determining that access of the first device to the cell is blocked; as well as Based on a result of the monitoring, it is determined whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: In accordance with determining that the indication related to the emergency access is received, determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the indication.

3. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the first device is configured to: According to determining that no indication related to the emergency access is received, it is determined that the first device is not allowed to perform the emergency access in the cell. 4 . The first device of claim 3 , wherein the presence of the indication is dependent on information that the cell is inaccessible to the first device. The first device of claim 2 , wherein the indication is included in system information broadcast from the second device.

6. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the first device is caused to: The cell is determined to be an acceptable cell based on determining that the first device is allowed to perform the emergency access in the cell.

7. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first device is configured to: According to determining that the first device is to initiate emergency access, a target cell for the emergency access is selected from at least one candidate cell, wherein each of the at least one candidate cell is accessible to the first device or inaccessible to the first device.

8. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first device is blocked from performing non-emergency access to the cell based on the first device comprising at least one of a device having 1 receive (Rx) branch or a device having 2 Rx branches.

9. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first device is configured to: Based on the determination, one of the following is performed: performing the emergency access in the cell, or The emergency access is prevented in the cell.

10. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the indication indicates that the emergency access is allowed for devices having 1 receive (Rx) branch.

11. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the indication indicates that emergency access is allowed for devices with 2 Rx branches.

12. A second device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: An indication related to emergency access in a cell is sent, the indication indicating whether a first device is allowed to perform the emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first device to the cell is blocked.

13. The second apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second apparatus is caused to broadcast system information including the indication.

14. The second device according to claim 13, wherein the first device comprises at least one of the following: A device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, or Device with 2 Rx branches.

15. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the indication indicates that emergency access is allowed for one or more of the following devices: A device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, or Device with 2 Rx branches.

16. A method for communication, comprising: monitoring, at the first device, for an indication related to emergency access in the cell in response to determining that access of the first device to the cell is blocked; Based on a result of the monitoring, determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell; as well as Based on the determination, one of the following is performed: performing the emergency access in the cell, or The emergency access is prevented in the cell.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: In accordance with determining that the indication related to the emergency access is received, determining whether the first device is allowed to perform emergency access in the cell based on the indication.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: According to determining that no indication related to the emergency access is received, it is determined that the first device is not allowed to perform the emergency access in the cell.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the presence of the indication is dependent on information that the cell is inaccessible to the first device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication is included in system information broadcast from the second device.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising: The cell is determined to be an acceptable cell based on determining that the first device is allowed to perform the emergency access in the cell.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, further comprising: According to determining that the first device is to initiate emergency access, a target cell for the emergency access is selected from at least one candidate cell, wherein each of the at least one candidate cell is accessible to the first device or inaccessible to the first device.

23. The method of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the first device is blocked from non-emergency access to the cell based on the first device comprising at least one of a device with 1 receive (Rx) branch or a device with 2 Rx branches.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, further comprising: Based on the determination, one of the following is performed: performing the emergency access in the cell, or The emergency access is prevented in the cell.

25. The method of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the indication indicates that emergency access is allowed for devices having 1 receive (Rx) branch.

26. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the indication indicates that emergency access is allowed for devices having 2 Rx branches.

27. A method for communication, comprising: At the second device, an indication related to emergency access in a cell is sent, the indication indicating whether a first device is allowed to perform the emergency access in the cell, wherein access of the first device to the cell is blocked.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising: System information including the indication is broadcasted.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the first device comprises at least one of: A device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, or Device with 2 Rx branches.

30. A method according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the indication indicates that emergency access is allowed for one or more of: A device with 1 receive (Rx) branch, or Device with 2 Rx branches.

31. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of claims 16 to 30.

Images