Low power wake-up signal monitoring

Abstract

Techniques for wakeup signal monitoring in a Radio Resource Control Connection (RRC) mode are provided. An example method may include a base station receiving, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of a capability to wake-up signal (WUS) monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a dormant state. The base station can configure the UE with a first frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is used for performing WUS monitoring in an RRC connection mode when in a dormant state. The base station may transmit a WUS using a first frequency domain resource and a first time domain resource, wherein a primary radio of the UE is configured to transmit and receive based on the WUS. The base station may transmit a first downlink (DL) transmission.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 408,048, filed on September 19, 2022, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 18 / 218,978, filed on July 6, 2023, both of which are incorporated by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of networks, and in particular to low power wake-up signal monitoring for use in such networks. Background Art

[0004] Cellular communications may be defined in various standards to enable communications between user equipment and cellular networks. For example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks and fifth generation (5G) networks are wireless standards designed to improve data transmission speeds, reliability, availability, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 is an illustration of user equipment (UE) power consumption according to one or more embodiments.

[0006] Figure 2 is an illustration of power consumption monitored in conjunction with a wake-up signal (WUS) according to one or more embodiments.

[0007] Figure 3 is an illustration of a base station connected to a UE according to one or more embodiments.

[0008] Figure 4 is an illustration of WUS monitoring by a UE in a dormant state according to one or more embodiments.

[0009] Figure 5 is an illustration of a variation of WUS monitoring for a radio resource control (RRC) connected UE according to one or more embodiments.

[0010] Figure 6 is an illustration of a variation of WUS monitoring for an RRC connected UE according to one or more embodiments.

[0011] Figure 7 is an illustration of WUS monitoring by a UE in an RRC connected state according to one or more embodiments.

[0012] Figure 8 A process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments is provided.

[0013] Fig. 9 A process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments is provided.

[0014] Fig.10 A process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments is provided.

[0015] Fig.11 A process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments is provided.

[0016] Fig.12 A process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments is provided.

[0017] Fig.13 An example of a receiving component according to one or more embodiments is illustrated.

[0018] Fig.14 Examples of UEs according to one or more embodiments are illustrated.

[0019] Fig.15 An example of a base station according to one or more embodiments is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following specific embodiments refer to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the descriptions of various embodiments due to unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B); and the phrase "based on A" refers to "based at least in part on A", for example, it can be "based only on A" or it can be "based in part on A".

[0021] The wake-up radio system can provide efficient energy operation for user equipment (UE), wherein components of the main radio are activated from a sleep state in response to a trigger. The UE can save power by keeping the components of the main radio in a sleep state, where they consume less power than in an awake state. When these components are needed, the UE can further deliver a trigger to wake up these components. The UE may include a wake-up receiver (WUR), which is a low-power receiver for detecting a wake-up signal (WUS) and transmitting an interrupt signal in response to wake up the main radio of the UE. The main radio can draw more power from the UE power source (e.g., a battery) than the WUR, and thus keep the main radio in a sleep state to save power. For normal operation, the main radio of the UE can communicate with a base station in an awake state and fall back to a sleep state from time to time to save power. The WUR can communicate with the base station to receive a wake-up signal to wake up the main radio.

[0022] Whether the WUR is receiving information from the base station or the main radio is receiving information from the base station, modern baseband communications are performed using complex communication networks. In order for communication between the UE and the base station to work, each must agree on a common configuration to enable communication. The UE and the base station can agree on a common configuration using a control mechanism called radio resource control (RRC). The UE may be in an RRC connected state, in which the UE is connected to the base station. In the RRC connected state, the base station may configure the UE with a common configuration. The common configuration may include a set of parameters necessary for the base station and the UE to communicate. During this RRC connected state, the cell that the UE is occupying can be known, and the base station can use the cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI). The UE can monitor the C-RNTI to determine whether the transmission from the base station is intended for the UE.

[0023] In addition, during this RRC connected state, the base station may configure the UE with a discontinuous reception (DRX) type including a connected DRX (CDRX) mode. In the CDRX mode, the UE may periodically wake up and remain awake (e.g., an on duration) to monitor potential uplink (UL) / downlink (DL) data. The UE may then go back to sleep (e.g., an off duration) after it completes the monitoring. The on duration and the off duration together may form a long DRX duration.

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in conjunction with 5G networks. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto and are similarly applicable to other types of communication networks (such as LTE networks) including other types of cellular networks.

[0025] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0026] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a hardware component such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) configured to provide the functionality, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable system on chip (SoC)), or a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the functionality. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for executing the functionality of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0027] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes.

[0028] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to, is a part of, or includes a circuit that enables information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.

[0029] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device that has radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. In addition, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0030] As used herein, the term "base station" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities, which is a network component of a communication network (or more concisely, a network) and can be configured as an access node in the communication network. The access of a UE to a communication network can be at least partially managed by a base station, whereby the UE connects to the base station to access the communication network. Depending on the radio access technology (RAT), a base station can be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), an eNodeB (eNB), an access point, etc.

[0031] As used herein, the term "network" refers to a communication network comprising a collection of network nodes configured to provide communication functions to multiple user equipment via one or more base stations. For example, the network may be a public land mobile network (PLMN) implementing one or more communication technologies (including, for example, 5G communications).

[0032] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing resources or networked resources.

[0033] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time, a processor / CPU usage, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, a network, a database and an application, a unit of work, etc. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, a device, a system, etc. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that a computer device / system can access via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any kind of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0034] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for communicating data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" or any other similar term representing a path or medium through which data is transmitted. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection made between two devices for sending and receiving information.

[0035] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0036] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0037] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure for providing wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, etc.

[0038] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0039] The term "3GPP access" refers to access (e.g., radio access technology) specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, or 5G NR. In general, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0040] The term "non-3GPP access" refers to any access (e.g., radio access technology) not specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, or fixed networks. Non-3GPP accesses can be divided into two categories, "trusted" and "untrusted": trusted non-3GPP accesses can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP interoperates with the EPC / 5GC via network entities (such as Evolved Packet Data Gateways or 5G NR Gateways). In general, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0041] Figure 11 is an illustration 100 of power consumption of a user equipment (UE) according to one or more embodiments. A first graph 102 is an illustration of power consumption during a CDRX on duration and includes time on the x-axis and power consumption on the y-axis. The first graph 102 further illustrates power consumption 104 of the UE during a CDRX on duration 106. As described above, during the CDRX on duration, the UE may be in an awake state and is monitoring potential DL transmissions. As further illustrated, the CDRX on duration is followed by a CDRX off duration, during which the UE does consume power to monitor potential DL transmissions. It should be understood that although the UE may enter a CDRX mode to save power, in many instances, the UE consumes power during the CDRX on duration to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) without an actual grant. Therefore, by skipping unnecessary PDCCH monitoring during the DRX on duration and without increasing delay, the UE may experience increased power savings.

[0042] The second graph 110 is an illustration of power consumption during wake-up signal (WUS) monitoring, and also includes time on the x-axis and power consumption on the y-axis. The power consumption during the CDRX on duration has been included as a dashed line for comparison. As illustrated, during WUS monitoring 112, the UE consumes less power than when the UE is monitoring during the CDRX on duration. In order to achieve maximum power saving gains, the power consumption for WUS monitoring should be lower than the power consumption for conventional PDCCH monitoring and receiving transmissions on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0043] The embodiments described herein solve the above-mentioned problems by introducing a WUS in RRC connected mode, which can indicate to the UE whether to wake up during the upcoming CDRX on duration. If the UE receives a wake-up indication (e.g., receives a WUS), the UE can wake up and monitor the PDCCH during the upcoming CDRX on duration. If the UE does not receive a wake-up indication (e.g., does not receive a WUS), the UE can skip monitoring the PDCCH during the next CDRX on duration.

[0044] Figure 220 is an illustration of power consumption in combination with WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments. Graph 202 is an illustration of power consumption during CDRX on-duration, and includes time on the x-axis and power consumption on the y-axis. Power consumption block 204 is illustrated as describing UE power consumption when WUS monitoring occurs during a sleep state. Block 206 is an illustration of the amount of power consumed by a UE monitoring PDCCH during the CDRX on-duration in an instance in which a WUS is received. As illustrated, blocks 206 and 208 may together form a long DRX duration in which the UE monitors PDCCH during the on-duration (UE power consumption during the on-duration is illustrated as block 206). The UE does not monitor PDCCH during the off-duration, in which power is saved by not monitoring PDCCH (UE power consumption is illustrated as block 208, in which the dotted line indicates that there is no power consumption associated with PDCCH monitoring). Embodiments herein describe an example where, if no WUS is received, even if the UE enters DRX On-Duration mode, the UE can save power by skipping PDCCH monitoring in subsequent DRX On-Duration until such time that a WUS is received.

[0045] Embodiments herein describe a base station that may send a WUS to a UE when the UE is in RRC connected mode. Figure 3 304. The base station 302 may send a WUS to the UE 304. The WUS may be a wake-up signal for the UE 304, which may be detected by the UE using a low-power receiver. The UE 304 may detect the WUS when there is no active data being sent. For example, the UE 304 may include a low-power radio (e.g., a wake-up receiver (WUR) 306) for detecting the WUS. The UE 304 may detect the WUS and enter a wake-up state for the main radio. For example, the low-power radio 306 may detect the WUS and transmit an interrupt signal to wake up the main radio 308 of the UE. Although as illustrated, the trigger for the UE 304 to transition the main radio from the sleep state to the wake-up state is the WUS, it should be understood that other triggers as described below may cause the UE 304 to transition from the sleep state to the wake-up state. There may also be a trigger for causing the UE 304 to transition the main radio from the wake-up state to the sleep state. The UE 304 may save power (e.g., power from the battery 310) by remaining in a dormant state until such time as the trigger is received. However, there may be a delay introduced by waiting for a trigger (e.g., WUR) and waking up the primary radio 308. As illustrated, the WUR 306 and the primary radio 308 are separate blocks, and in some embodiments, the WUR 306 and the primary radio 308 are included in the same block.

[0046] Those skilled in the art will recognize the differences between the concepts described herein and those described in 3GPP Release 16. For example, in 3GPP Release 16, WUS is always used on top of CDRX, and WUS indicates whether the UE needs to wake up in the next DRX on duration. As described herein, a signal (e.g., WUS) may be independent of CDRX or may work in conjunction with CDRX. Additionally, in 3GPP, WUS is transmitted using PDCCH, and the embodiments described herein include WUS that may be a signal designed for a low-power receiver (e.g., WUR 306). In 3GPP Release 16, DCI format 2_6 is introduced for notifying power saving information outside the DRX active time for one or more UEs. DCI format 2_6 may be used for WUS. UE may be configured for WUS monitoring in a primary cell (PCell) and a primary and secondary cell (PSCell). For the low-power WUS concept described herein, if it is used in conjunction with CDRX, it may simply replace the WUS in 3GPP Release 16, and existing procedures may be reused. In the following subsequent description, an implementation of a low power WUS without a CDRX is described.

[0047] Figure 4 is an illustration 400 of WUS monitoring by a UE according to one or more embodiments. At t0 402, UE 404 may send an indication of the ability to perform WUS monitoring in RRC connected mode to base station 406.

[0048] UE 404 may additionally report one or more switching gap values ​​for transitioning from WUS monitoring (e.g., sleep state) to regular operation (e.g., wake-up state). Regular operation may include monitoring PDCCH for incoming transmissions. The switching gap should at least cover the processing time required for UE 404 to receive WUS from base station 406 and wake up the main radio of the UE to perform regular operation. In general, the switching gap may depend on the type of sleep state that the main radio enters during WUS monitoring. If the main radio enters micro / shallow sleep, the switching gap value may be small. If the main radio enters a deeper sleep state, the switching gap value may be large. The switching gap value may be defined for the beginning or end of the WUS. For example, the switching gap value may be defined for the starting symbol of the WUS or the last symbol of the WUS. If UE 404 can report multiple switching gap values, base station 406 may configure one or more of these values ​​based on, for example, the delay requirements of the data to be sent using PDCCH, network load, or another appropriate factor.

[0049] UE 404 may additionally report one or more switching gap values ​​from the trigger for starting WUS monitoring to the actual start of WUS monitoring. These switching gap values ​​allow the base station to determine how long the UE is ready for WUS monitoring after the UE receives the trigger. Therefore, the base station can determine how long the base station 406 needs to wait before sending WUS after the trigger. In some instances, the base station 406 may use downlink control information (DCI) to trigger UE 404 to perform WUS monitoring. In these instances, one or more of these switching gap values ​​may be defined for the start of DCI transmission or the end of DCI transmission. For example, the switching gap value may be defined for the starting symbol of the DCI or the last symbol of the DCI. If a single switching gap value is to be reported, the UE 404 may report the switching gap value independently of other UE capabilities. If multiple switching gap values ​​are reported, the UE may report the switching gap value corresponding to other capabilities. For example, a switching gap value for switching from WUS monitoring (e.g., a sleep state) to normal operation (e.g., a wake-up state) and a switching gap value from a trigger for starting WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring may be reported in pairs. In other instances, the switching gap value from a trigger for starting WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring may be related to the WUR architecture or performance.

[0050] The switching gap value for switching from WUS monitoring (e.g., sleep state) to normal operation (e.g., awake state) and the switching gap value from the trigger for WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring may be defined based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS). For example, the switching gap value may be based on a symbol or a time slot, with reference to a corresponding SCS or a reference SCS.

[0051] UE 404 may additionally report one or more multiple levels of WUR performance to base station 406. For example, UE 404 may report WUR sensitivity or a required signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) to achieve one or more performance targets (e.g., based on false alarm probability and missed detection probability). In some instances, there may be multiple predefined values ​​or value ranges for the reported WUR, and UE 404 may report one or more of these values. UE 404 may report a difference based on the WUR architecture and power consumption level. For example, a higher sensitivity value may be reported for a WUR architecture that exhibits lower power consumption. UE 404 may support multiple WUR architectures associated with corresponding performance metrics. Base station 406 may send an indication to UE 404 to use a WUR architecture associated with a particular performance level based on the deployment scenario and characteristics of the UE (such as radio frequency (RF) conditions and mobility).

[0052] The above performance targets may be predefined or configured by the base station 406. For example, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with the performance targets by broadcasting a system information block (SIB) message. For example, the base station 406 may configure a performance target of 1% false alarm probability and 1% missed detection probability. The base station 406 may define multiple performance targets, and the UE 404 may report the achievability of each of the performance targets. In some instances, different time domain and frequency domain resources may be used for WUS monitoring, and the UE may report the achievability of the performance targets based on the different time domain and frequency domain resources.

[0053] At t1 408, the base station 406 may send configuration information to the UE 404. In some instances, the base station 406 may send configuration information for WUS monitoring to the UE 404 in RRC connection mode. The configuration information may include the carrier to be monitored by the WUS. For each identified carrier, the configuration information may also include time domain resources. In some instances, the UE 404 may be configured to continuously monitor the WUS, which means that the network may start sending the WUS at any time. In other words, the WUR of the UE 404 may monitor each symbol in each time slot during the CDRX on duration. In this instance, the base station 406 does not need to configure the UE 404 with time domain resources for WUS monitoring. In other instances, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 to periodically monitor the WUS. The base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with a periodicity and a bias that determines when the UE should monitor the WUS. For example, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 to monitor the WUS in each time slot, and the WUS may start at the time slot boundary. In another example, if the data to be received by the subsequent PDCCH transmission is not delay sensitive, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 to monitor the WUS every X (e.g., 4) time slots.

[0054] Alternatively or additionally, in some instances, the base station 406 may trigger the UE 404 to perform WUS monitoring using the DCI. In these instances, the UE 404 may monitor the WUS based on a time offset from the last symbol of the DCI, which may be affected by the UE's capabilities and the SCS of the component carrier (CC).

[0055] In some examples, if the UE can support multiple WUS durations, the base station 406 can configure the UE 404 with a specific WUS duration. In these examples, the WUS duration can be based on UE RF conditions and / or performance requirements for WUS detection.

[0056] The base station 406 may also configure the UE 404 with frequency domain resources for WUS monitoring. The UE 404 may use frequency domain resources to monitor the WUS. In some instances, the base station 406 may define a fixed bandwidth for the WUS. In these instances, the base station 406 may indicate to the UE 404 that the frequency domain resources may be indicated as the starting position, or the center position, or the end position of the bandwidth in the frequency domain. In some instances, the base station 406 may provide a reference point to determine the starting position, the center position, or the end position by a higher layer (e.g., by using an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN)). In some instances, WUS monitoring may be supported on multiple bandwidths. In these instances, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with each bandwidth in multiple bandwidths. In addition, the base station 406 may indicate the location and bandwidth at a specific granularity, which may include one or more physical resource blocks (PRBs) of a carrier, or one or more resource blocks specifically defined for the WUS. The granularity associated with the location may be the same as or may not be the same as the granularity associated with the bandwidth.

[0057] Additionally, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with a switching gap value for the transition from WUS monitoring to conventional operation. The switching gap value may be equal to or greater than the minimum time gap required between the WUS and the first reception (e.g., the first PDCCH monitoring opportunity) performed by the UE 404 or the transmission after the UE 404 wakes up. The base station 406 may configure the switching gap based on the capabilities of the UE. The base station 406 may define the switching gap value with reference to the start or end of the WUS. In other words, the start of the WUS or the end of the WUS and the first reception (e.g., the first PDCCH monitoring opportunity) performed by the UE 404 or the transmission after the UE 404 wakes up. In some instances, multiple switching gap values ​​may be supported in the standard, or the UE 404 has reported multiple switching gap values. In these instances, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with a switching gap value based on, for example, the delay requirements of the data to be received via the PDCCH, the network load, or another appropriate parameter. Alternatively, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with multiple handover gap values. In some instances, the base station 406 may dynamically indicate the handover gap value when the base station indicates to the UE 404 to monitor the WUS. In other instances, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with a default handover gap value.

[0058] In some examples, if a single handover gap is predefined in the technical standard, the base station 406 does not configure the UE 404 with a handover gap value for the transition from WUS monitoring to normal operation.

[0059] Additionally, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with a switching gap value for the time from the trigger for WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring. The switching gap value may be equal to or greater than the minimum switching gap from the trigger for WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring. In some instances, the switching gap value may be based on the capabilities of the UE. In some instances, the standard supports multiple switching gap values, or the UE 404 may report multiple switching gap values. In these instances, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with a specific switching gap value, for example, based on the selected WUS operation. In some instances, the switching gap value for the time from the trigger for WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring is provided in the technical standard. In these instances, the base station 406 does not configure the UE 404 with the switching gap value.

[0060] Additionally, the base station 406 may configure the UE 404 with an identifier (UE ID) or a group identifier for a UE group. The UE 404 may use the UE ID or the group identifier to determine whether the detected WUS is intended for the UE 404. For example, the UE 404 may determine whether the WUS is associated with the UE ID associated with the UE 404. If the WUS is associated with the UE ID, the UE may begin to transition to an awake state. If the WUS is not associated with the UE ID, the UE 404 may remain in a dormant state. The base station 406 may implicitly embed the UE ID in the WUS (e.g., affecting what sequence or resources are used by the WUS), or the UE ID may be carried directly in the WUS as part of the payload.

[0061] The base station 406 may configure or reconfigure the UE 404 via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC, Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE)) with time domain and frequency domain resources based on, for example, UE RF conditions and the expected performance of the UE. The base station 406 may make a decision based on reported WUR performance from the UE, if available.

[0062] In some instances, the base station 406 may configure multiple groups of time domain and frequency domain resources for UE 404 to perform WUS monitoring. In some other instances, UE 404 may derive multiple groups of time domain and frequency domain resources based on the configuration of the network. In these instances, the base station 406 may select one or more of the configured resources to send WUS to UE 404. In some instances, multiple groups of time domain and frequency domain resources may have different numbers of resources. The base station 406 may select resources based on the RF conditions or expected reliability of the UE. This concept is similar to different aggregation levels for PDCCH. Which of the configured resources is to be used for WUS monitoring can be carried or embedded in the WUS (e.g., at the beginning of the WUS). Alternatively, in some instances, the UE 404 may need to perform blind detection to determine which time domain and frequency domain resources are used for WUS monitoring. However, blind detection can increase the complexity and power consumption of WUR, and therefore careful design can be used.

[0063] The base station 406 may provide a WUS configuration associated with one carrier, multiple carriers, or all configured carriers. This means that the primary radio of these one or more carriers is controlled by the WUS. The associated carrier may be indicated as part of the WUS configuration, or the associated carrier may be predefined. The associated carrier may include: a CC on which the WUS is to be monitored, a CC group including a CC on which the WUS is to be monitored, or all CCs configured for the UE 404. In some embodiments, the WUS configuration may include an explicit indication of the CC associated with the WUS (e.g., via a bitmap or CC index list).

[0064] Base station 406 can provide finer granularity by associating WUS configuration information with one or more search space sets on one or more carriers. In these instances, when UE 404 monitors WUS (e.g., dormant state), UE 404 may not need to monitor the PDCCH associated with these search space sets. When UE 4033 moves out of the WUS monitoring state (e.g., wakes up), it can monitor the PDCCH associated with these search space sets.

[0065] The base station 406 may configure the WUS to be UE-specific, but multiple UEs may be configured with the same resources. If the base station 406 configures multiple UEs with the same group ID, a single WUS may wake up each of these multiple UEs at the same time. This may provide a tradeoff between UE power savings and resource overhead.

[0066] At t2 410, the UE may receive a trigger 412 for transitioning the primary radio from an awake state to a dormant state for WUS monitoring. The trigger 412 may be in various forms. For example, the trigger may be an explicit indication in a DCI. A DCI bit may be used to indicate to the UE 404 that it may switch to WUS monitoring. If the base station 406 has configured the UE 404 with multiple switching gap values ​​from the trigger 412 for WUS monitoring to the start of WUS monitoring, the DCI may also include an indication of which switching gap value to use. The UE 404 may then use the switching gap value to determine when the WUS monitoring should start. The base station 406 may have defined the switching gap value with reference to the start of the DCI or the end of the DCI. Prior to the start of the WUS monitoring, the UE 404 may or may not continue conventional operation. Alternatively or additionally, the base station 406 may use the DCI to explicitly or implicitly indicate the start of the WUS monitoring and skip the PDCCH monitoring. The UE 404 may switch to the WUS monitoring after the indicated PDCCH skip ends. For example, the base station 406 may provide an indication to skip PDCCH monitoring for a number of time slots, in which case the UE 404 does not need to monitor the WUS. The UE 404 may start the WUS monitoring after the indicated number of time slots. If the base station 406 has configured the UE 404 with multiple switching gap values ​​for the transition from WUS monitoring (sleep state to awake state), the base station may further use the DCI to indicate which of these switching gap values ​​is to be applied when the UE 404 does receive a WUS in the future. Using this indication, the UE 404 may determine which sleep state the primary radio may enter in response to the trigger 412. These indications may use new fields in the DCI or reuse existing fields.

[0067] The trigger 412 may also be a time-based trigger. The UE 404 may switch to WUS monitoring (eg, dormant state) after not receiving any DCI for a duration. The base station 406 may configure the duration, or the duration may be predetermined in the standard.

[0068] The trigger 412 may also be based on conditions. For example, the UE 404 may be immediately converted back to WUS monitoring (sleep state) after the transmission / reception in the awake state is completed. Certain conditions may be based on a trigger for causing the UE 404 to transition from a WUS monitoring state (e.g., a sleep state) to a conventional operation (e.g., an awake state). For example, if the UE 404 needs to send or receive to perform a semi-statically configured DL reception and / or UL transmission, the UE may also transition from WUS monitoring to conventional operation even when WUS is not received. In another example, the UE 404 may switch to conventional operation after monitoring WUS for a predefined or configured time. Returning to the condition-based trigger 412, if the UE 404 transitions from a WUS monitoring state (e.g., a sleep state) to conventional operation (e.g., an awake state) to measure synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and / or channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RSs) or semi-persistent scheduling physical downlink shared channels (SPS PDSCHs), if no further action is required, the UE 404 may immediately return to the WUS monitoring state after receiving.

[0069] The trigger 412 may be a state switch triggered by the UE 404. In an instance where the UE 404 has no uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) data for a period of time, the UE 404 may transmit an UL signal to inform the base station 406 that the UE 404 will switch to the WUS monitoring state. For example, the UE 404 may partially reuse a scheduling request (SR) resource (e.g., the same SR periodicity, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format 0 with a different sequence cyclic shift from the SR). This may avoid any misalignment between the base station 406 and the UE 404 in the UE state.

[0070] As described above, the UE 404 may (although not illustrated for all cases) have a trigger for transitioning from the WUS monitoring state (sleeping state) to the normal operation state (awake state). The trigger may be that once the UE 404 receives the WUS (as illustrated by 414), the UE 404 switches to normal operation according to the configuration. In this instance, the corresponding switching gap value (predefined, or configured, or previously dynamically indicated) may be applied by the UE 404.

[0071] Another trigger for transitioning from the WUS monitoring state (sleep state) to the normal operation state (awake state) may be: when the UE has data to send (eg, to send SR or configured grant (CG) PUSCH), the UE may switch to the normal operation state.

[0072] Another trigger for transitioning from the WUS monitoring state (sleep state) to the normal operation state (wake-up state) may be: if the UE 404 needs to send or receive to perform semi-statically configured DL reception and UL transmission, the UE may switch from the WUS monitoring state to the normal operation state even when no WUS is received. In this instance, the semi-statically configured DL reception should at least exclude some or all of the PDCCH monitoring in the UE-specific search space concentration, because the power saving gain comes from replacing PDCCH monitoring with WUS monitoring. In an alternative, based on the UE-specific search space configuration and / or additional configuration, the UE 404 may selectively exclude some but not all PDCCH monitoring opportunities. For example, the UE 404 may selectively exclude some but not all PDCCH monitoring opportunities based on different associated priorities. The types of semi-statically configured DL reception and UL transmission that trigger the UE to leave the WUS monitoring state may be predefined or configurable by the network. For example, it may be defined or configured that only SPS PDSCH or CG PUSCH (not any other type of semi-statically configured DL reception and UL transmission) triggers the UE 404 to switch from the WUS monitoring state (dormant state) to the normal operation state (awake state).

[0073] Another trigger for transitioning from the WUS monitoring state (sleeping state) to the normal operation state (awake state) may be that the UE 404 may switch to the normal operation state after being in the monitoring WUS state for a predefined or configured time. For example, the UE 404 may need to measure SSB and / or CSI-RS from time to time for beam tracking and / or for radio link monitoring (RLM) purposes.

[0074] It should be understood that the switching gap value may not be applicable to certain triggers for transitioning from the WUS monitoring state (sleeping state) to the normal operation state (awake state). For example, if the trigger is that there is data to be sent, needs to be sent or received to perform any of the DL reception and UL transmission of the semi-static configuration, then even when no WUS is received, or after monitoring WUS for a predefined or configured time, the UE 404 can prepare for the transition in advance based on the configuration given the known transmission / reception time.

[0075] In addition to the capabilities that the UE may report (e.g., at t0402), the UE 404 may additionally indicate its support for one or more of the above options for the transition. In addition, some or all of the above trigger options may be combined and used together, as configured by the base station 406 and affected by the UE 404 capabilities.

[0076] At t3 414, the base station 406 may send a WUS to the UE 404. In some examples, the WUS may be a signal sent without using the PDCCH. The WUS may be received by a low power receiver (e.g., a WUR) of the UE 404. The low power receiver may send an interrupt signal to the primary radio of the UE 404. In response, the primary radio may wake up and monitor DL ​​transmissions using the PDCCH.

[0077] At t4 416, the base station 406 may use the PDCCH to send a DL transmission to the UE 404. The DL transmission may be received by the primary radio of the UE 402.

[0078] The embodiments described herein may include different variations of WUS operation for RRC connected UEs.The above description assumes that the UE is in a WUS monitoring state or a normal operation state.

[0079] Figure 5 500 is an illustration of a variation of WUS monitoring for an RRC-connected UE according to one or more embodiments. As illustrated, the UE 502 is in an RRC-connected state with a base station 504. Under certain triggering conditions (e.g., the UE 502 needs to transmit or receive to perform semi-statically configured DL reception and UL transmission even when no WUS is received, or the UE 502 switches to normal operation after monitoring WUS for a predefined or configured time), the UE 502 may perform transmission / reception on the primary radio 506 without PDCCH monitoring while monitoring WUS on the WUR 508. It should be understood that the WUR+primary radio 510 is illustrated as a logical entity for performing the above-mentioned functionality and does not imply different hardware components of the UE 502. If the UE 502 uses the primary radio to perform a specific action and then directly returns to WUS monitoring (e.g., the UE 502 switches back to WUS monitoring immediately after the transmission / reception is completed), the UE 502 may not need to monitor the PDCCH and / or stop WUS monitoring.

[0080] Figure 6600 is an illustration of a variation of WUS monitoring for an RRC-connected UE according to one or more embodiments. As illustrated, the UE 602 is in an RRC-connected state with a base station 604. In this variation, the UE 602 may always monitor the WUS regardless of what is being sent / received on the primary radio 606. For example, the UE 602 may perform conventional operations (including PDCCH monitoring) on ​​the primary radio 606 and monitor the WUS at the same time. It can be considered that if the UE monitors the PDCCH, WUS monitoring is not required. However, in this variation, the power consumption of the WUS 608 may be very low compared to the power consumption of the primary radio 606, so the additional cost of monitoring the WUS is minimal. This avoids the application delay required when the UE switches from conventional operation to WUS monitoring.

[0081] Figure 7 is an example 700 of WUS monitoring by a UE in an RRC connected state according to one or more embodiments. It should be understood that Figure 7 The height of the block in is not intended to convey the power consumption of the UE. The UE may be triggered to enter a WUS monitoring state (e.g., a sleep state) and perform WUS monitoring. The WUS monitoring may be performed by the UE's WUR. The UE may receive a first WUS 702 from the base station while in the WUS monitoring state. The first WUS 702 may be a signal that may or may not be sent using a PDCCH.

[0082] Based on receiving the first WUS 702, the UE may transition to the awake state. During the transition, the WUR may send an interrupt signal to the primary radio to wake up the primary radio. Figure 7 Illustrated is that the application delay between the first WUS 702) can be associated with the switching gap value received by the UE from the base station via configuration information. It should be understood that in some instances, the UE can transition from the dormant state to the awake state without receiving the WUS. In these instances, the UE can save power by not monitoring the PDCCH.

[0083] During the awake state, the UE may receive one or more transmissions via PDCCH 704A through 704N. For example, the primary radio of the UE may periodically monitor the PDCCH over multiple long CDRX cycles to receive one or more transmissions.

[0084] The UE may receive a trigger 706 for WUS monitoring and begin transitioning from an awake state to a dormant state. For example, the UE's primary radio may enter a dormant state and the WUR may be initialized to monitor for WUS. In some embodiments, the trigger for WUS monitoring may be received from a base station via DCI. The application delay between the awake state and the dormant state may be associated with a handover gap value received from the base station via configuration information.

[0085] Once the UE enters the sleep state, the UE monitors the WUS. For example, when the primary radio is in the sleep state, the UE's WUR monitors the WUS. The UE may receive a second WUS 708 from the base station. The second WUS 708 may cause the UE to transition from the sleep state back to the awake state. For example, in response to receiving the second WUS 708, the WUR may transmit another interrupt signal to wake up the primary radio. Once the primary radio wakes up, it may begin monitoring the PDCCH for downlink transmissions.

[0086] Figure 8 A process flow 800 for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments. At 802, the method may include: a UE determining capability information associated with wake-up signal (WUS) monitoring, the capability information including an indication that the UE supports WUS monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode.

[0087] At 804, the method may include the UE sending an indication of capabilities to a base station. The base station may be associated with a PCell or PSCell on which the UE is camped. The capabilities may include one or more capabilities associated with the UE.

[0088] At 806, the method may include the UE performing WUS monitoring while in a dormant state in which transmission and reception by a primary radio of the UE are suspended. The monitoring may be performed by a WUR of the UE, and the PDCCH may be performed by the primary radio in an awake state but suspended while the primary radio is in a dormant state.

[0089] At 808, the method may include the UE transitioning from the dormant state to the awake state based on a trigger. The trigger may be a lower power signal, such as a WUS. The base station may send the WUS to the UE without using the PDCCH, and the WUS may be received by the WUR. The transition may include the WUR sending an interrupt signal to the primary radio to wake up. The transition may be associated with a switching gap value, which includes a time to switch from the dormant state to the awake state. The time may help the base station determine when it can transmit to the UE.

[0090] At 810, the method may include the UE transmitting and receiving via a primary radio of the UE in the awake state. Specifically, the monitoring may be performed by the primary radio while the WUR remains in an idle state.

[0091] Fig. 9900 is a process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments. At 902, the method may include: a UE receiving a trigger for a state transition, wherein the state transition is from a dormant state to an awake state, and wherein the UE is transmitting and receiving through a primary radio of the UE in the awake state, and transmitting and receiving through the primary radio is suspended in the dormant state.

[0092] At 904, the method may include the UE transitioning from the dormant state to the awake state based on receiving the trigger, wherein the primary radio of the UE is to transmit and receive while in the awake state. For example, the UE may include a primary radio in a dormant state. In response to receiving the trigger, the UE may wake up the primary radio for transmission and reception.

[0093] At 906, the method may include the UE monitoring transmissions and receptions by a primary radio of the UE based on being in the awake state. As described above, the monitoring may be performed by the primary radio of the UE.

[0094] Fig.10 1000 is a process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments. At 1002, the method may include: a UE receives a trigger to transition from a dormant state to an awake state, wherein, based on the trigger, a primary radio of the UE is to transmit or receive and a WUR of the UE is to monitor the WUS simultaneously. In this embodiment, the UE may monitor the WUS and perform transmit and receive operations that are not necessarily associated with the PDCCH simultaneously, rather than alternating states to monitor the WUS and transmit and receive through the primary radio of the UE.

[0095] At 1004, the method may include the UE transitioning from the dormant state to the awake state based on receiving the trigger.A primary radio of the UE may be in a dormant state and, based on the trigger, transition to an awake state.

[0096] At 1006, the method may include: the WUR of the UE monitoring the WUS based on being in the awake state.

[0097] At 1008, the method may include: the primary radio of the UE performing transmission or reception based on being in the awake state. This may be performed simultaneously with the WUR monitoring the WUS. The transmission and reception may further not necessarily be associated with the PDCCH.

[0098] Fig.11is a process flow 1100 for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments. At 1102, the method may include receiving, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of a capability to monitor for a wake-up signal (WUS) in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a dormant state by a base station.

[0099] At 1104, the method may include: the base station configuring the UE with a first frequency domain resource based on the indication, the first frequency domain resource being used for WUS monitoring in the RRC connected mode when in the dormant state. In this step, the base station may configure the UE with a time domain resource, but the time domain resource may not be configured for WUS monitoring.

[0100] At 1106, the method may include: the base station uses the first frequency domain resources and the first time domain resources to send a WUS to the UE, wherein the UE is configured to wake up and monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) based on the WUS. The WUS may be detected by a low power receiver. The base station may send the WUS without using the PDCCH. In some instances, the WUS may include a UE identity to inform the UE whether it is an intended recipient.

[0101] At 1108, the method may include the base station sending a first transmission to the UE using the PDCCH. The UE may be in an awake state, and specifically, the primary radio of the UE may be in an awake state. The primary radio of the UE may receive the transmission using the PDCCH.

[0102] Fig.12 1200 is a process flow for WUS monitoring according to one or more embodiments. At 1202, the method may include the UE sending an indication of a capability of performing WUS monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a dormant state to a base station.

[0103] At 1204, the method may include: the UE receiving configuration information based on the indication, the configuration information including a first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being used for WUS monitoring in the RRC connected mode when in the dormant state. In this step, the base station may configure the UE with a time domain resource, but the time domain resource may not be configured for WUS monitoring.

[0104] At 1206, the method may include the UE monitoring the WUS while in the dormant state. Specifically, when the primary radio is in the dormant state, the WUR of the UE may monitor the WUS.

[0105] At 1208, the method may include: the UE receiving the WUS using the first frequency domain resource and the first time domain resource, wherein the UE is configured to wake up and monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) based on the WUS. As described above, the primary radio may wake up to perform PDCCH monitoring. For example, the WUR may send an interrupt signal to wake up the primary radio.

[0106] At 1210, the method may include the UE receiving a transmission using the PDCCH.

[0107] Fig.13 Illustrated is a receiving component 1300 of a UE 1306 according to some embodiments. The receiving component 1300 may include an antenna panel 1304 including a plurality of antenna elements. The panel 1304 is shown with four antenna elements, but other embodiments may include other numbers of antenna elements.

[0108] The antenna panel 1304 can be coupled to an analog beamforming (BF) component including a plurality of phase shifters 1308(1)-1308(4). The phase shifters 1308(1)-1308(4) can be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) chain 1312. The RF chain 1312 can amplify the received analog RF signal, down-convert the RF signal to baseband, and convert the analog baseband signal to a digital baseband signal that can be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

[0109] In various embodiments, control circuitry, which may reside in a baseband processor, may provide BF weights (e.g., W1 to W4) (which may represent phase shift values) to phase shifters 1308(1) to 1308(4) to provide receive beams at antenna panel 1304. These BF weights may be determined based on channel-based beamforming.

[0110] Fig.14 UE 1400 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 1400 may be similar to Fig.13 UE 1306 and is essentially interchangeable therewith.

[0111] Similar to the description above for UE 1400, UE 1400 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., a microphone, a carbon dioxide sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a laser scanner, a fluid level sensor, an inventory sensor, a voltage / current meter, an actuator, etc.), a video surveillance / monitoring device (e.g., a camera, a video camera, etc.), a wearable device, or a loose IoT device. In some embodiments, the UE can be a reduced capacity UE or an NR-Light UE.

[0112] UE 1400 may include a processor 1404, an RF interface circuit 1408, a memory / storage device 1412, a user interface 1416, a sensor 1420, a driver circuit 1422, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1424, and a battery 1428. The components of UE 1400 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion of an integrated circuit, a discrete electronic device or other module, logic component, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Fig.14 The block diagram of UE 1400 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of UE 1400. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0113] Components of UE 1400 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1432, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., which allows various circuit components (on a common or different chip or chipset) to interact with each other.

[0114] The processor 1404 may include processor circuits such as, for example, a baseband processor circuit (BB) 1404A, a central processor unit circuit (CPU) 1404B, and a graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 1404C. The processor 1404 may include any type of circuit or processor circuit that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program codes, software modules, or functional processes from the memory / storage device 1412) to cause the UE 1400 to perform operations as described herein.

[0115] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 1404A can access the communication protocol stack 1436 in the memory / storage device 1412 to communicate through a 3GPP compatible network. Generally speaking, the baseband processor circuit 1404A can access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access layer (NAS) layer. In some embodiments, the PHY layer operations can be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit 1408.

[0116] The baseband processor circuit 1404A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compatible network. In some embodiments, the waveforms used for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0117] The baseband processor circuit 1404A may also access the group information 1424 from the memory / storage 1412 to determine the search space group in which the repetition number of the PDCCH may be transmitted.

[0118] The memory / storage 1412 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 1400. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 1412 may be located on the processor 1404 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 1412 is external to the processor 1404 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage 1412 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0119] The RF interface circuit 1408 may include a transceiver circuit and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM), which allows the UE 1400 to communicate with other devices through a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 1408 may include various elements arranged in a transmit path or a receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0120] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive the radiated signal from the air interface via antenna 1424 and proceed to filter and amplify the signal (using a low noise amplifier). The signal may be provided to the transceiver's receiver, which down-converts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of processor 1404.

[0121] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna 1424.

[0122] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit 1408 may be configured to send / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0123] Antenna 1424 may include multiple antenna elements, each of which converts electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and converts received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. Antenna 1424 may have an antenna panel that is omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to achieve beamforming and multiple input / multiple output communications. Antenna 1424 may include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna manufactured on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. Antenna 1424 may have one or more panels that are designed for a specific frequency band including a band in FR1 or FR2.

[0124] The user interface circuit 1416 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with the UE 1400. The user interface 1416 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for accepting input, and in particular includes one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, or a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for displaying information or otherwise delivering information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuit may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, in particular including one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators (such as light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by the operation of the UE 1400.

[0125] Sensors 1420 may include devices, modules, or subsystems that are designed to detect events or changes in their environment and to communicate information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit including an accelerometer; a gyroscope; or a magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system or nanoelectromechanical system including a three-axis accelerometer; a three-axis gyroscope; or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.); a depth sensor; an ambient light sensor; an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; and the like.

[0126] The driver circuit 1422 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1400. The driver circuit 1422 may include separate drivers to allow other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 1400. For example, the driver circuit 1422 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 1420 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 1420, a driver for obtaining an actuator position of an electromechanical component or controlling and allowing access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0127] The PMIC 1424 may manage the power provided to various components of the UE 1400. Specifically, for the processor 1404, the PMIC 1424 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0128] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1424 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 1400. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the UE 1400 may be powered off for short time intervals and thus save power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the UE 1400 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which it is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The UE 1400 enters a very low power state and the UE performs paging in which the UE wakes up again periodically to listen to the network and then powers off again. The UE 1400 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. An additional power saving mode can render the device unavailable for use of the network for periods exceeding the paging interval, ranging from a few seconds to several hours. During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this period will incur significant latency, assuming that latency is acceptable.

[0129] The battery 1428 can power the UE 1400, but in some examples, the UE 1400 can be installed and deployed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 1428 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 1428 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0130] Fig.15 An example of a gNB 1500 according to some embodiments is shown. The gNB node 1500 may be similar to Figure 1 base stations 154, 156 and are essentially interchangeable with them.

[0131] gNB 1500 may include a processor 1504, an RF interface circuit 1508, a core network (CN) interface circuit 1512, and a memory / storage device circuit 1516.

[0132] The components of gNB 1500 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1528.

[0133] The processor 1504, RF interface circuit 1508, memory / storage circuit 1516 (including communication protocol stack 1510), antenna 1524, and interconnect 1528 may be similar to those of reference Fig.13 Like-named elements are shown and described.

[0134] The CN interface circuitry 1512 may provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 4th generation core network (5GC) using a 4GC-compatible network interface protocol such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the gNB 1500 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1512 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1512 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0135] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0136] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section.

[0137] Example

[0138] In the following sections, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0139] Embodiment 1 includes a method performed by a base station, the method comprising: receiving an indication from a user equipment (UE) of the ability to perform wake-up signal (WUS) monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a sleep state; configuring the UE with a first frequency domain resource based on the indication, the first frequency domain resource being used for performing WUS monitoring in the RRC connected mode while in the sleep state; sending the WUS to the UE using the first frequency domain resource and a first time domain resource, wherein a primary radio of the UE is configured to send and receive based on the WUS; and sending a first downlink (DL) transmission to the UE.

[0140] Embodiment 2 includes embodiment 1, wherein the method further comprises configuring the UE to continuously monitor the WUS while in the dormant state.

[0141] Embodiment 3 includes any one of Embodiments 1 or 2, and further includes: configuring the UE with the first time domain resources for WUS monitoring.

[0142] Embodiment 4 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein configuring the UE with the first time domain resource includes configuring the UE with a periodicity and an offset for periodic WUS monitoring.

[0143] Embodiment 5 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the method further comprises: configuring the UE with a first switching gap value for transitioning from the sleep state to the awake state, wherein the first switching gap value is greater than or equal to a time gap required by the UE between receiving the WUS and receiving the first transmission.

[0144] Embodiment 6 includes any one of embodiments 1 to 5, further comprising configuring the UE with a first switching gap value based on a network load or delay associated with data to be sent to or received from the UE.

[0145] Embodiment 7 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, further comprising: configuring the UE with a plurality of switching gap values ​​including the first switching gap value.

[0146] Embodiment 8 includes any one of Embodiments 1-7, wherein the first switching gap value is defined relative to a start of the WUS or an end of the WUS.

[0147] Embodiment 9 includes any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein configuring the UE with the first frequency domain resources comprises sending an indication of the first frequency domain resources using radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0148] Embodiment 10 includes any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein configuring the UE with the first frequency domain resources includes sending an indication of a starting position, a center position, or an ending position of a fixed bandwidth in the frequency domain.

[0149] Embodiment 11 includes any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the method further comprises: sending a trigger for the UE to transition from the awake state to the sleep state using downlink control information (DCI), wherein an offset is started from a last symbol used to send the DCI, and wherein a periodicity for monitoring the WUS is based on the offset starting from the last symbol.

[0150] Embodiment 12 includes any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the method further includes: configuring the UE with a first switching gap for transitioning from an awake state to the sleep state, and wherein the first switching gap is greater than or equal to the time required for the UE between receiving a trigger to enter the sleep state and entering the sleep state from the awake state.

[0151] Embodiment 13 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the UE is configured with a UE identifier to be used for WUS monitoring.

[0152] Embodiment 14 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the method further includes: configuring the UE with multiple groups of time domain or frequency domain resources for WUS monitoring, wherein the first frequency domain resources are in a first group of time domain or frequency domain resources of the multiple groups; and selecting the first group of time domain or frequency domain resources to send the WUS.

[0153] Embodiment 15 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, wherein configuring the UE with the first frequency domain resources for WUS monitoring comprises sending a first WUS configuration to the UE, wherein the first WUS configuration is associated with one or more carriers.

[0154] Embodiment 16 includes any of Embodiments 1-15, wherein the one or more carriers are predefined or indicated as part of the first WUS configuration using a bitmap or a component carrier index list.

[0155] Embodiment 17 includes any one of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the one or more carriers include a component carrier (CC), a group of CCs including the CC associated with the PDCCH, or all CCs configured for the UE.

[0156] Embodiment 18 includes any one of Embodiments 1-17, wherein the first WUS configuration is associated with at least one search space set on the one or more carriers.

[0157] Embodiment 19 includes any one of Embodiments 1 to 18, wherein the WUS configuration is specific to the UE or common to multiple UEs.

[0158] Embodiment 20 includes a method performed by a UE, the method comprising: sending an indication to a base station of the ability to perform wake-up signal monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a sleep state; receiving configuration information based on the indication, the configuration information comprising a first frequency domain resource for WUS monitoring in the RRC connected mode while in the sleep state, and also comprising a first switching gap value for transitioning from the sleep state to the wake-up state; monitoring the WUS while in the sleep state; receiving the WUS using the first frequency domain resource and a first time domain-based resource, wherein a main radio of the UE is configured to wake up based on the WUS for transmission and reception; and receiving a first downlink (DL) transmission.

[0159] Embodiment 21 includes embodiment 20, wherein the method further includes: receiving a trigger to enter the sleep state for WUS monitoring; entering the sleep state for WUS monitoring and suspending transmission and reception by the primary radio of the UE; receiving the WUS while in the sleep state; transitioning from the sleep state to a wake-up state based on the first switching gap value, wherein the first transmission is received in the wake-up state.

[0160] Embodiment 22 includes any one of Embodiments 20 or 21, wherein the configuration information further includes a bandwidth of a carrier used to carry the WUS, wherein the monitoring of the WUS is based on the bandwidth.

[0161] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0162] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of a capability to perform wake-up signal (WUS) monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a dormant state; configuring the UE with a first frequency domain resource based on the indication, wherein the first frequency domain resource is used for performing WUS monitoring in the RRC connected mode when in the dormant state; sending a WUS to the UE using the first frequency domain resources and the first time domain resources, wherein a primary radio of the UE is configured to transmit and receive based on the WUS; as well as A first downlink (DL) transmission is sent to the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: The UE is configured with the first time domain resource for WUS monitoring, wherein configuring the UE with the first time domain resource includes configuring the UE with a periodicity and an offset for periodic WUS monitoring.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the method further comprises: The UE is configured with a first switching gap value for transitioning from the dormant state to the awake state, wherein the first switching gap value is greater than or equal to a time gap required by the UE between receiving the WUS and receiving the first transmission.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method further comprises: The UE is configured with a first handover gap value based on a network load or delay associated with data to be transmitted or received from the UE.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method further comprises: The UE is configured with a plurality of handover gap values ​​including the first handover gap value. 6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first switching gap value is defined relative to a start of the WUS or an end of the WUS.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein configuring the UE with the first frequency domain resources comprises sending an indication of the first frequency domain resources using radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein configuring the UE with the first frequency domain resources comprises sending an indication of a starting position, a center position or an ending position of a fixed bandwidth in the frequency domain.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method further comprises: A trigger for the UE to transition from an awake state to the sleep state is sent to the UE using downlink control information (DCI), wherein an offset is from a last symbol used to send the DCI, and wherein a periodicity for monitoring the WUS is based on the offset from the last symbol.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the method further comprises: The UE is configured with a first switching gap for transitioning from an awake state to the sleep state, and wherein the first switching gap is greater than or equal to a time required by the UE between receiving a trigger to enter the sleep state and entering the sleep state from the awake state.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the UE is configured with a UE identifier to be used for WUS monitoring.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the method further comprises: configuring the UE with multiple groups of time domain or frequency domain resources for WUS monitoring, wherein the first frequency domain resource is in a first group of time domain or frequency domain resources of the multiple groups; as well as The first set of time domain or frequency domain resources is selected to send the WUS.

13. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of a capability to perform wake-up signal (WUS) monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a dormant state; Based on the indication, a first WUS configuration is configured, the first WUS configuration comprising a first frequency domain resource for performing WUS monitoring in the RRC connected mode when in the dormant state, the first frequency domain resource being associated with one or more carriers; sending a WUS to the UE using the first frequency domain resources and the first time domain resources, wherein a primary radio of the UE is configured to transmit and receive based on the WUS; as well as A first downlink (DL) transmission is sent to the UE.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more carriers are indicated as part of the first WUS configuration or are predefined using a list or bitmap of component carrier indices.

15. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 13 and 14, wherein the one or more carriers include a component carrier (CC), a group of CCs including a CC associated with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or all CCs configured for the UE.

16. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the first WUS configuration is associated with at least one search space set associated with the one or more carriers.

17. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the WUS configuration is specific to the UE or common to multiple UEs.

18. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: processor; as well as A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: sending an indication to a base station of a capability to perform wake-up signal monitoring in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode while in a dormant state; receiving configuration information based on the indication, the configuration information comprising a first frequency domain resource for monitoring by a WUS in the RRC connected mode when in the dormant state, and further comprising a first switching gap value for transitioning from the dormant state to an awake state; monitoring WUS while in the dormant state; receiving the WUS using the first frequency-domain resources and the first time-domain-based resources, wherein a primary radio of the UE is configured to wake up to transmit and receive based on the WUS; as well as A first downlink (DL) transmission is received.

19. The UE of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a trigger to enter the dormant state for WUS monitoring; entering the dormant state for WUS monitoring and suspending transmission and reception by the primary radio of the UE; receiving the WUS while in the dormant state; A transition is made from the dormant state to an awake state based on the first switching gap value, wherein the first transmission is received in the awake state.

20. The UE according to any one of claims 18 and 19, wherein the configuration information further includes a bandwidth of a carrier used to carry the WUS, wherein the monitoring of the WUS is based on the bandwidth.

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