Handling notifications and conflicts during unavailability in mobile communications

Abstract

Techniques for handling conflicts between notifications and unavailable periods in mobile communications are described. A device (e.g., a network node of a wireless network) determines a state during an unavailability associated with a user equipment (UE). The device then refrains from sending a notification message to the user equipment upon determining that a condition exists with respect to the unavailability period or the user equipment.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This disclosure prioritizes Indian Patent Application No. 202321061058, filed on September 11, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically, to handling conflicts between notifications and unavailability periods in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] In wireless communications (such as mobile communications) under the current Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications, the network can use a notification procedure to request user equipment (UE) (e.g., sending a NOTIFICATION message via 3GPP access) to re-establish user plane resources for Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with non-3GPP access when the UE is in 5GMM-IDLE mode on non-3GPP access and 5GMM-CONNECTED mode on 3GPP access, or to transmit Generation Session Management (5GSM) downlink signaling messages associated with non-3GPP access via 3GPP access.

[0005] Alternatively, the network may use a notification procedure to request user equipment (e.g., by sending a notification message via non-3G Partner Program access) to re-establish user plane resources for a Protocol Data Unit session when the user equipment is in 5GMM-connected mode on non-3G Partner Program access, or to transmit downlink signaling related to 3G Partner Program access via 3G Partner Program access when the user equipment is in 5GMM-idle mode on 3G Partner Program access and not in mobile-initiated connection-only (MICO) mode, or in 5GMM-idle mode with a suspend indication on 3G Partner Program access and not in MICO mode.

[0006] However, while an unavailability period is active on a user device, the user device may receive notification messages through non-3G Partner Program access. This can lead to asynchrony between non-3G Partner Program access and 3G Partner Program access, or occur during the overlap between activation and notification processes in unavailability. Therefore, a solution is needed in mobile communications to handle the collision between notifications and unavailability periods. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The following abstract is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following abstract aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further elaborated in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following abstract is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0008] One objective of this disclosure is to propose solutions or strategies for addressing the problems described herein. More specifically, the various solutions proposed in this disclosure are believed to provide solutions to the conflict between notifications and unavailability periods in mobile communications. It is believed that implementations of one or more solutions proposed herein can solve or mitigate the aforementioned problems.

[0009] In one aspect, a method may involve the network determining the state of an unavailability period related to a user equipment (UE). The method may also involve the network avoiding sending notification messages to the user equipment when determining the condition of the unavailability period or the presence of the user equipment.

[0010] In another aspect, a device may include a transceiver configured for wireless communication and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may determine the state of an unavailability period associated with a user equipment. The processor may also avoid sending notification messages to the user equipment when it determines the existence of conditions related to the unavailability period or the user equipment.

[0011] It is worth noting that although the content described herein may be within the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as fifth-generation (5G) / New Radio (NR) / Beyond Fifth-Generation (B5G) mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can also be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, fourth-generation (4G) / Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings are included in this specification to provide a further understanding of this disclosure and form part of this disclosure. The drawings illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions for the purpose of clearly illustrating the concepts of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example network environment that can implement various solutions and schemes related to the contents of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a second example process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the subject matter of the claims are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the subject matter of the claims and may take many forms. This disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of this disclosure exhaustive and complete, and to fully communicate the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0017] Overview

[0018] According to embodiments of this disclosure, various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions relate to handling collisions between notifications and unavailability periods in mobile communications. According to this disclosure, multiple possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more of them can be implemented in different combinations.

[0019] Figure 1 An example network environment 100 is shown in which various solutions and schemes of this disclosure can be implemented. Figures 2-3 Examples of implementing various proposed schemes in a network environment 100 are shown according to this disclosure. The following description of the various proposed schemes refers to... Figures 1-3 .

[0020] See Figure 1 Network environment 100 may involve a user equipment (UE) 110, such as a mobile device or smartphone, wirelessly communicating with wireless network 120 as part of a communication network. Wireless network 120 may be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), encompassing 5G / New Radio (NR) and 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) domains. UE 110 may initially communicate wirelessly with wireless network 120 via a base station or network node 125 (e.g., eNB, gNB, or Transceiver Point (TRP)). Within network environment 100, UE 110 and wireless network 120 may implement various schemes related to handling collisions during notification and unavailability periods in mobile communications, as described herein.

[0021] It is worth noting that although the various proposed solutions are described individually or separately below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed solutions can be used or implemented in combination. Of course, each proposed solution can also be used or implemented individually or separately. In addition, as used in this article, "lower layer" can refer to the layers below the radio resource control (RRC) layer in the 5GMM protocol stack, such as the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio control link (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, physical (PHY) layer, etc.

[0022] According to the proposed scheme of this disclosure, the Access & Mobility Management Function (AMF) of the wireless network 120 may not send any notification message to the user equipment 110 when one or more conditions are present. The one or more conditions may include: (1) activation of an unavailable period due to discontinuous coverage; and / or (2) activation of an unavailable period due to one or more other reasons (e.g., an upper-layer triggering event of the user equipment 110 making the user equipment 110 unavailable); and / or (3) deactivation of the access layer (AS) due to discontinuous coverage; and / or (4) the user equipment 110 is about to activate an unavailable period.

[0023] According to the proposed scheme, the wireless network 120 may use a notification procedure to request the user equipment 110 (e.g., by sending a NOTIFICATION message via non-3GPP access) to re-establish user plane resources for one or more Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions, or to transmit downlink signaling related to 3GPP access on 3GPP access, in response to the user equipment 110 in 5GMM-connectivity mode on non-3GPP access, where the unavailability period was not activated on 3GPP access on the user equipment 110.

[0024] Example Implementation

[0025] Figure 2 An example communication system 200 is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure, having at least one example device 210 and one example device 220. Devices 210 and 220 are capable of performing various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein related to handling collisions during notification and unavailability periods in mobile communications, including the schemes described above with respect to various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods, including network environment 100, and the processes described below.

[0026] Both devices 210 and 220 can be part of an electronic device, which may be a network device or user device (e.g., user device 110), such as a portable or mobile device, wearable device, in-vehicle device or vehicle, wireless communication device, or computing device. For example, devices 210 and 220 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or mobile phone. Devices 210 and 220 can also be part of a machine-type device, such as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a non-mobile or fixed device, home appliance, roadside unit (RSU), wired communication device, or computing device. For example, devices 210 and 220 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, smart refrigerator, smart door lock, wireless speaker, or home control center. When implemented as a network device, device 210 and / or device 220 may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced, or LTE-Advanced Pro network, or in a gNB or TRP in a 5G network, a New Radio (NR) network, or an Internet of Things network.

[0027] In some embodiments, devices 210 and 220 may take the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors, or one or more reduced-instruction-set-computing (RISC) processors. In all the above embodiments, devices 210 and 220 may be implemented as network devices or user equipment. Devices 210 and 220 may at least include... Figure 2 The components shown include, for example, processors 212 and 222. Devices 210 and 220 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the solutions presented in this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for the sake of brevity, Figure 2 These components of devices 210 and 220 are not shown and are not described below.

[0028] In one aspect, processors 212 and 222 may take the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) or Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors. That is, although the singular term “processor” is used herein to refer to processors 212 and 222, in some embodiments processors 212 and 222 may comprise multiple processors, and in other embodiments may be a single processor, both in accordance with this disclosure. In another aspect, processors 212 and 222 may take the form of hardware (and optionally firmware) and include electronic components, such as, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, configured and arranged according to the specific purposes of this disclosure. In other words, in at least some embodiments, processors 212 and 222 are dedicated machines specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including handling collision-related tasks during notifications and unavailability periods in mobile communications according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0029] In some embodiments, device 210 may further include a transceiver 216 coupled to processor 212. Transceiver 216 may be capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, transceiver 216 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of wireless networks using different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, transceiver 216 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 216 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some embodiments, device 220 may further include a transceiver 226 coupled to processor 222. Transceiver 226 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, transceiver 226 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of user equipment / wireless networks using different RATs. In some embodiments, transceiver 226 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. In other words, transceiver 226 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0030] In some embodiments, device 210 may further include a memory 214 coupled to and accessible by processor 212 for storing data. In some embodiments, device 220 may further include a memory 224 coupled to and accessible by processor 222 for storing data. Each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0031] Each of devices 210 and 220 can be a communication entity capable of communicating according to various proposed schemes of this disclosure. For the purpose of illustration and without limitation, the following describes the capabilities of device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a network node of a network (e.g., network node 125) (e.g., wireless network 120 of a 5G / NR mobile network) in the context of example flow 300.

[0032] Explanatory process

[0033] Figure 3An example flow 300 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Flow 300 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 300 may represent one aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes of this disclosure concerning handling collisions between notifications and unavailability periods in mobile communications. Flow 300 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more modules 310 and 320. Although shown as discrete modules, the various modules of flow 300 may be divided into more modules, merged into fewer modules, or omitted according to desired implementations. Furthermore, the modules / submodules of flow 300 may be arranged according to... Figure 3 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more modules / submodules of process 300 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 300 can be implemented by devices 210 and 220, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 300 is described below in the context of device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a communication entity (e.g., a network node or base station, such as network node 125) (e.g., as a network of wireless network 120). Process 300 can begin at module 310.

[0034] In module 310, process 300 may involve the processor 222 of device 220 determining the state during an unavailability period related to user equipment (e.g., device 210). Process 300 can continue from module 310 to module 320.

[0035] In module 320, process 300 may involve processor 222 avoiding sending notification messages to the user equipment when determining that there are conditions regarding the unavailability period or the user equipment.

[0036] In some implementations, this condition may involve activating an unavailable period due to discontinuous coverage.

[0037] In some implementations, the condition may involve an activation of an unavailability period due to one or more reasons other than discontinuous coverage. For example, the condition may involve an upper layer triggering an event that renders the user equipment unavailable.

[0038] In some implementations, this condition may involve deactivating the access stratum (AS) due to discontinuous coverage.

[0039] In some implementations, the condition may involve the user equipment being activated during the unavailability period.

[0040] In some implementations, process 300 may involve processor 222 performing additional operations. For example, process 300 may involve processor 222 determining that the user equipment was not active on 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access during the unavailability period. Furthermore, process 300 may involve processor 222 requesting the user equipment to re-establish user plane resources for one or more protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, or to transmit downlink (DL) signaling associated with the 3GPP access on the 3GPP access in response to the user equipment in 5GMM-connectivity mode on a non-3GPP access. For example, upon request, process 300 may involve processor 222 sending a notification message to the user equipment via the non-3GPP access.

[0041] Additional notes

[0042] The topics described herein sometimes show different components contained in or connected to different other components. It should be understood that these illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined in this document to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated with each other” to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operably coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operational coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0043] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural arrangements are explicitly listed herein.

[0044] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that terms commonly used herein, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, are generally intended as “open-ended” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “at least having,” and the word “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also further understand that if the specific number of claims introduced is intentional, that intention will be explicitly stated in the claims; if no such statement is made, then such intention does not exist. For example, for ease of understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the content of the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as limiting any particular claim containing that content to containing only one instance of that content, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “one,” for example, “a” and / or “one” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce the content of the claims. Furthermore, even if the specific number of contents introduced in the claims is explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the stated number. For example, stating "two contents" alone, without other modifications, means at least two contents, or two or more contents. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C, etc.", such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C, etc. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C, etc.", such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C, etc. Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any extractive term and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of including only one term, any two terms, or both terms simultaneously. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0045] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: A processor in a network node determines a state during an unavailability period associated with a user equipment; as well as When it is determined that there is a condition regarding the unavailability period or the user equipment, the processor should avoid sending a notification message to the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes activating an unavailable period due to a discontinuous coverage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes activating an unavailability period due to one or more reasons other than a discontinuous coverage.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the condition includes an upper-layer triggering an event that renders the user equipment unusable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes deactivating an access layer due to a discontinuous coverage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes the unavailability period being activated by the user equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor determines that the third-generation partner program access was not activated in the user equipment during the unavailability period; as well as The processor requests the user equipment to re-establish one or more Protocol Data Unit sessions on user plane resources, or transmits downlink signaling related to the 3rd Generation Partner Program (GPP) access on the 3rd Generation Partner Program (GPP) access, in response to the user equipment in a 5GMM-connection mode on a non-3rd Generation Partner Program (GPP) access.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request includes sending the notification message to the UE via the non-3GPP access.

9. An apparatus implementable in a network, comprising: A transceiver configured for wireless communication; as well as A processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations including: Determine a state during an unavailability period associated with a user equipment; as well as Avoid sending a notification message to the user equipment when it is determined that there is a condition regarding the unavailability period or the user equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the condition includes activating an unavailable period due to a discontinuous coverage.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the condition includes activating an unavailable period due to one or more reasons other than discontinuous coverage.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the condition includes an upper-layer triggering an event that renders the user equipment unusable.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the condition includes deactivating an access layer due to a discontinuous coverage.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the condition includes the unavailability period being activated by the user equipment.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a plurality of operations, including: It was determined that a third-generation partner program access was not activated on the user equipment during the unavailability period; as well as The transceiver requests the user equipment to re-establish one or more Protocol Data Unit sessions on user plane resources, or transmits downlink signaling related to the 3G Provider Access on the 3G Provider Access, in response to the user equipment in a 5GMM-connection mode on a non-3G Provider Access.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the request includes sending the notification message to the user equipment via the non-third-generation partner program access.

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