Beam switching for network power savings

Abstract

A source radio access network node may determine to implement a network power saving mode with respect to one or more user equipments being served by a beam. The node may configure the user equipment with handover control channel resources that may be used by the user equipment to determine scheduling information that may be used by the user equipment to retrieve handover information messages. The handover information message may include a list of potential target nodes and a list of user equipment to be handed over to the target node. The user equipment may determine whether to monitor handover control channel resources based on whether handover criteria are satisfied. If the user equipment is indicated in the handover information message, or if the handover criteria are violated, the user equipment may initiate a handover to the target node. The user equipment may send a handover success message to the source node.

Description

Related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. nonprovisional patent application No. 18 / 360,519, filed July 27, 2023, entitled “Beam Switching for Network Power Saving,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This patent application relates to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 360,552 (Case No. 135253.01 / DELLP 976US), filed July 27, 2023, entitled “Beam Switching for Network Power Saving,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] The term “New Radio (NR)” associated with fifth-generation mobile wireless communication systems (“5G”) refers to aspects of technology used in radio access networks (“RANs”) that encompass several Quality of Service (QoS) categories, including Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (“URLLC”), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (“eMBB”), and Massive Machine-Type Communication (“mMTC”). The URLLC QoS category is associated with stringent latency requirements (e.g., low latency or low signal / message delay) and high reliability of radio performance, while conventional eMBB use cases can be associated with high-capacity wireless communication, which allows for less stringent latency requirements (e.g., higher latency than URLLC) and less reliable radio performance compared to URLLC. Performance requirements for mMTC can be lower than those for eMBB use cases. Some use cases involving mobile devices or mobile user equipment (such as smartphones, wireless tablets, smartwatches, etc.) can impose variations on a given RAN resource load or demand. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following is a simplified overview of the disclosed subject matter to provide a basic understanding of some embodiments of the various embodiments. This invention is not a comprehensive summary of all embodiments. It is neither intended to identify key or essential elements of the various embodiments nor to depict the scope of the various embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of this disclosure in a pipelined manner as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0005] In one example embodiment, a method may include: a radio access network node including a processor facilitating the transmission of a network power-saving handover configuration to one or more user equipments, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam configured to serve the one or more user equipments and usable by the one or more user equipments to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. The method may further include: the radio access network node facilitating the transmission of a network power-saving handover configuration indication via the first resource to at least one of the one or more user equipments, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam and usable by the one or more user equipments to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. The method may further include: the radio access network node facilitating the transmission of a network power-saving handover information message according to the second resource to at least one of the one or more user equipments, the network power-saving handover information message including handover information to be used by at least one of the one or more user equipments for at least one handover.

[0006] In one embodiment, the radio access network node may be a source radio access network node. The method may further include: the source radio access network node facilitating the receipt of a handover success message from at least one of one or more user equipments, the handover success message indicating that at least one of the one or more user equipments has successfully handed over to the target radio access network node. In response to the handover success message, the method may further include: the source radio access network node terminating at least one communication context corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments.

[0007] In one embodiment, the radio access network node may be a source radio access network node. The method may further include: the source radio access network node facilitating a successful handover from at least one of one or more user equipments to a target radio access network node to receive a context request message, the context request message including a request for context information corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments. The method may further include: in response to the context request message, the source radio access network node facilitating the transmission of the context information corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments to the target radio access network node.

[0008] The first resource can be the control channel resource corresponding to the serving downlink beam. The second resource can be the data channel resource corresponding to the serving downlink beam.

[0009] In one embodiment, the network power-saving handover configuration may include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which may be used by one or more user equipments to determine the first resource to be monitored. The beam-specific handover coverage criteria may be a signal strength criterion. If the signal strength corresponding to the serving downlink beam is lower than the specific handover coverage criterion, the user equipment may determine to monitor the first resource.

[0010] In one embodiment, the network power saving handover configuration may be a unique network power saving handover configuration, which is unique to one of the one or more user equipments, and includes a unique mask identifier associated with a unique permanent identifier corresponding to one of the one or more user equipments. In one embodiment, the handover information may include at least one mask identifier corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments. In one embodiment, the handover information may include more than one mask identifier corresponding to more than one of the one or more user equipments.

[0011] In one embodiment, the radio access network node may be a source radio access network node. The handover information may include at least one target radio access network node identifier, corresponding to at least one target radio access network node other than the source radio access network node, which can be used to establish a communication session with at least one or more user equipments.

[0012] In one embodiment, the handover information may include at least one preamble indication indicating at least one preamble associated with at least one of at least one target radio access network node identifiers, which may be used by at least one of one or more user equipments to establish a communication session with at least one of at least one target radio access network node associated with at least one preamble, the preamble may have been configured to facilitate handover of the user equipment upon receipt of a preamble or a preamble from a preamble group.

[0013] In another example embodiment, the first radio access network node may include a processor configured to: send a network power-saving handover configuration to a first user equipment (UE), the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a first serving downlink beam associated with the first radio access network node, the first radio access network node being configured to serve the first UE. The first resource may be used by the first UE to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. The processor may also be configured to determine operation according to a network power-saving mode to obtain a determined network power-saving mode. The processor may also be configured to send a network power-saving handover configuration indication via the first resource, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to the first serving downlink beam and usable by the first UE and a second UE being served by the first serving downlink beam to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. The processor can also be configured to send a network power saving handover information message based on a second resource. The network power saving handover information message includes handover information that can be used by a first user equipment and a second user equipment to facilitate a handover from a first service downlink beam service to a second service downlink beam service associated with a second radio access network node.

[0014] In one embodiment, the network power-saving handover configuration may further include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which may be used by the first user equipment and the second user equipment to determine the monitoring of the first resource.

[0015] In one embodiment, the processor may further be configured to receive a first handover success message or a second handover success message from a first user equipment or a second user equipment, respectively indicating that the service of the first user equipment or the second user equipment has been successfully switched to the service of the second service downlink beam. In response to the first handover success message or the second handover success message, the processor may further be configured to terminate the first communication context corresponding to the first user equipment or the second communication context corresponding to the second user equipment, respectively.

[0016] In one embodiment, the processor may further be configured to receive a first context request or a second context request from a second radio access network node. The first context request includes a request for first context information corresponding to a first user equipment, and the second context request includes a request for second context information corresponding to a second user equipment. In response to the first context request or the second context request, the processor may further be configured to send the first context information or the second context information to the second radio access network node, respectively.

[0017] In one embodiment, the processor may also be configured to avoid sending the first context information or the second context information to the second radio access network node before receiving the first context request or the second context request from the second radio access network node, respectively.

[0018] In another example embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium may include executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network node that is part of a radio access network, facilitate the execution of operations including: serving a set of user equipments via a serving beam. The operations may further include: configuring the set of user equipments using a network power-saving handover configuration, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to the serving beam and usable by the set of user equipments to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. The operations may further include: broadcasting the network power-saving handover configuration indication via the first resource, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to the serving beam, the second resource indicating to the set of user equipments to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information, and broadcasting the network power-saving handover information message including handover information to the set of user equipments via the second resource.

[0019] In one embodiment, the radio access network may be a first radio access network. The network power-saving handover information message may include at least one mask identifier, the at least one mask identifier corresponding to at least one user equipment in the user equipment set, indicating that only at least one user equipment in the user equipment set is designated to perform a handover operation with respect to the second radio access network.

[0020] In one embodiment, the network power saving handover information message may exclude at least one mask identifier corresponding to at least one user equipment in the user equipment set to obtain excluded user equipment, wherein the excluded user equipment is excluded from being designated to perform a handover operation with respect to the second radio access network. Based on the service type corresponding to the user equipment being served by the radio access network node, or based on the quality of service corresponding to the service, the radio access network node may determine that the excluded user equipment is excluded from being identified in the network power saving handover information message.

[0021] In one embodiment, the radio access network may be a first radio access network. The network power-saving handover information message may include a radio access network identifier corresponding to a second radio access network, which instructs at least one user equipment in the user equipment set to perform a handover operation with respect to the second radio access network.

[0022] In another example embodiment, a method may include: receiving a network power-saving handover configuration from a first radio access network node by a user equipment including a processor, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving beam configured to serve the user equipment and usable by the user equipment to receive the beam-specific network power-saving handover configuration indication; and performing at least one network power-saving handover operation according to the network power-saving handover configuration.

[0023] In one embodiment, the network power-saving handover configuration may further include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which may be used by the user equipment to determine the monitoring of a first resource. At least one network power-saving handover operation may include: determining the signal strength corresponding to a serving beam to obtain a determined serving beam signal strength, and analyzing the determined serving beam signal strength according to the beam-specific handover coverage criteria to obtain an analyzed serving beam signal strength. Based on the analyzed serving beam signal strength satisfying the beam-specific handover coverage criteria, at least one network power-saving handover operation may further include: receiving a network power-saving handover configuration indication via a first resource, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource, the second resource corresponding to the serving beam and usable by the user equipment to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. At least one network power-saving handover operation may further include: the user equipment receiving the network power-saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource, and sending a handover request to a second radio access network node according to the handover information.

[0024] The method may also include: the user equipment sending a handover success message to the first radio access network node, the handover success message indicating to the first radio access network node that the user equipment has successfully handed over to the second radio access network node.

[0025] In one embodiment, the network power-saving handover configuration may further include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which can be used by the user equipment to determine the monitoring of a first resource. The method includes determining the signal strength corresponding to the serving beam to obtain a determined serving beam signal strength, and analyzing the determined serving beam signal strength with respect to the beam-specific handover coverage criteria to obtain an analyzed serving beam signal strength. If the analyzed serving beam signal strength does not meet the beam-specific handover coverage criteria, at least one network power-saving handover operation may include: the user equipment avoiding monitoring of the first resource, and continuing to communicate with the first radio access network node via the serving beam.

[0026] In one embodiment, the network power-saving handover configuration may further include a user equipment identifier corresponding to the user equipment. The method may further include: based on the correspondence between the user equipment identifier and the user equipment, the user equipment receives a network power-saving handover configuration indication via a first resource. The network power-saving handover configuration indication includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource, the second resource corresponding to a serving beam and usable by the user equipment to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. The method may further include: the user equipment receiving the network power-saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource, and sending a handover request to a second radio access network node according to the handover information.

[0027] In one embodiment, the user equipment identifier may include a mask identifier, wherein the network power-saving handover configuration specifically corresponds to the user equipment, and wherein the network power-saving handover configuration further includes a mask identifier associated with a unique identifier corresponding to the user equipment. The unique identifier corresponding to the user equipment may be an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The handover information may include a Radio Access Network Node (RANN) identifier corresponding to a second RANN node.

[0028] In one embodiment, at least one network power saving handover operation may include: a user equipment receiving a network power saving handover configuration indication via a first resource, the network power saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource, the second resource corresponding to a serving beam and usable by the user equipment to receive a network power saving handover information message including handover information. At least one network power saving handover operation may further include: the user equipment receiving a network power saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource, wherein the handover information includes a first radio access network node identifier corresponding to a second radio access network node and a second radio access network node identifier corresponding to a third radio access network node. At least one network power saving handover operation may further include: the user equipment determining a first signal strength for the second radio access network node and a second signal strength for the third radio access network node. Based on the first and second signal strengths, at least one network power saving handover operation may further include: the user equipment determining the strongest signal strength, determining whether the second or third radio access network node corresponds to the strongest signal strength to obtain the determined strongest radio access network node, and the user equipment sending a handover request to the determined strongest radio access network node.

[0029] The handover information may include a first preamble associated with a first radio access network (RAN) node identifier and a second preamble associated with a second RAN node identifier. The handover request may include either a first preamble or a second preamble associated with the determined strongest RAN node in the handover information message. The handover information may include a first preamble group associated with the first RAN node identifier and a second preamble group associated with the second RAN node identifier. The handover request may include a preamble selected by the user equipment from the first preamble group, or the handover request may include a preamble selected by the user equipment from the second preamble group, which is associated with the determined strongest RAN node in the handover information message.

[0030] In another example embodiment, a user equipment (UE) may include a processor configured to receive a network power-saving handover configuration from a serving radio access network (RAN) node. The network power-saving handover configuration may include a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving beam configured to serve a set of UEs including the UE, and may be used by the UE set to receive the beam-specific network power-saving handover configuration indication. The network power-saving handover configuration may include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which may be used by the UE set to determine the monitoring of the first resource.

[0031] The processor can also be configured to determine the signal strength corresponding to the serving beam to obtain the determined serving beam signal strength, and to analyze the determined serving beam signal strength according to beam-specific handover coverage criteria to obtain the analyzed serving beam signal strength. Based on the analyzed serving beam signal strength satisfying the beam-specific handover coverage criteria, the processor can also be configured to receive a network power-saving handover configuration indication via a first resource. The network power-saving handover configuration indication includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to the serving beam and usable by the user equipment to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. The processor can also be configured to receive the network power-saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource, and to send a handover request to the target radio access network node according to the handover information.

[0032] In one embodiment, the processor may also be configured to send a handover success message to the serving radio access network node, the handover success message indicating to the serving radio access network node that the user equipment has successfully handed over to the target radio access network node. The handover information may include target radio access network node identification information corresponding to the target radio access network node.

[0033] In one embodiment, the user equipment may be a first user equipment. The set of user equipment may further include a second user equipment. Handover information may include a first user equipment identifier corresponding to the first user equipment and a second user equipment identifier corresponding to the second user equipment. The first user equipment identifier and the second user equipment identifier may respectively indicate to the first user equipment and the second user equipment that they are designated to hand over to the target radio access network node. The handover request may be a first handover request regarding the first user equipment, and the handover request may be a second handover request regarding the second user equipment. The first user equipment may send the first handover request to the target radio access network node, and the second user equipment may send the second handover request to the target radio access network node.

[0034] In one embodiment, the first resource indicated in the network power-saving switching configuration may be used by multiple user equipments to receive beam-specific network power-saving switching configuration indications.

[0035] In another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium may include executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a user equipment, facilitate the execution of operations including: receiving a network power-saving handover configuration from a source radio access network node, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving beam configured to serve the user equipment and usable by a group of user equipments including the user equipment to receive the beam-specific network power-saving handover configuration indication. The network power-saving handover configuration may also include a user equipment identifier corresponding to the user equipment. Based on the correspondence between the user equipment identifier and the user equipment, the operation may further include: receiving a network power-saving handover configuration indication by the user equipment via the first resource, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to a serving beam and usable by user equipments in the group of user equipments to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. The operation may further include: receiving the network power-saving handover information message including handover information by the user equipment according to the second resource, and sending a handover request to a target radio access network node according to the handover information.

[0036] In one embodiment, the handover information may include a first radio access network node identifier corresponding to a first potential target radio access network node and a second radio access network node identifier corresponding to a second potential target radio access network node. The operation may further include: determining a first signal strength for the first potential target radio access network node and a second signal strength for the second potential target radio access network node. Based on the first and second signal strengths, the operation may further include: determining the strongest signal strength, and identifying either the first or second potential target radio access network node as the potential target radio access network node corresponding to the strongest signal strength, to obtain the target radio access network node.

[0037] In one embodiment, the network power-saving handover configuration may include a first preamble corresponding to a first potential target radio access network node and a second preamble corresponding to a second potential target radio access network node. The handover request may include either the first preamble or the second preamble corresponding to the target radio access network node.

[0038] In one embodiment, the first resource may include control channel resources, and the second resource may include data channel resources.

[0039] In one embodiment, the user equipment identifier may be a masked identifier associated with the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) in a network power-saving handover configuration. The handover request may include the IMSI. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the environment of a wireless communication system.

[0041] Figure 2 The illustration shows an example environment with user equipment corresponding to the beam being switched.

[0042] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the beam switching search space used for switching user equipment corresponding to a beam.

[0043] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates an example network power-saving switching configuration.

[0044] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example of a network energy-saving switching information message.

[0045] Figure 6 The illustration shows the handover of user equipment when beam-specific handover coverage criteria are violated.

[0046] Figure 7 The illustration shows a user equipment sending a handover success message, which indicates that the user equipment has successfully switched to the target radio access network node.

[0047] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a timing sequence of an example method for facilitating user equipment switching to achieve network energy savings.

[0048] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a timing sequence of an example method for switching a user equipment to a target wireless access network node to achieve network energy saving.

[0049] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example method for switching user equipment to achieve network energy saving.

[0050] Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the example method.

[0051] Figure 12 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of an example first wireless access network node.

[0052] Figure 13 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of an example non-transitory machine-readable medium.

[0053] Figure 14 The diagram illustrates the example method.

[0054] Figure 15 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of an example user device.

[0055] Figure 16 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of an example non-transitory machine-readable medium.

[0056] Figure 17 The illustration shows an example computer environment.

[0057] Figure 18 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless UE.

[0058] Figure 19 The diagram illustrates the resource scarcity caused by the overhead signaling of switching multiple user devices using traditional techniques. Detailed Implementation

[0059] As a preliminary question, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the presented embodiments have broad utility and application. In addition to those described herein, many methods, embodiments, and adaptations of this application, as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from the spirit or scope of the various embodiments of this application, or will be reasonably suggested by the spirit or scope of the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0060] Accordingly, while this application has been described in detail herein with respect to various embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is made solely for the purpose of providing a complete and feasible disclosure, based on one or more concepts expressed by various exemplary embodiments. The following disclosure is not intended and should not be construed as limiting this application or otherwise excluding any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, and the embodiments presented herein are limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0061] As used in this disclosure, in some embodiments, the terms "component," "system," etc., are intended to refer to or include computer-related entities or entities associated with operating means having one or more specific functions, wherein the entity may be hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. As an example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable program, a thread in execution, computer-executable instructions, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running on a server and the server itself can be components.

[0062] One or more components can reside within a process and / or a thread of execution, and components can reside on a single computer and / or be distributed among two or more components. Furthermore, these components can execute from various computer-readable media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate via local and / or remote processes, such as according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from a component that interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or other systems across a network such as the Internet). As another example, a component can be a device having specific functions provided by mechanical parts operated by electrical or electronic circuitry, operated by a software application or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the device and execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be a device providing specific functions through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components being able to include a processor therein to execute software or firmware that at least partially endows the electronic components with the functions. While various components have been illustrated as separate components, it should be understood that multiple components can be implemented as a single component, or a single component can be implemented as multiple components, without departing from the exemplary embodiments.

[0063] As used herein, the term "facilitation" is used in the context of a system, device, or component "facilitating" one or more actions or operations. This relates to the nature of complex computing environments where multiple components and / or devices can be involved in computational operations. Non-limiting examples of actions that may or may not involve multiple components and / or devices include: sending or receiving data, establishing connections between devices, determining intermediate results toward obtaining results, etc. In this regard, a computing device or component can facilitate an operation by playing any role in implementing it. Therefore, when describing the operation of a component herein, it should be understood that, where an operation is described as being facilitated by a component, the operation can optionally be accomplished using the cooperation of one or more other computing devices or components (such as, but not limited to, sensors, antennas, audio and / or visual output devices, other devices, etc.).

[0064] Furthermore, various embodiments can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of art using standard programming and / or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. As used herein, the term "article of art" is intended to cover a computer program accessible from any computer-readable (or machine-readable) device or computer-readable (or machine-readable) storage / communication medium. For example, computer-readable storage media can include, but is not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital multifunction discs (DVDs)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

[0065] Now turn to the attached diagram. Figure 1An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting blind decoding of the PDCCH candidate or search space according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more user equipment (UE) 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical), low-latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof. As shown in the figures, examples of UE 115 may include smartphones, automobiles or other vehicles, or drones or other aircraft. Another example of a UE may be a virtual reality device 117, such as smart glasses, a virtual reality headset, an augmented reality headset, and other similar devices that can provide the wearer with images, video, audio, touch, taste, or smell. The UE (such as VR device 117) can transmit or receive wireless signals with the RAN base station 105 via a long-range wireless link 125, or the UE / VR device can receive or transmit wireless signals via a short-range wireless link 137. The link may include a wireless link with the UE device 115, such as a Bluetooth link, a Wi-Fi link, etc. The UE (such as device 117) can communicate simultaneously via multiple wireless links, such as via link 125 with the base station 105 and via short-range wireless links. The VR device 117 can also communicate with the wireless UE via a cable or other wired connection. The RAN node or its components may be referenced. Figure 17 The description refers to one or more computer components that implement or are implemented by software executed by them.

[0066] Continue the discussion Figure 1 Base stations 105 can be distributed throughout a geographical area to form a wireless communication system 100, and can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Base stations 105 and UE 115 can communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 can provide a coverage area 110, on which UE 115 and base station 105 can establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 can be an example of a geographical area, on which base station 105 and UE 115 can support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0067] UE 115 can be distributed throughout the entire coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed, mobile, or both at different times. UE 115 can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1The diagram illustrates some example UE 115s. The UE 115 described herein can communicate with various types of devices, such as other UE 115s, base station 105, or network devices (e.g., core network nodes, relay equipment, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network devices). Figure 1 As shown.

[0068] Base station 105 may communicate with core network 130, communicate with each other, or both. For example, base station 105 may communicate with core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via SI, N2, N3, or other interfaces). Base station 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via core network 130) or both via backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, backhaul link 120 may include one or more radio links.

[0069] One or more of the base stations described herein in base station 105 may include, or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as, base station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB or gigabit NodeB (any of which may be referred to as bNodeB or gNB), home NodeB, home eNodeB or other suitable terms.

[0070] UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, wherein "device" may also be referred to as a cell, station, terminal, or client, etc. UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, personal computer, or router. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, vehicles, or smart meters.

[0071] UE 115 can communicate with various types of devices, such as other UE 115s that can sometimes act as relays, as well as base station 105 and network devices including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, etc. Figure 1 As shown.

[0072] UE 115 and base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other on one or more carriers via one or more communication links 125. The term "carrier" can refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication link 125. For example, a carrier for communication link 125 may include a portion of the radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layers for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 can use carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation to support communication with UE 115. UE 115 can be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (ODD) component carriers.

[0073] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate operations against other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and can be located according to a channel grating for discovery by UE 115. A carrier may operate in standalone mode, where initial acquisition and connection can be performed by UE 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may operate in non-standalone mode, where different carriers (e.g., carriers of the same or different radio access technologies) are used to anchor the connection.

[0074] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmission from UE 115 to base station 105, or downlink transmission from base station 105 to UE 115. The carrier may carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0075] A carrier can be associated with a specific bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth can be referred to as the carrier or the "system bandwidth" of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth can be one of a plurality of defined bandwidths for a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., base station 105, UE 115, or both) can have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a specific carrier bandwidth, or can be configured to support communication on a single carrier bandwidth within a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 can be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a subband, BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0076] The signal waveform transmitted on a carrier can consist of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM, a resource element can consist of a symbol phase (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol phase and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element can depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Therefore, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate available for the UE. Wireless communication resources can refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, temporal resources (e.g., search space), or spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers can further increase the data rate or data integrity used for communication with the UE 115.

[0077] One or more parameter sets for a carrier can be supported, where the parameter sets may include subcarrier spacing (Δf) and cyclic prefix. A carrier can be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different parameter sets. In some examples, UE 115 can be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier can be active at a given time, and communication for UE 115 can be restricted to one or more active BWPs.

[0078] The time interval for base station 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit, which can, for example, refer to... The sampling phase is in seconds, where Δf max This can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and Nf This can represent the maximum supported Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size. Communication resources can be organized into time intervals based on radio frames, each with a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0079] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into multiple time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include multiple symbol phases (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix preceding each symbol phase). In some wireless communication systems 100, time slots may be further divided into multiple micro-time slots containing one or more symbols. In addition to the cyclic prefix, each symbol phase may contain one or more (e.g., N) f (Sampling phase). The duration of the symbol phase can depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0080] A subframe, time slot, micro-time slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., in the time domain) and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the duration of the TTI (e.g., the number of symbol phases in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0081] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier using various techniques. For example, physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier using one or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for a physical control channel can be defined by multiple symbol stages and can extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) can be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more UEs 115 can monitor or search for control regions or spaces for control information based on one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for control channel candidates can refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space set may include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a particular UE 115. Novel and non-traditional additional search spaces and configurations for monitoring and decoding them are disclosed herein.

[0082] Base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier used to distinguish neighboring cells (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID), or others). In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion (e.g., a sector) of geographic coverage area 110 on which a logical communication entity operates. The extent of such a cell can range from a small area (e.g., a structure, a subset of structures) to a large area, depending on various factors such as the capabilities of base station 105. For example, a cell may be or include buildings, subsets of buildings, or external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110.

[0083] Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access by UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider supporting the macro cell. In contrast, small cells can be associated with a lower-power base station 105 and can operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed or unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells can provide unrestricted access to UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider, or restricted access to UE 115 associated with a small cell (e.g., UE 115 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), or UE 115 associated with a user in a home or office). Base station 105 can support one or more cells and can also use one or more component carriers to support communication on one or more cells.

[0084] In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells and can be configured with different cells based on different protocol types that can provide access to different types of devices (e.g., MTC, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)).

[0085] In some examples, base station 105 may be mobile, and thus provide communication coverage to mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. Wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network, in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage to various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0086] The wireless communication system 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations 105 can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 can be approximately time-aligned. For asynchronous operation, base stations 105 can have different frame timing, and in some examples, transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be time-aligned. The techniques described herein can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0087] Some UE 115 devices (such as MTC or IoT devices) can be low-cost or low-complexity devices that can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC can refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from devices with integrated sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that utilizes the information or presents it to people interacting with the application. Some UE 115 devices can be designed to collect information or automate the behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, device monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based billing.

[0088] Some UE 115s can be configured to operate in a power-saving mode, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication via transmission or reception but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication can be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UE 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not involved in active communication, operating on limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UE 115s can be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a portion or range defined within a carrier, within a carrier's guard band, or outside the carrier (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)).

[0089] Wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE 115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or mission-critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication may include dedicated communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more mission-critical services, such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MCVideo), or mission-critical data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functions may include service prioritization, and mission-critical functions may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms “ultra-reliable,” “low-latency,” “mission-critical,” and “ultra-reliable low-latency” are used interchangeably herein.

[0090] In some examples, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 on a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a point-to-point (P2P) or D2D protocol). Communication link 135 may include a sidechain communication link. One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105, or may be unable to receive transmissions from base station 105 for other reasons. In some examples, the group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where a UE transmits to each other UE in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without involving base station 105.

[0091] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel between vehicles (e.g., UE 115), such as a sidechain communication channel. In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination of these communications. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal control, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units) or with the network via vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication through one or more RAN network nodes (e.g., base station 105).

[0092] Core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)) managing access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)) routing packets to or interconnecting to external networks. The control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UE 115 served by base station 105 associated with core network 130. User IP packets can be delivered through the user plane entity, which can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity can connect to IP service 150 for one or more network operators. IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, (multiple) intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0093] Some network devices (such as base station 105) may include sub-components, such as access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with UE 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 140, which may be referred to as a radio headend, smart radio headend, or transmit / receive point (TRP). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio headends and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0094] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelength ranges from approximately one decimeter to one meter. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but the waves can penetrate structures designed for macrocells sufficiently to provide service to UE 115 located indoors. Compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, UHF wave transmission can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 km).

[0095] The wireless communication system 100 can also operate in the ultra-high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also known as the centimeter band) or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) (also known as the millimeter band). In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter-wave (mmW) communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices can be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this can facilitate the use of an antenna array within the device. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions can be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and a shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein can be employed for transmissions across one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of frequency bands across these frequency regions can vary by country and regulatory body.

[0096] Wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, wireless communication system 100 can employ Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed frequency bands, such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. When operating in unlicensed radio frequency bands, devices such as base station 105 and UE 115 can employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in unlicensed frequency bands can be based on carrier aggregation configurations that combine component carriers operating in licensed frequency bands (e.g., LAA). Operation in unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, etc.

[0097] Base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which can support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be located together at an antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 may be located in different geographical locations. Base station 105 may have an antenna array with multiple rows and columns of antenna ports, which base station 105 can use to support beamforming for communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays capable of supporting various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, antenna panels may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via antenna ports.

[0098] Base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to employ multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. This technique can be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, multiple signals can be transmitted by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, multiple signals can be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO technologies include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0099] Beamforming (also known as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or manipulate antenna beams (e.g., transmit beams, receive beams) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals that communicate via antenna elements of an antenna array, such that some signals propagating with respect to the antenna array in a particular orientation experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals that communicate via antenna elements may include the transmitting or receiving device applying amplitude shifts, phase shifts, or both to signals carried via antenna elements associated with that device. The adjustments associated with each antenna element can be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device or with respect to some other orientation).

[0100] Base station 105 or UE 115 may use beam scanning technology as part of beamforming operations. For example, base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by base station 105 in different directions. For example, base station 105 may transmit signals according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by a transmitting device, such as base station 105, or by a receiving device, such as UE 115) the beam direction for later transmission or reception by base station 105.

[0101] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a specific receiving device, may be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with the receiving device, such as UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on the signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report to the base station an indication of the signal received by UE 115 with the highest signal quality or otherwise acceptable signal quality.

[0102] In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by base station 105 or UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 115). UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to the number of beam configurations across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. Base station 105 may transmit reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)), which may be precoded or non-precoded. UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel type codebook, linear combination type codebook, port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying beam directions for subsequent transmission and reception by UE 115) or for transmitting signals in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

[0103] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receiving configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from base station 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receiving directions by: receiving via different antenna subarrays; processing the received signal according to different antenna subarrays; receiving according to different sets of receiving beamforming weights applied to the signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array (e.g., different sets of directional listening weights); or processing the received signal according to different sets of receiving beamforming weights applied to the signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which can be referred to as "listening" according to different receiving configurations or receiving directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receiving configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving data signals). A single receiver configuration can be aligned based on a beam direction determined by listening according to different receiver configuration directions (e.g., based on a beam direction with the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality determined by listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0104] Wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer can be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reassembly for communication on logical channels. The Media Access Control (MAC) layer can perform priority handling and multiplexing from logical channels to transmission channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between UE 115 and base station 105 or the core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. At the physical layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0105] UE 115 and base station 105 can support data retransmission to increase the likelihood of successful data reception. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback is a technique used to increase the likelihood of correct data reception on communication link 125. HARQ can include error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve throughput at the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, the device can support HARQ feedback within the same time slot, where the device can provide HARQ feedback in a specific time slot for data received in a previous symbol within that time slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in subsequent time slots or according to some other time interval.

[0106] Network energy saving

[0107] In cellular networks, energy saving or power efficiency is desired for both network equipment and user equipment. The goal of Network Energy Saving (“NES”) mode is to facilitate the dynamic relaxation of support for one or more radio functions or services that a RAN node could otherwise support, even when experiencing high power consumption, limited battery capacity, or power outages, until an improvement in the power situation is achieved—for example, the RAN node’s off-site power is restored so that the RAN no longer relies on the power of the field battery at the RAN, or until the field battery capacity is restored to its configured level. Implementing NES can promote cost or power efficiency at the RAN node (e.g., activating NES mode during light load periods for a RAN experiencing high traffic load variation rates throughout a given day), or it can promote service continuity, particularly for emergency services / calls in the event of a power outage / power failure. Therefore, a cell’s RAN node can dynamically implement NES mode to temporarily suspend support for or provision of high-power radio services for a defined or configured period of time. Non-limiting examples of high-power radio services or operations include ultra-fast scheduling associated with mini-slot scheduling for latency-critical services, data replication for enhanced radio reliability, etc.

[0108] 5G switching

[0109] "Handover" refers to transferring an ongoing call or data session from one base station to another. This is an important function, especially in cellular networks where users move frequently and require seamless transitions between cell sites without loss of connectivity.

[0110] The introduction of 5G technology significantly improves the handover process, making it faster and more efficient than ever before. Utilizing 5G networking technologies, handover can occur between different types of cells, including small cells, macro cells, and millimeter-wave cells, depending on network coverage and capacity requirements. Even with highly dynamic network conditions, 5G handover can be considered seamless and ultra-fast. 5G handover can be achieved using beamforming, massive MIMO, and network slicing, enabling the radio access network to allocate resources more efficiently and adapt to changing network conditions in real time. Furthermore, 5G networks support dual connectivity, which allows user equipment to connect to multiple base stations simultaneously, thereby improving data rates and reducing latency. For example, a user equipment device can maintain its connection to its primary base station while simultaneously connecting to a secondary base station, providing additional resources and capacity.

[0111] NES switching

[0112] Using conventional techniques, RAN nodes / cells can activate operations according to NES mode and offload groups of active user equipment (UEs) to adjacent RAN nodes according to NES mode. That is, an NES RAN node can trigger a handover process for each of multiple active UEs determined to be switched to a service provided by another RAN node. However, using conventional techniques can cause a significant decrease or reduction in total RAN node capacity (e.g., spectral efficiency) during the period when a multi-device handover process is initiated. This is due to the handover signaling requested from adjacent cells for each active device to be switched. For example, in a scenario where 50% of active device connections are determined to be offloaded due to NES, and a macro-deployment of 128 downlink beams, each beam serving an average of 10 devices (e.g., a total of 1280 device connections), an NES-activated RAN node simultaneously triggers a separate, signaling-intensive handover process for each of at least 640 devices, sending numerous multi-device-specific handover commands, causing resource scarcity and channel congestion until all these handover commands are fully sent and the devices are actually switched.

[0113] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, beam-specific handover techniques promote handover signaling overhead that is proportional to the number of downlink beams, rather than proportional to the number of active devices to be handed over, as is the case with traditional device-specific handover techniques.

[0114] Traditional handover techniques are inherently device-specific, with handover control commands exchanged individually between the RAN node and each user equipment (UE) to be handed over. The embodiments disclosed herein are inherently beam-specific, where a single handover control message enables seamless handover for multiple UEs served by the same downlink beam, which is transmitted via that downlink beam. Therefore, the handover command and corresponding transmission overhead correspond to the downlink beam, rather than to the number of active UEs served by that beam and to be handed over from it.

[0115] Beam switching offloading for Network Energy Saving (NES)

[0116] The embodiments disclosed herein associate NES-triggered handover signaling overhead with available downlink beams, rather than with the active devices to be handed over. In the example above, to hand over 640 user equipments out of 1,280 user equipments from 64 out of a total of 128 downlink beams, assuming the user equipment devices are uniformly distributed across multiple downlink beams corresponding to radio access network nodes, the associated signaling overhead is proportional to half the beams (e.g., 64 beams) used to simultaneously offload 50% of the active device connections, rather than proportional to the actual number of active devices to be handed over (e.g., 640 devices). Therefore, as... Figure 19 As shown by the dashed line, resource scarcity may occur, with a significant decrease in network capacity for the radio access network node during time period 1905, when handover signal messages for each device are being transmitted according to conventional techniques. Using the embodiments disclosed herein can result in avoiding severe network capacity scarcity, as shown by the solid line during time period 1910, while still performing a large number of user equipment device handovers.

[0117] According to the various embodiments disclosed herein, RAN nodes can operate with different levels of information and control, and can use different amounts of signaling overhead. According to one embodiment, unlike conventional handover techniques (where the RAN node can use dedicated control signaling to individually instruct each user equipment (UE) among multiple UEs), the RAN node can facilitate handover of multiple UEs served by a downlink beam corresponding to the RAN node using beam-specific handover, with minimal signaling overhead. In another embodiment disclosed herein, the RAN node can use a device group common control signaling message to explicitly indicate a specific device identifier corresponding to a specific UE to be handed over to a nearby RAN node. Since multiple devices decode the same handover control information / message, a device identity mask can be used to avoid exposing the actual identity of the UE via the device group common handover control signaling.

[0118] The embodiments disclosed herein facilitate beam-specific handover of user equipment (UE) units to nearby RAN nodes with minimal signaling overhead by activating NES mode through the currently serving RAN node. In these embodiments, a common downlink control channel for the unit group is defined and associated with an available downlink beam corresponding to the serving RAN node. In these embodiments, UE units served by the downlink beam can monitor and decode this novel control channel when the received signal strength or coverage level is below predefined and preconfigured criteria (which may be thresholds). By having UEs use signal strength criteria to determine whether to monitor the control channel, RAN nodes can help avoid over-offloading equipment to nearby cells. This is desirable for avoiding offloading UE units experiencing good channel conditions as part of NES offloading, as UEs experiencing good channel conditions / good signal strength typically do not require high-energy-consuming radio operation (e.g., due to good signal strength / channel conditions, UEs can operate with a relaxed reference signal mode, relaxed control channel transmission, etc.). Therefore, offloading equipment experiencing good channel conditions may not result in NES gain in terms of energy consumption when switching to different beams at different RAN nodes. The novel beam-specific control channel can deliver scheduling information corresponding to a device group handover information message to be sent to a user equipment (UE). This scheduling information may include one or more target RAN node identifiers corresponding to the RAN node to which the UE may have been handed over. The UE can decode the control channel information and the scheduled handover information message, and initiate a handover and connection establishment with one of the indicated target RAN nodes that provides the best or strongest receive coverage level. Therefore, handover of multiple UEs within a UE group can be facilitated with minimal signaling overhead, which is proportional to the number of downlink beams serving the device to be handed over, rather than the number of UEs being handed over.

[0119] However, the RAN node that switches a user equipment (UE) to another RAN node may not have information about whether a particular UE was actually switched, or about which target RAN node the UE was switched to (e.g., a best-effort switch), unless the switched UE begins establishing a connection to the indicated target RAN node. The target RAN node can extract context information corresponding to the switched device from the currently serving RAN (which may be referred to as the source RAN node).

[0120] In another implementation option, the list of device identifiers to be switched can be included as part of the device group control channel message. However, the device identifiers can be NES-specific identifiers, pre-configured individually for each device (when the device first establishes a connection with the current RAN node) and associated with the device's real identifier (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identity (“IMSI”)). Therefore, the RAN node can include multiple device identifiers in a single per-beam handover control message while still masking the identity of each device to other UEs that can receive the same handover control message. Thus, the UE being switched (triggering a handover to the target RAN node) can facilitate handover verification by sharing the UE's NES-specific identifier (instead of sharing the real identifier) ​​separately with the target RAN node selected by the UE. The NES-specific identifier can be used by the target RAN node to verify the identity of the switched UE by matching the UE's NES-specific identity with its real identity. Therefore, a RAN node implementing NES mode (e.g., the source RAN node) can specify which UEs should switch from the downlink beam while still using optimized and low-overhead handover control signaling (e.g., a single handover command control message per beam).

[0121] Turn now Figure 2 Environment 200 includes user equipment in user equipment group 205 and user equipment in user equipment group 210. The embodiments disclosed herein can facilitate beam-specific handover of one or more user equipment by source RAN 105A to achieve network energy savings. For example, RAN node 105A can determine to deactivate beams 213 and 214. Therefore, RAN node 105A can facilitate a handover of user equipment corresponding to user equipment group 210 from service by RAN node 105A to service by RAN node 105B, while beams 211 and 212 remain active with respect to RAN node 105A, so user equipment corresponding to user equipment group 205 can continue to be served by beams 211 and 212. A device common downlink control channel corresponding to each downlink beam can be defined. Therefore, when NES mode is activated with respect to beams 213 and 214, RAN node 105A can send a handover indication via one or more handover control channels respectively corresponding to beams 213 and 214. Therefore, RAN node 105A can trigger group handover of user equipment corresponding to user equipment group 210 for all or some of the devices being served by a set of beams (e.g., beams 213 and 214) via a single handover control message, without having to perform an overhead and resource-intensive handover process for each device in user equipment group 210 to be switched.

[0122] exist Figure 3In the example shown, a handover downlink control channel resource 320 can be defined and associated with a downlink beam 305 in a network power-saving handover configuration 307. The handover downlink control channel resource 320 may be referred to herein as a first resource. Configuration 307 can be received when a user equipment (such as, for example, user equipment 115A or user equipment 115B) establishes a communication connection with a radio access network node 105A, or when a user equipment begins to be served by downlink beam 305. Configuration 307 may be beam-specific. Therefore, user equipment 115A and user equipment 115B can monitor and decode the handover downlink control channel resource 320 associated with beam 305 when currently served by beam 305. Control channel 320 may include a device group network power-saving handover configuration indication 310, which includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource or multiple second resources 325 corresponding to the serving downlink beam 305. (Multiple) second resources 325 may be used by one or more user equipments (e.g., UE 115A or UE 115B) to receive network power-saving handover information messages that include handover information.

[0123] Radio access network node 105A may send a network power saving handover information message 315 to at least one of user equipment (UE) 115A or 115B based on multiple second resources 325. The network power saving handover information message 315 includes handover information to be used by at least one UE (UE) of UE 115A or UE 115B currently being served by beam 305 for at least one handover. The network power saving handover information message 315 may include NES-triggered handover information and / or a device identifier of the device to be switched.

[0124] Figure 4 An example handover configuration 307 is shown, which can facilitate the use of beam-specific handover signaling by an active user equipment. When the active user equipment performs a connection establishment with a radio access network node, the user equipment can receive beam-specific handover configuration 307. Beam-specific handover configuration 307 may include downlink control channel search space information 420, which indicates... Figure 3 The first resource 320 shown is (e.g., control channel timing and frequency resource information). Figure 3 As shown, (multiple) resources 320 can be used to carry indication 310, which can indicate scheduling information to be used to carry network power saving switching information message 315 (e.g., Figure 3 (The indication of the second resource 325 shown). Message 315 can be called a group switching command.

[0125] Continue describing Figure 4For best-effort NES handover, the RAN node can determine the offloading of an unknown number of active devices per beam. The minimum beam-specific coverage criterion 415 (which can be a threshold) can be configured to facilitate user equipment decisions to skip handovers by a reference. Figure 3 The description of message 315 indicates an NES group handover. If the user equipment determines that the signal strength or coverage level received from the radio access network node exceeds criterion 415, the user equipment skips the monitoring by... Figure 4 The instruction 420 in the message indicates the control channel resource 320. Therefore, if the user equipment determines that it is not monitoring the beam switching control channel resource 320, the user equipment may not be switched according to the switching information contained in message 315. However, if the user equipment determines that the received signal strength / coverage level is lower than criterion 415 (e.g., criterion 415 is violated or not met), the user equipment may monitor or resume monitoring the NES group switching control channel resource 320 for indication of potential switching commands.

[0126] Configuration 307 may include an NES-specific device identifier 410 corresponding to the device receiving configuration 307 to facilitate controlled NES handover. Identifier 410 may be referred to as a temporary identifier or a mask identifier. The RAN node may determine the specific user equipment (UE) device to be handed over due to NES activation and may determine an NES-specific device identifier corresponding to each UE that may be handed over. The NES-specific identifier 410 may correspond to a real identifier (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identity (“IMSI”)) and may be used during NES handover to hide or mask the identity of a given UE from other UEs that may receive configuration 307. When the RAN node triggers an NES handover for one or more UE devices, the RAN node may include the NES-specific identifier 410 instead of the real identity in message 315, because the handover command / handover information message 315 can be decoded by multiple UE devices. Therefore, using the NES-specific identifier 410 can mask the real identity of the device being handed over, preventing it from being known to other UEs.

[0127] Figure 5 An example network power-saving handover information message 315 is shown. Message 315 may include a target RAN node list 510, indicating RAN node identifiers 510-1 to 510-n corresponding to the RAN nodes to which the user equipment receiving message 315 can be handed over. Message 315 may include handover preambles or handover preamble group identifiers 517-1 to 517-n associated with the respective indicated RAN node identifiers 510. Message 315 may include a device handover list 525, which includes device identifiers 525-1 to 525-n corresponding to the user equipment to be handed over. Device identifier 525 may include references Figure 4The described identifier (multiple) is 410.

[0128] Turn now Figure 6 The figure illustrates a NES handover triggered by user equipment 115B to RAN node 105B with respect to downlink beam 604. RAN node 105B can be indicated in the handover information message. In one embodiment, UE 115B can trigger a handover from RAN 105A to RAN 105B when the received signal strength / coverage level corresponding to beam 604 is below a configured criterion / threshold for a best-effort NES handover. In another embodiment, the received handover information message (such as message 315) may include an NES-specific device identifier 410, which may have been referenced via a reference... Figure 3 Configure 307 as described.

[0129] Turn now Figure 7 The figure illustrates an embodiment in which user equipment 115B to be switched can send an uplink control channel handover success message 705 to RAN 105A, indicating a successful NES handover to RAN 105B. Sending a handover success message regarding a best-effort NES handover of a user equipment not identified in list 525 of the handover information message / handover command 315 can be beneficial. If the source RAN node 105A needs to determine whether UE 115B has been switched to another RAN node, sending the handover success message 705 can help further reduce downlink handover signaling overhead. In this embodiment, the sending of the handover success message 705 may not be performed based on the service type corresponding to UE 115B. For example, if the service corresponding to UE 115B is a best-effort service, the handover success message 705 may not be sent to the source RAN 105A.

[0130] Turn now Figure 8 The diagram illustrates the timing of example method 800. In action 805, RAN node 105 can send network power-saving handover configuration, such as reference, to UE / WTRU 115 via device-specific RRC / DCI signaling. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The described configuration 307 may include an NES handover temporary device identifier corresponding to the UE / WTRU 115, such as a reference Figure 4The described identifier 410 is associated with a device-specific connection mode real identifier (such as IMSI) corresponding to UE / WTRU 115. Configuration 307 may include device group common control channel search spatial resource information elements indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam configured to serve UE 115, which can be used by UE 115 to receive network power-saving handover configuration instructions. The first resource may be a reference... Figure 3 The described resource corresponds to the beam-specific network power saving mode handover control channel search space 320, which can be used to carry a NES-triggered handover indication, which can be referred to as a network power saving handover configuration indication, such as reference Figure 3 Description of instruction 310. Configuration 307 may include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which may be a minimum receive coverage level (e.g., in dB) threshold, which UE 115 may use to evaluate the signal strength of the received signal to determine whether to skip monitoring the search space 320 corresponding to the first resource and skip attempting a NES-triggered handover.

[0131] Under the condition that RAN 105 activates NES mode and NES-triggered handover controlled by the device, in action 810, RAN node 105 can send a network power-saving handover configuration instruction via the first resource of the search space configured in action 805 via configuration 307 (e.g., refer to...). Figure 3 and Figure 4 The described instruction 310 is a downlink control channel information message. The handover configuration instruction 310 may include scheduling information corresponding to a group common handover command to be delivered via RRC signaling messages. The group common handover command may be referred to as a network power-saving handover information message, such as a reference... Figure 3 and Figure 5 The network power saving handover information message described. The network power saving handover information message 315 may include information elements such as, for example, a list of permissible target RAN node identifiers available for the UE 115 to be handed over (e.g., reference...). Figure 5 The network power saving handover information message 315 may include a random access preamble (e.g., RACH preamble) or a preamble group indication (e.g., ...) corresponding to the RAN identifier 510. Figure 5 Information element 517 (shown) is used for random access to a target RAN node / cell corresponding to the indication in identifier 510. Network power saving handover information message 315 may include information element 525, which indicates an NES-specific handover temporary device identifier, such as identifier 410 which may have been included in configuration 307, corresponding to a user equipment, including UE 115, to which it is to hand over to any target cell indicated in information element 510.

[0132] In action 815, RAN node 105 can receive an NES handover success message from UE 115, indicating that the signal strength of the signal received from RAN 105 meets the handover criteria (e.g., the signal strength is lower than the criteria included in information element 415 of configuration 307 sent in action 805), and UE 115 has been handed over to the target RAN node. In action 820, RAN node 105 can stop serving UE 115 and can refresh the device context corresponding to UE 115.

[0133] Turn now Figure 9 The diagram illustrates the timing of example method 900. In action 905, the WTRU / UE 115 can receive network power-saving handover configuration, such as reference, from the serving RAN node 105 with NES capability via device-specific RRC / DCI signaling messages. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The configuration 307 is described. Configuration 307 may include an NES handover temporary device identifier, such as a reference Figure 4 The described identifier 410 is associated with a device-specific connection mode real identifier (such as IMSI). Configuration 307 may include a device group common control channel search spatial resource information element indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam configured to serve UE 115, which can be used by UE 115 to receive a network power-saving handover configuration indication. The first resource may be a reference... Figure 3 The described resources correspond to the beam-specific network power saving mode handover control channel search space 320, which can be used to carry NES-triggered handover indications. These NES-triggered handover indications can be referred to as network power saving handover configuration indications, for example, as shown in reference... Figure 3 Description of instruction 310. Configuration 307 may include beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which may be a minimum receive coverage level (e.g., in dB) threshold, which UE 115 may use to evaluate the signal strength of the received signal to determine whether to skip monitoring the search space 320 corresponding to the first resource and skip attempting a NES-triggered handover.

[0134] In action 910, if UE 115 determines that the beam-specific handover coverage criterion included in configuration 307 is not met (if UE 115 determines that the criterion is met, the UE can determine to skip monitoring control channel search space resource 320), then UE / WTRU 115 can monitor and blindly decode the transmitted NES control channel search space 320. From the information decoded from search space 320, UE / WTRU 115 can monitor the second resource indicated by the information obtained from decoding search space 320. The information indicated in search space 320 may correspond to handover configuration indications, such as references Figure 3 The description is 310.

[0135] In action 915, the UE / WTRU can extract a network power-saving handover information message, including handover information, from the second resource, such as, for example, reference. Figure 3 and Figure 5 The network power saving handover information message 315 describes the information contained therein. From the network power saving handover information message, UE / WTRU 115 can determine potential target RAN nodes / cells from the list of target cell identifiers in action 915. Based on the network power saving handover information message, UE / WTRU 115 can determine whether UE / WTRU 115 corresponds to a temporary user equipment identifier included in the temporary user equipment identifier list. UE / WTRU 115 can determine the correspondence between identifiers listed in the temporary user equipment identifier list based on the information contained in configuration 307 received in action 905.

[0136] In action 920, if the temporary UE identifier included in the Network Power Saving Handover Information Message corresponds to a temporary identifier corresponding to UE / WTRU 115 and one or more target cell identifiers correspond to RAN nodes that UE 115 has determined to meet conventional handover criteria (e.g., signal strength higher than configured criteria), then UE / WTRU 115 may initiate an NES handover to one of the target nodes / cells indicated in the Network Power Saving Handover Information Message. (It should be understood that conventional handover criteria differ from beam-specific handover coverage criteria that can be included in configuration 307.) After initiating a handover to a target RAN node other than the source RAN node, UE / WTRU 115 may cease current transmission and / or reception with respect to the currently serving source RAN node 105. In action 925, UE / WTRU may send a handover success message to source RAN 105, indicating to the source RAN that the handover was successfully triggered according to the NES in the Network Power Saving Handover Information Message. The handover success message may be sent via device-specific uplink control channel resources or via device group common uplink control channel resources.

[0137] Turn now Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of example method 1000. Method 1000 begins with action 1005. In action 1010, the source radio access network node can send a network power-saving beam-specific switching configuration, for example, referring to... Figure 3 and Figure 4 The configuration described is 307. In action 1015, the source radio access network node can determine the implementation of a network power saving mode. The source radio access network node can determine the implementation of the network power saving mode with respect to one or more specific beams (e.g., the downlink beam serving the user equipment). In action 1020, the source radio access network node can send a network power saving handover configuration indication based on a first resource indicated in the handover configuration sent in action 1010. The first resource may be a network power saving beam-specific control channel search space resource, such as a reference... Figure 3 The described control channel search space resource is 320. Network power-saving switching configuration instructions may include those corresponding to a second resource (e.g., reference...). Figure 3 The resource described is the scheduling information for resource 325. The second resource can be used by the user equipment to switch from network power-saving information messages (such as reference messages). Figure 3 and Figure 5 The network power saving switching information is retrieved from the switching information message 315 described in the description.

[0138] In action 1025, the user equipment can determine whether the handover configuration sent in action 1010 includes network power-saving handover criteria, such as signal strength values. If action 1025 determines that the handover configuration includes network power-saving handover criteria, then method 1000 proceeds to action 1030. In action 1030, the user equipment can determine whether the network power-saving handover criteria are met. For example, if the signal strength corresponding to the signal received from the source radio access network node via the beam corresponding to the handover configuration exceeds the network power-saving handover criteria (which may be a threshold), then method 1000 proceeds to action 1035, and the user equipment continues to be served by the source radio access network node.

[0139] If the handover configuration sent in action 1010 does not include network power-saving handover criteria, or if the configuration sent in action 1010 includes network power-saving handover criteria but those criteria are not met, then method 1000 proceeds to action 1040. In action 1040, the user equipment can monitor and decode the first resource / control channel search space resources (e.g., referencing...). Figure 3 (Described resource 320). In action 1045, the user equipment can retrieve the scheduling information corresponding to the second resource from the spatial resource search function via the control channel. In action 1050, the user equipment can monitor, decode, or extract network power-saving switching information from the network power-saving switching information message based on the scheduling information contained in the network power-saving switching configuration instruction sent in action 1020.

[0140] In action 1055, the user equipment can determine from the network power saving information whether it has been instructed in the network power saving handover information message. If, in action 1055, the user equipment determines that it has not been instructed in the network power saving handover message, then in action 1035, the user equipment continues to be served by the source radio access network node.

[0141] If, in action 1055, the user equipment (UE) determines that it was indicated in the network power-saving handover message, then in action 1060, the UE initiates a handover to the target radio access network (RAN) node indicated in the network power-saving handover information message. The UE can determine the target RAN node from among the multiple RAN nodes identified in the network power-saving handover information message based on which RAN node provides the strongest signal strength to the UE. Upon successful handover to the target RAN node, in action 1065, the UE can send a handover success message to the source RAN node, indicating to the source RAN node that the UE has successfully handed over to the target RAN node. In action 1070, the source RAN node can refresh the context information corresponding to the UE served by the source RAN node. Method 1000 ends in action 1075.

[0142] Regarding the handover success message sent to the source radio access network node in action 1065, this message informs the source radio access network node that the user equipment has successfully handed over to another radio access network node. This is useful because, traditionally, radio access network nodes specifically instruct user equipment to hand over to another radio access network node. However, since, for example, in action 1030, the user equipment can determine and initiate a handover to a target radio access network node based on channel conditions corresponding to the potential target radio access network node identified in the network power-saving handover information message, the source radio access network node may not have information indicating whether the user equipment has been successfully handed over, because the source and target radio access network nodes may not have coordinated with each other via the backhaul communication link. Therefore, even after the user equipment has been handed over, the source radio access network node may continue to retain context information relative to the user equipment. By sending this novel handover success message to the source radio access network node, the source node can release resources that might otherwise have been allocated to the user equipment, rather than keeping these resources allocated to the user equipment while the user equipment is already operating with the target radio access network node.

[0143] The network power saving handover information message may include user equipment identifiers or temporary user equipment identifiers corresponding to all user equipment currently served by the downlink beam, with which the radio access network node has determined to implement a network power saving mode. The network power saving handover information message may also include user equipment identifiers or temporary user equipment identifiers corresponding to fewer than all user equipment currently served by the downlink beam, with which the radio access network node has determined to implement a network power saving mode. Therefore, the source radio access network node can, based on the channel conditions corresponding to the downlink beam and relative to certain user equipment, determine whether to completely cease operation according to a specific downlink beam by instructing all user equipment served by that downlink to be handed over to the target radio access network node via the network power saving handover information message, or only instruct designated user equipment served by that specific downlink beam to be handed over. Therefore, if some user equipments served by the downlink beam experience good channel conditions with respect to the source radio access network node, and thus may not require conservative, processing-intensive (and therefore power-intensive) radio functions to facilitate communication services with the user equipment, then the user equipments experiencing good channel conditions can continue to be served by that downlink beam, while other user equipments served by that downlink beam that do not experience good channel conditions with respect to the source radio access network node can be switched to the target radio access network node. Thus, since processing-intensive radio functions are avoided when user equipment experiencing poor channel conditions is switched to the target radio access network node, the power consumption of the source radio access network node is reduced.

[0144] Turn now Figure 11The figure illustrates an example embodiment of method 1100, including, at block 1105, a radio access network node including a processor facilitates the transmission of a network power-saving handover configuration to one or more user equipments. The network power-saving handover configuration includes a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam configured to serve one or more user equipments and usable by the one or more user equipments to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. At block 1110, the radio access network node facilitates the transmission of a network power-saving handover configuration indication via the first resource to at least one of the one or more user equipments. The network power-saving handover configuration indication includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam and usable by the one or more user equipments to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. The network power-saving handover information message includes handover information; in block 1115, the radio access network node facilitates the transmission of the network power-saving handover information message to at least one user equipment among one or more user equipments according to a second resource, the network power-saving handover information message including handover information to be used by at least one user equipment among one or more user equipments for at least one handover; in block 1120, the source radio access network node facilitates the reception of a handover success message from at least one user equipment among one or more user equipments, the handover success message indicating that at least one user equipment among one or more user equipments has successfully handed over to the target radio access network node; and in block 1125, in response to the handover success message, the source radio access network node terminates at least one communication context corresponding to at least one user equipment among one or more user equipments.

[0145] Turn now Figure 12The figure illustrates a first radio access network node 1200, including block 1205, where a processor is configured to: send a network power-saving handover configuration to a first user equipment (User Equipment), the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource, the first resource corresponding to a first serving downlink beam and usable by the first User Equipment to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication, the first serving downlink beam being associated with the first radio access network node and configured to serve the first User Equipment; in block 1210, determine operation according to a network power-saving mode to obtain a determined network power-saving mode; in block 1215, send a network power-saving handover configuration indication via the first resource, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource, the second resource corresponding to the first serving downlink beam and usable by the first User Equipment and a second User Equipment being served by the first serving downlink beam to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information; in block... 1220, Sending a network power-saving handover information message according to the second resource, the network power-saving handover information message including handover information, which can be used by the first user equipment and the second user equipment to facilitate a handover from the first service downlink beam service to the second service downlink beam service associated with the second radio access network node; In block 1225, the network power-saving handover configuration further includes beam-specific handover coverage criteria, which can be used by the first user equipment and the second user equipment to determine the monitoring of the first resource; In block 1230, Receiving a first handover success message or a second handover success message from the first user equipment or the second user equipment, respectively indicating that the service of the first user equipment or the second user equipment has been successfully switched to the second service downlink beam service; and In block 1235, In response to the first handover success message or the second handover success message, terminating the first communication context corresponding to the first user equipment or the second communication context corresponding to the second user equipment.

[0146] Turn now Figure 13The figure illustrates a non-transitory machine-readable medium 1300, including executable instructions at block 1305. When executed by a processor of a network node that is part of a radio access network, the executable instructions facilitate the execution of operations including: serving a set of user equipments via a serving beam; configuring the set of user equipments at block 1310 using a network power-saving handover configuration, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to the serving beam and usable by the set of user equipments to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication; broadcasting the network power-saving handover configuration indication via the first resource at block 1315, the network power-saving handover configuration indication including a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to the serving beam, the beam-specific second resource indication instructing the set of user equipments to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information; and broadcasting the network power-saving handover information message including handover information to the set of user equipments at block 1315.

[0147] Turn now Figure 14 The figure illustrates an example embodiment of method 1400, including, at block 1405, a user equipment including a processor receiving a network power-saving handover configuration from a first radio access network node, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving beam configured to serve the user equipment, and usable by the user equipment to receive the beam-specific network power-saving handover configuration indication; at block 1410, the user equipment performing at least one network power-saving handover operation according to the network power-saving handover configuration; at block 1415, wherein the network power-saving handover configuration further includes a beam-specific handover coverage criterion, which can be used by the user equipment to determine the monitored first resource, wherein the at least one network power-saving handover operation includes; at block 1420, determining the signal corresponding to the serving beam. In block 1425, the determined serving beam signal strength is analyzed based on beam-specific handover coverage criteria to obtain the analyzed serving beam signal strength. In block 1430, based on the analyzed serving beam signal strength satisfying the beam-specific handover coverage criteria, the user equipment receives a network power-saving handover configuration instruction via a first resource. The network power-saving handover configuration instruction includes a beam-specific second resource instruction indicating a second resource, which corresponds to the serving beam and can be used by the user equipment to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information. In block 1435, the user equipment receives the network power-saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource. In block 1440, a handover request is sent to a second radio access network node according to the handover information.

[0148] Turn now Figure 15The figure illustrates an example user equipment 1500, including in block 1505, where a processor is configured to: receive a network power-saving handover configuration from a serving radio access network node, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving beam configured to serve a set of user equipments including the user equipment, and usable by the set of user equipments to receive the beam-specific network power-saving handover configuration indication; and a beam-specific handover coverage criterion usable by the set of user equipments to determine the monitoring of the first resource; in block 1510, determine the signal strength corresponding to the serving beam to obtain the determined serving beam signal strength; in block 1515, regarding the beam... The specific handover coverage criteria are used to analyze the determined serving beam signal strength to obtain the analyzed serving beam signal strength; in block 1520, based on the analyzed serving beam signal strength satisfying the beam-specific handover coverage criteria, a network power-saving handover configuration indication is received via a first resource. The network power-saving handover configuration indication includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource, which corresponds to the serving beam and can be used by the user equipment to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information; in block 1525, the user equipment receives the network power-saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource; and in block 1530, a handover request is sent to the target radio access network node according to the handover information.

[0149] Turn now Figure 16 The figure illustrates a non-transitory machine-readable medium 1600, including, in block 1605, executable instructions, when executed by a processor of a user equipment, facilitating the execution of operations, including: receiving a network power-saving handover configuration from a source radio access network node, the network power-saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a service beam configured to serve a user equipment and usable by a group of user equipments including the user equipment to receive the beam-specific network power-saving handover configuration indication, wherein the network power-saving handover configuration also includes a user equipment identifier corresponding to the user equipment; in block 1610, based on the user equipment identifier and the user... The device correspondence is defined as follows: receiving a network power-saving handover configuration instruction via a first resource, the network power-saving handover configuration instruction including a beam-specific second resource instruction indicating a second resource, the second resource corresponding to the serving beam and usable by user equipment in the user equipment group to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information; in block 1615, the user equipment receives the network power-saving handover information message including handover information according to the second resource; in block 1620, a handover request is sent to the target radio access network node according to the handover information; and in block 1625, the first resource includes control channel resources, and the second resource includes data channel resources.

[0150] In order to provide additional context for the various embodiments described herein, Figure 17 The following discussion is intended to provide a brief overview of a suitable computing environment 1700 in which various embodiments capable of implementing the embodiments described herein are provided. While the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions capable of running on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that these embodiments can also be implemented in combination with other program modules and / or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0151] Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that this method can be practiced using other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multi-processor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, IoT devices, distributed computer systems, and personal computers, handheld computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, etc., each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

[0152] The embodiments illustrated in this article can also be practiced in a distributed computing environment, where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices linked via a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can reside on both local and remote memory storage devices.

[0153] Computing devices typically include various media, which can include computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media, and / or communication media, these two terms being used interchangeably herein as follows. A computer-readable storage medium or a machine-readable storage medium can be any available storage medium accessible by a computer, and includes volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, any method or technique for storing information, such as computer-readable or machine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data, or unstructured data, can be used to implement a computer-readable storage medium or a machine-readable storage medium.

[0154] Computer-readable storage media can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other optical disc storage devices, magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, solid-state drives or other solid-state storage devices, or other tangible and / or non-transitory media that can be used to store desired information. For this purpose, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” used herein to describe storage devices, memories, or computer-readable media should be understood to exclude the use of the modifier “only propagating transient signals” as a modifier, and do not waive the rights of all standard storage devices, memories, or computer-readable media that do not solely propagate transient signals.

[0155] Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, for example, via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for various operations concerning information stored on the media.

[0156] Communication media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in data signals (such as modulated data signals, e.g., carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms), and include any medium for delivering or transmitting information. The term "modulated data signal" or signal refers to a signal whose characteristics are set or altered in such a way as encoding information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media (such as wired networks or direct wired connections) and wireless media (such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media).

[0157] Refer again Figure 17 Example environment 1700 for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described herein includes a computer 1702, which includes a processing unit 1704, system memory 1706, and a system bus 1708. The system bus 1708 couples system components, including but not limited to system memory 1706, to the processing unit 1704. The processing unit 1704 can be any processor of various commercial processors and may include cache memory. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be adopted as the processing unit 1704.

[0158] System bus 1708 can be any type of bus architecture, which can be further interconnected to memory bus (with or without a memory controller), peripheral bus, and local bus using any bus architecture from various commercial bus architectures. System memory 1706 includes ROM 1710 and RAM 1712. The Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) can be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or EEPROM, and its BIOS contains basic routines that facilitate the transfer of information between components within computer 1702, such as during startup. RAM 1712 can also include high-speed RAM, such as static RAM for caching data.

[0159] Computer 1702 also includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 1714 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 1716 (e.g., floppy disk drive (FDD) 1716, memory stick or flash drive reader, memory card reader, etc.), and an optical disc drive 1720 (e.g., capable of reading from or writing to CD-ROMs, DVDs, BDs, etc.). Although the internal HDD 1714 is illustrated as being located within computer 1702, the internal HDD 1714 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, although not shown in environment 1700, a solid-state drive (SSD) may be used in addition to or in place of HDD 1714. HDD 1714, external storage devices(s) 1716, and optical disc drive 1720 can be connected to system bus 1708 via HDD interface 1724, external storage interface 1726, and optical disc drive interface 1728, respectively. The interface 1724 for external driver implementation can include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external driver connectivity technologies are contemplated in the embodiments described herein.

[0160] Drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, etc. For computer 1702, drives and storage media accommodate storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the above description of computer-readable storage media refers to a corresponding type of storage device, those skilled in the art will understand that other types of computer-readable storage media, whether existing or developed in the future, may also be used in the example operating environment, and further, any such storage medium is capable of containing computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.

[0161] Multiple program modules can be stored in the drive and RAM 1712, including the operating system 1730, one or more application programs 1732, other program modules 1734, and program data 1736. All or part of the operating system, applications, modules, and / or data can also be cached quickly in RAM 1712. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented using a variety of commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0162] Computer 1702 may optionally include emulation technology. For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary may emulate the hardware environment for operating system 1730, and the emulated hardware may optionally be different from the hardware environment for operating system 1730. Figure 17 The hardware is illustrated in the figure. In this embodiment, the operating system 1730 can include one of a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) hosted at computer 1702. Furthermore, the operating system 1730 can provide a runtime environment, such as the Java Runtime Environment or the .NET Framework, to application 1732. A runtime environment is a consistent execution environment that allows application 1732 to run on any operating system that includes a runtime environment. Similarly, the operating system 1730 can support containers, and application 1732 can be in the form of a container, which is a lightweight, standalone, executable software package including, for example, application-specific code, runtime, system tools, system libraries, and settings.

[0163] Furthermore, the computer 1702 can include a security module, such as a Trusted Processing Module (TPM). For example, before loading the next startup component, the TPM is used to start the next startup component at the hash time and wait for the result to match with a security value. This process can occur at any layer of the computer 1702's code execution stack, for example, at the application execution level or at the operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby achieving security at any code execution level.

[0164] Users can input commands and information into computer 1702 via one or more wired / wireless input devices, such as keyboard 1738, touchscreen 1740, and pointing devices, such as mouse 1742. Other input devices (not shown) may include microphones, infrared (IR) remote controls, radio frequency (RF) remote controls or other remote controls, joysticks, virtual reality controllers and / or virtual reality headsets, gamepads, styluses, image input devices (e.g., cameras), gesture sensor input devices, visual motion sensor input devices, emotion or face detection devices, biometric input devices (e.g., fingerprint or iris scanners), etc. These and other input devices are typically connected to processing unit 1704 via input device interface 1744, which can be coupled to system bus 1708, but can be connected via other interfaces, such as parallel ports, IEEE 1394 serial ports, game ports, USB ports, IR ports, BLUETOOTH® interfaces, etc.

[0165] Monitor 1746 or other types of display devices can also be connected to system bus 1708 via an interface such as video adapter 1748. In addition to monitor 1746, computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

[0166] Computer 1742 is capable of operating in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and / or wireless communications to one or more remote computers (such as (multiple) remote computers 1750). The (multiple) remote computers 1750 can be workstations, server computers, routers, personal computers, portable computers, microprocessor-based entertainment devices, peer-to-peer devices, or other common network nodes, and typically include many or all of the elements described relative to computer 1702, although for simplicity, only memory / storage device 1752 is illustrated. The depicted logical connections include wired / wireless connections to a local area network (LAN) 1754 and / or a larger network (e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1756). Such LAN and WAN network environments are common in offices and corporations and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks (such as intranets), all of which are capable of connecting to global communication networks, such as the Internet.

[0167] When used in a LAN network environment, computer 1702 can be connected to local area network 1754 via a wired and / or wireless communication network interface or adapter 1758. Adapter 1758 facilitates wired or wireless communication to LAN 1754, and LAN 1754 can also include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon for communicating with adapter 1758 in wireless mode.

[0168] When used in a WAN network environment, computer 1702 may include modem 1760 or be connected to a communication server on WAN 1756 via other means (such as via the Internet) for establishing communication on WAN 1756. Modem 1760 may be an internal or external, wired or wireless device, and may be connected to system bus 1708 via input device interface 1744. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to computer 1702 or parts thereof may be stored in remote memory / storage device 1752. It should be understood that the network connection shown is an example, and other methods for establishing communication links between computers may be used.

[0169] When used in a LAN or WAN network environment, computer 1702 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storage systems, in addition to or replacing the external storage device 1716 described above. Generally, for example, a connection between computer 1702 and the cloud storage system can be established on LAN 1754 or WSN 1756 via adapter 1758 or modem 1760, respectively. When computer 1702 is connected to an associated cloud storage system, external storage interface 1726 can manage the storage provided by the cloud storage system with the help of adapter 1758 and / or modem 1760, just as it would manage other types of external storage. For example, external storage interface 1726 can be configured to provide access to cloud storage sources as if these sources were physically connected to computer 1702.

[0170] Computer 1702 is capable of communicating with any wirelessly operatively positioned device or entity, such as printers, scanners, desktop and / or portable computers, portable data assistants, communication satellites, any device or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., newsstands, kiosks, store shelves, etc.), and telephones. This can include Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Therefore, communication can be a predefined structure like a conventional network or simply self-organizing communication between at least two devices.

[0171] Now go to Figure 18The figure illustrates the framework of example UE 1860. UE 1860 may include a smartphone, wireless tablet, wirelessly capable laptop computer, wearable device, machine equipment that can facilitate vehicle telematics, tracking device, remote sensing device, etc. UE 1860 includes a first processor 1830, a second processor 1832, and shared memory 1834. UE 1860 includes a radio front-end circuitry 1862, which may be referred to herein as a transceiver, but is understood to generally include transceiver circuitry, separate filters, and features for facilitating communication on wireless links (such as...). Figure 1 Individual antennas for transmitting and receiving signals on one or more wireless links 175, 185, and 187 shown. Furthermore, transceiver 1862 may include multiple sets of circuitry, or may be tunable to accommodate different frequency ranges, modulation schemes, or communication protocols to facilitate long-range wireless links (such as link 185), device-to-device links (such as link 185), and short-range wireless links (such as link 187).

[0172] continue Figure 18 As described, UE 1860 may also include SIM 1864 or SIM profile, which may include information stored in memory (memory 1834 or a separate memory portion) for facilitating communication with... Figure 1 The wireless communication of RAN 105 or core network 130 shown in the figure. Figure 18 The SIM 1864 is shown as a single component in the shape of a conventional SIM card; however, it should be understood that the SIM 1864 can represent multiple SIM cards, multiple SIM profiles, or multiple eSIMs, some or all of which can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be understood that a SIM profile may include information such as security credentials (e.g., encryption keys, values ​​that can be used to generate encryption keys, or shared values ​​shared between the SIM 1864 and another device, which could be...). Figure 1 (Components of RAN 105 or core network 130 shown). SIM profile 1864 may also include unique identification information for the SIM or SIM profile, such as, for example, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (“IMSI”) or information that may constitute an IMSI.

[0173] SIM 1864 is shown coupled to both the first processor section 1830 and the second processor section 1832. This implementation offers the advantage that the first processor section 1830 does not need to request or receive information or data that the second processor 1832 might request from SIM 1864, thus eliminating the use of the first processor as a "man-in-the-middle" when the second processor uses information from the SIM in performing its functions and executing applications. The first processor 1830, which may be a modem processor or a baseband processor, is shown smaller than the processor 1832, which may be a more complex application processor, to visually indicate the relative level of complexity (i.e., processing power and performance) and corresponding relative operating power consumption between the two processor sections. When the UE 1860 does not require the second processor section 1832 to execute applications and process application-related data, keeping the second processor section 1832 in a sleep / inactive / low-power state provides the following advantages: while the second processor section remains inactive / sleep, power consumption is reduced when the UE only needs to use the first processor section 1832 in listening mode for monitoring bearer management and mobility management / maintenance procedures of a regular configuration, or for monitoring the search space that the UE has been configured to monitor.

[0174] UE 1860 may also include sensors 1866, such as temperature sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, barometers, humidity sensors, etc., that can provide signals to the first processor 1830 or the second processor 1832. Output devices 1868 may include, for example, one or more visual displays (e.g., computer monitors, VR devices, etc.), acoustic transducers (such as speakers or microphones), vibration components, etc. Output devices 1868 may include software that interfaces with output devices external to UE 1860 (e.g., visual displays, speakers, microphones, tactile sensing devices, olfactory or gustatory devices, etc.).

[0175] The following glossary of terms given in Table 1 can be applied to one or more descriptions of the embodiments disclosed herein. Table 1

[0176] The foregoing description includes non-limiting examples of various embodiments. It is certainly not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for the purpose of describing the disclosed subject matter, and those skilled in the art will recognize that further combinations and arrangements of various embodiments are possible. The disclosed subject matter is intended to cover all such changes, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0177] Regarding the various functions performed by the components, devices, circuits, systems, etc., described above, unless otherwise specified, the terminology used to describe such components (including references to "apparatus") is intended to include, as well as, any structure(s)(s) performing the specified functions of the described components (e.g., functional equivalents), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structures. Furthermore, while specific features of the disclosed subject matter may have been disclosed only with respect to one of several implementations, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, as may be desirable and advantageous for any given or particular application.

[0178] The terms “exemplary” and / or “illustrative” or variations thereof, as may be used herein, are intended to mean as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited to such examples. Furthermore, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor does it imply the exclusion of equivalent structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Moreover, with respect to the use of the terms “include,” “have,” “comprising,” and other similar words in the embellishment or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0179] As used herein, the term “or” is intended to mean inclusive “or” rather than exclusive “or.” For example, the phrase “A or B” is intended to include instances of A, B, and both A and B. Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted as meaning “one or more” unless otherwise specified or clearly indicated from the context in the singular form.

[0180] As used herein, the term "set" does not include an empty set, i.e., a set containing no elements. Therefore, "set" in this disclosure includes one or more elements or entities. Similarly, as used herein, the term "group" refers to a collection of one or more entities.

[0181] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., as used in the claims are for clarity only and do not indicate or imply any temporal order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, “first determination,” “second determination,” and “third determination” do not indicate or imply that the first determination precedes the second determination, or vice versa, etc.

[0182] The description of embodiments of this disclosure provided herein, including those described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise form disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples have been described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible within the scope of such embodiments and examples, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In this regard, although the subject matter has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments and corresponding drawings, it should be understood where applicable that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications or additions can be made to the described embodiments to perform the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions as those disclosed without departing from the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but should be interpreted broadly and comprehensively in accordance with the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: A wireless access network node including a processor facilitates the transmission of a network power-saving handover configuration to one or more user equipments. The network power-saving handover configuration includes a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource corresponding to a serving downlink beam configured to serve the one or more user equipments and usable by the one or more user equipments to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. The radio access network node facilitates the transmission of a network power saving handover configuration indication to at least one of the one or more user equipments via the first resource. The network power saving handover configuration indication includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to the serving downlink beam and usable by the one or more user equipments to receive a network power saving handover information message including handover information. as well as The radio access network node facilitates the transmission of a network power saving handover information message to at least one of the one or more user equipments based on the second resource. The network power saving handover information message includes handover information to be used by the at least one of the one or more user equipments for at least one handover.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio access network node is a source radio access network node, and the method further comprises: The source radio access network node facilitates the receipt of a handover success message from at least one of the one or more user equipments, the handover success message indicating that at least one of the one or more user equipments has successfully handed over to the target radio access network node; as well as In response to the handover success message, the source radio access network node terminates at least one communication context corresponding to at least one user equipment among the one or more user equipments.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio access network node is a source radio access network node, and the method further comprises: The source radio access network node facilitates the reception of a context request message from the target radio access network node, wherein at least one of the one or more user equipments has successfully switched to the target radio access network node, and the context request message includes a request for context information corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments. as well as In response to the context request message, the source radio access network node facilitates the transmission of context information corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments to the target radio access network node.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first resource is a control channel resource corresponding to the serving downlink beam.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second resource is a data channel resource corresponding to the serving downlink beam.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network power-saving handover configuration includes beam-specific handover coverage criteria, the beam-specific handover coverage criteria being usable by the one or more user equipments to determine the monitoring of the first resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network power saving switching configuration is a unique network power saving switching configuration, the unique network power saving switching configuration is unique to one of the one or more user equipments, and includes a unique mask identifier associated with a unique permanent identifier corresponding to the one of the one or more user equipments.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the switching information includes at least one mask identifier corresponding to at least one of the one or more user equipments.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the switching information includes more than one mask identifier corresponding to more than one of the one or more user equipments.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio access network node is a source radio access network node, and wherein the handover information includes at least one target radio access network node identifier, the at least one target radio access network node identifier corresponding to at least one target radio access network node other than the source radio access network node that is available for establishing a communication session with the at least one user equipment or the one or more user equipments.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the handover information includes at least one preamble indication indicating at least one preamble, the at least one preamble being associated with at least one of the at least one target radio access network node identifiers, the at least one preamble being usable by the at least one of the one or more user equipments to establish a communication session with the at least one target radio access network node associated with the at least one preamble.

12. A first wireless access network node, comprising: Processor, the processor being configured to: Sending a network power saving handover configuration to a first user equipment, the network power saving handover configuration including a beam-specific first resource indication indicating a first resource, the first resource corresponding to a first serving downlink beam and capable of being used by the first user equipment to receive the network power saving handover configuration indication, the first serving downlink beam being associated with the first radio access network node, and the first serving downlink beam being configured to serve the first user equipment; Determine the network energy-saving mode to operate according to, so as to obtain the determined network energy-saving mode; A network power saving handover configuration instruction is sent via the first resource. The network power saving handover configuration instruction includes a beam-specific second resource instruction that indicates a second resource. The second resource corresponds to the first serving downlink beam and can be used by the first user equipment and the second user equipment being served by the first serving downlink beam to receive a network power saving handover information message including handover information. as well as According to the second resource, a network power saving switching information message is sent. The network power saving switching information message includes switching information that can be used by the first user equipment and the second user equipment to facilitate a switch from the first service downlink beam service to the second service downlink beam service associated with the second radio access network node.

13. The first wireless access network node according to claim 12, wherein the network power-saving switching configuration further includes a beam-specific switching coverage criterion, the beam-specific switching coverage criterion being usable by the first user equipment and the second user equipment to determine the monitoring of the first resource.

14. The first wireless access network node of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: Receive a first handover success message or a second handover success message from the first user equipment or the second user equipment, respectively indicating that the service of the first user equipment or the second user equipment has been successfully switched to the downlink beam service of the second service; and In response to the first handover success message or the second handover success message, the first communication context corresponding to the first user equipment or the second communication context corresponding to the second user equipment is terminated, respectively.

15. The first wireless access network node of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: Receive a first context request or a second context request from the second radio access network node, wherein the first context request includes a request for first context information corresponding to the first user equipment, and the second context request includes a request for second context information corresponding to the second user equipment; and In response to the first context request or the second context request, the first context information or the second context information is sent to the second radio access network node, respectively.

16. The first wireless access network node according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to: Before receiving the first context request or the second context request from the second radio access network node, avoid sending the first context information or the second context information to the second radio access network node.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network node as part of a wireless access network, facilitate the execution of operations, said operations including: User equipment set via service beam; The user equipment set is configured using a network power-saving handover configuration, which includes a beam-specific first resource indication that indicates a first resource corresponding to the serving beam and which can be used by the user equipment set to receive the network power-saving handover configuration indication. The network power-saving handover configuration indication, broadcast via the first resource, includes a beam-specific second resource indication indicating a second resource corresponding to the serving beam, and the second resource indication instructs the user equipment set to receive a network power-saving handover information message including handover information; and A network power saving handover information message, including handover information, is broadcast to the user equipment set via the second resource.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the radio access network is a first radio access network, and wherein the network power-saving handover information message includes at least one mask identifier corresponding to at least one user equipment in the user equipment set, the at least one mask identifier indicating that only the at least one user equipment in the user equipment set is designated to perform a handover operation with respect to a second radio access network.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the network power saving handover information message excludes at least one mask identifier corresponding to at least one user equipment in the user equipment set to obtain the excluded user equipment, and wherein the excluded user equipment is excluded from being designated to perform a handover operation with respect to a second radio access network.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the radio access network is a first radio access network, and wherein the network power-saving handover information message includes a radio access network identifier corresponding to a second radio access network, the radio access network identifier instructing at least one user equipment in the user equipment set to perform a handover operation with respect to the second radio access network.

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