Apparatus and method for enhancing paging

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to monitoring (1502) for a page in a set of standard paging occasions, determining (1504) whether the page is received in the set of standard paging occasions, determining (1506) whether a downlink radio quality of a current serving cell is less than a threshold, and in response to determining that the page is not received in the set of standard paging occasions and the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold, monitoring (1508) for a paging downlink control information (DCI) in a set of enhanced paging occasions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to enhanced paging in wireless networks. Background Technology

[0002] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices, such as base stations, which may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices (which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terms). The wireless communication system may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing the resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, or the like)). Furthermore, the wireless communication system may support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including third-generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth-generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology, and other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth-generation (6G)). Summary of the Invention

[0003] The article “a” preceding an element is not a limitation, but should be understood to refer to “at least one” of these elements or “one or more” of these elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are interchangeable. As used herein (included in the claims), the word “or” used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as “at least one of…”, “one or more of…”, or “one or both of…”) indicates an inclusive list, such that (e.g.) a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, an example step described as “based on condition A” may be based on both condition A and condition B. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase “at least partially based on.” Additionally, as used herein (included in the claims), “group” may include one or more elements.

[0004] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: monitoring paging in a set of standard paging opportunities; determining whether the paging is received in the set of standard paging opportunities; determining whether the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than a threshold; and, in response to determining that the paging is not received in the set of standard paging opportunities and that the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold, monitoring paging downlink control information (DCI) in a set of enhanced paging opportunities. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 Examples of wireless communication systems according to aspects of this disclosure are described.

[0007] Figure 2 Illustrate an example of a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0008] Figure 3 This section illustrates an example of a networked radio access network (RAN) architecture with transparent satellites.

[0009] Figure 4 This illustrates an example of a regenerated satellite without an inter-satellite link (ISL).

[0010] Figure 5 This section describes an example of a regenerable satellite with ISL (Integrated Satellite System).

[0011] Figure 6 This section describes an example of a next-generation (NG) RAN architecture.

[0012] Figure 7 This section describes an example of a subgrouping procedure controlled by the core network (CN).

[0013] Figure 8 This section describes an example of a subgrouping procedure based on User Equipment (UE) identifiers (IDs).

[0014] Figure 9 This section provides an example of a paging procedure.

[0015] Figure 10 Examples illustrating traditional paging timing and new paging timing.

[0016] Figure 11 This provides another example illustrating traditional paging timing and new paging timing.

[0017] Figure 12 Examples of UEs based on aspects of this disclosure are described.

[0018] Figure 13 Examples of processors according to aspects of this disclosure are described.

[0019] Figure 14 Examples of network equipment (NE) according to aspects of this disclosure are described.

[0020] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating a method performed by a UE according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating the method performed by NE according to aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to systems supporting enhanced paging. Enhanced paging discovered herein can be used to supplement conventional paging. It should be noted that, as used herein, conventional paging is synonymous with normal paging and / or non-enhanced paging. Furthermore, enhanced paging is not normal paging, and enhanced paging (or new paging) is paging in paging radio resources different from those used for conventional paging.

[0023] The aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of wireless communication systems.

[0024] Figure 1 This describes an example of a wireless communication system 100 according to aspects of this disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more NEs 102, one or more UEs 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communication system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-A network. In some other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a New Radio (NR) network, such as a 5G network, a 5G-A network, or a 5G Ultra Wideband (5G-UWB) network. In other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a combination of 4G and 5G networks or other suitable radio access technologies, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, such as 6G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100 can support technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0025] One or more NEs 102 may be distributed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100. One or more of the NEs 102 described herein may be, include, or be referred to as a network node, base station, network element, network function, network entity, radio access network (RAN), NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms. NEs 102 and UEs 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be wireless or wired. For example, NEs 102 and UEs 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receiving signaling, transmitting signaling) via a Uu interface.

[0026] NE 102 can provide a geographic coverage area, whereby NE 102 can support service for one or more UE 104s within the geographic coverage area. For example, NE 102 and UE 104 can support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) using one or more radio access technologies. In some embodiments, NE 102 can be mobile, such as a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some embodiments, different geographic coverage areas associated with the same or different radio access technologies can overlap, but different geographic coverage areas can be associated with different NE 102s.

[0027] One or more UEs 104 may be distributed throughout the geographic area of ​​the wireless communication system 100. UE 104 may include or be referred to as a remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, remote device, subscriber device, transmitter device, receiver device, or some other suitable term. In some embodiments, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, and other instances thereof. Alternatively or additionally, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, and other instances thereof.

[0028] UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with other UE 104 via a communication link. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a UE-to-UE interface (PC5 interface).

[0029] NE 102 may support communication with CN 106 or another NE 102, or both. For example, NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or CN 106 via one or more backhaul links (e.g., S1, N2, N2, or network interfaces). In some implementations, NE 102 may communicate directly with each other. In some other implementations, NE 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via CN 106). In some implementations, one or more NE 102 may include sub-components, such as access network entities, which may be instances of Access Node Controllers (ANCs). The ANC may communicate with one or more UE 104s via one or more other access network transmitting entities, which may be referred to as radio headends, smart radio headends, or transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0030] CN 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. CN 106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities (e.g., Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)) that manage access and mobility, and user plane entities (e.g., Serving Gateway (S-GW), Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW), or User Plane Function (UPF)) that route packets or interconnects to external networks. In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) of one or more UEs 104 served by one or more NEs 102 associated with CN 106.

[0031] CN 106 can communicate with the packet data network (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface) through one or more backhaul links. The packet data network may contain an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 can communicate with the application server. UE 104 can establish a session (e.g., a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session or the like) with CN 106 via NE 102. CN 106 can use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between UE 104 and the application server. A PDU session can be an instance of a logical connection between UE 104 and CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of CN 106).

[0032] In the wireless communication system 100, NE 102 and UE 104 can use the resources of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 may support different resource structures. For example, NE 102 and UE 104 may support different frame structures. In some embodiments, such as in 4G, NE 102 and UE 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other embodiments, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, NE 102 and UE 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). NE 102 and UE 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more parameter sets.

[0033] The wireless communication system 100 may support one or more parameter sets, and the parameter sets may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefixes. A first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. In some embodiments, the first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one time slot per subframe. A second parameter set (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. A third parameter set (e.g., μ=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth parameter set (e.g., μ=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. A fifth parameter set (e.g., μ=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix.

[0034] Time intervals for resources (such as communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also called radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, such as 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame may contain multiple subframes. For example, each frame may contain 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, such as 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0035] Alternatively, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may contain a certain number (e.g., a certain quantity) of time slots. The number of time slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more parameter sets supported in the wireless communication system 100. For example, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth parameter sets (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with corresponding subcarrier intervals of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz can respectively utilize a single time slot per subframe, two time slots per subframe, four time slots per subframe, eight time slots per subframe, and 16 time slots per subframe. Each time slot may contain a certain number (e.g., a certain quantity) of symbols (e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols). In some embodiments, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots in a subframe may depend on the parameter set. For a conventional cyclic prefix, a time slot may contain 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable to a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a time slot may contain 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per time slot, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame for the regular and extended cyclic prefixes may depend on the parameter set. It should be understood that a reference to the first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0036] In the wireless communication system 100, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). In some embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 may perform wireless communication on one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some embodiments, FR1 may be used by NE 102 and UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices, for cellular communication services (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by NE 102 and UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices, for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0037] FR1 may be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least three parameter sets). For example, FR1 may be associated with: a first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) containing a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second parameter set (e.g., μ=1) containing a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third parameter set (e.g., μ=2) containing a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least two parameter sets). For example, FR2 may be associated with: a third parameter set (e.g., μ=2) containing a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth parameter set (e.g., μ=3) containing a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0038] Figure 2 This describes an example of NTN 200. NTN 200 includes Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 202 and gNB 204. gNB 204 includes NTN Gateway 206 and NTN Payload 208. NTN 200 provides non-terrestrial (NT) New Radio (NR) access to the UE via a serving link 210 between NTN Payload 208 and NTN Gateway 206. Serving link 210 can be an NR Uu interface 212. A feeder link 214 exists between NTN Gateway 206 and NTN Payload 208. Furthermore, AMF / UPF 202 communicates with gNB 204 via NG interface 216.

[0039] NTN payload 208 transparently forwards radio protocols received from the UE (via serving link 210) to NTN gateway 206 (via feeder link 214) and vice versa. The following connectivity can be supported by NTN payload 208: 1) NTN gateway 206 can serve multiple NTN payloads 208; and 2) NTN payload 208 can be served by multiple NTN gateways 206.

[0040] For NTN, in addition to network identifiers, the following also apply: 1) the tracking area can correspond to a fixed geographical area - any corresponding mapping can be configured in the RAN; and 2) the mapping cell identifier (ID).

[0041] In some systems, three types of service links may be supported, such as: 1) Earth-fixed: provided by a beam that continuously covers the same geographic area (e.g., for geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites); 2) Quasi-Earth-fixed: provided by a beam that covers one geographic area for a limited time period and a different geographic area for another time period (e.g., for non-GSO (NGSO) satellites that generate steerable beams); and / or 3) Earth-moving: provided by a beam whose coverage area slides across the Earth's surface (e.g., for NGSO satellites that generate fixed or unsteerable beams).

[0042] For NGSO satellites, gNBs can provide either quasi-fixed Earth service links or Earth mobile service links, while gNBs operating with GSO satellites can provide fixed Earth service links.

[0043] Some systems may have an NG-RAN architecture based on transparent satellites. In such systems, the satellite payload performs frequency conversion and has RF amplifiers in both the uplink and downlink directions. The satellite payload may correspond to an analog radio frequency (RF) repeater. The satellite repeats the NR-Uu radio interface from the feeder link (between the NTN gateway and the satellite) to the serving link (between the satellite and the UE) and vice versa. The satellite radio interface (SRI) on the feeder link may be NR-Uu. In other words, the satellite does not terminate NR-Uu. The NTN gateway (GW) supports all the functions required to forward signals from the NR-Uu interface.

[0044] Different transparent satellites can connect to the same gNB on the ground. Figure 3 This section describes an example of a network RAN ​​architecture 300 with transparent satellites. While several gNBs can access a single satellite payload, without loss of generality, the network RAN ​​architecture 300 is simplified to a single gNB accessing the satellite payload.

[0045] Some systems may have an NG-RAN architecture based on regenerative satellites, with payloads processed by gNBs, such as Figure 4 and 5 The description is as follows. In such systems, the NG-RAN logical architecture can be used as the baseline for NTN scenarios. The satellite payload implements the regeneration of signals received from Earth and may have: 1) an NR-Uu radio interface on the service link between the UE and the satellite; and / or (2) an SRI on the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. The SRI may be the transmission link between the NTN GW and the satellite.

[0046] Figure 4This describes an example of a regenerable satellite 400 without an ISL (Integrated Service Link). Satellite 400 can begin implementing additional service routing functions beyond the RAN (Radio Router Array). Furthermore, the satellite payload can provide ISLs between satellites. An ISL is a transport link between satellites. An ISL can be a radio interface or an optical interface, and it can be 3GPP or non-3GPP defined. The NTN GW (Network Gateway) can be a transport network layer node and can support all required transport protocols.

[0047] Figure 5 This describes an example of a regenerable satellite 500 with an ISL. UEs served by a gNB onboard the satellite can access the 5G CN via the ISL. gNBs on different satellites can connect to the same 5G CN on the ground. If the satellite 500 manages more than one gNB, then the same SRI can transmit all corresponding NG interface examples.

[0048] In some configurations, a terrestrial network (TN) can be used. Figure 6 This section describes an example of the NG-RAN architecture 600. In the TN architecture, the NG-RAN node can be: 1) a gNB, which provides the UE with NR user plane and control plane protocol termination; or 2) an ng-eNB, which provides the UE with Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol termination.

[0049] gNBs and ng-eNBs interconnect with each other via the Xn interface. gNBs and ng-eNBs also connect to the 5GC via the NG interface, and more specifically, to the AMF via the NG-C interface and to the UPF via the NG-U interface.

[0050] In some configurations, paging allows the network to reach UEs in the RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE states via paging messages and to notify UEs in the RRC_IDLE, RRC_INACTIVE, and RRC_CONNECTED states of system information changes and Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) / Commercial Mobile Alarm System (CMAS) indications via short messages. Both paging messages and short messages are addressed on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) using the Paging (P)-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) (P-RNTI), but the former is sent on the Paging Control Channel (PCCH), while the latter is sent directly through the PDCCH.

[0051] When in RRC_IDLE, the UE can monitor the paging channel for CN-initiated paging. When in RRC_INACTIVE (without an ongoing Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure), the UE can monitor the paging channel for both RAN-initiated and CN-initiated paging. However, the UE does not need to continuously monitor the paging channel. Discontinuous Paging Reception (DRX) is defined, where a UE in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE only needs to monitor the paging channel during one paging opportunity (PO) per DRX cycle. The paging DRX cycle is configured by the network as follows: 1) For CN-initiated paging, the default cycle is broadcast in the system information; 2) For CN-initiated paging, the UE-specific cycle can be configured via NAS signaling; 3) For RAN-initiated paging, the UE-specific cycle is configured via RRC signaling; and 4) The UE uses the shortest applicable DRX cycle (e.g., a UE in RRC_IDLE uses the shortest of the first two cycles, while a UE in RRC_INACTIVE uses the shortest of the three cycles).

[0052] The paging points (POs) used by a UE for both CN-initiated and RAN-initiated paging are based on the same UE ID, resulting in overlapping POs for both. The number of distinct POs in a DRX cycle can be configured via system information, and the network can distribute UEs to these POs based on their IDs. When in RRC_CONNECTED and when in RRC_INACTIVE with an ongoing SDT procedure, the UE monitors the paging channel in any PO signaled in the system information (SI) for SI change indication and Common Warning System (PWS) notification. For Bandwidth Adaptive (BA), a UE in RRC_CONNECTED only monitors the paging channel on the active bandwidth portion (BWP) configured with a common search space.

[0053] For operations using shared spectrum channel access, the UE can configure an additional number of PDCCH monitoring opportunities in its PO for paging monitoring. However, when the UE detects a PDCCH transmission within the PO of a UE addressed by P-RNTI, the UE does not need to monitor subsequent PDCCH monitoring opportunities within that PO.

[0054] If the paging reason is included in the paging message, then a UE in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state can use the paging reason.

[0055] For paging optimizations for UEs in CM_IDLE state: Upon UE context release, NG-RAN nodes can provide the AMF with a list of recommended cells and NG-RAN nodes as supplementary information for subsequent paging. The AMF can also provide paging attempt information including the paging attempt count and the expected number of paging attempts, and may include the next paging area range. If the paging attempt information is included in the paging message, then each paging NG-RAN node receives the same information during the paging attempt. The paging attempt count is incremented by 1 each time a new paging attempt is made. The next paging area range (if it exists) indicates whether the AMF plans to modify the currently selected paging area in the next paging attempt. If the UE has changed its state to CM CONNECTED, then the paging attempt count is reset.

[0056] Paging optimizations for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state: During RAN paging, the serving NG-RAN node provides RAN paging area information. The serving NG-RAN node can also provide RAN paging attempt information. Each paging NG-RAN node receives the same RAN paging attempt information during a paging attempt, containing the following: paging attempt count, expected number of paging attempts, and next paging area range. The paging attempt count is incremented by 1 each time a new paging attempt is made. The next paging area range (if it exists) indicates whether the serving NG-RAN node plans to modify the currently selected RAN paging area in the next paging attempt. If the UE leaves the RRC_INACTIVE state, the paging attempt count is reset.

[0057] For UE power saving for paging monitoring: To reduce UE power consumption caused by false paging alarms, a group of UEs monitoring the same PO can be divided into multiple subgroups. Through subgrouping, if the subgroup to which the UE belongs paging via the associated Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) as indicated, the UE can monitor the PDCCH for paging in its PO. If the UE cannot find its subgroup ID with a PEI configuration in the cell, or if the UE cannot monitor the associated PEI timing corresponding to its PO, it can monitor paging in its PO.

[0058] Subgroups may have the following characteristics: 1) They are formed based on CN-controlled subgrouping or UE ID-based subgrouping; 2) If the CN-controlled subgroup ID is not provided from the AMF, then UE ID-based subgrouping is used if supported by the UE and network; 3) Radio Resource Control (RRC) status (RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE status) does not affect which subgroup a UE belongs to; 4) Subgrouping support for a cell is broadcast in the system information as one of the following: only CN-controlled subgrouping is supported, only UE ID-based subgrouping is supported, or both CN-controlled and UE ID-based subgrouping are supported; 5) The total number of subgroups allowed in a cell is at most 8 and represents the sum of CN-controlled and UE ID-based subgrouping configured by the network; and / or 6) If the cell supports CN-controlled subgrouping, then UEs configured with CN-controlled subgroup IDs apply CN-controlled subgroup IDs; otherwise, if the cell only supports UE ID-based subgrouping, then it obtains UE ID-based subgrouping. The subgroup ID of the ID.

[0059] In various configurations, the PEI associated with a subgroup may have the following characteristics: 1) If the PEI is supported by the UE, then it may at least support a subgrouping method based on the UE ID; a) PEI monitoring may be limited to the last used cell via system information (e.g., the cell where the UE recently received an RCRelease and does not indicate that the last used cell of the PEI should not be updated); b) UEs with PEI may store their last used cell information; c) gNBs that support the last used cell function for PEI monitoring provide the UE's last used cell information to the AMF in the NG Access Point (AP) UE Context Release Complete message of the UE with PEI; and / or d) UEs expecting Metropolitan Beacon System (MBS) group notifications may ignore the PEI and may monitor paging in their PO.

[0060] For CN-controlled subgrouping, the AMF is responsible for assigning subgroup IDs to the UE. The total number of subgroups used for CN-controlled subgrouping is configurable (e.g., up to 8 via Operation and Management (OAM)). It can be assumed that CN-controlled subgrouping supports homogeneity within the RAN-based notification area (RNA).

[0061] Figure 7 This describes an example of CN-controlled subgrouping procedure 700. Procedure 700 involves communication between UE 702, gNB 704, and AMF 706.

[0062] In 708, UE 702 indicates its support for CN-controlled subgrouping via NAS signaling.

[0063] In 710, if UE 702 supports CN-controlled subgrouping, then AMF 706 determines the subgroup ID assignment for the UE.

[0064] At 712, AMF 706 sends the subgroup ID to UE 702 via NAS signaling.

[0065] At 714, AMF 706 notifies gNB 704 of the subgroup ID assigned by CN for paging UE 702 in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0066] In 716, when a paging message for UE 702 is received from the CN or generated by gNB 704, gNB 704 determines the PO and associated PEI timing for UE 702.

[0067] At 718, before paging UE 702 in PO, gNB 704 transmits the associated PEI and indicates the subgroup controlled by the corresponding CN for UE 702 that will be paged in PEI.

[0068] For UE ID-based subgrouping, the gNB and UE can determine the subgroup ID based on the UE ID and the total number of subgroups used for UE ID-based subgrouping in the cell. The total number of subgroups used for UE ID-based subgrouping is determined by the gNB of each cell and can be different in different cells. Figure 8 Describe the subgrouping procedure based on UE ID:

[0069] To be clear, Figure 8 This describes an example of a UE ID-based subgrouping procedure 800. Procedure 800 involves communication between UE 802 and gNB 804.

[0070] In 806, gNB 804 determines the total number of subgroups in the cell used for UE ID-based subgrouping.

[0071] The total number of subgroups used for UE ID-based subgrouping in broadcast cells 808, gNB 804.

[0072] In step 810, UE 802 determines its subgroup within the cell.

[0073] In 812, when a paging message of a UE with a PEI is received from the CN or generated by the gNB 804 at the gNB 804, the gNB 804 determines the PO of the UE 802 and the timing of the associated PEI.

[0074] At 814, before paging UE 802 in PO, gNB 804 transmits the associated PEI and indicates the corresponding subgroup obtained based on the UE ID of UE 802 paged in PEI.

[0075] For outgoing calls or messages (e.g., mobile-initiated), users are generally aware of the outgoing communication and can therefore consciously try to select points with good network radio coverage to initiate communication. However, for incoming services via NTN only, users may experience poor reception conditions and thus miss calls and messages, which can be particularly detrimental to paging messages for public safety or emergency purposes. These poor reception conditions may occur when the UE is placed in a pocket, backpack, vehicle, boat, etc., or under conditions of clutter loss.

[0076] For suburban and rural scenarios, some configurations may use shadow fading and clutter loss. The non-line-of-sight (NLOS) loss due to clutter loss can exceed 18 dB. At a line-of-sight (LOS) probability of 30 degrees elevation, approximately 10% of rural users and 50% of urban users may experience NLOS.

[0077] In various configurations, the definition of UE-specific notification and / or alarm features can be used to address paging messages missed by the UE under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions (e.g., NLOS). Notifications can be used to invite users to move to better SNR conditions to establish a call. Such features can minimize additional losses compared to the link margin required under LOS conditions.

[0078] This document describes various embodiments supporting robust notification and / or alert messages and their delivery via downlink physical channels (including paging effects). While paging issues may be more pronounced in NTNs, they can also occur in terrestrial networks. However, the embodiments described herein are applicable to both TN and NTN networks.

[0079] In some configurations, the network may use coverage enhancement techniques (such as repetition) to page UEs that do not respond to normal paging. This can lead to a waste of radio resources if it is unclear whether the UE is in a specific cell and / or area.

[0080] In some configurations, the UE may periodically attempt to establish an RRC connection and check if it has been paged. This may not work because the user is unaware of when the UE will be unable to establish an RRC connection without a user-initiated mobile-initiated (MO) call, and therefore, in areas with poor coverage (e.g., 18 dB loss), the UE will remain inaccessible. Furthermore, numerous attempts to establish an RRC connection may deplete the UE's battery.

[0081] Most UEs present in a cell are typically in RRC IDLE and / or INACTIVE state, and only a small fraction (e.g., less than 5%) are RRC connected. Typically, at the cell level, the radio network is unaware of the existence of RRC IDLE and / or INACTIVE UEs. Therefore, the network does not know which UE is in degraded downlink radio conditions and thus does not know when paging is necessary. Paging can be performed based on conventional paging policies and / or strategies. If a UE does not send a response to a paging message for a period of time (e.g., fails to successfully send a paging response) (e.g., has not yet established an RRC connection and has not transmitted its UE CN identifier (ng-5G-S-TMSI-Value) in an RRC establishment completion message containing a dedicated NAS message), then the network may begin performing enhanced paging transmissions for the UE. Different embodiments affecting the network's paging policies and the implementation of enhanced paging are possible.

[0082] In some embodiments of the 5G System (5GS) paging service, the network may initiate a paging procedure for the 5GS service when a NAS signaling message or user data is waiting to be sent to the UE via 3GPP access in 5G Mobility Management (5GMM) idle mode and no paging restrictions are imposed on the network for this paging.

[0083] Figure 9 This describes an example of paging procedure 900. To initiate the procedure, the 5GMM entity in the AMF requests the lower layer to begin paging and starts timer T3513. The network may stop timer T3513 for the paging procedure when it receives an integrity protection response from the UE and the network successfully checks the integrity, or when the 5GMM entity in the AMF receives an indication from the lower layer that it has received a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) UE Context Recovery Request message.

[0084] After timer T3513 expires, the network may restart paging. If the network receives downlink signaling or downlink data associated with a priority user plane resource of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session while waiting for a response to a paging sent without paging priority, the network may stop timer T3513 and then start a paging procedure with paging priority.

[0085] In one embodiment, the content of an enhanced paging request message is defined. In one instance, the content of a paging request message from the AMF to the gNB may be as described herein. The content of the enhanced paging request message may be very similar to a paging request and may use differential signaling (e.g., containing information elements (IEs) with values ​​different from those in the paging request message, at least except for the UE paging identifier). Additionally, an offset value may exist, which the network also signals to the UE for use (e.g., in NAS signaling). The offset may be specifically signaled to the UE in an RRC release message or NAS communication. The offset may be a few milliseconds, a time slot, or a subframe and may be calculated from the first (or last) PDCCH monitoring timing adjacent to a legacy PO.

[0086] Paging messages are sent by the AMF and are used to page UEs in one or more tracking areas. For example, the direction is: AMF → NG-RAN node. Table 1 illustrates examples of paging message content from the AMF to the RAN node. Table 2 contains terminology definitions.

[0087] Table 1: Paging message content from AMF to RAN node

[0088]

[0089] Table 2

[0090]

[0091] It should be noted that from a network resource perspective, enhanced paging can be expensive and consume radio resources such as time and frequency resources, transmit power, hardware capabilities, and processing power. Therefore, efforts should be made to minimize the timing and / or number of UEs for which such special measures are taken. Some examples of special measures that can be used to implement enhanced paging include: repetition, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) adaptation, use of different physical waveforms, baseband and / or radio frequency (RF) processing, increased spatial, temporal, and / or frequency diversity, and reduced system processing power (e.g., bits / Hz / second). In one implementation, enhanced paging is performed only for high paging priorities (e.g., only priorities 7 and 8 and / or paging used for high-priority signaling or call termination). UEs may need to indicate to the network their ability to monitor and respond to enhanced paging, and the network can store the UE's enhanced paging capability along with the UE's identifier (such as a Serving Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identifier (S-TMSI) or a Globally Unique Temporary Identifier (GUTI)) and can perform enhanced paging only on UEs capable of enhanced paging. There are also methods to improve the success rate of enhanced paging and thereby reduce the resources required, as described in this article.

[0092] In some embodiments, the UE monitors enhanced paging only when one or more of the following are satisfied: 1) The serving cell of the UE supports enhanced paging - the support can be explicitly broadcast in the Master Information Block (MIB) (e.g., Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH)), System Information Block (SIB) 1 (SIB1), or another SIB (e.g., as part of the neighbor list configuration), or the support can be implicitly indicated by the presence of signaling of any other information required for enhanced paging (e.g., in the paging configuration of enhanced paging); 2) The serving cell is an NTN cell (e.g., as determined from SIB1 and the IE cellBarredNTN is set to 'forbidden'); 3) No paging DCI (e.g., using P-RNTI) has been received in the traditional paging occasions in the last 'n' occasions, where 'n' is a configurable value; 4) The downlink (DL) quality of the current serving cell or the best available radio cell < threshold_minimum - the quality of the current serving cell can be measured as the DL reference signal received power (RSRP) / reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) of the synchronization signal block (SSB) reference signal (RS); 5) When no suitable cell is available; and / or 6) When no cell is detected to satisfy the cell selection criterion S:

[0093] The cell selection criterion S is satisfied when Srxlev > 0 and Squal > 0:

[0094] Where:

[0095] Srxlev = Qrxlevmeas – (Qrxlevmin + Qrxlevminoffset ) – Pcompensation - Qoffsettemp

[0096] Squal = Qqualmeas – (Qqualmin + Qqualminoffset) - Qoffsettemp

[0097] Where the values are defined in Table 3.

[0098] Table 3

[0099]

[0100]

[0101] When evaluating cells for cell selection due to periodic searches of higher-priority Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) during normal camping in a Visiting PLMN (VPLMN), only the indicative values ​​Qrxlevminoffset and Qqualminoffset are applied. During this periodic search of higher-priority PLMNs, the UE can use parameter values ​​stored in different cells of this higher-priority PLMN to check the S-criteria of the cell.

[0102] The UE can use DRX in RRC_IDLE and / or RRC_INACTIVE states to reduce power consumption. The UE monitors one PO every DRX cycle. A PO is a set of PDCCH monitoring opportunities and may contain multiple time slots (e.g., subframes or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols) in which paging DCI can be transmitted. A paging frame (PF) is a radio frame and may contain one or more POs or the start of a PO.

[0103] In various embodiments, enhanced paging is performed on new paging times (e.g., new paging frames and / or new POs) that differ from the paging times calculated by the UE based on conventional paging (e.g., PF and i_s calculations). The new paging times for enhanced paging are positioned offset from conventional paging times, and they may partially overlap. In example implementations, the new paging times occur after conventional paging times, allowing the UE to skip monitoring enhanced paging if it receives a paging in the immediately preceding conventional paging time. If the UE receives a paging DCI (Format 1_0) with a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) scrambled by P-RNTI, the UE's paging UE identifier may or may not be present in the RRC paging message if the UE is able to receive the PDSCH associated with the received paging DCI.

[0104] In some embodiments, the new paging opportunity does not need to occur for every conventional paging opportunity, but rather occurs only once every 'n' conventional paging opportunities, such as... Figure 10 It is displayed in the middle.

[0105] Figure 10 Example 1000 illustrating traditional paging timing and new paging timing. New POs appear after every 3 traditional POs for UE A and every 5 traditional POs for UE B.

[0106] According to such embodiments, the UE does not need to monitor new paging opportunities so frequently, thereby saving some battery power. On the other hand, if enhanced paging is required, the latency to the UE may increase if there is no response from the UE to normal and / or conventional paging.

[0107] The network can use broadcast signaling (e.g., in SIB1) to signal to the UE the offset between the traditional paging timing and the new paging timing. The offset can also be specifically signaled to the UE in an RRC release message or NAS communication. The offset can be a few milliseconds, a time slot, or a subframe and can be calculated from the first (or last) PDCCH monitoring timing adjacent to the traditional PO. In addition to the offset value, the network can configure parameters required to receive enhanced paging, such as: repetition count, MCS, control resource set (CORESET), physical resources designed to transmit PDCCH and / or DCI, and / or search space for receiving enhanced paging DCI. The search space can be an area within the CORESET that the UE can monitor to detect a specific PDCCH and / or DCI. Two main categories of search spaces (SS) can exist, called the common search space (CSS) and the UE-specific search space (USS). For enhanced paging, the CSS can be configured using broadcast or dedicated RRC signaling, and the USS can be configured using only dedicated RRC signaling. A new RNTI (e.g., P-RNTI-new) can be used for this purpose; otherwise, P-RNTI can continue to be used, provided that the signaling area used for enhanced paging DCI does not overlap with the signaling area used for paging DCI.

[0108] Certain implementations can be used to reduce false alarms and optimize network resource usage. In one embodiment, enhanced paging only includes the new DCI. This is used to alert the user. When the UE receives the new DCI, it alerts the user using a user interface (UI) (e.g., a combination of an alarm sound or tactile feedback (such as vibration) or some kind of flashing light on the UE, anything to attract the user's attention). Additionally, text may pop up on the user's screen to, for example, request the user to move to an outdoor location. After receiving the audible, visual, and / or tactile signals, the user can retrieve the UE from a remote location (e.g., from a pocket, backpack, etc.) and begin moving to a better location (e.g., leaving a building, leaving a basement area, etc., and going to an open area), if possible. Since the network can anticipate that it will take a limited time for the user to react to the UE alarm, once the new DCI is received, the network can save network resources by repeating the new DCI (e.g., enhanced paging) only after allowing the user some time (e.g., 10 seconds) to react. It can then begin paging the UE in a conventional manner (e.g., using a conventional DCI and associated RRC paging (in PDSCH)) during or at the end of this time. If a response is received from the UE, then everything is normal and paging can then be stopped; otherwise, the combination of enhanced paging and traditional paging can continue.

[0109] Figure 11 Another example 1100 illustrates conventional paging timing and new paging timing. In example 1100, enhanced paging (e.g., DCI) can be used incrementally. A paging timing may contain bursts (e.g., multiple) of new paging DCIs.

[0110] Because paging DCIs do not contain UE identifiers (e.g., 5G-S-TMSI or I-RNTI), any UE monitoring enhanced paging timing may alert its users, who may need to intervene and react (e.g., require physical movement). This can be inconvenient, especially if it turns out that a particular user was not actually paging (but another user monitoring the same paging timing was paging), and the UE only becomes aware of this upon receiving an RRC paging message containing a list of paging records. Efforts should be made to minimize such false alarms.

[0111] In one embodiment, the new paging DCI contains a UE paging identifier, which can be 48 or 40 bits long (e.g., for 5G-S-TMSI or I-RNTI, respectively). Additionally, a 1-bit Boolean flag may be included in the new DCI (e.g., a "another UE" flag). The UE whose paging identifier is included can alert its user, allowing the user to take further action, and the UE can immediately continue transmitting a paging response, with or without a user intervention wait time. Typically, uplink (UL) radio conditions may improve after user intervention (e.g., leading to physical movement and / or allowing the phone to reach better radio geometry).

[0112] Other UEs monitoring the same enhanced paging timing can react as follows after determining that their paging identifier is not included: 1) when the other UE's flag is set, the other UE continues to monitor the enhanced paging timing in the current burst; and 2) when the other UE's flag is not set, the other UE stops monitoring the enhanced paging timing in the current burst.

[0113] In one implementation, instead of including only one UE paging identifier, the network contains multiple UE paging identifiers if enhanced paging is to be performed on more than one UE at the same time. In an example, if two UEs with the same enhanced paging timing are being paged, instead of 48 or 40 bits, it includes 24 or 20 bits (e.g., least significant bits (LSB)). For this purpose, the number of paged UEs and their ID types (e.g., 5G-S-TMSI or I-RNTI) can also be included in the new DCI signaling. The UE only sends a paging response after user intervention and / or after receiving a traditional RRC paging (e.g., PDSCH) and verifying that its paging identifier is included. This change may have a slightly higher false alarm rate and therefore may not necessarily require user intervention, as any UE whose 24 or 20 LSB bits match will alert the user, but it saves costly network resources. Enhanced DCI may not be able to carry so many bits (e.g., 48 UE identification bits + 1 other UE bit + signaling the number of addressed UEs and some other bits for the included ID type), and instead only carries a limited number of bits for UE identification. The new DCI signaling and UE behavior disclosed herein for a subset of UE identification instances are applicable.

[0114] In another embodiment, the new DCI is used in conjunction with the new PDSCH. This requires special measures not only for the new DCI but also for PDSCH transmission, thus necessitating higher network resource usage. Since the UE can receive the PDSCH with a higher probability, the user is only alerted when the UE is actually paged. Enhanced paging can be performed incrementally to allow the user time to intervene and check if the UE has sent a paging response, and to repeat enhanced paging only when necessary.

[0115] In one implementation, a response transmission can use an immediate UL transmission (e.g., a co-reserved SRS, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), etc.) to cause the network to quickly halt the transmission of a new DCI and / or a new Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). Once the user intervenes, the UL situation improves, and service requests can be successfully sent after the RRC connection is established. Therefore, the network waits for a period of time after receiving an immediate UL transmission from the UE. Resources used for co-reserved SRS, PRACH preambles, time-frequency resources, etc., can be configured using RRC signaling, such as broadcast signaling.

[0116] Figure 12 An example of a UE 1200 according to aspects of this disclosure is described. UE 1200 may include a processor 1202, a memory 1204, a controller 1206, and a transceiver 1208. The processor 1202, memory 1204, controller 1206, or transceiver 1208, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing the aspects of this disclosure described herein. These components may be coupled via one or more interfaces (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, or relatingly).

[0117] Processor 1202, memory 1204, controller 1206, or transceiver 1208, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in hardware (e.g., a circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof, configured or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0118] Processor 1202 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or any combination thereof). In some embodiments, processor 1202 may be configured to operate memory 1204. In some other embodiments, memory 1204 may be integrated into processor 1202. Processor 1202 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 1204 to cause UE 1200 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0119] Memory 1204 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. Memory 1204 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 1202, cause UE 1200 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 1204 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0120] In some implementations, processor 1202 and memory 1204 coupled to processor 1202 may be configured to cause UE 1200 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in memory 1204 are executed by processor 1202). For example, processor 1202 may support wireless communication at UE 1200 according to the examples disclosed herein.

[0121] Controller 1206 manages the input and output signals of UE 1200. Controller 1206 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into UE 1200. In some embodiments, controller 1206 may utilize an operating system, such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some embodiments, controller 1206 may be implemented as part of processor 1202.

[0122] In some embodiments, UE 1200 may include at least one transceiver 1208. In other embodiments, UE 1200 may have more than one transceiver 1208. Transceiver 1208 may represent a wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1208 may include one or more receiver chains 1210, one or more transmitter chains 1212, or a combination thereof.

[0123] Receiver chain 1210 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via a wireless medium. For example, receiver chain 1210 may include one or more antennas for receiving signals in the air or via a wireless medium. Receiver chain 1210 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. Receiver chain 1210 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. Receiver chain 1210 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processed demodulated signal to receive transmitted data.

[0124] Transmitter chain 1212 can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). Transmitter chain 1212 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal to prepare the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. At least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Transmitter chain 1212 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. Transmitter chain 1212 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or a wireless medium.

[0125] Figure 13 An example of processor 1300 according to aspects of this disclosure is described. Processor 1300 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 1300 may include a controller 1302 configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 1300 may optionally include at least one memory 1304, which may be, for example, an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally or alternatively, processor 1300 may optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) 1306. One or more of these components may be electronically communicated or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, or relatingly electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0126] Processor 1300 may be a processor chipset and includes a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receive, acquire, retrieve, transmit, output, forward, store, determine, identify, access, write, read) according to the examples described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to the processor chipset (e.g., processor 1300) or included in the processor chipset) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), and others).

[0127] Controller 1302 can be configured to manage and coordinate various operations of processor 1300 (e.g., signaling, receiving, acquiring, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, and reading) to enable processor 1300 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. For example, controller 1302 can operate as a control unit of processor 1300, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of processor 1300. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating operation timing.

[0128] Controller 1302 may be configured to fetch (e.g., fetch, retrieve, receive) instructions from memory 1304 and determine subsequent instructions executed to cause processor 1300 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Controller 1302 may be configured to track the memory addresses of instructions associated with memory 1304. Controller 1302 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, controller 1302 may be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals output to other components of processor 1300 to cause processor 1300 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Alternatively or additionally, controller 1302 may be configured to manage data flow within processor 1300. Controller 1302 may be configured to control data transfers between registers, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and other functional units of processor 1300.

[0129] Memory 1304 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in processor 1300) or other memories, such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some embodiments, memory 1304 may reside within or on the processor chipset (e.g., locally to processor 1300). In some other embodiments, memory 1304 may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., remotely from processor 1300).

[0130] Memory 1304 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 1300, cause processor 1300 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. Controller 1302 and / or processor 1300 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 1304 to cause processor 1300 to perform various functions. For example, processor 1300 and / or controller 1302 may be coupled to or coupled to memory 1304, and processor 1300, controller 1302, and memory 1304 may be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some instances, processor 1300 may include multiple processors and memory 1304 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which may be individually or jointly configured to perform the various functions described herein.

[0131] One or more ALUs 1306 may be configured to support various operations according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, one or more ALUs 1306 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor 1300). In some other embodiments, one or more ALUs 1306 may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., processor 1300). One or more ALUs 1306 may perform one or more calculations on data, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, one or more ALUs 1306 may receive input operands and opcodes, which determine the operation to be performed. One or more ALUs 1306 are configured with various logic and arithmetic circuitry (including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates) to process and manipulate data according to the operation. Alternatively, one or more ALU 1306 may support logical operations (such as AND, OR, XOR, NOR, and NAND) to enable one or more ALU 1306 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0132] Processor 1300 can support wireless communication according to the examples disclosed herein. Processor 1300 can be configured or operable to support components for: monitoring paging in a set of standard paging opportunities; determining whether a paging is received in the set of standard paging opportunities; determining whether the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than a threshold; and monitoring paging DCI in a set of enhanced paging opportunities in response to determining that no paging is received in the set of standard paging opportunities and that the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than a threshold.

[0133] Figure 14An example of NE 1400 according to aspects of this disclosure is described. NE 1400 may include a processor 1402, a memory 1404, a controller 1406, and a transceiver 1408. Processor 1402, memory 1404, controller 1406, or transceiver 1408, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing the aspects of this disclosure described herein. These components may be coupled via one or more interfaces (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, or relatingly).

[0134] Processor 1402, memory 1404, controller 1406, or transceiver 1408, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in hardware (e.g., a circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof, configured or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0135] Processor 1402 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, or any combination thereof). In some embodiments, processor 1402 may be configured to operate memory 1404. In some other embodiments, memory 1404 may be integrated into processor 1402. Processor 1402 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 1404 to cause NE 1400 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0136] Memory 1404 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. Memory 1404 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 1402, cause NE 1400 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 1404 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media include both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0137] In some implementations, processor 1402 and memory 1404 coupled to processor 1402 may be configured to cause NE 1400 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in memory 1404 are executed by processor 1402). For example, processor 1402 may support wireless communication at NE 1400 according to the examples disclosed herein.

[0138] Controller 1406 manages the input and output signals of NE 1400. Controller 1406 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into NE 1400. In some embodiments, controller 1406 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, Android®, Windows®, or other operating systems. In some embodiments, controller 1406 may be implemented as part of processor 1402.

[0139] In some embodiments, the NE 1400 may include at least one transceiver 1408. In other embodiments, the NE 1400 may have more than one transceiver 1408. The transceiver 1408 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1408 may include one or more receiver chains 1410, one or more transmitter chains 1412, or a combination thereof.

[0140] Receiver chain 1410 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via a wireless medium. For example, receiver chain 1410 may include one or more antennas for receiving signals in the air or via a wireless medium. Receiver chain 1410 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. Receiver chain 1410 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. Receiver chain 1410 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processed demodulated signal to receive transmitted data.

[0141] Transmitter chain 1412 can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). Transmitter chain 1412 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal to prepare the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. At least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Transmitter chain 1412 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. Transmitter chain 1412 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or a wireless medium.

[0142] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating method 1500 according to an aspect of this disclosure is provided. Operation of method 1500 may be implemented by the UE described herein. In some embodiments, the UE 1200 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the processor to perform the described functions.

[0143] In 1502, the method may include monitoring paging within a set of standard paging timings. Operation 1502 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation 1502 may be derived from references. Figure 12 The UE execution described.

[0144] In 1504, the method may include determining whether a paging has been received within the set of standard paging times. It should be noted that determining whether a paging has been received within standard paging times includes determining whether a paging has been received within a specific time period or a specific number of times, such as 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 10 hours, 100 DRX cycles, 1000 DRX cycles, etc. Operation 1504 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of operation 1504 may be referenced from... Figure 12 The UE execution described.

[0145] In operation 1506, the method may include determining whether the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than a threshold. Operation 1506 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation 1506 may be derived from references... Figure 12 The UE execution described.

[0146] In 1508, the method may include monitoring paging DCI in a set of enhanced paging opportunities in response to determining that no paging has been received in the set of standard paging opportunities and that the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than a threshold. Operation 1508 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of operation 1508 may be derived from references... Figure 12 The UE execution described.

[0147] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating method 1600 according to an aspect of this disclosure is provided. Operation of method 1600 may be implemented by the NE described herein. In some embodiments, the NE 1400 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the processor to perform the described functions.

[0148] In 1602, the method may include transmitting a paging message to the UE at a set of standard paging times. Operation 1602 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation 1602 may be derived from references. Figure 14 The described NE execution.

[0149] In operation 1604, the method may include determining whether a paging response to a paging transmission is received. Operation 1604 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of operation 1604 may be derived from references... Figure 14 The described NE execution.

[0150] In 1606, the method may include transmitting a paging DCI in response to determining that no paging response has been received, within a set of enhanced paging timings. Operation 1606 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation 1606 may be derived from references... Figure 14 The described NE execution.

[0151] In 1608, the method may include waiting for a period of time after transmitting the paging DCI. Operation 1608 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation 1608 may be derived from references. Figure 14 The described NE execution.

[0152] In 1610, the method may include, after waiting for a period of time, re-paging the UE in the set of standard paging opportunities and transmitting a paging DCI in the set of enhanced paging opportunities until a paging response is received from the UE or until a period of time has elapsed. Operation 1610 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of operation 1610 may be derived from references... Figure 14 The described NE execution.

[0153] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible.

[0154] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications to this disclosure are possible, and that the general principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: Monitor paging during a set of standard paging times; Determine whether the paging is received within the set of standard paging times; Determine whether the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold; and In response to determining that no paging is received in the set of standard paging opportunities and that the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold, paging downlink control information (DCI) is monitored in a set of enhanced paging opportunities.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive the paging DCI during the set of enhanced paging times.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein the paging DCI includes a UE paging identifier and a UE flag.

4. The UE of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine whether the UE paging identifier is included in the paging DCI.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to use tactile, auditory, and / or visual signals to alert the user and attempt to receive the paging at the set of standard paging times in response to determining that the UE paging identifier is included in the paging DCI.

6. The UE of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to continue monitoring the paging DCI in the set of enhanced paging times in response to determining that the UE paging identifier is not included in the paging DCI and that the UE flag is set.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein each of the enhanced paging opportunities in the set of enhanced paging opportunities is offset from the corresponding standard paging opportunity in the set of standard paging opportunities.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the paging DCI is received after aggregating multiple transmit repetitions on the search space and control resource set CORESET configured for the paging DCI.

9. A processor for wireless communication, comprising: At least one controller, coupled to at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: Monitor paging during a set of standard paging times; Determine whether the paging is received within the set of standard paging times; Determine whether the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold; and In response to determining that no paging is received in the set of standard paging opportunities and that the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold, paging downlink control information (DCI) is monitored in a set of enhanced paging opportunities.

10. The processor of claim 9, wherein the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to receive the paging DCI during the set of enhanced paging opportunities.

11. The processor of claim 10, wherein the paging DCI includes a UE paging identifier and a UE flag.

12. The processor of claim 10, wherein the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to determine whether the UE paging identifier is included in the paging DCI.

13. The processor of claim 12, wherein the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to use tactile, auditory, and / or visual signals to alert the user and attempt to receive the paging during the set of standard paging times in response to determining that the UE paging identifier is included in the paging DCI.

14. The processor of claim 12, wherein the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to continue monitoring the paging DCI in the set of enhanced paging opportunities in response to determining that the UE paging identifier is not included in the paging DCI and that the UE flag is set.

15. The processor of claim 9, wherein each of the set of enhanced paging opportunities is offset from the corresponding standard paging opportunity in the set of standard paging opportunities.

16. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Monitor paging during a set of standard paging times; Determine whether the paging is received within the set of standard paging times; Determine whether the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold; and In response to determining that no paging is received in the set of standard paging opportunities and that the downlink radio quality of the current serving cell is less than the threshold, paging downlink control information (DCI) is monitored in a set of enhanced paging opportunities.

17. A base station, comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor, coupled to and configured to cause the base station to: Paging is sent to the user equipment (UE) during a set of standard paging times; Determine whether a paging response has been received for the paging transmission; In response to determining that no paging response has been received, a paging downlink control information (DCI) is transmitted in a set of enhanced paging timings; Wait for a period of time after transmitting the paging DCI; and After waiting for the specified period of time, the paging is transmitted to the UE again during the set of standard paging opportunities and the paging DCI is transmitted during the set of enhanced paging opportunities until the paging response is received from the UE or until a period of time has elapsed.

18. The base station according to claim 17, wherein the paging DCI includes a UE paging identifier and a UE flag.

19. The base station of claim 17, wherein each of the set of enhanced paging opportunities is offset from the corresponding standard paging opportunity in the set of standard paging opportunities.

20. The base station of claim 17, wherein the paging DCI is repeatedly transmitted on the search space and control resource set CORESET configured for the paging DCI.

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