Methods for operating a user equipment, a network node, a user equipment and a wireless communication system

Abstract

A method for operating a user equipment include transmitting, by a network node to the user equipment, an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The method further includes transmitting, by the network node to the user equipment, a selected index from the plurality of indices, such that the user equipment configures its wake-up cycle periodicity based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle.

Description

METHODS FOR OPERATING A USER EQUIPMENT, A NETWORK NODE, A USER EQUIPMENT AND A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and more particularly, wake-up signals.BACKGROUND

[0002] 3GPP introduced a low power Wake-up Signal (LP-WuS) mechanism to improve energy efficiency of User Equipment (UE) in wireless communication networks. Under the LP-WuS mechanism, a UE by default, operates in an idle mode where its main radio is turned off. As the main radio is a high energy consuming component, the UE conserves energy when the main radio is turned off. The UE has a secondary receiver, also referred herein as a Wake-up Signal receiver (WuRx), which is always turned on. The WuRx is a low-complexity component that consumes little power as compared to the main radio. When the UE receives a low power Wake-Up Signal (WuS) via the WuRx, the UE turns on its main radio so that it can prepare to receive data.

[0003] When the UE is operating on a duty-cycle scheme, the average communication delay from when data is available at the base station until paging / data is correctly received by the UE depends on the sleep duration in the duty-cycle. Error events such as false-alarm or miss-detection may occur during the transition time before the main radio is ready to receive downlink control information, for example via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The average communication delay in the LP-WuS scheme would be longer than the wake up cycle of the WuS, i.e., Rel. 15 / Rel. 16 scheme, if both schemes are configured with the same discontinuous reception (DRX) length to fulfill a certain delay requirement. The main radio goes to ultra-deep sleep state to further save power and therefore a longer transition time is needed to wake-up the main radio from ultra-deep sleep.SUMMARY

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a user equipment. The method includes transmitting, by a network node to the user equipment, an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The method further includes transmitting, by the network node to the user equipment, a selected index from the plurality of indices, such that the user equipment configures its wake-up cycle periodicity based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a user equipment. The method includes receiving, in the user equipment from a network node, an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The method further includes receiving, in the user equipment from the network node, a selected index from the plurality of indices. The method further includes configuring a wake-up cycle periodicity of the user equipment based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network node. The network node includes a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to transmit an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The transceiver is further configured to transmit a selected index from the plurality of indices, such that a user equipment configures its wake-up cycle periodicity based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index. The user equipment is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a user equipment. The user equipment includes a main radio and a secondary receiver. At least one of the main radio and the secondary receiver is configured to receive an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. At least one of the main radio and the secondary receiver is configured to receive a selected index from the plurality of indices. A processor configured to configure a wake-up cycle periodicity of the userequipment based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system includes the above-described network node and the above-described user equipment.

[0009] Additional features for advantageous embodiments are provided in the dependent claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the following description, various embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a state diagram of a User Equipment (UE) operating the LP-WuS mechanism.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of LP-WuS communications between a network node and a UE.

[0013] FIG. 3 shows an example of a mapping between indices and the periodicity to the UE provided by the gNB 120, according to various embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 4A shows a flow chart of a method for wake-up signal communication, according to various embodiments.

[0015] FIG. 4B shows a flow chart of a method for wake-up signal communication, according to various embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of LP-WuS communications between a network node and a UE according to an embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of LP-WuS communications between a network node and a UE according to another embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 7A shows a flow diagram of a method for operating a user equipment according to various embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 7B shows a flow diagram of a method for operating a UE according to various embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a network node according to various embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a UE according to various embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments.DESCRIPTION

[0023] The detailed description set forth below, with reference to annexed drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In particular, although terminology from 3 GPP 5G NR may be used in this disclosure to exemplify embodiments herein, this should not be seen as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0024] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0025] Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

[0026] In some embodiments, a more general term “network node” may be used and may correspond to any type of radio network node or any network node, which communicates with aUE (directly or via another node) and / or with another network node. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, MeNB, ENB, a network node belonging to MCG or SCG, base station (BS), multistandard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB, gNodeB, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, RRU, RRH, nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g. Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc), Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS), Self Optimized Network (SON), positioning node (e.g. Evolved- Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC)), Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT), test equipment (physical node or software), etc.

[0027] In some embodiments, the non-limiting term user equipment (UE) or wireless device may be used and may refer to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, PDA, PAD, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, UE category Ml, UE category M2, ProSe UE, V2V UE, V2X UE, etc.

[0028] Additionally, terminologies such as base station / gNodeB and UE should be considered non-limiting and do in particular not imply a certain hierarchical relation between the two; in general, “gNodeB” could be considered as device 1 and “UE” could be considered as device 2 and these two devices communicate with each other over some radio channel. And in the following the transmitter or receiver could be either gNodeB (gNB), or UE.

[0029] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the embodiments may be embodied as a system, apparatus, method, or program product. Accordingly, embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

[0030] For example, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very-large-scale integration (“VLSI”) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. The disclosed embodiments may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as fieldprogrammable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, or the like. As another example, the disclosed embodiments may include one or more physical or logical blocks of executable code which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function.

[0031] Furthermore, embodiments may take the form of a program product embodied in one or more computer readable storage devices storing machine readable code, computer readable code, and / or program code, referred hereafter as code. The storage devices may be tangible, non- transitory, and / or non-transmission. The storage devices may not embody signals. In a certain embodiment, the storage devices only employ signals for accessing code

[0032] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be a storage device storing the code. The storage device may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, holographic, micromechanical, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0033] More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the storage device would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random-access memory (“RAM”), a read-only memory (“ROM”), an erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM’ or Flash memory), a portable compact disc readonly memory (“CD-ROM’), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0034] Code for carrying out operations for embodiments may be any number of lines and may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages including an object- oriented programming language such as Python, Ruby, Java, Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language, or the like, and / or machine languages such as assembly languages. The code may execute entirely on the user’s computer, partly on the user’s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user’s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user’s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (“LAN”), wireless LAN (“WLAN”), or a wide areanetwork (“WAN”), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider (“ISP”)).

[0035] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of an embodiment. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, but mean “one or more but not all embodiments” unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to,” unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” also refer to “one or more” unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0036] Aspects of the embodiments are described below with reference to schematic flowchart diagrams and / or schematic block diagrams of methods, apparatuses, systems, and program products according to embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the schematic flowchart diagrams and / or schematic block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the schematic flowchart diagrams and / or schematic block diagrams, can be implemented by code. This code may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart diagrams and / or block diagrams

[0037] The code may also be stored in a storage device that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the storage device produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart diagrams and / or block diagrams.

[0038] The code may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the code which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart diagrams and / or block diagrams.

[0039] The flowchart diagrams and / or block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatuses, systems, methods, and program products according to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart diagrams and / or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions of the code for implementing the specified logical function(s).

[0040] It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Other steps and methods may be conceived that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more blocks, or portions thereof, of the illustrated Figures.

[0041] Although various arrow types and line types may be employed in the flowchart and / or block diagrams, they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding embodiments. Indeed, some arrows or other connectors may be used to indicate only the logical flow of the depicted embodiment. For instance, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of unspecified duration between enumerated steps of the depicted embodiment. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart diagrams, can be implemented by special purpose hardwarebased systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and code.

[0042] The description of elements in each figure may refer to elements of proceeding figures. Like numbers refer to like elements in all figures, including alternate embodiments of like elements.

[0043] In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, various embodiments will now be described by way of examples and not limitations, and with reference to the figures.

[0044] The present disclosure generally contemplates the operation of the LP-WuS mechanism in a network (for example in association with 3GPP based standard / specifi cation etc). More specifically, the present disclosure contemplates the possibility of adaptively operating the WuRx according to a duty-cycle or always-ON scheme, such that error events or communication delays may be minimized.

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a state diagram of a User Equipment (UE) operating the LP-WuS mechanism. A UE 110 may include a low power Wake-up Signal Receiver (WuRx) 112 and a main radio (MR) 114. The WuRx 112 may be a front-end device with low power active or passive device configured to trigger the radiofrequency (RF) and baseband processors of the MR 114, upon receiving a wakeup signal (WuS). The WuS is a waveform detectable by the WuRx 112. By default, the UE 110 may operate in a WuS-monitoring state 102. The WuS 106 may be transmitted in the same frequency band of the New Radio (NR) operation band. Alternatively, the WuS 106 may be transmitted in a different frequency band from the NR operation band.

[0046] In the WuS-monitoring state 102, the WuRx 112 may be ON while the MR 114 may be OFF. The WuRx 112 may be receptive to WuS signals in the ON state. When no WuS signal is detected 104, the UE 110 remains in the WuS-monitoring state 102. When the WuRx 112 detects a WuS 106, the UE 110 enters a control channel monitoring state 108. In the control channel monitoring state 108, the WuRx 112 is OFF while the MR 114 is ON.

[0047] Radio Resource Management (RRM) is the system level management of co-channel interference, radio resources, and other radio transmission characteristics in wireless communication systems. The main objective of RRM is to utilize the limited RF spectrum resources and radio network infrastructure as efficiently as possible. Several strategies and algorithms are used to control parameters such as transmit power, user allocation, beamforming, data rates, handover criteria, modulation scheme, error coding scheme, etc.

[0048] Dynamic RRM schemes adaptively adjust the radio network parameters to the traffic load, user positions, user mobility, quality of service requirements, base station density, etc. Dynamic RRM schemes are designed mainly to minimize expensive manual cell planning and implement stricter frequency reuse patterns to improve system spectral efficiency. Efficient dynamic RRM schemes may increase the system spectral efficiency by an order of magnitude, which often is considerably more than what is possible by introducing advanced channel coding and source coding schemes.

[0049] The UE 110 may consume a lot of power for RRM measurements. In particular, the UE 110 may need to power up before the discontinuous reception (DRX) ON period to track the channel in preparation for the RRM measurement. Some of the RRM measurements may not be necessary but may consume a lot of UE power. For example, the low mobility UEs 110 may not need to measure as frequently as high mobility UEs 110. Network would provide the signaling to assist UE to reduce the power consumption on unnecessary RRM measurements. Additional UE assistance, for example the UE status information, may also be useful for the network to reduce the UE power consumption on RRM measurements.

[0050] The challenges in using LP-WuS in the mobility scenario are described in the following paragraphs. For an idle / inactive UE 110, there are requirements to perform regular RRM measurement to handle UE mobility. Typically serving cell measurement is required to be performed at least once every DRX cycle. The frequency of neighbor cell measurement may be relaxed for stationary UEs 110 and / or UEs 110 not at the cell edge with Rel- 16 / 17 RRM relaxation features. If the same RRM measurement requirements are kept for LP-WuS, the main radio may need to wake up at least once every DRX cycle. This may negate the power savings of the LP- WuS mechanism, as the main radio 114 cannot be in the power-saving “OFF” mode for a long time. This implies that the LP-WuS mechanism may affect the RRM measurement in order to achieve meaningful power saving gains.

[0051] Possible solutions may include relaxing the RRM measurement requirements, or to support basic RRM measurement functionality using the LP-WuS mechanism. There is, however, a limit on the amount of relaxation possible for the RRM measurement requirements.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of LP-WuS communications between a network node 120 and a UE 110. The UE 110 may receive signals from the network node 120 periodically. The network node 120 may be, for example a gNB. In other words, the UE 110 may receive a LP-WuS204 followed by a downlink (DL) signal 206, once every cycle 202. There may be a time delay between the LP-WuS 204 and the DL signal 206, as the main radio 114 may require some time to change its state from OFF to ON.

[0053] According to various embodiments, a method for LP-WuS communication may include dynamically adjusting the periodicity of the LP-WuS 204 of a UE 110 based on a mapping indication from the network node 120. The mapping indication from the network node 120 may include a mapping between a plurality of indices and a corresponding plurality of periodicities. The UE 110 may adjust the periodicity of the LP-WuS 204 further based on an index transmitted by the network node 120. The index may correspond to a suitable periodicity for the LP-WuS 204. The network node 120 may provide the mapping indication in the system information message and / or UE-specific signaling message. By adapting the periodicity of the LP-WuS, the latency of the communications may be reduced. Further, the main radio 114 may be turned on for a shorter period of time to result in higher power savings. The UE 110 may perform RRM measurement as configured by the network node 120 when the main radio 114 is ON, and the UE 110 may share the RRM measurement information with the network node 120. In a first embodiment, the network node 120 may transmit the mapping indication in the LP-WuS 204. In a second embodiment, the network node 120 may transmit the mapping indication in a dedicated message (L1 / L2 / L3 signaling) when the main radio 114 is ON, for example, in the downlink signal 206. This method may enable the UE 110 to reduce power consumption incurred in the WuS -monitoring state 102, and may also reduce the delay in the WuS communication.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows an example of a mapping between indices and the periodicity to the UE 110 provided by the gNB 120, according to various embodiments. The mapping is represented by a mapping table 300 that includes an index column 302 and a periodicity column 304. The index column 302 indicates an index in each row. The periodicity column 304 indicates a periodicity in each row. Each row of the mapping table 300 shows a respective index and its corresponding periodicity.

[0055] FIG. 4A shows a flow chart of a method 400A for wake-up signal communication, according to various embodiments. The method 400A may be performed by the network node 120, for example a gNB. The network node 120 may provide mapping information to the UE 110, in 402. The mapping information may include more than one index and more than one periodicityvalue. Each periodicity value may be associated with a respective index. The network node 120 may further provide an index value to the UE 110, in 404.

[0056] FIG. 4B shows a flow chart of a method 400B for wake-up signal communication, according to various embodiments. The method 400B may be performed by the UE 110. The UE 110 may receive mapping information from the network node 120. The UE 110 may determine if it received an index from the network node 120, in 412. If the UE 110 received the index, the UE 110 may apply a periodicity that corresponds to the index, to its wake-up cycle, in 414. The UE may determine the periodicity to be applied, based on a mapping of indices to periodicity values, that was provided by the network node 120. Otherwise, if the UE 110 does not receive an index, it may continue to wait for the index.

[0057] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of LP-WuS communications between a network node 120 and a UE 110 according to an embodiment. Similar to the schematic diagram of FIG. 2, the UE 110 may receive a set of signals once every LP-WuS cycle 202. In this embodiment, the set of signals include a modified LP-WuS 504 and the DL signal 206. The modified LP-WuS 504 may include an index value that is associated with a periodicity to be applied to the LP-WuS cycle of the UE 110. The network node 120 may determine a suitable periodicity value to be applied to the LP-WuS cycle of the UE 110 based on how frequently the network node 120 may need to send downlink information to the UE 110, and further based on the UE radio resource configuration (RRC state). The network node 120 may select the index value associated with the suitable periodicity value, for sending to the UE 110. By transmitting the index value, the network node 120 communicates to the UE 110 the suitable periodicity value to adopt, using a small number of bits of information, for example, only one or 2 bits. This is more data efficient as compared to conveying the periodicity value directly.

[0058] In an alternative embodiment, the network node 120 may transmit the suitable periodicity value to the UE 110, instead of sending the mapping information and the selected index.

[0059] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of LP-WuS communications between a network node 120 and a UE 110 according to another embodiment. Similar to the schematic diagram of FIG. 2, the UE 110 may receive a set of signals once every LP-WuS cycle 202. In this embodiment, the set of signals include the LP-WuS 204 and a modified DL signal 606. The modified DL signal 606 carries a dedicated message (L1 / L2 / L3 signaling) that includes an index value that is associated with a periodicity to be applied to the LP-WuS cycle of the UE 110.

[0060] FIG. 7A shows a flow diagram of a method 700A for operating a user equipment according to various embodiments. The method 700A may be performed by a network node 120. The method 700A may include method steps 702 and 704. The method step 702 may include transmitting, by a network node 120 to the UE 110, an indication signal. The indication signal may include a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The method step 704 may include transmitting, by the network node 120 to the UE 110, a selected index from the plurality of indices. The UE 110 may accordingly configure its wake-up cycle periodicity based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index. The UE 110 may be configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle 202. The method 700A may include the method 400B.

[0061] According to various embodiments, transmitting the indication signal from the network 120 node to the UE 110 may include transmitting the indication signal in a system information message. The system information message may be a broadcast message. Accordingly, the UE 110 may receive the indication signal upon connecting to the network node 120.

[0062] According to various embodiments, transmitting the indication signal from the network 120 node to the UE 110 may include transmitting the indication signal in a user equipment specific signalling. Transmitting the indication signal in UE specific signalling ensures that the indication signal is sent only to UEs that are capable of supporting LP-WuS operations, thereby minimizing wastage of data bandwidth.

[0063] According to various embodiments, transmitting the selected index from the network 120 node to the UE 110 may include transmitting the selected index in the wake-up signal, for example, like shown in FIG. 5. The UE 110 may have already received the mapping indication prior to receiving the selected index, or may have the mapping indication preconfigured in the UE 110. By sending the selected index in the wake-up signal without the mapping indication, the data bandwidth required may be smaller and the transmission power may be lower.

[0064] According to various embodiments, transmitting the selected index from the network 120 node to the UE 110 may include transmitting the selected index in a UE-specific message when a main radio 114 of the UE 110 is turned on, for examples, as shown in FIG. 6. The transmission of the selected index may indicate to the UE 110 that the downlink transmission has ended. The main radio 114 may be configured to turn off upon receiving the selected index for the preconfigured periodicity, thereby saving power consumption.

[0065] According to various embodiments, the wake-up cycle periodicity may be represented by two bits. The number of representation bits may be increased according to the number of different periodicities configuration that is required.

[0066] FIG. 7B shows a flow diagram of a method 700B for operating a UE 110 according to various embodiments. The method 700B may be performed by a UE 110. The method 700B may include method steps 712, 714 and 716. The method step 712 may include receiving, in the UE 110 from a network node 120, an indication signal. The indication signal may include a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The method step 714 may include receiving, in the UE 110 from the network node 120, a selected index from the plurality of indices. The method step 716 may include configuring the wake-up cycle periodicity of the UE 110 based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index. The UE 110 may be configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle 202. The method 700B may include the method 400B.

[0067] According to various embodiments, receiving, in the UE 110 from a network node 120, an indication signal, may include receiving the indication signal in a system information message.

[0068] According to various embodiments, receiving, in the UE 110 from a network node 120, an indication signal, may include receiving the indication signal in a user equipment specific signaling.

[0069] According to various embodiments, receiving, in the UE 110 from the network node 120, a selected index, may include receiving the selected index in the wake-up signal.

[0070] According to various embodiments, receiving, in the UE 110 from the network node 120, a selected index, may include receiving the selected index in a dedicated message when a main radio 114 of the UE 110 is turned on.

[0071] According to various embodiments, the wake-up cycle periodicity may be represented by two bits.

[0072] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a network node 800 according to various embodiments. The network node 800 may include a transceiver 802. The network node 800 may be the network node 120. The transceiver 802 may be configured to transmit an indication signal. The indication signal may include a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. The transceiver 802 may be further configured to transmit a selected index from the plurality of indices, such that a UE 110 configures its wake-up cycle periodicity based onthe periodicity value mapped to the selected index. The UE 110 may be configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle 202.

[0073] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a UE 900 according to various embodiments. The UE 900 may include a main radio 902, a secondary receiver 904 and a processor 906. The UE 900 may be the UE 110. The main radio 902 may include the main radio 114. The secondary receiver 904 may include the WuRx 112. At least one of the main radio 902 and the secondary receiver 904 may be configured to receive an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value. At least one of the main radio 902 and the secondary receiver 904 may be configured to receive a selected index from the plurality of indices. The processor 906 may be configured to configure a wake-up cycle periodicity of the UE 900 based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index. The UE 900 may be configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle 202. The main radio 902, the secondary receiver 904 and the processor 906 may be coupled to one another, for example, electrically, communicatively, or mechanically, via the coupling line 910.

[0074] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system 1000 according to various embodiments. The wireless communication system 1000 may include a network node 800 and a UE 900. The network node 800 and the UE 900 may be coupled to one another, for example, electrically, communicatively, or mechanically, via the coupling line 1010.

[0075] It will be understood that any property described herein for the methods 700A and 700B may also hold for the base node 106 and the network node 204.

[0076] While embodiments of the invention have been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced. It will be appreciated that common numerals, used in the relevant drawings, refer to components that serve a similar or the same purpose.

[0077] It will be appreciated to a person skilled in the art that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing various embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understoodthat the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0078] It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes / flowcharts disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes / flowcharts may be rearranged. Further, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various blocks in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0079] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more ofA, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof’ include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A,B, C, or any combination thereof’ may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (700A) for operating a user equipment (110, 900), the method (700 A) comprising: transmitting, by a network node (120, 800) to the user equipment (110, 900), an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value; and transmitting, by the network node (120, 800) to the user equipment (110, 900), a selected index from the plurality of indices, such that the user equipment (110, 900) configures its wakeup cycle periodicity based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment (110, 900) is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle (202).

2. The method (700 A) of claim 1, wherein transmitting, by the network node (120, 800) to the user equipment (110, 900), the indication signal, comprises transmitting the indication signal in a system information message.

3. The method (700A) of claim 1, wherein transmitting, by the network node (120, 800) to the user equipment (110, 900), the indication signal, comprises transmitting the indication signal in a user equipment specific signalling.

4. The method (700 A) of any preceding claim, wherein transmitting, by the network node (120, 800) to the user equipment (110, 900), a selected index, comprises transmitting the selected index in the wake-up signal.

5. The method (700 A) of any preceding claim, wherein transmitting, by the network node (120, 800) to the user equipment (110, 900), a selected index, comprises transmitting the selected index in a dedicated message when a main radio (114, 902) of the user equipment (110, 900) is turned on.

6. The method (700 A) of any preceding claim, wherein the wake-up cycle periodicity is represented by two bits.

7. A method (700B) for operating a user equipment (110, 900), the method comprising: receiving, in the user equipment (110, 900) from a network node (120, 800), an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value; receiving, in the user equipment (110, 900) from the network node (120, 800), a selected index from the plurality of indices; and configuring a wake-up cycle periodicity of the user equipment (110, 900) based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment (110, 900) is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle (202).

8. The method (700B) of claim 7, wherein receiving, in the user equipment (110, 900) from a network node (120, 800), an indication signal, comprises receiving the indication signal in a system information message.

9. The method (700B) of claim 7, wherein receiving, in the user equipment (110, 900) from a network node (120, 800), an indication signal, comprises receiving the indication signal in a user equipment (110, 900) specific signalling.

10. The method (700B) of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein receiving, in the user equipment (110, 900) from the network node (120, 800), a selected index, comprises receiving the selected index in the wake-up signal.

11. The method (700B) of any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein receiving, in the user equipment (110, 900) from the network node (120, 800), a selected index, comprises receiving the selected index in a UE-specific message when a main radio (114, 902) of the user equipment (110, 900) is turned on.

12. The method (700B) of any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the wake-up cycle periodicity is represented by two bits.

13. A network node (120, 800) comprising:a transceiver (802) configured to transmit an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value, wherein the transceiver (802) is further configured to transmit a selected index from the plurality of indices, such that a user equipment (110, 900) configures its wake-up cycle periodicity based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment (110, 900) is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle (202).

14. A user equipment (110, 900) comprising: a main radio (902); a secondary receiver (904), wherein at least one of the main radio (902) and the secondary receiver (904) is configured to receive an indication signal comprising a plurality of indices and a mapping of each index of the plurality of indices to a periodicity value, and wherein at least one of the main radio (902) and the secondary receiver (904) is configured to receive a selected index from the plurality of indices; and a processor (906) configured to configure a wake-up cycle periodicity of the user equipment (110, 900) based on the periodicity value mapped to the selected index, wherein the user equipment (110, 900) is configured to receive a wake-up signal once in every wake-up cycle (202).

15. A wireless communication system (1000) comprising: a network node (120, 800) of claim 13; and a user equipment (110, 900) of claim 14.

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