Cell Reselection Enhancement

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for cell reselection enhancement. A first device receives cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection. The first device receives assistance information for cell reselection from the second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell on which to apply a wake-up signal (WUS), where the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies includes at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency. The first device performs cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information. In this manner, a UE that supports WUS can prioritize cells or frequencies that apply WUS, thereby improving energy efficiency.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for cell re-selection enhancement. [Background technology]

[0002] UE energy efficiency is crucial for 5G systems. Currently, 5G devices may need to be charged weekly or daily depending on the individual's usage time. Generally, 5G devices consume tens of milliwatts in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states, and hundreds of milliwatts in the RRC_CONNECTED state. Furthermore, energy efficiency is even more crucial for UEs without a continuous energy source, such as those using small batteries and single coin-cell batteries. To improve energy efficiency and provide a better user experience, there is a trend toward extending battery life and reducing the power consumption of terminal devices. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for cell reselection enhancement.

[0004] In a first aspect, a first device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: receive cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell for the first device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; receive assistance information for cell reselection from the second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal to, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including the at least one neighboring cell or frequency; and perform a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0005] In a second aspect, a second device is provided, the second device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: obtain at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal; transmit cell reselection information to a first device in a source cell served by the second device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; and transmit assistance information for cell reselection to the first device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including the at least one neighboring cell or the at least one frequency.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method is provided, the method including: receiving, at a first device, cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell for the first device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; receiving assistance information for cell reselection from the second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal to, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including the at least one neighboring cell or the at least one frequency; and performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided, the method including: obtaining, at a second device, at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal to; transmitting cell reselection information to a first device in a source cell served by the second device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; and transmitting assistance information for cell reselection to the first device, the assistance information indicating the at least one frequency or the at least one neighboring cell, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including the at least one neighboring cell or the at least one frequency.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a first apparatus is provided, comprising: means for receiving cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection from a second apparatus providing a source cell for the first apparatus; means for receiving assistance information for cell reselection from the second apparatus, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal to, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; and means for performing cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a second apparatus is provided, comprising: means for obtaining at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal to; means for transmitting cell reselection information to the first apparatus in a source cell provided by the second apparatus, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; and means for transmitting assistance information for cell reselection to the first apparatus, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and the candidate cell or set of candidate frequencies including the at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium storing a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to carry out a method according to the third aspect.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium storing a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to carry out a method according to the fourth aspect.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments, which, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure are presented by way of example, and advantages thereof will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2A]1 illustrates an example operation of a UE supporting a wake-up signal (WUS), in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] 1 illustrates an example operation of a UE supporting a wake-up signal (WUS), in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart of a process for cell reselection, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of an example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of another example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0016] Next, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only, to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0017] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0018] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but do not require that every embodiment include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an exemplary embodiment, it is asserted that it is within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic relative to other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0019] Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish the function of the various elements. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," and / or "includes," "including," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] As used herein, "at least one of: " and "at least one of " and similar phrases, when a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0022] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations using only analog and / or digital circuitry); and (b) (If applicable) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as: (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) any part of a device, including a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software, and memory, that functions together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or a server, to perform various functions; and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for its operation, but where software is not required for its operation, the software may be absent.

[0023] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including within any claims. As another example, in this application, the term circuit also covers implementations of a simple hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware portions. The term circuit also covers, for example, baseband or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices, if applicable to certain claim elements.

[0024] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth-generation (5G) system, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), or Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices within the communication network may be conducted according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there are naturally future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be understood to be limited solely to the aforementioned systems.

[0025] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a Next Generation Node B (NR NB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a repeater, a low-power node such as a femto or pico, or the like. A network device may be defined as a part of a gNB, e.g., in a CU / DU split, in which case the network device is defined as either a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU.

[0026] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal devices may also correspond to the Mobile Termination (MT) portion of an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node (also called a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0027] While the functionality described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes in various exemplary embodiments, in other exemplary embodiments, the functionality may be implemented in a user equipment device (e.g., a cell phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a mobile IoT device, a fixed IoT device, etc.), which may comprise corresponding functionality, as appropriate, for example, as described in connection with the fixed and / or wireless network nodes. The user equipment device may be user equipment and / or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user equipment when installed within the user equipment. Examples of such functionality include a bootstrapping server function and / or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented within the user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to perform in terms of these functions / nodes.

[0028] Example Environment 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication environment 100 may include a first device 110, a second device 120, a plurality of third devices 122 and 124, and a fourth device 112. The first device 110 and the fourth device 120 may be terminal devices (e.g., UEs) and may also be referred to hereinafter as UEs 110 or 140. The second device 120 and the plurality of third devices 130 may be network devices (e.g., gNBs). The second device 120 and the plurality of third devices 112 and 114 provide cells 102, 104, and 106, respectively.

[0029] 1, the first device 110 and the fourth device 112 stay on the cell 102. Therefore, the first device 110 and the fourth device 112 may communicate with the second device 120. Hereinafter, the cell 102 may also be referred to as the source cell 102 or the serving cell 102. The third devices 122 and 124 act as neighbor base stations, and therefore the cells 104 and 106 may also be referred to as neighbor cells 104 and 106. The second device 120 and the third devices 122 and 124 may communicate with each other.

[0030] In the case where the first device 110 or the fourth device 112 is in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC-INACTIVE state, a cell reselection procedure may be performed. The second device 120 may broadcast cell reselection information, for example, in a system information block (SIB). The first device 110 or the fourth device 112 may measure attributes of the serving cell and neighboring cells to initiate the reselection process. For inter-frequency neighboring cell search and measurement, the second device 120 may need to indicate the carrier frequency. During the cell reselection procedure, the first device 110 or the fourth device 112 may identify a cell to stay on (i.e., a target cell) based on cell reselection criteria. The cell reselection criteria mainly relate to measurements of the serving cell and neighboring cells, such as: - Intra-frequency reselection is based on cell ranking; - Inter-frequency reselection is based on absolute priority, with the UE attempting to stay on the highest priority frequency available.

[0031] 1 is for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it will be understood that one or more additional devices may be located within any of cells 102-106, and one or more additional cells may be deployed within communication environment 100.

[0032] It should also be noted that, although illustrated as network devices, second device 120 and third devices 122 and 124 may be devices other than network devices. Although illustrated as terminal devices, first device 110 and fourth device 140 may be devices other than terminal devices. For illustrative purposes, some exemplary embodiments will be described below with first device 110 and fourth device 140 operating as terminal devices and second device 120 and third devices 122 and 124 operating as network devices. However, in some exemplary embodiments, operations described in connection with terminal devices may be implemented in network devices or other devices, and operations described in connection with network devices may be implemented in terminal devices or other devices.

[0033] In some exemplary embodiments, when the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is called the downlink (DL) and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is called the uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmit (TX) device (or transmitter) and the first device 110 is a receive (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter) and the second device 120 is a RX device (or receiver).

[0034] Communications within communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communications protocol, including, but not limited to, cellular communications protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), wireless local network communications protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol now known or developed in the future. Further, the communications may utilize any suitable wireless communications technology, including, but not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology now known or developed in the future.

[0035] In a network system, the power consumption of a UE depends on the configured length of the wake-up period, e.g., the paging cycle. While an extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) cycle is expected to be used, it has a large value to reduce power consumption and is not suitable for services with both long battery life and low latency requirements, which may result in long latency. Therefore, an ultra-low power mechanism that can support low latency, e.g., below eDRX, is needed. Currently, a UE needs to wake up periodically, once per DRX cycle, which accounts for a large portion of power consumption during periods when there is no signaling or data traffic. If the UE could wake up only when triggered, e.g., by paging, power consumption could be dramatically reduced. This can be achieved by using a wake-up signal (WUS) to trigger a main radio and a separate receiver capable of monitoring the wake-up signal with ultra-low power consumption. The main radio serves for data transmission and reception and can be turned off or set to deep sleep unless it is turned on. The power consumption for monitoring the wake-up signal depends on the WUS design and the hardware modules of the wake-up receiver used for signal detection and processing.

[0036] However, WUS may not be provided by the network in every cell or every frequency. This may affect the normal communication and use of the UE. For example, a UE that supports WUS may not know which cells or frequencies also support WUS. As a result, the UE may not be able to utilize WUS provided by different cells, for example, during cell reselection.

[0037] Principles of Operation and Exemplary Signaling for Communications According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for cell reselection enhancement is provided. In this solution, a UE receives cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection from a gNB that provides a source cell for the UE. The UE receives assistance information for cell reselection from the gNB, where the assistance information indicates at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which a wake-up signal is to be applied, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies includes at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency. Thus, the UE can perform cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information. In this way, the gNB can direct a UE that supports WUS to an appropriate cell or frequency to apply WUS. Therefore, power consumption is reduced while latency and mobility performance are guaranteed.

[0038] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] 2A-2B illustrate example operations 200 and 201 of a UE supporting WUS, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The UE supporting WUS may be, for example, the first device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, in the example of FIG. 1, the fourth device 140 may be a normal UE that does not support WUS.

[0040] The first device 110 comprises a main radio 210 and a separate ultra-low power wake-up receiver 220 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as WUR 220). The main radio 210 may be an NR transceiver that may operate in a sleep mode or may even be powered off at times to conserve power. In some exemplary embodiments, the main radio 210 may be activated only upon reception of a WUS from the serving cell 102. For example, the second device 120 may trigger the first device 110 to wake up in an event-driven manner. In this case, the second device 120 may transmit a special WUS to the first device 110, which is monitored by the WUR 220.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2A, if the WUR 220 receives a WUS, it may trigger a wake-up of the main radio 210, and communication may begin. Otherwise, as shown in FIG. 2B, the main radio 210 is kept in OFF mode or deep sleep mode. In some exemplary embodiments, the WUR 220 may operate in an always "on" manner with very low power consumption. Because the WUR can only receive a WUS, it is possible for the WUR 220 to consume significantly less power than the main radio 210.

[0042] Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which illustrates a flowchart of a process 300 for cell reselection in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the process 300 involves at least a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 122. For discussion purposes, reference is made to FIG. 1 to explain the signaling chart 300. While the first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 122 are shown in FIG. 3, it will be understood that there may be multiple terminal devices that perform operations similar to those described below with respect to the first device 110 and multiple network devices that perform operations similar to those described below with respect to the second device 120 or the third device 122.

[0043] In communication network 100, cells 102-106 and corresponding frequencies may or may not apply different WUSs. As mentioned above, second device 120 serving as a source base station may broadcast cell reselection information within cell 102, for example, via an SIB. To facilitate the cell reselection procedure and take into account various link budgets for the WUS, second device 120 may obtain at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies the WUS (305). Alternatively, second device 120 may obtain such indication from any other network device in the RAN.

[0044] The second device 120 transmits 310 cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection. The cell reselection information may be carried in network broadcast information, e.g., a SIB.

[0045] 1, the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies may include cells 104 and 106 and their corresponding frequencies. In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a set of cell reselection priorities for the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies.

[0046] The second device 120 transmits (315) assistance information for cell reselection, where the assistance information indicates at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell. The set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies includes at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency. In the example of FIG. 1, the neighboring cell 104 and / or the corresponding frequency applies WUS.

[0047] The first device 110 performs a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information (320). For example, the first device 110 may perform measurements for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies. For example, the first device 110 may compare measurements and / or measurement results for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies with measurements and / or measurement results for other cells or frequencies, such as the serving cell, intra-frequency / inter-frequency, a set of cells that are not part of the set of candidate cells, and / or a set of frequencies that are not part of the set of candidate frequencies.

[0048] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may be conveyed via dedicated signaling, such as a radio resource control (RRC) message. For example, in the case where the first device 110 is directed to an RRC_IDLE mode or an RRC_INACTIVE mode, the assistance information may be conveyed in an RRC release message.

[0049] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may be carried in network broadcast information, e.g., a SIB. For example, an existing SIB may be reused to carry the assistance information. In another example, a new SIB may be used specifically to carry the assistance information. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0050] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may be in the form of a cell list or a frequency list to which WUS applies. In the example of Figure 1, the assistance information may indicate cell 104 or its corresponding frequency.

[0051] In some exemplary embodiments, assistance information for cell reselection carried in dedicated signaling may take precedence over assistance information for cell reselection carried in broadcast signaling, in which case first device 110 may make a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information via dedicated signaling but ignore the assistance information via broadcast signaling.

[0052] In some exemplary embodiments, assistance information for cell reselection carried in broadcast signaling may take precedence over assistance information for cell reselection carried in dedicated signaling, in which case first device 110 may make a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information via broadcast signaling but ignore the information via dedicated signaling.

[0053] In some example embodiments, in cases where the first device 110 is directed to an RRC_IDLE mode or an RRC_INACTIVE mode, assistance information for cell reselection carried in dedicated signaling may be prioritized only in the cell that was the primary cell of the first device 110. Otherwise, assistance information for cell reselection carried in broadcast signaling may be prioritized.

[0054] In some exemplary embodiments, second device 120 may provide different assistance information to different terminal devices. For example, assistance information may be associated with a public land mobile network (PLMN). In other words, assistance information specific to a PLMN may be provided.

[0055] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a priority of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on at least one of the cell reselection information and the assistance information. Specifically, the first device 110 that supports WUS may rank frequencies that apply WUS with a higher priority than any other frequencies that do not apply WUS. For example, the frequency corresponding to the cell 104 may be ranked as the highest priority for cell reselection.

[0056] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may include separate absolute priorities for frequencies to apply WUS. These absolute priorities may be applied only by UEs that support WUS, i.e., first device 120. Furthermore, UEs that support WUS may ignore legacy absolute priorities for frequencies for which absolute priorities for WUS are provided.

[0057] Additionally or alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may apply at least one offset priority to the absolute priority of each frequency to which WUS is applied, as indicated by the assistance information. As an example, in the case where a frequency supports WUS, the first device 110 may determine the target priority of the frequency by increasing the absolute priority value of that frequency by an offset priority of 1, 2, etc. In other words, the priority for a frequency that supports WUS may be different for UEs that support WUS and UEs that do not support WUS.

[0058] In some exemplary embodiments, an offset value for cell ranking is applied for at least one frequency on which WUS is supported by the first device 110. The offset value may include, but is not limited to, a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), an offset, or a plurality of thereof, etc.

[0059] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell quality threshold for cell reselection (e.g., Qrxlevmin) may be adjusted based on the offset value. For example, the first device 110 may increase or decrease the cell quality threshold by the offset value.

[0060] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell quality may be adjusted based on an offset value. For example, the offset value may be used to consider the cell quality used for cell reselection to be an et value that is better or worse than the measured cell quality.

[0061] In some exemplary embodiments, the offset value may be provided by the second device 120, for example, through broadcast signaling (eg, SIB) or dedicated signaling (eg, RRC).

[0062] In some exemplary embodiments, frequency or cell specific offset values ​​may be provided. Alternatively or additionally, offset values ​​may be commonly provided for each cell that supports WUS.

[0063] In some exemplary embodiments, the offset value may be predetermined in the first device 110 and the second device 120. For example, the offset value may be preconfigured by the second device 120 or, alternatively, specified in a relevant standard. In this manner, the UE may determine at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell on which to apply WUS based on the assistance information. The UE may then apply at least one offset value for cell reselection.

[0064] In some exemplary embodiments, in the case where a first device 110 that supports WUS remains on a serving cell (e.g., cell 102) that supports WUS, the threshold for initiating intra- or inter-frequency measurements for cell reselection for the first device 110 may be different from that for a fourth device 140 that does not support WUS because the link budget may be different for WUS than for any other signaling.

[0065] In some example embodiments, the assistance information may correspond to a device type of the first device 110. For example, the device type may include one of a RedCap device or a non-RedCap device. In this case, the gNB may provide different assistance information to different types of UEs.

[0066] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, information of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies WUS may be provided to a UE. This information assists UEs that support WUS in cell reselection evaluation. Such information does not affect the cell reselection principles of UEs that do not support WUS. In this way, the energy efficiency of the UE may be improved. Furthermore, mobility performance is guaranteed by taking into account different link budgets for WUS.

[0067] It should be understood that some of the steps of process 300 are optional and may be omitted, and the order of the steps is given for illustrative purposes. Additionally, some of the steps may be performed in parallel with other steps. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this respect.

[0068] 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 400 may be implemented in a terminal device, e.g., first device 110 described with reference to FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. However, in some other embodiments, method 400 may also be implemented in any other device, e.g., a network device, such as a gNB, CU, DU, etc. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0069] At 410, the first device 110 receives cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection from the second device 120, which provides the source cell 102 for the first device 110. In the example of FIG. 1, the candidate cells may include cells 104 and 106, and the candidate frequencies may include at least one frequency on which cells 104 and 106 operate.

[0070] At 420, the first device 110 receives assistance information for cell reselection from the second device 120. In this case, the assistance information indicates at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell on which to apply WUS, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies includes at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the assistance information may be conveyed via at least one of the following: a SIB, or an RRC message, such as an RRC release message. For example, an existing SIB may be reused to convey the assistance information. In another example, a new SIB may be used specifically to convey the assistance information. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may include at least one of the following: a cell list including at least one cell to apply WUS to, or a frequency list including at least one frequency to apply WUS to.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may be carried in a SIB. Additionally or alternatively, the assistance information may be carried in an RRC message. In other words, the cell reselection information may be broadcast within the cell 102, and the assistance information may be provided to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0074] At 430, the first device 110 performs a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments in which cell reselection information is carried in an SIB and assistance information is carried in an RRC message, the first device 110 may determine that the information carried via the RRC message takes precedence over the information carried via the SIB. Based on this determination, the first device 110 may perform a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information. In this case, the first device 110 may ignore the information carried in the SIB.

[0076] Additionally or alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments in which cell reselection information is carried in an SIB and assistance information is carried in an RRC message, the first device 110 may determine that the information carried via the SIB takes precedence over the information carried via the RRC message. Similarly, based on this determination, the first device 110 may perform a cell reselection evaluation based on the cell reselection information. In this case, the first device 110 may ignore the information carried in the RRC message.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the source cell 102 was a PCell before the first device 110 was directed to the RRC_INACTIVE mode or the RRC_IDLE mode. Based on determining that the source cell 102 was a PCell, the first device 110 may perform cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information. Additionally or alternatively, the first device 110 may determine that the source cell 102 was a cell other than a PCell. Based on determining that the source cell 102 was not a PCell, the first device 110 may perform cell reselection evaluation based on the cell reselection information.

[0078] In other words, in the case where the first device 110 is directed to RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE mode, assistance information via dedicated signaling may take precedence only in the cell that was the UE's PCell, otherwise cell reselection information via broadcast signaling will take precedence.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the assistance information may be associated with at least one PLMN, i.e., different assistance information may be provided for UEs associated with different PLMNs.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 may prioritize a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on at least one of the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may rank at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell (i.e., 104) that applies WUS with a higher priority than the remainder of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies that do not apply WUS, e.g., cell 106 in this example.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a set of cell reselection priorities assigned for devices that do not support WUS, and the assistance information may indicate at least one cell reselection priority assigned for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies WUS.

[0083] Additionally, in some exemplary embodiments, first device 110 may determine that first device 110 supports or has the capability to process WUS. Based on the determination that first device 110 supports WUS, first device 110 may prioritize a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information.

[0084] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a set of cell reselection priorities for a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies, and the assistance information may indicate at least one priority offset for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell on which to apply WUS.

[0085] Additionally, in some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the first device 110 supports WUS. Based on determining that the first device 110 supports WUS, the first device 110 may prioritize a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies by applying at least one priority offset to at least one cell reselection priority of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies WUS. For example, a UE that supports WUS may increase the absolute priority value of a frequency by 1, 2, etc. when the frequency also supports WUS. In this case, the priority for frequencies that support WUS may differ for UEs that support WUS and UEs that do not support WUS.

[0086] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may be associated with at least one offset value for ranking at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which WUS is applied, wherein the at least one offset value includes at least one of the following: at least one offset associated with RSRP, or at least one offset associated with RSRQ, or at least one offset associated with SINR, etc.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a cell quality threshold, and the assistance information may be associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality threshold for cell reselection. For example, the first device 110 may determine the target cell quality threshold by increasing the cell quality threshold by at least one offset value. Alternatively, in some other examples, the first device 110 may determine the target cell quality threshold by decreasing the cell quality threshold by at least one offset value.

[0088] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may be associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality for cell reselection. For example, the first device 110 may determine whether the target cell quality for cell reselection is better than the measured cell quality by at least one offset value. Alternatively, in some other examples, the first device 110 may determine whether the target cell quality is worse than the measured cell quality by at least one offset value.

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may indicate at least one of the following: an offset value specific to the frequency or neighboring cell to which the WUS is applied, or an offset value common to at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which the WUS is applied.

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one offset value may be predetermined in first device 110 and second device 120. For example, the at least one offset value may be preconfigured by second device 120 or, alternatively, specified in an associated standard. Thus, first device 110 may determine, based on the assistance information, that at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applies WUS. Based on determining that at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applies WUS, first device 110 may apply at least one offset value for cell reselection.

[0091] In some example embodiments in which the first device 110 supports WUS and the source cell 102 applies WUS, the first device 110 may determine that a first threshold for triggering cell reselection evaluation has been reached. Based on determining that the first threshold has been reached, the first device 110 may perform cell reselection evaluation. In this case, the first threshold is different from a second threshold for cell reselection assigned for a device 112 that does not support WUS.

[0092] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may correspond to a device type of the first device 110. For example, the device type may include one of a RedCap device or a non-RedCap device.

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the first device 110 or the second device 120 may include a terminal device (e.g., a UE), and the other of the first device 110 or the second device 120 may include a network device (e.g., a gNB).

[0094] 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 500 may be implemented in a network device, such as second device 120 described with reference to FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. However, in some other embodiments, method 500 may be implemented in any other device. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0095] At 510, the second device 120 obtains at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies WUS.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one indication may be obtained from at least one third device serving at least one neighboring cell or operating on at least one frequency. In the example of FIG. 1, third device 122 serving neighboring cell 104 supporting WUS may transmit such an indication.

[0097] At 520, the second device 120 transmits cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection to the first device 110 in the source cell 102 served by the second device 120. In the example of FIG. 1, the candidate cells may include cells 104 and 106, and the candidate frequencies may include at least one frequency on which cells 104 and 106 operate.

[0098] At 530, second device 120 transmits assistance information for cell reselection to first device 110. In this case, the assistance information may indicate at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies includes at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the assistance information may be conveyed via at least one of the following: a SIB, or an RRC message, such as an RRC release message. For example, an existing SIB may be reused to convey the assistance information. In another example, a new SIB may be used specifically to convey the assistance information. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may include at least one of the following: a cell list including at least one cell to apply WUS to, or a frequency list including at least one frequency to apply WUS to.

[0101] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may be carried in a SIB. Additionally or alternatively, the assistance information may be carried in an RRC message. In other words, the cell reselection information may be broadcast by the gNB, and the assistance information may be provided to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, information carried via an RRC message may take precedence over information carried via a SIB. In this case, the first device 110 may prioritize a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the assistance information but ignore the information carried in the SIB.

[0103] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, information conveyed via SIBs may take precedence over information conveyed via RRC messages. In this case, first device 110 may prioritize a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information but ignore the information conveyed in the RRC messages.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the assistance information may be associated with at least one PLMN, i.e., the gNB may provide different assistance information to UEs associated with different PLMNs.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a set of cell reselection priorities assigned for devices that do not support WUS, and the assistance information may indicate at least one cell reselection priority assigned for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies WUS.

[0106] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a set of cell reselection priorities for a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies, and the assistance information may indicate at least one priority offset for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell on which to apply WUS.

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may be associated with at least one offset value for ranking at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which WUS is applied, wherein the at least one offset value includes at least one of the following: at least one offset associated with RSRP, or at least one offset associated with RSRQ, or at least one offset associated with SINR, etc.

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information may indicate a cell quality threshold, and the assistance information may be associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality threshold for cell reselection.

[0109] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality for cell reselection.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information may indicate at least one of the following: an offset value specific to the frequency or neighboring cell to which the WUS is applied, or an offset value common to at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which the WUS is applied.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one offset value may be predetermined in first device 110 and second device 120. For example, the at least one offset value may be preconfigured by second device 120 or, alternatively, specified in a relevant standard. In this manner, the UE may determine at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply WUS to based on the assistance information. The UE may then apply the at least one offset value for cell reselection.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the assistance information may correspond to a device type of the first device 110. For example, the device type may include one of a RedCap device or a non-RedCap device. In this case, the gNB may provide different assistance information to different types of UEs.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the first device 110 or the second device 120 may include a terminal device (e.g., a UE), and the other of the first device 110 or the second device 120 may include a network device (e.g., a gNB).

[0114] According to an exemplary embodiment, assistance information for cell reselection is supported to be provided to UEs. Based on the assistance information, UEs that support WUS are enabled to prioritize cells or frequencies that also support WUS. In this way, better energy efficiency can be achieved in the UE. Furthermore, the assistance information may only have an effect on UEs that support WUS, without affecting UEs that do not support WUS. By taking into account different link budgets for WUS, mobility performance of the RAN is guaranteed.

[0115] In some exemplary embodiments, a first apparatus (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing method 400 may comprise means for performing each step of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented as a circuit or a software module. In some embodiments, the means may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code, in cooperation with the at least one processor, are configured to cause operation of the apparatus.

[0116] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device comprises: means for receiving cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell for the first device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; means for receiving assistance information for cell reselection from the second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal to, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; and means for performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is conveyed via at least one of the following: a system information block or a radio resource control message.

[0118] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one of the following: a cell list including at least one cell to apply the wake-up signal to, or a frequency list including at least one frequency to apply the wake-up signal to.

[0119] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information is carried in a system information block and the assistance information is carried in a radio resource control message.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for determining that information conveyed via a radio resource control message takes precedence over information conveyed via a system information block; and means for performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information based on the determination that information conveyed via a radio resource control message takes precedence over information conveyed via a system information block.

[0121] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for determining that information conveyed via a system information block takes precedence over information conveyed via a radio resource control message; and means for performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the cell reselection information based on the determining that information conveyed via the system information block takes precedence over information conveyed via a radio resource control message.

[0122] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for determining that the source cell was a primary cell before the first device was directed to the radio resource control inactive mode or the radio resource control idle mode; and means for performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information based on the determining that the source cell was the primary cell.

[0123] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for determining that the source cell was a cell other than the primary cell; and means for performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the cell reselection information based on the determining that the source cell was a cell other than the primary cell.

[0124] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one public land mobile network.

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for prioritizing a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on at least one of the cell reselection information and the assistance information.

[0126] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determining a priority of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for ranking at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies a wake-up signal with a higher priority than the remainder of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies that do not apply a wake-up signal.

[0127] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities assigned for devices that do not support wake-up signals, and the assistance information indicates at least one cell reselection priority assigned for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies the wake-up signal.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for prioritizing the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for determining that the first device supports a wake-up signal; and means for prioritizing the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information, based on the determination that the first device supports a wake-up signal.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities for a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies, and the assistance information indicates at least one priority offset for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply the wake-up signal to.

[0130] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determining a priority of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies comprises: means for determining that the first device supports a wake-up signal; and means for determining, based on the determination that the first device supports a wake-up signal, a priority of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies by applying at least one priority offset to at least one frequency to which the wake-up signal is applied or at least one cell reselection priority of at least one neighboring cell.

[0131] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for ranking at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which the wake-up signal is applied, the at least one offset value including at least one of the following: at least one offset associated with a reference signal received power, or at least one offset associated with a reference signal received quality, or at least one offset associated with a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio.

[0132] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information indicates a cell quality threshold and the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality threshold for cell reselection, and the means for performing cell reselection evaluation comprises one of: means for determining the target cell quality threshold by increasing the cell quality threshold by at least one offset value, or means for determining the target cell quality threshold by decreasing the cell quality threshold by at least one offset value.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality for cell reselection, and the means for performing cell reselection evaluation comprises one of: means for determining whether the target cell quality for cell reselection is better than the measured cell quality by at least one offset value; or means for determining whether the target cell quality is worse than the measured cell quality by at least one offset value.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information indicates at least one of the following: an offset value specific to the frequency or neighboring cell at which the wake-up signal is applied; or an offset value common to at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell at which the wake-up signal is applied.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one offset value is predetermined in the first device and the second device, and the means for performing cell reselection evaluation comprises: means for determining, based on the assistance information, that at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applies a wake-up signal; and means for applying the at least one offset value for cell reselection based on the determination that the at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applies a wake-up signal.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, the first apparatus supports a wake-up signal, the source cell applies the wake-up signal, and the means for performing a cell reselection evaluation comprises: means for determining that a first threshold for triggering a cell reselection evaluation has been reached; and means for performing a cell reselection evaluation based on determining that the first threshold has been reached, wherein the first threshold is different from a second threshold for cell reselection assigned for devices that do not support the wake-up signal.

[0137] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information corresponds to a device type of the first apparatus, the device type comprising one of a reduced functionality device or a non-reduced functionality device.

[0138] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the first and second devices comprises a terminal device, and the other of the first and second devices comprises a network device.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, a second apparatus (e.g., second device 120) capable of performing method 500 may comprise means for performing each step of method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented as a circuit or a software module. In some embodiments, the means may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code, together with the at least one processor, are configured to cause the implementation of the apparatus.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device comprises: means for obtaining at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply the wake-up signal to; means for transmitting cell reselection information to the first device in a source cell provided by the second device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; and means for transmitting assistance information for cell reselection to the first device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and the candidate cell or set of candidate frequencies including the at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one indication is obtained from at least one third device serving the at least one neighboring cell or operating on the at least one frequency.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is conveyed via at least one of the following: a system information block or a radio resource control message.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one of the following: a cell list including at least one cell to apply the wake-up signal to, or a frequency list including at least one frequency to apply the wake-up signal to.

[0144] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information is carried in a system information block and the assistance information is carried in a radio resource control message.

[0145] In some exemplary embodiments, information conveyed via radio resource control messages takes priority over information conveyed via system information blocks.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, information conveyed via system information blocks takes priority over information conveyed via radio resource control messages.

[0147] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one public land mobile network.

[0148] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities assigned for devices that do not support wake-up signals, and the assistance information indicates at least one cell reselection priority assigned for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies the wake-up signal.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities for a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies, and the assistance information indicates at least one priority offset for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply the wake-up signal to.

[0150] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for ranking at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which the wake-up signal is applied, the at least one offset value including at least one of the following: at least one offset associated with a reference signal received power, or at least one offset associated with a reference signal received quality, or at least one offset associated with a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, the cell reselection information indicates a cell quality threshold, and the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality threshold for cell reselection.

[0152] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality for cell reselection.

[0153] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information indicates at least one of the following: an offset value specific to the frequency or neighboring cell at which the wake-up signal is applied, or an offset value common to at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell at which the wake-up signal is applied.

[0154] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one offset value is predetermined in the first device and the second device.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments, the assistance information corresponds to a device type of the first apparatus, the device type comprising one of a reduced functionality device or a non-reduced functionality device.

[0156] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the first and second devices comprises a terminal device, and the other of the first and second devices comprises a network device.

[0157] 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communications device, such as the first device 110 or the second device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processors 610, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 640 (i.e., communications modules 640) coupled to the processors 610.

[0158] The TX / RX 640 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0159] The processor 610 may be of any type suitable for the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, by way of non-limiting example. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized with a main processor.

[0160] The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-down periods.

[0161] The computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The program 630 may be stored in the ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any appropriate actions and processes by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0162] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 630 such that the device 600 can perform any of the processes of the present disclosure discussed with reference to Figures 2-5. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0163] In some embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or in other storage device accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 7 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 700 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer-readable medium stores the program 630.

[0164] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller, or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0165] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those contained in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor in a device to perform the method 400 or 500 described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules may be executed in a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0166] Program codes for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0167] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, device, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0168] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or device, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium include 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), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0169] Furthermore, while operations are shown in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order or sequence shown, or that all of the operations shown be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while some specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be practiced in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0170] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to perform at least: receiving cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell for the first device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; receiving assistance information for cell reselection from a second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which a wake-up signal is to be applied, and a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information; A first device that causes

2. Support information, System Information Block, or Radio Resource Control Messages The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is delivered via at least one of:

3. Support information, a cell list including at least one cell to which the wake-up signal is to be applied, or a frequency list including at least one frequency to which the wake-up signal is to be applied; The first device of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

4. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the cell reselection information is carried in a system information block and the assistance information is carried in a radio resource control message.

5. performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies; determining that information conveyed via a radio resource control message has priority over information conveyed via a system information block; performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information based on determining that information conveyed via the radio resource control message takes priority over information conveyed via the system information block; The first device of claim 4 , comprising:

6. performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies; determining that information conveyed via a system information block takes priority over information conveyed via a radio resource control message; performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the cell reselection information based on determining that information conveyed via the system information block takes priority over information conveyed via the radio resource control message; The first device of claim 4 , comprising:

7. performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies; determining that the source cell was a primary cell before the first device was directed to a radio resource control inactive mode or a radio resource control idle mode; performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the assistance information based on determining that the source cell was the primary cell; The first device of claim 4 , comprising:

8. performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies; determining that the source cell was a cell other than the primary cell; performing a cell reselection evaluation based on the cell reselection information based on determining that the source cell is a cell other than the primary cell; The first device of claim 4 , comprising:

9. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the assistance information is associated with at least one public land mobile network.

10. At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: Prioritizing a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on at least one of the cell reselection information and the assistance information. The first device of claim 1 , further comprising:

11. Prioritizing a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies ranking at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies a wake-up signal with a higher priority than the rest of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies that do not apply a wake-up signal; The first device of claim 10, comprising:

12. 11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities assigned for a device that does not support a wake-up signal, and the assistance information indicates at least one cell reselection priority assigned for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies the wake-up signal.

13. Prioritizing a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies determining that the first device supports a wake-up signal; Based on determining that the first device supports the wake-up signal, prioritizing a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information; The first device of claim 12, comprising:

14. 11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities for a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies, and the assistance information indicates at least one priority offset for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which a wake-up signal is applied.

15. Prioritizing a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies determining that the first device supports a wake-up signal; Based on determining that the first device supports the wake-up signal, determining a priority of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies by applying at least one priority offset to at least one frequency to which the wake-up signal is applied or at least one cell reselection priority of at least one neighboring cell; The first device of claim 14, comprising:

16. The assistance information is associated with at least one frequency to which the wake-up signal is applied or at least one offset value for ranking at least one neighboring cell, and the at least one offset value is: at least one offset associated with the reference signal received power; or at least one offset associated with a reference signal reception quality; or At least one offset associated with a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio. The first device of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

17. The cell reselection information indicates a cell quality threshold, and the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality threshold for cell reselection; performing a cell reselection evaluation, determining a target cell quality threshold by increasing the cell quality threshold by at least one offset value; or determining a target cell quality threshold by decreasing the cell quality threshold by at least one offset value; The first device of claim 1 , comprising one of:

18. The assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality for cell reselection; performing a cell reselection evaluation, determining whether a target cell quality for cell reselection is better than the measured cell quality by at least one offset value; or Determining whether the target cell quality is worse than the measured cell quality by at least one offset value. The first device of claim 1 , comprising one of:

19. Support information, An offset value specific to the frequency or neighboring cell to which the wake-up signal is applied, or An offset value common to at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which the wake-up signal is applied.

19. A first device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, exhibiting at least one of:

20. at least one offset value is predetermined in the first device and the second device; performing a cell reselection evaluation, determining, based on the assistance information, that at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applies a wake-up signal; applying at least one offset value for cell reselection based on the determination that at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applies a wake-up signal; 19. The first device of claim 16, comprising:

21. The first device supports a wake-up signal, and the source cell applies the wake-up signal; performing a cell reselection evaluation, determining that a first threshold for triggering a cell reselection evaluation has been reached; performing a cell reselection evaluation based on determining that a first threshold has been reached, the first threshold being different from a second threshold for cell reselection assigned for devices that do not support wake-up signals; The first device of claim 1 , comprising:

22. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the assistance information corresponds to a device type of the first device, the device type comprising one of a reduced functionality device or a non-reduced functionality device.

23. The first device of claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second devices comprises a terminal device, and the other of the first and second devices comprises a network device.

24. at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to perform at least: obtaining at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply a wake-up signal; transmitting cell reselection information to the first device in a source cell served by the second device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; Transmitting assistance information for cell reselection to the first device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; A second device that causes the

25. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the at least one indication is obtained from at least one third device serving at least one neighboring cell or operating on at least one frequency.

26. Support information, System Information Block, or Radio Resource Control Messages 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the second device is delivered via at least one of:

27. Support information, a cell list including at least one cell to which the wake-up signal is to be applied, or a frequency list including at least one frequency to which the wake-up signal is to be applied; 25. The second device of claim 24, comprising at least one of:

28. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the cell reselection information is carried in a system information block and the assistance information is carried in a radio resource control message.

29. 30. The second device of claim 28, wherein information conveyed via radio resource control messages takes priority over information conveyed via system information blocks.

30. 30. The second device of claim 28, wherein information conveyed via a system information block takes priority over information conveyed via a radio resource control message.

31. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the assistance information is associated with at least one public land mobile network.

32. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities assigned for devices that do not support wake-up signals, and the assistance information indicates at least one cell reselection priority assigned for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell that applies the wake-up signal.

33. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the cell reselection information indicates a set of cell reselection priorities for a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies, and the assistance information indicates at least one priority offset for at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply the wake-up signal to.

34. The assistance information is associated with at least one frequency to which the wake-up signal is applied or at least one offset value for ranking at least one neighboring cell, and the at least one offset value is: at least one offset associated with the reference signal received power; or at least one offset associated with a reference signal reception quality; or At least one offset associated with a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio.

25. The second device of claim 24, comprising at least one of:

35. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the cell reselection information indicates a cell quality threshold, and the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality threshold for cell reselection.

36. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the assistance information is associated with at least one offset value for determining a target cell quality for cell reselection.

37. Support information, An offset value specific to the frequency or neighboring cell to which the wake-up signal is applied, or An offset value common to at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which the wake-up signal is applied.

37. A second device according to any one of claims 34 to 36, exhibiting at least one of:

38. 37. The second device of any one of claims 34 to 36, wherein at least one offset value is predetermined in the first device and in the second device.

39. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein the assistance information corresponds to a device type of the first device, the device type comprising one of a reduced functionality device or a non-reduced functionality device.

40. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein one of the first and second devices comprises a terminal device and the other of the first and second devices comprises a network device.

41. receiving, at the first device, cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell for the first device, indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; receiving assistance information for cell reselection from a second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which a wake-up signal is to be applied, and a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information; A method comprising:

42. obtaining, at the second device, at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to which a wake-up signal is to be applied; transmitting cell reselection information to the first device in a source cell served by the second device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; Transmitting assistance information for cell reselection to the first device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; A method comprising:

43. means for receiving cell reselection information from a second device that provides a source cell for the first device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; means for receiving assistance information for cell reselection from the second device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell to apply the wake-up signal to, and a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; means for performing a cell reselection evaluation for at least a portion of a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies based on the cell reselection information and the assistance information; A first device comprising:

44. means for obtaining at least one indication of at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell applying a wake-up signal; means for transmitting cell reselection information to the first device in a source cell provided by the second device, the cell reselection information indicating a set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies for cell reselection; means for transmitting assistance information for cell reselection to the first device, the assistance information indicating at least one frequency or at least one neighboring cell, and the set of candidate cells or candidate frequencies including at least one neighboring cell or at least one frequency; A second device comprising:

45. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 41 or 42.

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