Energy resource level based paging response

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for responding to a page based on an energy resource level. For example, the method may include receiving a page from a network. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The method may also include initiating a delay. The delay may be based at least in part on the paging attempt number and an energy level of a user equipment, such as an energy harvesting device. The method may further include responding to the page upon completion of the delay.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Some exemplary embodiments relate generally to communications involving mobile or wireless telecommunications systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technologies or new radio (NR) access technologies, or other communications systems including subsequent generations of the same or similar standards. For example, some exemplary embodiments may relate generally to responding to paging based on energy resource levels. [Background technology]

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunications systems may include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial radio access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), MultiFire, LTE-A Pro, and / or fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology or New Radio (NR) access technology. 5G wireless systems refer to next-generation (NG) radio systems and network architectures. 5G systems are primarily built on 5G New Radio (NR), but 5G (or NG) networks can also be built on E-UTRA radio. From Release 18 (Rel-18) onward, 5G is referred to as 5G advanced. NR is estimated to provide bit rates on the order of 10–20 Gbit / s or more and support service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), at least. NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low-latency connectivity and large-scale networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). As IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications become more widespread, the need for networks that meet the needs of lower power, lower data rates, and longer battery life will increase. The Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) represents a RAN for 5G that can provide both NR and LTE (and LTE-Advanced) radio access. Note that in 5G, a node that can provide radio access functionality to user equipment (i.e., similar to a Node B (NB) in UTRAN or an evolved NB (eNB) in LTE) may be named a Next Generation NB (gNB) when built on NR radios, and a Next Generation eNB (NG-eNB) when built on E-UTRA radios.6G is currently under development and could replace 5G and 5G advanced. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving a page from a network. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of initiating a delay. The delay may be based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the apparatus. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus to perform the step of responding to the page upon completion of the delay.

[0004] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of sending a page to a user equipment, the page comprising a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving a response to the page from the user equipment.

[0005] Embodiments may be directed to a method. The method may include receiving a paging from a network at a user equipment. The paging may include a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given paging has been attempted. The method may also include initiating a delay, the delay based at least in part on the paging attempt number and an energy level of the user equipment. The method may further include responding to the paging upon completion of the delay.

[0006] Embodiments may be directed to a method. The method may include sending a page from a network to a user equipment. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted. The method may also include receiving a response to the page from the user equipment.

[0007]

[0009] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include means for receiving a page from a network. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The apparatus also includes means for initiating a delay, the delay based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the apparatus. The apparatus further includes means for responding to the page upon completion of the delay.

[0008] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include means for sending a page to a user equipment. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted. The apparatus may also include means for receiving a response to the page from the user equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] For a proper understanding of the exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of energy harvesting device energy resource depletion during a paging procedure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an energy harvesting device that is aware of the number of paging attempts, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a paging processing procedure for an energy harvesting device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It will be readily understood that the components of the exemplary embodiments, as generally described herein and illustrated in the Figures, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for providing responding to paging based on energy resource levels is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments, but rather represents selected exemplary embodiments.

[0011] The features, structures, or characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. For example, throughout this specification, the use of the phrase "some embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, throughout this specification, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0012] As used herein, at least one of a "list of two or more elements" and at least one of a "list of two or more elements" and similar phrases where a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or" mean at least one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0013] Some embodiments may have various aspects and features. These aspects and features may be applied alone or in any desired combination with each other. Other features, procedures, and elements may also be applied in combination with some or all of the aspects and features disclosed herein.

[0014] Moreover, if desired, different functions or procedures discussed below may be performed in different orders and / or concurrently with one another. Moreover, if desired, one or more of the described functions or procedures may be optional or combined. The following description should therefore be considered illustrative of the principles and teachings of some exemplary embodiments, and not limiting thereof.

[0015] Low-cost and low-power devices for wide-area Internet of Things (IoT) communications can benefit many IoT applications. These use cases can be addressed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) research on Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) / enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) and New Radio (NR) Reduced Capabilities (RedCap). These IoT devices consume tens to hundreds of milliwatts of power while transmitting and receiving and can cost several dollars. To achieve the goals of the Internet of Everything, IoT devices with 10-fold or even 100-fold lower cost and power consumption can be particularly beneficial for many applications that may rely on battery-less devices, sometimes referred to as batteryless or battery-free devices. IoT technologies that can support batteryless devices can be beneficial.

[0016] The number of IoT connections has grown rapidly in recent years and could reach hundreds of billions by 2030. With more and more things expected to be interconnected to improve production efficiency and increase comfort of life, there could be increased benefits from further reducing the size, cost, and power consumption of IoT devices. In particular, periodic battery replacement for every IoT device may be impractical due to the enormous consumption of materials and labor. One option is to use energy harvested from the environment to power IoT devices for self-sustaining communication, especially in applications involving vast numbers of devices such as ID tags and sensors.

[0017] Providing the ability to work with energy harvesting in target use cases can be challenging given the limited device size. Cellular devices can consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts of power for transmit and receive operations. Considering NB-IoT modules, for example, the typical current draw for receive operations is currently around 60 mA, with a supply voltage higher than 3.1 V, and transmit operations are 70 mA at 0 dBm transmit power. The output power provided by a typical energy harvester can be less than 1 milliwatt, given the small size of a few square centimeters in practical devices. Since the available power is much smaller than the power consumption, it may be impractical in most cases to directly power a cellular device with energy harvesting.

[0018] One possible solution is to integrate energy harvesting with a rechargeable battery or supercapacitor. Both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can suffer from reduced lifespans. Providing a constant charging current or voltage through energy harvesting can be difficult, but the output power from the energy harvester is so small that long periods of continuous charging may be required. Both fluctuating charging currents and long periods of continuous charging can be detrimental to battery life. In the case of supercapacitors, their lifespan can be significantly shortened in high-temperature environments. For example, a supercapacitor may function properly for less than three years at 50 degrees Celsius.

[0019] Another impact could be a significant increase in device size. Small button cells can only provide a current of a few tens of milliamps. Therefore, much larger batteries, such as AA batteries, could be used to power cellular devices. In this case, the size of the battery may even be larger than the active part of the module itself. To store energy for a suitable operating duration, such as one second, the required capacitance of the supercapacitor may be on the order of 100 millifarads. The size of such a supercapacitor, apart from the power source, could also be larger than the size of the NB-IoT module.

[0020] Rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can each be more expensive than the module itself: even when purchased in bulk, the cost of a suitable battery or supercapacitor can reach one or several dollars, which can nearly double the cost of the device.

[0021] Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that supports battery-less tags and is a category of battery-less devices. The power consumption of commercially available passive RFID tags can be as low as 1 microwatt. Technologies that enable such low power consumption can be envelope detection for downlink data reception and backscatter communication for uplink data transmission. RFID is designed for short-range communication, with a typical effective range of less than 10 meters. Because the RFID air interface has remained largely unchanged since 2005, transmission methods can be an obstacle to improving link budgets and the ability to support scalable networks. Nevertheless, RFID can demonstrate the extremely low power consumption of backscatter communication.

[0022] Passive IoT may be included in 5G NR. Both 3GPP and non-3GPP technologies, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, UWB, and LORA, can benefit from technologies that offer low power consumption. Power consumption of a few microwatts or tens of microwatts can be achieved for passive tags based on or modified for each of these air interfaces. In contrast to RFID, there may be benefits in providing devices with long-range communication capabilities. For example, distances of several hundred meters are possible.

[0023] Some types of user equipment (UE), such as energy harvesting devices (EHDs), can harvest energy from natural sources. Natural sources can include solar energy, environmental vibrations, etc. The amount of energy harvested and stored can vary from device to device. The harvested energy need not be dedicated to the device's radio frequency (RF) modem. For example, the harvested energy can also be used to power sensors on the device. Some embodiments can help networks support devices with reduced and highly variable energy resources.

[0024] 1 illustrates an example of energy harvesting device energy resource depletion during a paging procedure. The left side of FIG. 1 illustrates the energy levels of a battery, supercapacitor, and / or another type of energy resource, and the right side of FIG. 1 illustrates the signaling that occurs.

[0025] For example, at 1, the network may have downlink data to deliver via short message system (SMS) to reconfigure the EHD over the air (OTA). When the device is paged at 2, the network may expect the device to be able to monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and provide a paging response, in addition to performing the paging-initiated follow-up procedure. The EHD may not have sufficient energy resources to complete the necessary monitoring and / or procedures related to the reason the EHD was paged. For example, the EHD may have enough energy to send an RRC setup request at 3 and monitor for an RRC setup message at 4, but may lack enough energy to send an RRC setup complete message at 5. After harvesting more energy, the same cycle may subsequently be repeated at subsequent paging instances, denoted as XX in FIG. 1.

[0026] This may be beneficial to avoid the call being stopped due to the energy depletion of the EHD. Because the procedure is abandoned, when a further paging arrives at XX, the messages previously received and transmitted in 2 to 4 cannot be utilized by the EHD, and therefore the EHD may have the same energy drain problem as before. In other words, with this approach, the EHD has no opportunity to harvest the energy required to complete the RRC setup.

[0027] Some embodiments can ensure that an EHD responding to a paging procedure can successfully complete the paging and follow-up procedure. Some embodiments provide a framework for addressing when an EHD should transition from a low activity state, e.g., an RRC idle / inactive state, to a communication-ready state, e.g., an RRC connected state, based on the EHD's harvested energy level.

[0028] Except for some embodiments, for a UE in RRC idle, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) may provide paging attempt information to each NG-RAN node, including the paging attempt count and the intended number of paging attempts, and the next paging area range. For an RRC inactive UE, the serving NG-RAN node may also provide the RAN paging attempt information. Each paged NG-RAN node may receive the same RAN paging attempt information during the paging attempt, with content including the paging attempt count, the intended number of paging attempts, and the next paging area range. In the case of a Mobile Initiated Connection Only (MICO) with active time, the AMF may determine the active time during registration.

[0029] As part of a service request procedure, a mobility management entity (MME) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) may include paging priority information with a paging message. In LTE, a paging priority indication may be included if a priority level is associated with a priority service, as configured by operator policy. During congestion situations, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB) may prioritize paging for a UE according to the paging priority indication. Thus, paging priority in LTE relates to how an eNB functions as opposed to the function of a user equipment or EHD when responding to a page, as described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.401.

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates an energy harvesting device that is aware of the number of paging attempts, according to some embodiments. In FIG. 2, the left side illustrates the energy level of the EHD, and the right side illustrates the signal flow between the EHD and the network. At 1, the network may have downlink data sent via a short message system message to configure the EHD over the air. Thus, at 2, the network may send a page toward the EHD. The page may include an indication of the current paging attempt. For example, this may be the first paging attempt, and therefore the paging attempt number may be 001. In FIG. 2, the paging attempt is shown as #XX. The EHD may detect this paging attempt and may decide at 3 to initiate a delay or wait for another paging request (e.g., due to insufficient energy level and / or another factor, as described in detail elsewhere herein). Thereafter, at 4, the network may make another paging attempt for this same page (e.g., if the energy level in the EHD has increased sufficiently). This may or may not be the next paging attempt. For example, if this is the second paging attempt, the paging attempt number may be 002. In contrast, if this is the 19th paging attempt, the paging attempt number may be 019. In FIG. 2, the paging attempts are shown as #XX+YY, where YY is the number of paging attempts since the paging attempt at 2.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, by 4, the energy level in the EHD may have increased sufficiently so that the EHD can respond to the paging attempt at 5 by sending an RRC Setup Request. Thus, at 6, the network can provide an RRC Setup message, and at 7, the EHD can acknowledge with an RRC Setup Complete message. In this case, because the EHD waited for the YY paging attempt, there was enough energy for the EHD to successfully complete the RRC setup.

[0032] As shown by way of example in FIG. 2, some embodiments enhance the paging procedure so that the EHD knows where the network is in the paging procedure and can determine when the EHD device should respond to the paging procedure based on the amount of energy currently being harvested. For example, providing the number of paging attempts can inform the EHD about how many paging attempts remain. For example, the EHD may know in advance the maximum number of paging attempts the network will make. The EHD may not necessarily detect the first paging attempt and therefore may not be able to assume that the first detected paging attempt is the first paging attempt from the network's perspective. For example, the first paging attempt detected by the EHD may be the fifth paging attempt. The EHD may know that the maximum number of paging attempts is 100. In such a case, the EHD may understand that there are still 95 paging attempts remaining. Therefore, the EHD may be able to decide to initiate a delay or wait to respond to a later paging. In practice, the maximum number of attempts may be less, such as 5.

[0033] The EHD may also know the time between paging attempts, which may be a constant, or this time may be derivable from knowing the paging type, paging priority, and / or other information.

[0034] The EHD may determine a delay or calculate how long to wait based on the amount of energy required to successfully complete the paging and its associated follow-up procedures. The delay may be understood as a time offset between the start time for waiting for the energy required to successfully complete the paging and its associated follow-up procedures and the start time for initiating the follow-up procedures. The time offset may be understood as a timer having, for example, a time offset value in seconds, the number of symbols, the number of frames, the number of paging events, etc. The amount of energy required to successfully complete the paging and its associated follow-up procedures may be estimated by the EHD considering the serving cell RSRP and the paging type and / or priority field, which may also be provided in the paging message. The paging priority field may also be an immediate indicator that the EHD should provide a paging response. Calculating or otherwise determining how long to wait may involve comparing the EHD's energy level to a predetermined threshold for the paging response. The predetermined threshold for the paging response may be determined based on an estimate of the power needed to establish a radio resource control connection and transmit the amount of data associated with the paging type indicator. The predetermined threshold may be determined by the EHD alone or with the assistance of the network.

[0035] In the example of FIG. 2, the network (NW) may attempt to page the EHD with the intention of delivering an SMS to the EHD to reconfigure the EHD over the air. Upon receiving the paging indication, the EHD energy resource may be in an orange state. The orange state may refer to a situation in which the EHD tends toward a low energy amount (e.g., an energy level potentially insufficient to complete a given paging procedure). Based on the number of paging attempts, the paging type, and the priority, the EHD may decide to initiate a delay based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and the EHD's energy level and wait before responding to the paging attempt with the intention of harvesting some more energy before responding. After YY other paging attempts, the EHD resource may be in a green state. The green state may refer to a situation in which sufficient resources exist (e.g., an energy level sufficient to complete a given paging procedure). In this state, the EHD can respond to the paging procedure following the normal 3GPP procedure. On the network side, there may be a timer associated with the last paging attempt before declaring the EHD unreachable. This timer can take into account the possibility that the EHD may delay its response to harvest more energy.

[0036] In some embodiments, the network can provide the number of paging attempts and paging type, paging priority, or both paging type and paging priority in the EHD paging record. The network can semi-statically configure the EHD with a maximum number of paging attempts and time between attempts. The EHD can use paging procedure assistance information such as the number of paging attempts, paging type, and paging priority, as well as the EHD's harvested energy level, to determine when to respond to a paging message.

[0037] Some embodiments may apply when the EHD is in an RRC idle state and is paged by an AMF. Also, some embodiments may apply when the EHD is in an RRC inactive state and is paged by a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN). Some other embodiments may apply when paging is used to notify an EHD in an idle, inactive, or connected state of the status of system information changes. In still other embodiments, paging may be for just one specific UE, and in further embodiments, paging may apply to all UEs within a certain area (e.g., a tracking area, a location area, or a routing area), for example.

[0038] The network may include additional fields for the number of paging attempts, paging priority, and / or paging type only for paging records related to EHD. The network can identify whether a given UE is EHD based on the UE capability information.

[0039] 3 illustrates a flowchart of a paging procedure for an energy harvesting device, according to some embodiments. More specifically, the EHD behavior is illustrated in FIG.

[0040] As shown at 310, the EHD can receive a semi-static configuration of the paging procedure. This configuration can inform the EHD regarding at least the maximum number of paging attempts and the time between paging attempts. This information can be provided in various ways, such as via a system information message using broadcast, by common control signaling, by group common control signaling, or by unicast for EHDs in RRC connected mode.

[0041] At 320, an EHD in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state may monitor paging occasions. While in an RRC connected state, the EHD may monitor a paging channel at any paging occasion signaled in the system information for system information change indications and public alert system notifications. During RRC idle, the UE may monitor a paging channel for core network (CN)-initiated paging. While RRC inactive, the UE may monitor a paging channel for RAN-initiated paging and CN-initiated paging. At 330, a paging message addressed to the EHD extended with at least a paging attempt number and a paging type and / or priority may be received, corresponding to the Yes branch. If a paging message corresponding to the No branch is not received, the EHD may continue monitoring for paging messages and may determine, at 330, whether a paging message is received.

[0042] At 340, the EHD may determine whether the EHD should respond to the paging message or initiate a delay. This determination at 340 may be based on the EHD's harvested energy level, paging type, and / or paging priority. The determination at 340 may also, or alternatively, take into account any previously determined delay or waiting period that the EHD initiated or otherwise determined. If the EHD chooses to respond, corresponding to the Yes branch of 340, the EHD may proceed to 350 and follow any desired procedure for responding to a page, as described above.

[0043] If the EHD chooses not to respond to this paging opportunity, corresponding to the No branch of 340, the EHD may initiate a delay at 360, e.g., wait a specific amount of time before responding to the paging procedure or until the next paging message. The purpose of such a delay or wait may be to harvest additional energy. If a delay or other wait is already in progress, the EHD may continue to delay or wait. Furthermore, if the EHD is aware of the number of paging attempts, the total number of paging attempts attempted by the network (e.g., an NG-RAN node), and the time between paging messages, the EHD may decide to refrain from further decoding any paging messages in order to save enough additional energy to respond to the paging message and its associated procedures. In some examples, the EHD may recognize the time immediately before the network or paging cell declares the EHD unreachable before deciding to refrain from decoding other re-paging attempts for a period of time.

[0044] At 370, after waiting or delaying, the EHD may determine whether the EHD is still within the paging procedure duration and ready to respond to the page. If so, the EHD may respond to the page at 350. If not, the EHD may determine whether the paging procedure duration has expired at 380. If no, the EHD may check whether a paging message was received at 330. As another option, shown as a dashed line in FIG. 3, if the EHD is aware of the number of paging attempts, the total number of paging attempts attempted by the network, and the time between paging messages, the EHD may decide to refrain from further decoding any paging messages in order to save enough additional energy to respond to the paging message and its associated procedures, and thus return directly to 370. If the paging procedure duration has expired, the EHD may abort the attempt to respond to the page at 390 and resume normal operation.

[0045] If the paging message indicates a high priority paging, the EHD may prioritize completing the paging procedure over other functions defined for the EHD.

[0046] At 310, the EHD behavior when the paging attempt number indicates that the current paging is the last paging may be semi-statically configured per paging type / priority. Additionally, rather than or in addition to transmitting the current paging number and configuring the maximum number of paging attempts, the network may provide a one-bit indicator or other suitable indication of whether the current paging attempt is the last paging attempt.

[0047] The determination at 340 regarding the sufficiency of the energy level to respond to the paging message may be implemented in various ways. For example, the determination at 340 may be based on previous attempts in which energy was sufficient to complete the paging procedure. As another option, the determination at 340 may be based on a mapping that may be semi-statically configured or specified via a preconfigured rule. For example, for a first paging type, paging type 1, the estimated number of downlink (DL) messages assuming a particular modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for DL ​​and a single spatial layer may be 10. Similarly, for paging type 1, the estimated number of uplink (UL) messages assuming a particular MCS for UL and a single spatial layer may also be 10. In contrast, for paging type 2, the estimated number of DL messages for a particular MCS for DL ​​may be 20, and the estimated number of UL messages for a particular MCS for UL may be 20.

[0048] If such a pattern applies to other paging types, the EHD may be able to calculate the number of UL and DL messages by multiplying the paging type by 10, rather than looking up the value from a table, etc.

[0049] 4 illustrates an example of a system including apparatus 10 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, apparatus 10 may be a node, host, or server within a communications network or providing services to such a network. For example, apparatus 10 may be a network node, satellite, base station, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), 5G Node B or access point, next generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), TRP, HAPS, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and / or WLAN access point associated with a radio access network such as an LTE network, 5G, or NR. In some exemplary embodiments, apparatus 10 may be, for example, a gNB or other similar wireless node.

[0050] It should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, apparatus 10 may include an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system, and the server and wireless nodes may be standalone devices that communicate with each other over wireless paths or via wired connections, or may be located within the same entity that communicates via wired connections. For example, in some exemplary embodiments in which apparatus 10 represents a gNB, it may be configured in a central unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) architecture that divides gNB functions. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functions such as user data forwarding, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and / or session management. The CU may control the operation of the DU via a midhaul interface, referred to as the F1 interface, and the DU may have one or more radio units (RUs) connected to the DU via a fronthaul interface. The DU may be a logical node that includes a subset of gNB functions, depending on the functional division option. Note that those skilled in the art will understand that apparatus 10 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 4.

[0051] As shown in the example of FIG. 4, device 10 may include processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 12 may be any type of general-purpose or application-specific processor. Indeed, processor 12 may include, by way of example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, or any other processing means. While a single processor 12 is shown in FIG. 4, according to other embodiments, multiple processors may be utilized. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, device 10 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system capable of supporting multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, processor 12 may represent a multiprocessor). In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0052] Processor 12 may perform functions related to the operation of device 10, including, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 10, including processes related to responding to paging based on energy resource levels.

[0053] The device 10 may further include or be coupled to the processor 12 with a memory 14 (internal or external) for storing information and instructions that may be executed by the processor 12. The memory 14 may be one or more memories and may be any type of memory suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 14 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of persistent machine- or computer-readable medium, or other suitable storage means. The instructions stored in the memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the processor 12, enable the device 10 to perform the tasks described herein. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" may correspond to limitations on the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than signal), as opposed to limitations on data storage permanence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0054] In some embodiments, device 10 may further include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 12 and / or device 10.

[0055] In some embodiments, device 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting and receiving signals and / or data to and from device 10. Device 10 may further include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to transmit and receive information. Transceiver 18 may include, for example, multiple wireless interfaces that may be coupled to antennas 15 or may include any other suitable transmission and reception means. The wireless interfaces may support multiple wireless access technologies, including one or more of global system for mobile communications (GSM), narrow band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BT-LE), near-field communication (NFC), radio frequency identifier (RFID), ultra wideband (UWB), MulteFire, etc. The air interface may include components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters), mappers, and fast Fourier transform (FFT) modules to generate symbols for transmission over one or more downlinks and receive symbols (e.g., over an uplink).

[0056] Thus, transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 15 and demodulate information received via antenna 15 for further processing by other elements of apparatus 10. In other embodiments, transceiver 18 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices), or input / output means.

[0057] In one embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 10. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality to device 10. Components of device 10 may be implemented in hardware or as any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0058] According to some embodiments, the processor 12 and memory 14 may be included in or form part of processing or control circuitry / means. Further, in some embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be included in or form part of transceiver circuitry / means.

[0059] The term “circuitry” as used herein may refer to dedicated hardware circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital circuits), combinations of hardware circuits and software, combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, any portion of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors) that cooperate to cause a device (e.g., device 10) to perform various functions, and / or hardware circuits and / or processors, or portions thereof, that use software for operation and that may not be present when software is not needed for operation. As a further example, the term “circuitry” as used herein may also encompass simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its associated software and / or firmware implementations. The term circuitry may also encompass, for example, baseband integrated circuits within a server, cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0060] As introduced above, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be or may be part of a network element or RAN node, such as a base station, access point, Node B, eNB, gNB, TRP, HAPS, IAB node, relay node, WLAN access point, satellite, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, apparatus 10 may be a gNB or other radio node, or may be a CU and / or DU of a gNB. According to some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform functions related to any of the embodiments described herein. For example, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform one or more of the processes illustrated in any of the flowcharts or signaling diagrams described herein, such as those shown in FIGS. 1-3, or any other method described herein. In some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform procedures related to, for example, providing for responding to paging based on energy resource levels, as described herein.

[0061] 4 further illustrates an example of apparatus 20 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, apparatus 20 may be a node or element within or associated with a communications network, such as a UE, EHD, communications node, mobile equipment (ME), mobile station, mobile device, fixed device, IoT device, or other device. As described herein, a UE or EHD may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, mobile equipment, mobile unit, mobile device, user device, subscriber station, wireless terminal, tablet, smartphone, IoT device, sensor or NB-IoT device, watch or other wearable, head-mounted display (HMD), vehicle, drone, medical device and its applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial device and its applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronics device, device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, or the like. By way of example, apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for example, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, or the like.

[0062] In some demonstrative embodiments, device 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage, etc.), one or more wireless access components (e.g., modems, transceivers, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some embodiments, device 20 may be configured to operate using one or more wireless access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other wireless access technology. Note that those skilled in the art will understand that device 20 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 4 .

[0063] As shown in the example of FIG. 4, device 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 22 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Indeed, processor 22 may include, by way of example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. While a single processor 22 is shown in FIG. 4, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, device 20 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system capable of supporting multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, processor 22 may represent a multiprocessor). In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0064] Processor 22 may perform functions related to the operation of device 20, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 20, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[0065] Apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to processor 22 with memory 24 (internal or external) for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 22. Memory 24 may be one or more memories and may be any type of memory suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, memory 24 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine- or computer-readable medium. The instructions stored in memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 22, enable apparatus 20 to perform the tasks described herein.

[0066] In one embodiment, device 20 may further include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) that accepts and reads an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 22 and / or device 20.

[0067] In some embodiments, device 20 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving downlink signals from device 20 and transmitting via the uplink. Device 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. Transceiver 28 may also include a wireless interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to antenna 25. The wireless interface may support multiple wireless access technologies, including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The wireless interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols, such as OFDM symbols, carried by the downlink or uplink.

[0068] For example, transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 25 and demodulate information received via antenna 25 for further processing by other elements of device 20. In other embodiments, transceiver 28 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, device 20 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In certain embodiments, device 20 may further include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0069] In an embodiment, memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 22. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 20. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality to device 20. Components of device 20 may be implemented in hardware or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an exemplary embodiment, device 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with device 10 via a wireless or wired communication link 70 according to any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0070] According to some embodiments, the processor 22 and memory 24 may be included in or form part of processing or control circuitry. Additionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be included in or form part of transmitting and receiving circuitry.

[0071] As described above, according to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be, for example, a UE, an EHD, a SL UE, a relay UE, a mobile device, a mobile station, an ME, an IoT device, and / or an NB-IoT device. According to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to perform functionality associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as one or more of the operations shown in or described with respect to FIGS. 1-3, or any other method described herein. For example, in an embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled to perform processes related to providing a response to paging based on an energy resource level, as described in detail elsewhere herein.

[0072] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 and / or apparatus 20) may include means for performing any of the methods, processes, or variations described herein. Examples of means may include one or more processors, memories, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and / or computer program code for performing any of the operations described herein.

[0073] In view of the above, some exemplary embodiments provide several technical improvements, enhancements, and / or advantages over existing technological processes and constitute improvements to at least the technical field of wireless network control and / or management. Some embodiments may have various benefits and / or advantages. For example, some embodiments may enable a network and / or service provider to configure how different energy harvesting device types and capabilities can respond to paging and connection requests. Also, some embodiments may enable an energy harvesting device to better determine how to efficiently utilize its scarce energy resources. Some embodiments may avoid paging storms and repetitive drop call procedures from energy harvesting devices. Additionally, some embodiments may provide efficient utilization of network resources.

[0074] In some exemplary embodiments, the functions of any of the methods, processes, signaling diagrams, algorithms, or flowcharts described herein may be implemented by software and / or computer program code, or portions of code stored in memory or other computer-readable or tangible medium, and may be executed by a processor.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus may include or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit, or entity configured as an arithmetic operation or as a program or program portion (including additional or updated software routines) and executed by at least one computing processor or controller. Programs, also referred to as program products or computer programs, including software routines, applets, and macros, may be stored on any device-readable data storage medium and may include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer-executable components configured to execute some exemplary embodiments when the program is executed. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portion of code. Modifications and configurations required to implement the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be made as routines that may be implemented as additional or updated software routines. In one example, software routines may be downloaded to the apparatus.

[0076] By way of example, the software or computer program code or portions of code may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and may be stored on some kind of carrier, distribution medium, or computer-readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying a program. Such a carrier may include, for example, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory, an optical and / or electrical carrier signal, a telecommunications signal, and / or a software distribution package. Depending on the processing power required, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or distributed among several computers. The computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0077] In other exemplary embodiments, the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in the device, for example, through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In still other exemplary embodiments, the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be implemented as a signal by intangible means, such as may be carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network.

[0078] According to exemplary embodiments, an apparatus such as a node, device, or corresponding component may be configured as a circuit, computer, or microprocessor such as a single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, and may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for operations and / or a computing processor for performing operations.

[0079] The example embodiments described herein may apply to both singular and plural implementations, regardless of whether singular or plural language is used in connection with describing a particular embodiment. For example, an embodiment describing the operation of a single network node may also apply to example embodiments including multiple instances of the network node, and vice versa.

[0080] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented in a different order and / or with hardware elements in different configurations than those disclosed. Thus, while several embodiments have been described based on these exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative configurations will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0081] [Terminology] AMF:Access and Mobility Management Function DL:Downlink EHD:Energy Harvesting Device IоT:Internet of Things MICО:Mobile Initiated Connection Only NG-RAN:Next Generation RAN ОTA:Over the Air PDCCH:Physical Downlink Control Channel RAN:Radio Access Network RRC:Radio Resource Control SMS:Short Message Service

Claims

1. at least one processor; at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, at least, receiving a page from a network, said page including a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; initiating a delay, said delay being based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of said device; and responding to said page upon completion of said delay.

2. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication, and the delay is further based on the paging type indication.

3. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication, and the delay is further based on the paging priority indication.

4. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the delay is further based on a comparison between the energy level and a predetermined threshold for a paging response.

5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold for a paging response is determined based on an estimate of power required to establish a radio resource control connection and transmit an amount of data associated with a paging type indication.

6. 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the device or with the assistance of the network.

7. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further cause the apparatus to perform the step of calculating the delay based on at least a time between paging attempts.

8. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, cause the device to perform at least the steps of receiving a setting for a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts or a paging cell unreachable timer value, wherein the delay is based on at least one of the maximum number of paging attempts or the time between paging attempts.

9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the time between paging attempts is a fixed value or a value derivable from one or more of paging type or paging priority.

10. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the paging is received from an access and mobility function entity when the device is in a radio resource control idle state, or the paging is received from a radio access node when the device is in a radio resource control inactive or connected state.

11. 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further cause the device to perform the step of suspending attempts to decode paging messages for a period based at least on the number of paging attempts and the interval between paging messages or the time a paging cell declares the device unreachable.

12. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determination of the period is based on a paging cell paging period or a paging cell unreachable timer value.

13. at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, at least, sending a page to the user equipment, said page including a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; and receiving a response to the paging from the user equipment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication.

15. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication.

16. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further cause the apparatus to perform at least the step of providing the user equipment with a configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts.

17. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the number of paging attempts is provided in the page conditioned on the user equipment being identified as an energy harvesting device.

18. 18. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that the device comprises an Access and Mobility Function Entity or a Radio Access Node.

19. 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further cause the apparatus to perform the step of forwarding at least one of the number of paging attempts, paging type indication, or paging priority indication, or the time to be declared unreachable, from a radio access node to a further radio access node.

20. receiving a page from the network at the user equipment, said page including a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; initiating a delay, the delay being based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the user equipment; and responding to said page upon completion of said delay.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication, and the delay is further based on the paging type indication.

22. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication, and the delay is further based on the paging priority indication.

23. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the delay is further based on a comparison between the energy level and a predetermined threshold for paging response.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined threshold for a paging response is determined based on an estimate of the power required to establish a radio resource control connection and transmit an amount of data associated with a paging type indication.

25. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the user equipment or with the assistance of the network.

26. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising calculating the delay based on a time between paging attempts.

27. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving a configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts or a paging cell unreachable timer value, wherein the delay is based on at least one of the maximum number of paging attempts or the time between paging attempts.

28. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the time between paging attempts is a fixed value or a value derivable from one or more of a paging type or a paging priority.

29. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the paging is received from an access and mobility function entity when the user equipment is in a radio resource control idle state, or the paging is received from a radio access node when the user equipment is in a radio resource control inactive or connected state.

30. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising suspending attempts to decode paging messages for a period based on the number of paging attempts and the interval between paging messages or the time a paging cell declares the user equipment unreachable.

31. 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the determination of the period is based on a paging cell paging period or a paging cell unreachable timer value.

32. sending a page from the network to the user equipment, said page including a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; receiving a response to the paging from the user equipment.

33. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication.

34. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication.

35. 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: providing the user equipment with a configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts.

36. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the number of paging attempts is provided in the page conditional on the user equipment being identified as an energy harvesting device.

37. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the user equipment comprises an access and mobility function entity or a radio access node.

38. 38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of forwarding from a radio access node to a further radio access node at least one of the number of paging attempts, the paging type indication, or the paging priority indication, or the time to be declared unreachable.

39. means for receiving a page from a network, said page including a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; means for initiating a delay, said delay being based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the device; and means for responding to said page upon completion of said delay.

40. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication, and the delay is further based on the paging type indication.

41. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication, and wherein the delay is further based on the paging priority indication.

42. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the delay is further based on a comparison between the energy level and a predetermined threshold for a paging response.

43. 43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the predetermined threshold for a paging response is determined based on an estimate of power required to establish a radio resource control connection and transmit an amount of data associated with the paging type indication.

44. 43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the apparatus or with the assistance of the network.

45. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising: means for calculating the delay based on a time between paging attempts.

46. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising: means for receiving a configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts or a paging cell unreachable timer value, wherein the delay is based on at least one of the maximum number of paging attempts or the time between paging attempts.

47. 47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the time between paging attempts is a fixed value or a value derivable from one or more of paging type or paging priority.

48. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the paging is received from an access and mobility function entity when the apparatus is in a radio resource control idle state, or the paging is received from a radio access node when the apparatus is in a radio resource control inactive or connected state.

49. 48. The device of any one of claims 39 to 47, further comprising means for suspending attempts to decode paging messages for a period based on the number of paging attempts and the interval between paging messages or the time a paging cell declares the device unreachable.

50. 50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the determination of the period is based on a paging cell paging period or a paging cell unreachable timer value.

51. means for sending a page to the user equipment, the page including a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; and means for receiving a response to the paging from the user equipment.

52. 52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication.

53. 52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication.

54. 52. The apparatus of claim 51, further comprising means for providing a configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts to the user equipment.

55. 52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the number of paging attempts is provided in the page conditional on the user equipment being identified as an energy harvesting device.

56. 52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the apparatus comprises an access and mobility functional entity or a radio access node.

57. 57. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising means for forwarding from the radio access node to a further radio access node at least one of a number of paging attempts, a paging type indication, or a paging priority indication, or a time to be declared unreachable.

58. 39. A computer program product encoding instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 20 to 38.

59. A computer readable medium encoded with instructions which, when executed in hardware, perform the method of any one of claims 20 to 38.

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