Method and apparatus for accessing a communications network - Patents.com

Abstract

The terminal device receives a message from the network device via a paging channel and determines, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to access or restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device. The network device transmits the message to the terminal device via the paging channel. The terminal device receives the message from the network device via the paging channel and determines, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device. The network device transmits the message to the terminal device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD The exemplary embodiments herein relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for accessing a communications network. [Background technology]

[0002] In cellular systems, wireless devices, commonly referred to as user equipment (UE), are sent pages by the wireless network for a variety of reasons, for example, a page can bring the UE from idle mode to connected mode, such as to receive a voice call.

[0003] There are times when paging may be used for purposes other than mobile origination or termination of calls. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This section is intended to include examples and not to be limiting. In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving, at a terminal device, a message over a paging channel from a network device. The method also includes determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to access or restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0005] A further exemplary embodiment includes a computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of the preceding paragraph when the computer program is executed on a device. The computer program according to this paragraph may be a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph, wherein the program is directly loadable into the internal memory of the device.

[0006] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories that store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving, at a terminal device, a message from a network device via a paging channel, and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is allowed to access or is restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0007] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving, at a terminal device, a message from a network device via a paging channel, and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is allowed to access or is restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0008] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for performing, at a terminal device, the steps of receiving a message from a network device via a paging channel and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is allowed to access or is restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, a method includes transmitting a message by a network device to a terminal device over a paging channel, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to access or restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0010] A further exemplary embodiment includes a computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of the previous paragraph when the computer program is executed on a device. In a computer program according to this paragraph, the computer program may be a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph, where the program is directly loadable into the internal memory of the device.

[0011] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories, the memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the step of transmitting, by the network device, a message over a paging channel to a terminal device, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to access or restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0012] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the step of transmitting, by the network device, a message over a paging channel to a terminal device, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to access or restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, the apparatus comprises means for performing the steps of: transmitting, by the network device, a message to the terminal device over a paging channel, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to access or restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes receiving, at a terminal device, a message over a paging channel from a network device, and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0015] A further exemplary embodiment includes a computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of the preceding paragraph when the computer program is executed on a device. In a computer program according to this paragraph, the computer program may be a computer program that is a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph, where the program is directly loadable into the internal memory of the device.

[0016] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and a plurality of memories, the memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform, at least at a terminal device, the steps of receiving a message from a network device via a paging channel and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0017] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving, at a terminal device, a message from a network device via a paging channel, and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0018] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for performing, at a terminal device, the steps of receiving a message from a network device via a paging channel and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes, at a network device, transmitting a message over a paging channel to a terminal device, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0020] Further exemplary embodiments include a computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of the preceding paragraph when the computer program is executed on a device. The computer program according to this paragraph may be a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph, the program being directly loadable into the internal memory of the device.

[0021] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause a network device to perform a step of sending a message to a terminal device via a paging channel, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of the cell associated with the network device.

[0022] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the step of sending a message to a terminal device via a paging channel at a network device, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device.

[0023] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for performing, at a network device, a step of transmitting a message to a terminal device via a paging channel, the message indicating whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell or one or more beams of a cell associated with the network device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible non-limiting example system in which example embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a bitmap used in a short message. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of beam-based cell access restriction. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a logic flow diagram performed by user equipment for paging-based backoff indication. [Figure 4A] 5 is another logic flow chart similar to FIG. 4 executed by user equipment for paging-based backoff indication. [Figure 5] 5 is a logic flow diagram executed by a network device for paging-based backoff indication, corresponding to FIG. 4. [Figure 5A]6 is another logic flow chart similar to FIG. 5 executed by a network device for paging-based backoff indication and corresponds to FIG. 4A. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram of an example in which a UE misses a page with a short / paging message that enables / disables access restriction. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which a UE receives paging after receiving access restriction. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 illustrates another example in which a UE employs relaxed measurements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Abbreviations that may be found in the present specification and / or drawings are defined below at the end of the Detailed Description section.

[0026] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All embodiments described in this detailed description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims.

[0027] Multiple drawing reference numbers, words, or acronyms are used in this description with " / ", and generally, when used in this description, " / " can be interpreted as either "or", "and", or "both".

[0028] The exemplary embodiments herein describe techniques for something (usually reflecting the title). Further explanation of these techniques is presented after the systems in which the exemplary embodiments may be used are described.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, this figure illustrates a block diagram of one possible, non-limiting, exemplary system in which exemplary embodiments may be implemented. Shown are a user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and a network element 190. In FIG. 1, the user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. The UE is a wireless, typically mobile, terminal device capable of accessing the wireless network. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected via one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, or other optical communication equipment. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a control module 140 comprising one or both of portions 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in several ways. The control module 140 may be implemented in hardware as control module 140-1, such as implemented as part of one or more processors 120. The control module 140-1 may be implemented as an integrated circuit or via other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the control module 140 may be implemented as control module 140-2 implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to cause the user equipment 110, using the one or more processors 120, to perform one or more of the operations described herein. The UE 110 communicates with the RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0030] The RAN node 170 is a base station that provides access to the wireless network 100 by wireless devices such as the UE 110. The RAN node 170 is typically referred to as a gNB, which is an example of a network device as described below. The RAN node 170 may be a network device such as a base station for 5G, also known as New Radio (NR). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be a network device such as an NG-RAN node, defined as either a gNB or an NG-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations toward the UE and connects to the 5GC (e.g., network element 190) via an NG interface. An NG-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations toward the UE and connects to the 5GC via an NG interface. An NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and a distributed unit (DU) (gNB-DU), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU may include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB or the RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB, which controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. Reference numeral 198 also denotes a link between a remote element of the RAN node 170 and a centralized element of the RAN node 170, such as between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195, although the F1 interface is indicated as reference numeral 198. The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or more cells. One cell is supported by one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface 198 connected to the gNB-CU.It should be noted that while the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of an RU, some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under the control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an evolved NodeB (eNB) base station for long term evolution (LTE), or any other suitable base station.

[0031] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected via one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver (Rx) 162 and a transmitter (Tx) 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor 152, the memory 155, and the network interface 161. Note that the DU 195 may also include its own memory / memory and processor, and / or other hardware, which are not shown.

[0032] The RAN node 170 includes a control module 150 comprising one or both of portions 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in several ways. The control module 150 may be implemented in hardware as control module 150-1, such as implemented as part of one or more processors 152. The control module 150-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or via other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the control module 150 may be implemented as control module 150-2, implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to cause the RAN node 170, using the one or more processors 152, to perform one or more of the operations described herein. It should be noted that the functionality of the control module 150 may be distributed, such as distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or may be implemented solely in the DU 195.

[0033] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more RAN nodes 170 communicate, for example, using link 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0034] The one or more buses 157 may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation for 5G, with other elements of the RAN node 170 possibly in a different physical location from the RRH / DU, and the one or more buses 157 may be implemented, for example, in part, as optical fiber cables or other suitable network connections for connecting other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates a suitable network link.

[0035] While the description herein indicates that a "cell" performs a function, it should be clear that the base station forming the cell performs that function. A cell constitutes part of a base station; that is, there can be multiple cells per base station. For example, there can be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each covering one-third of a 360-degree area so that the coverage area of ​​a single base station covers approximately an oval or circle. Furthermore, each cell can accommodate a single carrier, and a base station can use multiple carriers. Thus, if there are three 120-degree cells and two carriers per carrier, the base station has a total of six cells.

[0036] The wireless network 100 may include core network functions and may include one or more network elements 190 providing connectivity to a data network 191, such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet), via one or more links 181. Such core network functions for 5G may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and / or a User Plane Function (UPF) and / or a Session Management Function (SMF). Such core network functions for LTE may include an MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) function. Note that these are merely example functions that may be supported by the network element 190, and both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled to the network element 190 via link 131. The link 131 may be implemented, for example, as an NG interface for 5G, or an S1 interface for LTE, or other appropriate interface for other standards. Network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 180 interconnected via one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured, using the one or more processors 175, to cause network element 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0037] Wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity: a virtual network. Network virtualization includes platform virtualization, which is often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as either external, which combines many networks or portions of networks into a virtual unit, or internal, which provides network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. It should be noted that virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization are still implemented at some level using hardware, such as processor 152 or 175 and memory 155 and 171, and that such virtualized entities produce technical effects.

[0038] The computer-readable memory 125, 155, 171 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The computer-readable memory 125, 155, 171 may be a means for performing storage functions. The processor 120, 152, 175 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of 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. The processor 120, 152, 175 may be a means for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, the RAN node 170, and other functions described herein.

[0039] In general, various embodiments of user equipment 110 as a terminal device may include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a cellular phone such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capabilities, a portable computer with wireless communication capabilities, a vehicle with a modem device for wireless V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication, an image capture device such as a digital camera with wireless communication capabilities, a gaming device with wireless communication capabilities, a music storage and playback device with wireless communication capabilities, an internet appliance (including an Internet of Things, IoT, device) that allows wireless internet access and possibly browsing, an IoT device with sensors and / or actuators for automation applications with a wireless communication tablet with wireless communication capabilities, and a portable unit or terminal incorporating a combination of such functions.

[0040] Having thus introduced one suitable, but non-limiting, technical context for implementing the exemplary embodiments, the exemplary embodiments will now be described more particularly. An overview of the technical field will now be provided.

[0041] Under high load, the wireless network 100 may want to restrict access to a cell to only certain users, access classes, slices, or services. This is made possible in 5G via the Unified Access Control (UAC) framework specified in 3GPP TS 22.261.

[0042] This framework applies to all UE states for NR (RRC_IDLE, RRC_INACTIVE, and RRC_CONNECTED). The NG-RAN 170 broadcasts barring control information related to access categories and access identities (in the case of network sharing, the barring control information can be configured separately for each PLMN). The UE determines whether an access attempt is allowed based on the barring information broadcast for the selected PLMN and the selected access category and access identity for the access attempt.

[0043] 1) For a NAS trigger request, the NAS determines the access category and access identity.

[0044] 2) For an AS trigger request, the RRC determines the access category and the NAS determines the access identity.

[0045] The gNB 170 processes access attempts with establishment causes "Emergency", "MPS-PriorityAccess" and "MCS-PriorityAccess" with high priority (i.e., emergency call, MPS, MCS subscriber) and responds with an RRC reject to these access attempts only in extreme network load conditions that may threaten the stability of the gNB.

[0046] Having presented an introduction to the UAC framework, we now present an introduction to short messages. Short messages may be transmitted on the PDCCH using P-RNTI with or without an associated paging message via DCI (Downlink Control Information) format 1_0. A short message consists of an 8-bit bitmap, as shown in Figure 2.

[0047] In Rel-18, a new research item for network energy savings in NR was approved under RP-213554. Below, we restate the justification and objectives of this work, which are between the opening and closing quotation marks.

[0048] 4.1 Purpose of SI or Core WI or Test WI The objectives of the study are as follows:

[0049] 1. Definition of Base Station Energy Consumption Model [RAN1] Adapting the TR38.840 power consumption modeling and evaluation methodology framework to the base station side includes the relative energy consumption of DL and UL (taking into account factors such as PA efficiency, number of TxRUs, base station load, etc.), sleep states and associated transition times, and one or more criteria parameters / configurations.

[0050] 2. Evaluation methodology and KPI definition [RAN1] The evaluation methodology should aim to assess system-level network energy consumption and energy saving gains, as well as evaluate / balance the impact on network and user performance (e.g., spectrum efficiency, capacity, UPT, latency, handover performance, call drop rate, initial access performance, SLA guarantee related KPIs), energy efficiency, and UE power consumption, complexity. The evaluation methodology should not focus on a single KPI, but should reuse existing KPIs whenever applicable, where new KPIs can be developed as needed if existing KPIs are found to be insufficient. Note: The WG decides which KPIs to evaluate and how they will be evaluated.

[0051] 3. Researching and identifying gNB and UE side techniques to improve network energy savings for both BS transmission and reception may include: How to achieve dynamic and / or semi-static and finer granularity adaptation of transmission and / or reception in one or more of the network energy saving techniques in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, and power domain with potential support / feedback from the UE, and potential UE assistance information [RAN1, RAN2].

[0052] Information exchange / coordination via network interfaces [RAN3] Note: Other techniques are not excluded This concludes the justification and purpose of the work on RP-213554. For example, any change in the unified access control parameters requires the serving cell to broadcast a System Information (SI) change notification followed by a modification period during which updated SI messages are broadcast. This is a rather cumbersome and time-consuming procedure, and in practice is not applicable to very transient peak load situations.

[0053] The UE receives the instruction regarding the SI modification using a short message transmitted with the P-RNTI on the DCI. Because UEs in a cell may be distributed across different beams of the cell, the SI change notification and updated SI messages must be broadcast on all beams of the cell, leading to excessive overload / overhead, especially in scenarios where access control is required to be dynamically adopted. For example, if a cell is heavily loaded and access control is triggered to reduce the load, the cell load increases due to the system information update procedure described above before load reduction can begin. Once the cell load decreases, there is a second overhead of the SI change notification and update procedure to open the cell to more users.

[0054] Furthermore, after the UE receives the updated SI, depending on its access identity and access category, the UE may or may not be able to access the cell. If the UE cannot access the cell after the procedure or if the UE is not interested in accessing the cell, this procedure may lead to a reduced UE battery life (i.e., higher power consumption) that can be avoided.

[0055] Furthermore, SI updates are always applied to the entire cell, and therefore the load within individual beams cannot be controlled using UAC in NR.

[0056] Therefore, there is a problem as to how to efficiently provide access restriction to UEs within a cell or within a beam of a cell, which may be a Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB).

[0057] To enable faster redirection from LTE to 3G for circuit switch fallback via redirection, delayed SIB acquisition was introduced in Rel. 8. In this configuration, the UE is only required to acquire some mandatory SIBs before attempting to access an LTE cell; other SIBs are provided to the UE by the 3G cell in connected mode.

[0058] Also, conventionally, a UE always knows all basic information for accessing a cell (e.g., via SIBs). In contrast, in some examples herein, a UE may postpone acquiring basic / essential SIBs.

[0059] By way of example, the exemplary embodiments provide a framework for proactively temporarily restricting access to cells / beams via paging and / or short messages, and, as an additional embodiment, enabling UE power conservation by postponing the acquisition of SI updates. The framework allows cell access to be beam-based, as shown in FIG. 3, which illustrates an example of cell access restriction. In FIG. 3, a gNB 170 having a tower 330 with antenna 158 (e.g., as an array of antenna elements) generates beam #1 310-1 and beam #2 310-2. Beam #1 310-1 may create or be included in cell 320-1 serving UEs 110-1 and 110-2, and beam #2 310-2 may create or be included in cell 320-2 serving UEs 110-3, 110-4, and 110-5. While cell access is permitted in cell 320-1 (see reference numeral 340), cell access restriction using a short message (see reference numeral 350) is implemented in cell 320-2. That is, cell access is restricted in cell 320-2 (see reference numeral 360). By way of example, a cell may consist of or comprise multiple beams. For example, cell 320-1 may be comprised of beam #1 310-1 and beam #2 310-2 serving UEs 110-1 and 110-2. Alternatively, for example, cell 320-2 may be comprised of beam #1 310-1 and beam #2 310-2 serving UEs 110-3, 110-4, and 110-5. Thus, both reference numerals 340 and 360 may be performed per beam rather than per cell.

[0060] At a high level, the exemplary framework enables one or more of the following:

[0061] 1) Beam-specific or cell-specific cell access restrictions are shown, for example, in FIG.

[0062] 2) Proactively enable or disable cell access restriction via short message / paging message. The short message may be transmitted using downlink control information (DCI) via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in paging occasions (POs) that the UE monitors for possible paging reception. The paging message may be a paging record. The paging message may be included in an RRC message and transmitted via the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The paging message may be scheduled or indicated using DCI on the PDCCH in POs that the UE monitors for possible paging reception, where the UE attempts to decode the paging message in the PDSCH.

[0063] 3) Network-controlled delayed UE acquisition of updated system information until the UE needs to access a cell can also be applied on a beam-by-beam basis.

[0064] The means proposed herein can also be utilized in NW energy saving schemes, pursuing beam / cell level muting / DTX / DRX of cells / beams.

[0065] It should be noted that according to the current specification, if the serving cell does not send a short message indicating the modification of the SI message (i.e., no system information change is performed), some UEs may still not have a valid version of the SI message, e.g., if it is more than 3 hours old, and may reacquire the SI message.

[0066] In another exemplary embodiment, short message signaling can be used to indicate that the UE is permitted to employ a relaxed measurement scheme, for example, for a cell beam. In this embodiment, the short message indicates whether the beam enables relaxed measurements (see block 380) at reference numerals 340 / 360. These relaxed measurements for some beams, such as SSB beams, can be employed by the gNB when the gNB decides to employ a power saving mode, e.g., reducing the number of active antenna elements used for transmitting the beam or the frequency at which the beam is transmitted. Relaxed measurements can involve the UE performing measurement evaluation for relaxed beams in a different manner. For example, if the UE determines that relaxed measurements are enabled, it can use different thresholds when evaluating the cell (re)selection procedure. Furthermore, if the UE's decision on relaxed measurements indicates this is only for a particular measurement occasion, the UE can either report separate measurements for relaxed and non-relaxed measurements, or the UE can report a single measurement indicating the use of relaxed measurements. For relaxed measurements, the UE may apply different metrics for a cell or beam of a cell relative to metrics for other beams or other cells.

[0067] Further details are described in part in conjunction with Figure 4, which is a logic flow diagram executed by user equipment for paging-based backoff indication. Figure 4 also illustrates the operation of one or more example methods, results of execution of computer program instructions embodied on computer-readable memory, functions performed by hardware-implemented logic, and / or interconnected means for performing functions, according to example embodiments. The blocks of Figure 4 are assumed to be executed, for example, at least in part, by UE 110 under control of control module 140.

[0068] A UE in an idle or inactive state (see block 405) may be indicated using a short message over the DCI or a paging message transmitted over the PDSCH. In block 410, the UE monitors a paging channel, for example, to receive this information. In block 415, the UE 110 determines whether the short (or paging) message includes an indication that access is authorized or not authorized. This is also considered a constraint; for example, not being authorized for access is a constraint, but being authorized for access is not. Note that while short messages are primarily described in these figures, paging messages could be used instead.

[0069] One possibility is that access to the cell is restricted or not permitted, as indicated as "not permitted" in block 415. In this case, the UE can wait for an indication that access to the cell is permitted (see reference numeral 416, where flow proceeds to block 410), or the UE can start a timer, such as T390, with a value derived based on its most recently obtained SI information. For example, the timer value may be defined based on the following equation: T390=(0.7+0.6*rand)*uac_BarringTime where rand is a random number drawn from a uniform distribution in the range 0 to 1.

[0070] uac_BarringTime is derived from the most recent SI value stored in the UE for the serving cell. Any other parameter may also be applied.

[0071] This is indicated by block 425. In block 430, the UE considers cell access not granted until a timer (eg, T390) expires or a short message indication with an access grant is received.

[0072] In one option, the UE can derive a random backoff time between 0 (zero) and BACKOFF_TIME (see block 427), during which time the UE is not allowed to attempt access to the cell if RRC establishment is triggered. BACKOFF_TIME can be provided by the NW using broadcast signaling or in a paging message / short message where a backoff indication is provided. In one option, an index of BACKOFF_TIME can be defined in the specification or indicated in the short message / paging message pointing to a predefined BACKOFF_TIME broadcast by the NW.

[0073] Another possibility is that access to the cell is permitted, as indicated by "permitted" in block 415. In this case, in response to receiving this indication, the UE 110 stops the timer (e.g., the T390 timer, etc.) if one was running or if one applies, and the UE assumes that the cell is available for access and can access the cell if necessary. See block 440.

[0074] In one embodiment, for both of the above scenarios, if the short / paging message indicates a system information message change (see block 445), the UE may postpone acquiring an updated SI until the UE needs to access a cell. In this case, the UE reacquires the modified SI before the call attempt. See block 450.

[0075] In one embodiment, the proposed framework may utilize a reserved bit in the DCI of the short message to enable the above indication, i.e., the UE checks the currently reserved bit for a new indication for block 415. This is indicated by block 417. Block 417 also indicates that the currently reserved bit may be used additionally or alternatively for block 445.

[0076] In another option, the NW indicates a wait time in the short message / paging message that the UE waits before attempting to access the cell. See Figure 4A, which is another logic flow diagram similar to Figure 4 executed by the user equipment for a paging-based backoff indication. In block 426, the UE receives the wait time, e.g., in the short message / paging message from block 415. The UE waits in block 431, since it will delay attempting to access the cell until after the wait time has expired.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 5, this figure corresponds to FIG. 4, which is a logic flow diagram performed by a network device for paging-based backoff indication. That is, while FIG. 4 illustrates operations performed by a UE, FIG. 5 illustrates operations performed on the other side of the communication by a network device, such as gNB 170. FIG. 5 also illustrates operations of one or more exemplary methods, results of execution of computer program instructions embodied on computer-readable memory, functions performed by hardware-implemented logic, and / or interconnected means for performing functions, according to exemplary embodiments. The blocks of FIG. 5 are assumed to be performed by gNB 170 (or another network device), e.g., at least in part under the control of control module 150.

[0078] In block 505, the gNB 170 determines whether a beam or cell should be restricted or not, for example, due to a peak load condition on the beam / cell. That is, the NW (in this case, the gNB 170) determines that it wants to restrict access to a certain beam or cell of cells and applies that decision to all UEs under the beam / cell. In block 510, the gNB 170 transmits a short (or paging) message in the paging channel to the UE in the beam / cell. What happens next is based on whether the short message includes an indication of whether access is allowed or not (block 515).

[0079] If access is not permitted (e.g., restricted) in block 515, the gNB 170 estimates a time delay before the UE attempts to access the cell (block 525). Note that if there are multiple UEs, each UE will determine a random wait time that will most likely be different, and therefore there may be different time delays for the UEs. For example, at some point in time, defined in part by the random wait time determined by the individual UE, the UE should attempt to access the cell. In block 530, the gNB responds to the UE accessing the cell, for example, by performing normal functions for access.

[0080] If access is permitted (e.g., not restricted) in block 515, the gNB 170, the gNB responds to one or more UEs accessing the cell by, for example, performing normal functions for access in block 540. The UEs can access the cell at any time.

[0081] In block 545, gNB 170 determines whether to send a short message with an SI correction instruction to the UE. If so (block 545=Yes), gNB 170 sends the message and communicates with the UE so that the UE reacquires the SI when the UE reconnects to the network.

[0082] In one embodiment, the proposed framework may utilize a reserved bit in the short message bitmap to enable the above indication, i.e., the gNB 170 modifies a currently reserved bit for the new indication for block 515. This is illustrated by block 517, which may apply to blocks 515 and / or 545.

[0083] As mentioned above, the UE can derive a random backoff time between 0 (zero) and BACKOFF_TIME (see block 427 in FIG. 4), during which time the UE is not allowed to attempt to access the cell if RRC (re)establishment is triggered. BACKOFF_TIME can be provided by the NW in block 515 using broadcast signaling (see reference number 2 in 527) or in a paging message / short message (see reference number 1 in 527) (see block 527), where an indication for backoff is also provided.

[0084] FIG. 5A is another logic flow diagram similar to FIG. 5 executed by a network device for paging-based backoff indication, this diagram corresponding to FIG. 4A. In this option, the NW indicates in a short message / paging message a wait time that the UE will wait before attempting to access the cell. Referring to block 526, the gNB 170 receives, e.g., the wait time, from the short message / paging message block 515. In block 527, the gNB 170 expects the UE(s) to delay attempting to access the cell until after the expiration of the corresponding wait time. In block 531, the gNB 170 responds to the UE or UEs accessing the cell, e.g., in a normal access pattern.

[0085] In one embodiment, the UE may miss a page with a short / paging message that enables / disables access restriction. In these cases, when the short / paging message restricts access, the UE may be denied or not allowed to access the network when attempting to transition to RRC connected mode. For scenarios where a missed paging indication informs the network of allowed access, the T390 timer (or similar) ensures that the UE does not erroneously move into an incorrect state.

[0086] 6 is a signaling diagram of an example in which a UE misses a page with a short / paging message enabling / disabling access restriction. In signaling 610, the gNB 170 sends a short message (e.g., a page) with an indication that temporary access is not allowed. An "X" indicates that the UE 110 did not receive it. The UE sends a setup request or RRC resumption request in signaling 620. The gNB 170 responds with an RRC reject in signaling 630 because the UE is not expected to access the beam / cell at this time.

[0087] In one embodiment, if the UE receives a paging from the NW requesting that the UE establish a connection with the NW, the access restriction may be ignored, and the UE may initiate a call for mobile terminated access. Figure 7 illustrates an example in which the UE receives a paging after receiving access restriction. In Figure 7, the UE 110 executes block 425 of Figure 4 or block 426 of Figure 4A. This is performed in block 710. That is, the UE is not allowed to access the beam / cell for a specific time (as in blocks 425 / 426). In block 720, the UE receives a short message (e.g., a paging) for mobile terminated (MT) access (within a time period, such as a waiting time to delay access), and in block 730, the UE ignores the access restriction and instead accesses the beam / cell for MT access.

[0088] For other examples, see Figure 8. Note that any flowcharts herein, such as Figures 7-9, illustrate the operation of one or more exemplary methods, the results of execution of computer program instructions embodied on computer-readable memory, functions performed by hardware-implemented logic, and / or interconnected means for performing functions according to exemplary embodiments. The blocks in these figures are performed by a network device, such as the UE 110 or the gNB 170.

[0089] In one embodiment, the NW may also indicate in the paging message indication options the access classes to which restrictions apply / do not apply, see block 810. In one embodiment, restrictions may be applied by the NW only to certain access classes, e.g., emergency calls are allowed, while other access classes are restricted to certain beams / cells, see block 820.

[0090] In one embodiment, with the proposed framework, the serving cell can group UEs with similar access categories in the same paging cycle, e.g., to reduce the load associated with short messages / paging messages due to cell access restrictions, see block 830. That is, the NW does not need to provide such restrictions at each Paging Occasion (PO) within a cell / beam.

[0091] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the serving cell can broadcast the described indication only on specific beams of the cell that have overload to offload these beams, see block 840. For example, in the case of a TDD deployment where MU-MIMO is employed, if a beam is overloaded by a user, the serving cell can proactively preempt new users from accessing the cell via this beam.

[0092] In one embodiment, the restriction is applied beam-specific, i.e., the UE is restricted / allowed to access the cell via the beam for which the indication was received. See block 850. In one option, the NW can indicate whether the indication is applied per beam or per cell. See block 860.

[0093] Another example is illustrated by block 870. In this example, the network transmits a paging message to inform the UE of restricted access to the cell for some beams of the cell, and the beam from which the UE receives the paging message may or may not be restricted. That is, the beam used to transmit the paging message may not be one of the restricted beams.

[0094] In most examples herein, a single beam is used that is designated as having permitted access or having restricted access. Block 880 illustrates another possibility: one or more beams may be designated as permitted or restricted. In other words, a plurality of certain beams may be designated as restricted (or permitted).

[0095] Referring now to FIG. 9, this figure shows another example in which a UE employs relaxed measurements. In this example, the UE 110, e.g., as a terminal device, is in an idle or inactive state in block 1. The gNB 170, e.g., as a network device, sends a short message (paging) with instructions to employ relaxed measurements, as indicated by signaling 2. The paging channel may include a paging occasion (PO) via a PDCCH or a PDSCH, as indicated by block 3. Block 3.a. indicates that the PDCCH may be used with the short message in the DCI. Alternatively (or additionally), block 3.b. indicates that the PDSCH may be used with the paging message. It should be noted that block 3 and its sub-blocks 3.a and 3.b may be applied to other flowcharts and techniques described herein.

[0096] In block 4, UE 110 applies different metrics (or other relaxed metrics) to the cell or beam of the cell. As indicated by block 4.a., the different metrics may be pre-configured before the signaling in at least 2 is received.

[0097] The UE 110 reports the measurements in signaling 5. Block 5.a. indicates that the UE may indicate relaxed use of the measurement criteria in signaling 5. In block 6, the gNB uses the measurements in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

[0098] Without limiting in any way to the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims set forth below, one or more technical effects of the example embodiments disclosed herein include that the UE does not need to continuously acquire modified SIBs, but instead can remain in DRX mode (or other energy-saving state) while the UE is not authorized to access the cell. Another technical effect of one or more example embodiments disclosed herein includes that the example embodiments enable beam-based access restriction. Another technical effect of one or more example embodiments disclosed herein includes that, given the reduced load from the perspective of the serving cell, the example embodiments enable a more dynamic framework for restricting access to the cell over time.

[0099] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementation (e.g., implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only) (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, including (where applicable) (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) software, and any portion of a hardware processor with memory (including a digital signal processor) that cooperates to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions. (c) Such a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate may include hardware circuitry and / or processors that may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0100] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuit also encompasses simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, as well as its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. The term circuit also encompasses, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to certain claim elements.

[0101] Embodiments herein may be implemented in software (executed by one or more processors), hardware (e.g., application specific integrated circuits), or a combination of software and hardware. In an exemplary embodiment, the software (e.g., application logic, instruction set) is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" may be any medium or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer, with an example computer being described and depicted in FIG. 1 . A computer-readable medium may comprise a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 125, 155, 171, or other device), which may be any medium or means that can contain, store, and / or carry instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer. A computer-readable storage medium does not include a propagating signal.

[0102] If desired, different functions discussed herein may be performed in different orders and / or concurrently with one another. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the above functions may be optional or combined.

[0103] Various aspects of the invention are set out in the independent claims, but other aspects of the invention include other combinations of features from the described embodiments and / or dependent claims with features of the independent claims, and not just the combinations explicitly set out in the claims.

[0104] It should also be noted that, while the above describes exemplary embodiments of the present invention, these descriptions are not to be construed in a limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modifications that can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

[0105] The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0106] 3G: 3rd generation 3GPP (registered trademark): 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G: Fifth Generation 5GC: 5G Core Network AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function AS: Access Layer CU: Central Unit DCI: Downlink Control Information DRX: Intermittent reception DU: Distributed Unit eNB (or eNodeB): Evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station) EN-DC: E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity EN-gNB or EN-gNB: A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination for UEs, and acts as a secondary node in EN-DC E-UTRA: evolved universal terrestrial radio access, i.e., LTE radio access technology gNB (or gNodeB): A base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination towards UEs and is connected to 5G via the NG interface. I / F: Interface LTE: Long Term Evolution MAC: Media Access Control MCS: Mission Critical Services MPS: Multimedia Priority Service MME: Mobility Management Entity MT Mobile incoming call MU-MIMO: Multi-user multiple input multiple output NW: Network NAS: Non-access layer ng or NG: Next Generation ng-eNB or NG-eNB: Next Generation eNB NR:New Radio N / W or NW: Network PBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel PHY: Physical layer PLMN: Public Land Mobile Network PO: Paging Opportunity P-RNTI: Paging-Radio Temporary Identifier RAN: Radio Access Network Rel: Release RLC: Radio Link Control RRH: Remote Radio Head RRC: Radio Resource Control RU: Radio unit Rx: Receiver SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol SGW: Serving Gateway SI: System Information SIB: System Information Block SMF: Session Management Facility SSB: Synchronization signal and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) block TS: Technical specifications Tx: Transmitter UAC: Unified Access Control UE: User Equipment (e.g., wireless, typically mobile device) UPF: User Plane Function

Claims

1. receiving, at the terminal device, a message from the network device over a paging channel; and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is allowed to access or is restricted from accessing a cell or one or more beams of the cell associated with the network device.

2. receiving, at the terminal device, a message from the network device over a paging channel; and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell associated with the network device or one or more beams of the cell.

3. receiving, at the terminal device, a message from the network device over a paging channel; and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is allowed to access or is restricted from accessing a cell associated with the network device or one or more beams of the cell.

4. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the paging channel comprises one or more paging occasions over a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from the network device.

5. the paging channel comprises one or more paging occasions via a PDCCH; The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the message is a short message indicated by downlink control information transmitted over the PDCCH.

6. the paging channel comprises one or more paging occasions on a PDSCH; 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the message is a paging message transmitted over the PDSCH.

7. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the terminal device is in an idle or inactive state at least during the receiving and determining steps.

8. receiving the message includes receiving the message from the network device via a beam of the cell; 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the determining step further comprises determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is permitted to access the cell via a beam of the cell or is restricted from accessing the cell.

9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the beam of the cell from which the message is received is one of a beam that is different from the one or more beams or one of the one or more beams.

10. The means comprises: The apparatus of claim 8 , further configured to perform the step of accessing the cell via the one or more beams of the cell based on the determination.

11. The means comprises:

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further configured to, in response to the message, perform the step of managing acquisition of system information of the cell for access to the cell or the one or more beams of the cell.

12. The means comprises: The apparatus of claim 11 , further configured to perform the step of postponing or delaying the acquisition of the system information for the cell based on the message.

13. The means comprises: The apparatus of claim 11 , further configured to perform the step of obtaining the system information for the cell regardless of the determination.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the message indicates a change or update to the system information.

15. The means comprises: The apparatus of claim 14, further configured to perform the step of postponing or delaying the acquisition of the changes or updates to the system information of the cell based on the message.

16. receiving, at the terminal device, a message from the network device over a paging channel; and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is authorized to use relaxed measurements to access a cell associated with the network device or one or more beams of the cell.

17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the paging channel comprises one or more paging occasions over a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from the network device.

18. the paging channel comprises one or more paging occasions via a PDCCH; The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the message is a short message indicated in downlink control information transmitted over the PDCCH.

19. the paging channel comprises one or more paging occasions via a PDSCH; 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the message is a paging message transmitted over the PDSCH.

20. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the terminal device is in an idle or inactive state at least during the receiving and determining steps.

21. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, based on a determination of relaxed measurements for the cell or the one or more beams of the cell, the terminal device applies different metrics for the cell or the one or more beams of the cell relative to metrics for other beams or other cells.

22. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the different metrics are preconfigured by the network device for the terminal device.

23. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the terminal device indicates the use of the relaxed metrics when reporting measurements to the network device.

24. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the beam of the cell from which the message is received is one of a beam that is different from the one or more beams or is one of the one or more beams.

25. 1. An apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more memories that store instructions, The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, at least: receiving, at the terminal device, a message from the network device over a paging channel; and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is permitted to access or is restricted from accessing a cell associated with the network device or one or more beams of the cell.

26. 1. An apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more memories that store instructions, The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, at least: receiving, at the terminal device, a message from the network device over a paging channel; and determining, based on the message, whether the terminal device is permitted to use relaxed measurements to access a cell associated with the network device or one or more beams of the cell.

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