Multicast reception in inactive state

Abstract

This application relates to devices and components, including apparatus, systems, and methods for configuring user equipment in a wireless communication system for multicast reception in an inactive state.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless technologies, and in particular, to multicast reception in an inactive state. [Background Art]

[0002] A 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) network provides that a base station multicasts a signal to one or more specified user equipments (UEs). The base station configures the specified UEs to receive a multicast signal, while other UEs that are not specified to receive the multicast signal are not configured to receive the multicast signal. [Brief Description of Drawings]

[0003] [Figure 1] A network environment according to some embodiments is shown.

[0004] [Figure 2] An exemplary multicast or broadcast service (MBS) configuration instance according to some embodiments is shown.

[0005] [Figure 3] This is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0006] [Figure 4] This is another signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0007] [Figure 5] This is another signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0008] [Figure 6] This is a modification indication field according to some embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 7] It is another signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 8] Shows another signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 9] It is another signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 10] It is an operation flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 11] It is another operation flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0014] [Figure 12] It is another operation flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0015] [Figure 13] It is another operation flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 14] It is an exemplary UE according to some embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 15] It is an exemplary base station according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, and techniques are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For the purposes of this document, the phrases "A / B" and "A or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B), the phrase "(A)B" means (B) or (A and B), that is, A is optional, and "based on A" means "based at least in part on A", and may for example be "based solely on A" or "based in part on A".

[0019] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in the present disclosure.

[0020] As used herein, the term “circuit configuration” refers to, part of, or includes hardware components configured to provide the described functions, such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) or memories (shared, dedicated, or grouped), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), composite PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, programmable system-on-chip (SoCs)), and digital signal processors (DSPs). In some embodiments, a circuit configuration may run one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functions. The term “circuit configuration” may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or combinations of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) and the program code used to perform the functions of the program code. In these embodiments, a combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit configuration.

[0021] As used herein, the term "processor circuit configuration" refers to, a part of, or includes a circuit configuration capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or the recording, storage, or transfer of digital data. The term "processor circuit configuration" may also refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer executable instructions such as program code, software modules, or functional processes.

[0022] As used herein, the term “interface circuit configuration” refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit configuration that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term “interface circuit configuration” may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, I / O interface, peripheral component interface, or network interface card.

[0023] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” or “UE” refer to a device having wireless communication capabilities and may represent a remote user of network resources within a communication network. The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” may be considered synonymous with, and may be referred to as, a client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the terms “User Equipment” or “UE” may include any computing device including any type of wireless / wired device or wireless communication interface.

[0024] As used herein, the term “computer system” refers to any kind of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. In addition, the term “computer system” or “system” may refer to various components of a computer that are connected to one another in a communicative manner. Furthermore, the term “computer system” or “system” may refer to a group of computer devices or a group of computing systems that are connected to one another in a communicative manner and configured to share computing resources or networking resources.

[0025] As used herein, the term “resource” means a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component in a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component in a particular device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU usage, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or usage, power, input / output operation, port or network socket, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, network, database and application, workload unit, etc. “Hardware resource” may mean a computing resource, storage resource, or network resource provided by one or more physical hardware elements. “Virtualization resource” may mean a computing resource, storage resource, or network resource provided to an application, device, system, etc., by a virtualization infrastructure. The term “network resource” or “communication resource” may mean a resource accessible by a computer device / system via a communication network. The term “system resource” may mean any kind of shared entity providing services, and may include computing resources or network resources. System resources may be thought of as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services that reside on a single host or multiple hosts and are accessible through a clearly identifiable server.

[0026] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmitting medium used to communicate data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous with or equivalent to any other similar term indicating a path or medium through which data is communicated, such as "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmitting channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," or any other similar term. In addition, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for the purpose of sending and receiving information.

[0027] As used herein, terms such as "instantiate" and "instantiate" refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to the specific occurrence of an object that may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0028] The term "connected" can mean that two or more elements in a common communication protocol layer have a signaling relationship established with one another via a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0029] As used herein, the term “Network Element” refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term “Network Element” may be considered synonymous with, or referred to as, networked computers, network hardware, network equipment, network nodes, virtualized network functions, etc.

[0030] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element or data element that contains content. An information element may contain one or more further information elements.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a network environment 100 according to several embodiments. The network environment 100 may include a UE 104 and a base station 108. In some embodiments, the base station 108 may provide one or more wireless access cells, for example, a serving cell 112, through which the UE 104 can communicate with a cellular network. The base station 108 may be part of a radio access network (RAN) coupled with a core network (CN) 116. As used herein, references to a network may include the RAN or CN 116.

[0032] UE104 and base station 108 may communicate via an air interface compatible with fifth-generation (5G) NR (or later) system standards, such as those provided by the technical specifications of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®).

[0033] UE104 may include an RRC state machine that performs operations related to various RRC procedures, such as paging, establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection, reconfiguring an RRC connection, and opening an RRC connection. The RRC state machine may be implemented by a protocol processing circuit configuration; see, for example, processor 1404 in Figure 14.

[0034] The RRC status machine can transition the UE104 to one of several RRC states (or "modes"), including, for example, a connected state (RRC connected or RRC connected), an inactive state (RRC inactive or RRC inactive), and an idle state (RRC idle or RRC idle). The UE104 may start in RRC idle when it first camps on to a serving cell, which may be after the UE104 has been switched on or after cell reselection from another cell. To engage in active communication, the RRC status machine can transition the UE104 from RRC idle to RRC connected by performing an RRC setup procedure to establish a logical connection with a base station, for example, an RRC connection. In an RRC connection, the UE104 may be configured to include at least one signaling radio bearer (SRB) for signaling with the base station (e.g., control messages) and one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) for data transmission. When UE104 is not actively involved in network communication, the RRC state machine may use the RRC release procedure to transition UE104 from RRC connected to RRC inactive. The RRC inactive state may allow UE104 to reduce power consumption compared to an RRC connected state, but still allows UE104 to quickly transition back to an RRC connected state to transfer application data or signaling messages.

[0035] In some embodiments, the base station may provide multicast or broadcast services (MBS) to UEs such as UE 104 in the serving cell 112. MBS can be used for a variety of use cases, including, for example, public safety and mission-critical, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), live video, and software distribution via wireless and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

[0036] Release 17 (Rel-17) 3GPP® standard specifies multicast only for UEs that are in an RRC-connected state. However, this may not facilitate some MBS use cases, such as providing mission-critical services. Furthermore, keeping a UE constantly in an RRC-connected state can be power-inefficient. Therefore, supporting multicast reception for UEs that are in an RRC-inactive state may be beneficial.

[0037] Various aspects need to be considered in order to adequately support MBS reception by UEs in an RRC inactive state. For example, it may be desirable for an RRC inactive UE to receive an updated point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration to facilitate the reception of an ongoing MBS transmission. In another example, it may be desirable to consider both mobility and state transitions for a UE receiving an MBS transmission in an RRC inactive state.

[0038] In some embodiments, after a network has established an MBS multicast session with a UE, the network may activate the MBS multicast session when there is data to be transmitted and deactivate the MBS multicast session during periods when no amount or type of data is expected to be transmitted. The behavior of a UE in an RRC inactive state, sometimes also called an INACTIVE UE, with respect to the activation / deactivation of an MBS multicast session can be described as follows:

[0039] In the case of MBS multicast session activation, group paging can be used to provide MBS multicast session activation notifications. In group paging, a new indication may be added for each temporary mobile group identification (TMGI). Upon receiving an MBS multicast session activation notification, an inactive UE with a valid PTM configuration may begin monitoring for multicast control channel (MCCH) transmissions using the corresponding group radio network temporary identification (G-RNTI), which is used to schedule MBS transmissions on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). If a valid PTM configuration is not available to the UE, the UE will initiate RRC connectivity reactivation to transition to an RRC connectivity state in order to obtain a valid PTM configuration.

[0040] In some embodiments, the network may use the MCCH to send MC session deactivation notices. Upon receiving an MC session deactivation notice, the INACTIVE UE may remain in an RRC inactive state and stop monitoring the MCCH using the corresponding G-RNTI. One of two options may be used to provide a PTM configuration for inactive multicast reception. In the first option, the network may provide a PTM configuration in an RRC release with a suspendConfig message, which can be used to transition the UE into an RRC inactive state. In the second option, the PTM configuration may be provided via the MCCH. If the network does not provide a detailed PTM configuration in the RRC release message, the UE may obtain a PTM configuration via the MCCH channel.

[0041] The network may notify the UE of multicast MBS PTM configuration changes by utilizing a change notification mechanism similar to that described for Rel-17 broadcast MBS configuration changes via MCCH, as described in 3GPP® Technical Specifications (TS) 38.300v17.5.0 (2023-06-30) and TS 38.331v17.5.0 (2023-07-01). When the network introduces a PTM configuration change, indication of the change may be provided through downlink control information (DCI) that schedules the MCCH carrying the PTM configuration.

[0042] Figure 2 shows exemplary MBS configuration instances 200 according to several embodiments. The MBS configuration instance 200 may be used to configure UE 104 to receive MBS transmissions transmitted by base station 108.

[0043] The MBS configuration instance 200 is represented by a signaling diagram showing transmissions that can be exchanged between the UE 104 and the base station 108 to configure the UE 104 to receive MBS transmissions from the base station 108. Figure 2 shows exemplary information elements that can be exchanged as part of the MBS configuration instance 200 according to several embodiments.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, UE104 may be configured to receive MBS transmissions transmitted by base station 108, as indicated by 206. However, UE104 may not be able to process those MBS transmissions until it is properly configured to receive them from base station 108. Therefore, a configuration procedure may be performed to configure UE104 to receive and process MBS transmissions.

[0045] In some embodiments, a two-step MBS configuration acquisition may be performed on a UE 104 that is in an RRC-connected / inactive / idle state. For example, a procedure to configure UE 104 to receive MBS transmissions from base station 108 may involve two acquisition steps by UE 104.

[0046] At 208, UE104 may receive a System Information Broadcast (SIB) message containing an MCCH configuration (MCCH-Config). The SIB may be SIBx, where x is, for example, an integer from 1 to 21. The MCCH-Config may be an Information Element (IE) that provides data to be used to configure UE104 to receive and process transmissions via the MCCH. For example, the MCCH-ConfigIE may include repetition period and offset indications corresponding to the MCCH, a window start slot indication corresponding to the MCCH, a window duration indication corresponding to the MCCH, or a modification period indication corresponding to the MCCH. UE104 may then, at 210, receive an MCCH transmission based on the MCCH-Config.

[0047] In the first transmission of MCCH transmission 210, base station 108 may transmit a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) at 214 to schedule a second transmission of MCCH transmission 210. The PDCCH may be addressed to MCCH-RNTI in the MCCH search space (mcch-Searchspace). In the second transmission, base station 108 may transmit an MBS multicast configuration at 216 via MCCH / PDCCH. The second transmission 216 may include an IE that provides data to configure UE 104 to receive and process MBS transmissions from base station 108. The IE may include a session information list, an adjacent cell list, a configuration PTM list, a multicast traffic channel (MTCH) configuration, and / or a mapping window list.

[0048] The session information list may include session ID, RNTI, broadcast list, scheduling information, neighbor cell indication, configuration index, or mapping window index. The neighbor cell list may include the physical cell ID or carrier frequency of the neighboring cell. The configuration PTM list may include PTM on-duration timer indication, PTM activity timer indication, PTM hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) round-trip time (RTT) downlink (DL) timer indication, PTM long cycle start offset indication, or PTM slot offset indication. The MTCH configuration may include PDSCH configuration list, time domain allocation list for PDSCH, rate match pattern for adding or modifying the indications in the list, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) table, or overhead indication. The mapping window list may indicate the cycle offset for the mapping window used for synchronous signal blocks (SSB) transmitted by base station 108.

[0049] UE104 may use an MBS multicast configuration to receive one or more MBS transmits 218 from base station 108.

[0050] Figure 3 is a signaling diagram 300 illustrating the notification of the validity and changes of MCCH information in several embodiments. The signaling diagram may include a DCI of a PDCCH that schedules the MCCH, and the MCCH provides an MBS configuration used by UE104 to receive various MBS multicast sessions. Although signaling diagram 300 shows three MBS multicast sessions, it will be understood that UE104 may be configured for a subset of these.

[0051] Within an MCCH correction period, the same MCCH information may be transmitted several times based on the repetition period configuration. Changes to the MCCH information may occur at the boundaries of the MCCH correction period.

[0052] In some embodiments, MCCH change notifications may be provided using a notification mechanism to announce changes in MCCH information due to broadcast session start / stop / change or adjacent cell information modification. The notification design may include a 2-bit bitmap, e.g., "XY", in the MCCH scheduling DCI. The "X" bit may be used to indicate the start of a new MBS service, and the "Y" bit may be used to indicate a change to the PTM configuration.

[0053] When UE104 receives a change notification, it may obtain the updated MCCH within the same MCCH modification period in which the notification was sent. UE104 may apply previously obtained MCCH information until it obtains the new MCCH information.

[0054] When an MBS multicast session is deactivated, the UE behavior regarding MTCH reception / monitoring is clear; namely, the UE does not need to monitor G-RNTI or receive MTCH. However, further clarification of the UE behavior is desired regarding monitoring MCCH when an MBS multicast session is deactivated. Two options for defining the UE behavior are described in several embodiments with respect to signaling diagrams 400 in Figure 4 and 500 in Figure 5.

[0055] In signaling diagram 400, base station 108 may deactivate the MBS multicast session by sending an RRC open message with an MBS multicast session deactivation indication at 404. With respect to this option, UE 104 may continue to monitor the MCCH while the MBS multicast session is deactivated. Thus, UE 104 may receive the MCCH DCI sent by base station 108 even while the MBS multicast session is in deactivation mode. Base station 108 may send a paging message with an MBS activation indication at 408, and UE 104 may transition to the activation phase of the MBS multicast session. UE 104 may then receive MBS transmissions via the MTCH based on the valid PTM configuration, even if the PTM configuration changed during the MC session deactivation phase.

[0056] While this option can facilitate providing the updated PTM configuration to UE104, it can be inefficient from a UE power perspective, especially when no PTM configuration changes occur or when the PTM configuration changes relate to MBS multicast sessions that UE104 does not subscribe to.

[0057] In signaling diagram 500 of Figure 5, base station 108 may deactivate the MBS multicast session by sending an RRC open message with an MBS multicast session deactivation indication at 504. With respect to this option, UE 104 does not need to monitor the MCCH while the MBS multicast session is deactivated. Therefore, UE 104 may miss a PTM configuration change that occurs when base station 108 sends an MCCH DCI with a change bit set to "1" and then sends a new PTM configuration via the MCCH at 508. Base station 108 may send a paging message with an MBS activation indication at 512, and UE 104 may transition to activation mode for the MBS multicast session. However, if UE 104 does not have a valid PTM configuration for the activated MBS multicast session because it missed the PTM configuration change while in deactivation mode, UE 104 may initiate the RRC restart procedure at 516.

[0058] Various aspects of this disclosure provide power-saving techniques that prevent the UE from monitoring MCCH scheduling / reception when there are no PTM configuration changes related to an MBS multicast session configured for the UE. Three aspects are described below. These aspects are not mutually exclusive. For example, a concept from one aspect may be combined with a concept from one or more of the other aspects.

[0059] In the first embodiment, the UE104 can save power in receiving MCCH data by introducing finer-grained MCCH change indications.

[0060] In a second aspect, UE104 may save power in MCCH monitoring by relaxing the UE requirements for monitoring the MCCH when the MBS multicast session is deactivated.

[0061] In a third aspect, UE104 can conserve power by monitoring the MCCH only when the MBS multicast session is activated. After receiving the MBS multicast session activation notification, UE104, once it has obtained a valid PTM configuration, begins receiving MBS transmissions via the MTCH.

[0062] These aspects will be described in more detail below.

[0063] As briefly described above, the first embodiment involves the use of finer-grained MCCH change indications to conserve UE power in MCCH data reception. In this embodiment, the MCCH DCI may include change indications specific to a single MBS multicast session or a set of MBS multicast sessions. Such change indications may be called session-level change indications. The set of MBS multicast sessions may be a subset of the total number of MBS multicast sessions provided by base station 108. When UE 104 receives a session-level change indication, it may then need to acquire a PTM configuration only if the change relates to an MBS multicast session configured in UE 104.

[0064] In some embodiments, session-level change indications may be provided in a DCI, such as DCI format 4_0. If the DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by MCCH-RNTI, the UE104 may interpret one or more bits of the DCI as session-level change indications.

[0065] Figure 6 shows a field 600 that may provide multiple session-level change indications in several embodiments. While the field 600 is shown as 14 bits, other embodiments may have a different number of bits. Each bit position indicated by the index in Figure 6 may contain a single bit to provide a session-level change indication (C-ind) for an MBS multicast session or set of MBS multicast sessions. For example, a bit value of "0" may indicate no change for the corresponding MBS multicast session (set), while a bit value of "1" may indicate a change for the corresponding MBS multicast session (set).

[0066] The bit positions in field 600 may be mapped to MBS multicast sessions in one of several options. For example, in the first option, the network may use RRC signaling to configure the mapping between MBS multicast sessions and bit positions. For example, the network may provide an M:1 mapping where M numbers of MBS multicast sessions are mapped to bit positions 1. Thus, the value M can define the number of MBS multicast sessions in a subset. For example, suppose MBS multicast sessions 1 and 2 are mapped to index 0. If the C-ind of index 0 is "1", then the PTM configuration corresponding to at least one of MBS multicast sessions 1 or 2 is then modified.

[0067] In the second option, MBS multicast sessions may be mapped to bit positions using an ascending (or descending) 1:1 mapping. For example, if MBS multicast sessions #1 / 5 / 9 are configured in a cell, they may be mapped to indices 0 / 1 / 2, respectively. Therefore, if the PTM configuration is changed for MBS multicast session #5, but there is no change in the PTM configuration for MBS multicast sessions #1 and #9, the C-ind values ​​for indices 0, 1, and 2 may be 0, 1, and 0, respectively.

[0068] In a third option, a one-to-one MBS multicast session-to-bit position mapping can be achieved by mapping the MBS multicast session number to the bit position with the corresponding index number. For example, MBS multicast session #0 is mapped to index #0, MBS multicast session #1 is mapped to index #1, and so on.

[0069] As briefly described above, in a second aspect of this disclosure, the UE requirements for monitoring the MCCH when the MBS multicast session is deactivated may be relaxed in order to conserve power in the MCCH monitoring portion. This may be done according to one or more of the following options described with respect to Figures 7 and 8.

[0070] Figure 7 shows signaling diagrams 700 according to several embodiments. Signaling diagram 700 includes eight MCCH correction periods.

[0071] In 704, UE104 may detect a deactivation event, for example, through a command sent via MCCH. UE104 may then transition to deactivation mode for the MBS multicast session (MBS multicast session deactivation). While the MBS multicast session is deactivated, UE104 may monitor the MCCH every N MCCH correction periods. The value N is defined in the 3GPP® TS, or can be an integer configured by the network, for example, in an RRC open message or SIB. As shown in the figure, N=2, and UE104 may monitor the MCCH every other MCCH correction period, for example, in 708 and 712.

[0072] In step 716, UE104 may detect an activation event and transition to the activation mode of the MBS multicast session (MBS multicast session activation). While the MBS multicast session is activated, UE104 may monitor the MCCH at intervals of the MCCH correction period, for example in steps 720 and 724.

[0073] Figure 8 shows signaling diagram 800 in several embodiments. Signaling diagram 800 includes eight MCCH correction periods in the deactivation mode of an MBS multicast session. MCCH monitoring in Figure 8 may be based on a paging occasion (PO) 804 defined for UE 104. PO 804 is shown during MCCH correction period B.

[0074] In some embodiments, UE104 may monitor MCCH during M MCCH correction periods before and after the position of PO804. The value M can be an integer defined in the 3GPP® TS or configured by the network in, for example, an RRC open message or SIB. As shown in the figure, if M=1, UE104 may monitor MCCH at 808 (corresponding to MCCH correction period A) or 812 (corresponding to MCCH correction period C). In some embodiments, the number of MCCH correction periods monitored before the position of PO804 (e.g., M) may be different from the number of MCCH correction periods monitored after that position (e.g., M').

[0075] In some embodiments, UE104 may monitor MCCH within a correction period including PO804, for example, in 816 (corresponding to MCCH correction period B). This may be in addition to, or as an alternative to, monitoring MCCH in M ​​MCCH correction periods before / after the position of PO804.

[0076] The MCCH monitoring behavior described with respect to Figures 7 and 8 can be applied together in several embodiments. For example, UE104 can monitor MCCH at various combinations of N MCCH correction periods, M MCCH correction periods before PO, M (or M') MCCH correction periods after PO, or MCCH correction periods of PO.

[0077] In another option of a third aspect of this disclosure, UE104 may not monitor the MCCH if the network indicates that the inactive PTM configuration will not change. This indication may be sent to UE104 via the MCCH. In this option, the network may disable UE's MCCH monitoring when UE104 is in an RRC inactive state and the MBS multicast session is deactivated. UE104 may apply the inactive PTM configuration provided in RRCRelease for inactive multicast reception until UE104 is subsequently connected to the same cell.

[0078] In another option of a third aspect of this disclosure, the network may, for example, indicate in a Paging Early Indication (PEI) whether there is a potential PTS configuration change in the relevant paging cycle. UE104 may use this indication as a prompt to begin monitoring the MCCH. Monitoring may be per MCCH correction period or a subset of MCCH correction periods, as described with respect to other embodiments described herein.

[0079] As briefly described above, in a third aspect of this disclosure, UE104 may be configured to monitor the CCH only when an MBS multicast session is activated. This is illustrated with reference to Figure 9.

[0080] Figure 9 is a signaling diagram 900 illustrating the concept of a third aspect of the present disclosure in several embodiments.

[0081] In 904, base station 108 may deactivate the MBS multicast session by sending an RRC open message with an MBS multicast session deactivation indication. In this embodiment, UE 104 may not monitor the MCCH while the MBS multicast session is inactive.

[0082] At 908, UE104 may receive a paging message with an MBS multicast session activation notice, and UE104 may enter the MBS multicast session activation mode. After receiving the paging message, UE104 may begin monitoring the MCCH to obtain the latest valid PTM configuration. At 912, UE104 may receive an MCCH DCI from base station 108 with a change bit set to "1", and then receive the new PTM configuration via the MCCH. Upon receiving a valid PTM configuration, UE104 may begin receiving MTCH transmissions.

[0083] In some embodiments, a time window (T) may be defined during which UE104 will receive a valid PTM configuration. If UE104 fails to obtain a valid PTM configuration within the time window (T), UE104 may declare a failure. The length of the time window (T) may be set to be equal to one or more MCCH correction periods. In some embodiments, the length may be defined by a 3GPP® TS or configured by a network.

[0084] In some embodiments, UE104 may declare a PTM configuration reception failure if one or more of the following conditions are detected: The first condition may be detected if UE104 is unable to obtain the MCCH. For example, UE104 does not receive the MCCH DCI at 908. The second condition may be detected if UE104 obtains the MCCH but does not obtain a valid PTM configuration. For example, UE104 receives the MCCH DCI at 908 but is unable to correctly receive or decode the PTM configuration via the MCCH, or receives the PTM configuration but it does not contain any configuration related to an activated MBS multicast session.

[0085] When a PTM configuration reception failure is declared, UE104 may act according to one or more of the following options: In the first option, UE104 may initiate the RRC restart procedure when the number of detected failures reaches a predetermined threshold. The threshold may be defined by a 3GPP® TS or configured by the network. In the second option, UE104 may log the failure in a failure log stored in memory and remain in an RRC inactive state. UE104 may report the failure log to the network during a subsequent transition to an RRC connected state.

[0086] Figure 10 shows an operation flow / algorithm structure 1000 according to several embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 1000 can be executed by a UE, for example UE104, or its components, for example processor 1404.

[0087] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1000 may include receiving an MCCH DCI in 1004 that has a change indication for an MBS multicast session and scheduling information for the PTM configuration associated with the MBS multicast session. The change indication may be an MBS session-level change indication that a particular MBS multicast session(set) has a change in the associated PTM configuration.

[0088] The MCCH DCI may include a change indicator field having one or more bits. Each bit may represent a change indication for a particular MBS multicast session(set). The mapping of bit positions to MBS multicast sessions(sets) may be pre-configured by a 3GPP® TS or dynamically configured by the network (e.g., by RRC signaling). In some embodiments, bit indices may be mapped to MBS multicast session(set) indices in ascending or descending order. In other embodiments, bit indices may be mapped to matching MBS multicast session(set) indices; for example, bit index #0 may be mapped to MBS multicast session #0.

[0089] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1000 may further include determining in 1008 that an MBS multicast session associated with the MCCH DCI change indication is configured in the UE. In this way, the UE may determine that the MCCH DCI indicates a PTM configuration change with respect to one of its configured MBS multicast sessions.

[0090] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1000 may further include, in 1012, obtaining the PTM configuration. The PTM configuration may be obtained by receiving an MCCH that carries the PTM configuration, as scheduled by the MCCH DCI received in 1004.

[0091] Figure 11 shows the operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 in several embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 can be executed by a UE, for example UE104, or its components, for example processor 1404.

[0092] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include detecting a deactivation event in 1104. The deactivation event may be based on command signaling from the network.

[0093] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may further include, in 1108, transitioning to a deactivation mode for the MBS multicast session. In deactivation mode, the UE may not receive MTCH transmissions.

[0094] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may further include monitoring the MCCH in a subset of MCCH correction periods while the MBS multicast session is in deactivation mode 1112. In some embodiments, the subset of MCCH correction periods includes any N number of MCCH correction periods that occur while in deactivation mode. The value N may be an integer greater than 1, for example, defined or signalable by the network in RRC or SIB signaling.

[0095] In some embodiments, a subset may be selected based on the UE's PO. For example, the UE may monitor one or more MCCH correction periods before the MO, or monitor an MCCH correction period that includes the PO, or monitor one or more MCCH correction periods after the PO.

[0096] In some embodiments, the UE may receive a PEI in the DCI. The PEI may indicate that there is a potential PTM configuration change in the paging cycle associated with the PEI. The UE may then monitor a subset of MCCH correction periods based on the indication in the PEI.

[0097] Figure 12 shows an operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 according to several embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 can be executed by a UE, for example UE104, or its components, for example processor 1404.

[0098] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include detecting a deactivation event in 1204. The deactivation event may be based on command signaling from the network.

[0099] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 may further include receiving an indication of the static state of the PTM configuration in 1208. In some embodiments, the indication of the static state of the PTM configuration may be provided via MCCH. The static state of the PTM configuration may imply that the PTM configuration does not change (or is not expected to change) while the UE is in deactivation mode.

[0100] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 may further include, in 1212, transitioning to a deactivation mode for the MBS multicast session. This may be based on a deactivation event.

[0101] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 may further include refraining from monitoring the MCCH while in deactivation mode 1216. The UE may apply the PTM configuration provided in the RRC open message for inactive reception until it is later connected to the same cell.

[0102] Figure 13 shows the operation flow / algorithm structure 1300 in several embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 1300 can be executed by a UE, for example UE104, or its components, for example processor 1404.

[0103] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1300 may include transitioning to the activation mode of the MBS multicast session in 1304.

[0104] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1300 may further include determining in 1308 that a valid PTM configuration is not acquired within the time window after transitioning to activation mode. In some embodiments, if the UE detects a failure to acquire an MCCH within the time window, or if an MCCH is acquired within the time window but a valid PTM configuration is not acquired via the MCCH, it may be determined that a valid PTM configuration was not acquired.

[0105] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1300 may further include declaring a failure in 1312 based on the determination that a valid PTM configuration was not obtained within the time window.

[0106] In some embodiments, if the UE determines that a threshold number of failures have been declared, the UE may initiate an RRC restart procedure to transition to an RRC connected state. While in the RRC connected state, the UE may acquire a valid PTM configuration.

[0107] Detected failures may be recorded in a failure log, which may then be reported to the network. Failure log reporting may be periodic, or it may be event-based, for example, when the failure log reaches a predetermined number of failures.

[0108] While Figure 13 may imply the order of operations, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the operations may be performed in a different order, or one or more operations may be performed simultaneously. In addition, it should be understood that one or more additional operations may be included in the operation flow / algorithm structure, or one or more operations may be omitted in other embodiments.

[0109] Figure 14 shows exemplary UE1400 in several embodiments. The UE1400 may be any mobile computing device or non-mobile device, such as a mobile phone, computer, tablet, industrial wireless sensor (e.g., microphone, carbon dioxide sensor, barometric pressure sensor, humidity sensor, thermometer, motion sensor, accelerometer, laser scanner, fluid level sensor, inventory sensor, volt / ammeter, actuator, etc.), video surveillance / monitoring device (e.g., camera, camcorder, etc.), wearable device (e.g., smartwatch), relaxation IoT device, etc.

[0110] The UE1400 may include a processor 1404, an RF interface circuit configuration 1408, memory / storage 1412, a user interface 1416, a sensor 1420, a driver circuit configuration 1422, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1424, an antenna structure 1426, and a battery 1428. The components of the UE1400 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a part thereof, individual electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram in Figure 14 is intended to show some of the higher-level components of the UE1400. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may exist, and different configurations of the components shown may occur in other implementation forms.

[0111] The components of the UE1400 can be coupled with various other components via one or more interconnects 1432, which may represent any kind of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmit lines, traces, optical connections, etc., enabling various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with each other.

[0112] The processor 1404 may include, for example, a baseband processor circuit configuration (BB) 1404A, a central processing unit circuit configuration (CPU) 1404B, and a graphics processing unit circuit configuration (GPU) 1404C. The processor 1404 may include any type of circuit configuration or processor circuit configuration that causes the UE 1400 to perform the operations described herein by executing or otherwise operating computer executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes, from the memory / storage 1412.

[0113] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit configuration 1404A may access the communication protocol stack 1436 in memory / storage 1412 for communication over a 3GPP® compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuit configuration 1404A may access the communication protocol stack to perform user plane functions in the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer, and control plane functions in the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access class layer. In some embodiments, PHY layer operation may be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit configuration 1408.

[0114] The baseband processor circuit configuration 1404A can generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information within a 3GPP® compliant network. In some embodiments, waveforms for noise reduction (NR) may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0115] The memory / storage 1412 may include one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., a communication protocol stack 1436) containing instructions that can be executed by one or more processors 1404 to cause the UE 1400 to perform the various operations described herein. The memory / storage 1412 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that can be distributed throughout the UE 1400. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 1412 may be located within the processor 1404 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 1412 may be outside the processor 1404 but accessible to the processor 1404 via a memory interface. The memory / storage 1412 may include, but is not limited to, any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0116] The RF interface circuit configuration 1408 may include a transceiver circuit configuration and a radio frequency front module (RFEM) that enable the UE 1400 to communicate with other devices via a wireless access network. The RF interface circuit configuration 1408 may include various elements arranged in the transmit or receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, combiner circuits, control circuits, and the like.

[0117] In the receiving path, the RFEM may receive the radiated signal from the air interface via the antenna structure 1426 and proceed to filter and amplify the signal (using a low-noise amplifier). The signal may be provided to the receiver of the transceiver, which downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is supplied to the baseband processor of processor 1404.

[0118] In the transmission path, the transmitter of the transceiver upconverts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna structure 1426.

[0119] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit configuration 1408 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in accordance with NR access technology.

[0120] The antenna structure 1426 may include antenna elements that convert electrical signals into radio waves and propagate them through the air, as well as antenna elements that convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged in the form of one or more antenna panels. The antenna structure 1426 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multi-input multi-output communication. The antenna structure 1426 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna structure 1426 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band, including the FR1 or FR2 band.

[0121] The user interface 1416 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE1400. The user interface 1416 includes input device circuit configurations and output device circuit configurations. The input device circuit configuration includes, among other things, any physical or virtual means for receiving input, including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, and the like. The output device circuit configuration includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information, such as sensor readings, actuator positions (one or more), or other similar information, or for conveying information in other ways. The output device circuit configuration may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as light-emitting diodes "LEDs" and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), and outputs such as characters, graphics, and multimedia objects are generated or produced from the operation of the UE1400.

[0122] Sensor 1420 may include devices, modules, or subsystems intended to detect events or changes in its environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular, inertial measuring units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; micro-electromechanical systems or nano-electromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors, flow sensors, temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors, barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or apertures without lenses); light detection and distance measuring sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared detectors, etc.); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices.

[0123] The driver circuit configuration 1422 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control specific devices that are built into, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE1400. The driver circuit configuration 1422 may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE1400. For example, the driver circuit configuration 1422 may include a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings from sensor 1420 and controlling and allowing access to sensor 1420, a driver for obtaining the actuator position of an electromechanical component or for controlling and allowing access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0124] The PMIC1424 can manage the power supplied to various components of the UE1400. In particular, with respect to the processor 1404, the PMIC1424 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0125] In some embodiments, the PMIC1424 controls, or may otherwise be part of, various power-saving mechanisms of the UE1400. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, still connected to the RAN node because it is expected to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity, the platform UE may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX). During this state, the UE1400 may power off at short intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period, the UE1400 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, disconnecting from the network and not performing actions such as channel quality feedback or handover. The UE1400 enters a very low power state, performs paging, and then periodically wakes up again to listen to the network, and then powers off again. The UE1400 may not be able to receive data in this state. To receive data, it must transition back to the original RRC_Connected state. In further power-saving modes, devices may be allowed to be unavailable from the network for longer periods than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device may be completely unable to reach the network and may be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this time will experience significant delays, but these delays are considered acceptable.

[0126] Battery 1428 can power UE1400, but in some examples UE1400 may be mounted in a fixed position and deployed, and may have a power source coupled to an electrical grid. Battery 1428 may be a lithium-ion battery, a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, or other metal-air battery. In some implementations, such as vehicle-based applications, battery 1428 may be a typical automotive lead-acid battery.

[0127] Figure 15 shows an exemplary base station 1500 according to several embodiments. The base station 1500 may include a processor 1504, an RF interface circuit configuration 1508, a core network (CN) interface circuit configuration 1512, a memory / storage circuit configuration 1516, and an antenna structure 1526.

[0128] The components of the base station 1500 can be coupled with various other components via one or more interconnections 1528.

[0129] The processor 1504, RF interface circuit configuration 1508, memory / storage circuit configuration 1516 (including the communication protocol stack 1510), antenna structure 1526, and interconnect 1528 may be similar to elements of the same name illustrated and described with respect to Figure 14.

[0130] The CN interface circuit configuration 1512 may provide connectivity to a core network, such as a 5th Generation Core network (5GC), using a 5GC-compliant network interface protocol, such as the Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to and from the base station 1500 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit 1512 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communication using one or more of the protocols described above. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 1512 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0131] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should adhere to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to the user.

[0132] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the following exemplary sections. For example, the baseband circuit configuration described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the embodiments described below. As another example, a circuit configuration associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures, may be configured to operate according to one or more of the embodiments described below in the exemplary sections. Examples

[0133] Further exemplary embodiments are provided in the following sections.

[0134] Embodiment 1 includes a method that, while in an inactive state, receives multicast control channel (MCCH) downlink control information (DCI) having change indications for a multicast or broadcast service (MBS) multicast session and scheduling information for downlink transmissions having a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration associated with the MBS multicast session; determines that the MBS multicast session is configured at the UE; and, based on the determination that the MBS multicast session is configured at the UE, obtains the PTM configuration from the downlink transmission.

[0135] Example 2 comprises a method of Example 1 or several other embodiments herein, wherein the MCCH DCI comprises a change indicator field having one or more bits corresponding to one or more change indicators, and the method further comprises determining a mapping between one or more bits and multiple MBS multicast sessions.

[0136] Example 3 comprises the method of Example 2 or some other embodiment of this specification, and further comprises receiving mapping configuration information in a radio resource control (RRC) signal and determining a mapping based on the mapping configuration information.

[0137] Example 4 comprises the method of Example 2 or some other embodiment herein, wherein one or more bits are associated with one or more bit indices, and multiple MBS multicast sessions are associated with multiple MBS multicast session indices, and determining the mapping further comprises associating one or more bit indices with multiple MBS multicast session indices in ascending or descending order.

[0138] Example 5 comprises the method of Example 2 or some other embodiment herein, wherein one or more bits comprise a plurality of bits each associated with a plurality of bit indices, and a plurality of MBS multicast sessions are each associated with a plurality of MBS multicast session indices, and determining the mapping further comprises associating each of the plurality of bit indices with one of the matching MBS multicast session indices.

[0139] Example 6 includes the method of Example 1, wherein the change indication includes one bit associated with multiple MBS multicast sessions, including an MBS multicast session.

[0140] Example 7 includes a method comprising generating multicast control channel (MCCH) downlink control information (DCI) having scheduling information for a multicast or broadcast service (MBS) multicast session and a downlink transmission having a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration associated with the MBS multicast session, and transmitting the MCCH DCI and the downlink transmission.

[0141] Example 8 comprises a method from Example 7 or several other examples herein, wherein the MCCH DCI includes a change indicator field having one or more bits mapped to multiple MBS multicast sessions, where each bit of the one or more bits corresponds to an MBS multicast session-level change indication.

[0142] Embodiment 9 includes a method that includes detecting a deactivation event, transitioning to a deactivation mode for a multicast or broadcast service (MBS) session based on the detection of the deactivation event, and monitoring the multicast control channel (MCCH) in a subset of the MCCH correction period while the MBS multicast session is in deactivation mode.

[0143] Example 10 comprises a method of Example 9 or some other embodiment herein, further comprising monitoring the MCCH at MCCH correction intervals while the MBS multicast session is in activation mode, and monitoring the MCCH in a subset of MCCH correction intervals while the MBS multicast session is in deactivation mode, comprising monitoring the MCCH at N MCCH correction intervals while the MBS multicast session is in deactivation mode, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0144] Example 11 comprises a method of Example 10 or some other embodiment of this specification, and further comprises receiving N indications in a wireless resource control message or in a system information block.

[0145] Example 12 comprises a method of Example 9 or several other examples herein, wherein the UE is configured to include a paging occasion (PO), and the method further comprises selecting a subset based on the PO.

[0146] Example 13 includes a method of Example 12 or some other embodiment herein, wherein monitoring the MCCH in a subset of MCCH correction periods while in multicast deactivation mode includes monitoring one or more MCCH correction periods before a PO, monitoring an MCCH correction period including a PO, or monitoring at least one MCCH correction period after a PO.

[0147] Example 14 comprises the method of Example 12 or some other examples herein, and further includes receiving paging early indication (PEI) in downlink control information and monitoring MCCH in a subset of MCCH correction periods in deactivation mode based on the PEI.

[0148] Example 15 includes a method that includes detecting a deactivation event, receiving an indication of a static state of a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration from the network, transitioning to a deactivation mode for a multicast or broadcast service (MBS) session based on the detection of the deactivation event, and refraining from monitoring the multicast control channel (MCCH) while the MBS multicast session is in deactivation mode based on the indication of a static state of the PTM configuration.

[0149] Example 16 includes the method of Example 15, and further includes receiving an inactive PTM configuration in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) open message from the cell, and applying the inactive PTM configuration for the MBS multicast session until transitioning to an RRC connection state with the cell.

[0150] Example 17 includes a method that includes: transitioning to activation mode for a multicast or broadcast service (MBS) session; determining that a valid point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration has not been obtained within a time window since transitioning to activation mode; and declaring a failure based on the determination that a valid PTM configuration has not been obtained within a time window.

[0151] Example 18 includes the method of Example 17 or some other examples herein, in which determining that a valid PTM configuration has not been acquired within the time window includes failing to acquire a multicast control channel (MCCH) within the time window.

[0152] Example 19 includes the method of Example 17 or some other examples of this specification, wherein determining that a valid PTM configuration has not been obtained within the time window includes obtaining an MCCH within the time window and failing to obtain a valid PTM configuration via the MCCH within the time window.

[0153] Example 20 includes a method of Example 17 or some other embodiment of this specification, further comprising determining that a threshold number failure has been declared and, based on the determination that a threshold number failure has been declared, initiating a radio resource control (RRC) restart procedure.

[0154] Example 21 includes the method of Example 17 or some other examples of this specification, further including recording MCCH acquisition failures in a failure log.

[0155] Example 22 includes the method of Example 21 or some other examples of the Specified, and further includes reporting failure logs to the network.

[0156] Another embodiment may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of any method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 22, or any other method or process described herein.

[0157] Another embodiment may include one or more non-temporary computer-readable media containing instructions, which cause an electronic device to perform one or more elements of any of the methods described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 22, or any other methods or processes described herein, when one or more processors of the electronic device execute the instructions.

[0158] Another embodiment may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuit configurations for performing one or more elements of any method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 22, or any other method or process described herein.

[0159] Other embodiments may include methods, techniques, or processes described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 22, or parts or portions thereof.

[0160] Another embodiment may include a device having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media having instructions, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause one or more processors to execute a method, technique or process, or part thereof, described in or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 22.

[0161] Another embodiment may include the signal or a signal related thereto as described in any one of Examples 1 to 22, or a part or portion thereof.

[0162] Another embodiment may include a datagram, information element, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message, or a part or portion thereof, described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 22, or other datagram, information element, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message described herein.

[0163] Another embodiment may include a signal encoded using data described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 22, or a part or portion thereof, or a signal encoded using other data described in this disclosure.

[0164] Another embodiment may include a signal encoded using any datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 22, or a part or portion thereof, or a signal encoded using any other datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message described in this disclosure.

[0165] Another embodiment may include an electromagnetic signal that carries a computer-readable instruction, and the execution of the computer-readable instruction by one or more processors causes one or more processors to execute a method, technique, or process, or part thereof, described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 22.

[0166] Another embodiment may include a computer program containing instructions, and the execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process, or part thereof, described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 22.

[0167] Another embodiment may include signals in a wireless network as illustrated and described herein.

[0168] Another embodiment may include a method of communication in a wireless network as illustrated and described herein.

[0169] Another embodiment may include a system for providing wireless communication as illustrated and described herein.

[0170] Another embodiment may include a device for providing wireless communication as illustrated and described herein.

[0171] Any of the embodiments described above may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) unless otherwise specified. The above descriptions of one or more implementations are illustrative and illustrative, but are not intended to be exhaustive or to strictly limit the scope of embodiments to those disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible based on the above teachings or can be learned from the practice of various embodiments.

[0172] Although the embodiments described above are described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art if the above disclosure is fully understood. The following claims are intended to be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the user equipment (UE) While in an inactive state, it receives multicast control channel (MCCH) downlink control information (DCI) which contains change indications for multicast or broadcast service (MBS) multicast sessions and scheduling information for downlink transmissions having a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration associated with the MBS multicast session. The UE determines that the aforementioned MBS multicast session is configured. One or more computer-readable media that, based on the determination that the MBS multicast session is configured in the UE, causes the PTM configuration to be obtained from the downlink transmission.

2. The MCCH DCI includes a change indicator field having one or more bits corresponding to one or more change indicators, and when the instruction is executed, the UE further... One or more computer-readable media according to claim 1, which determine the mapping between one or more bits and a plurality of MBS multicast sessions.

3. When the aforementioned instruction is executed, the UE will further: The system receives mapping configuration information in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signal. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 1 or 2, which determine the mapping based on the mapping configuration information.

4. The one or more bits are each associated with one or more bit indices, and the multiple MBS multicast sessions are each associated with multiple MBS multicast session indices, and in order to determine the mapping, the UE further, One or more computer-readable media according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more bit indices are associated with the plurality of MBS multicast session indices in ascending or descending order.

5. The one or more bits include a plurality of bits associated with a plurality of bit indices, the plurality of MBS multicast sessions are each associated with a plurality of MBS multicast session indices, and in order to determine the mapping, the UE further One or more computer-readable media according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the plurality of bit indices is associated with one matching of the plurality of MBS multicast session indices.

6. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the change indication includes one bit associated with a plurality of MBS multicast sessions, including the MBS multicast session.

7. A device having a processing circuit configuration, wherein the processing circuit configuration is Multicast or broadcast service (MBS) generates multicast control channel (MCCH) downlink control information (DCI) having MBS session level change indications for multicast sessions and scheduling information for downlink transmissions having a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration associated with the MBS multicast session. A device that transmits the MCCH DCI and the downlink transmission.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the MCCH DCI includes a change indicator field having one or more bits mapped to a plurality of MBS multicast sessions, and each bit of the one or more bits corresponds to an MBS multicast session-level change indication.

9. It is a method, Detecting deactivation events, Based on the detection of the aforementioned deactivation event, the multicast or broadcast service (MBS) session will be switched to deactivation mode. A method comprising monitoring the multicast control channel (MCCH) in a subset of the multicast control channel (MCCH) correction period while the MBS multicast session is in the deactivation mode.

10. The further includes monitoring the MCCH at each MCCH correction period while the MBS multicast session is in activation mode, Monitoring the MCCH in a subset of the MCCH correction periods while the MBS multicast session is in the deactivation mode includes monitoring the MCCH every N MCCH correction periods while the MBS multicast session is in the deactivation mode, where N is an integer greater than 1. The method according to claim 9.

11. Receiving N indications in a wireless resource control message or in a system information block, The method according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising:

12. The aforementioned UE is configured to include a paging occasion (PO), and the method is The method according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising selecting the subset based on the PO.

13. Monitoring the MCCH during a subset of the MCCH correction period while in the multicast deactivation mode is: Monitor one or more MCCH correction periods before the aforementioned PO. Monitoring one MCCH correction period including the aforementioned PO, or The method according to claim 12, comprising monitoring at least one MCCH correction period after the PO.

14. Receiving paging early indication (PEI) in downlink control information, Based on the PEI, the MCCH is monitored in a subset of the MCCH correction period in the deactivation mode, The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

15. It is a device, Radio frequency (RF) interface and The processing circuit configuration comprises a processing circuit configuration coupled to the RF interface, and the processing circuit configuration is Detect deactivation events, From the RF interface network, receive static status indications in a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration. Based on the detection of the aforementioned deactivation event, the multicast or broadcast service (MBS) session is switched to deactivation mode. A device that, based on the indication of the static state of the PTM configuration, refrains from monitoring the multicast control channel (MCCH) while the MBS multicast session is in the deactivation mode.

16. The aforementioned processing circuit configuration further, The RF interface receives the inactive PTM configuration in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) open message from the cell. The apparatus according to claim 15, which applies the inactive PTM configuration for the MBS multicast session until it transitions to an RRC connection state with the cell.

17. It is a method, This involves transitioning to the activation mode of a multicast or broadcast service (MBS) session, It is determined that no valid point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration has been acquired within the time window since transitioning to the aforementioned activation mode, A method comprising: declaring a failure based on the determination that the valid PTM configuration has not been acquired within the time window.

18. Determining that the above valid PTM configuration has not been acquired within the time window is The method according to claim 17, comprising failing to acquire a multicast control channel (MCCH) within the time window.

19. It is determined that the above valid PTM configuration has not been acquired within the time window. The method according to claim 17 or 18, comprising acquiring an MCCH within the time window and failing to acquire the valid PTM configuration via the MCCH within the time window.

20. Determining whether a threshold number of failures have been declared, The method according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising initiating a radio resource control (RRC) restart procedure based on the determination that a failure of the threshold number has been declared.

21. Record the aforementioned MCCH acquisition failure in the failure log. The method according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising:

22. Report the aforementioned failure log to the network. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

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