Paging early indication location determination

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for PEI location determination. According to certain aspects, a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving, from a network entity, a configuration of paging early indications (PEIs) for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), the configuration indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs, identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs, and monitoring the PEI at a location of the PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS)

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 944,896, filed September 14, 2022, and claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 266,558, filed January 7, 2022, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[0002] Introduction Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for locating paging early indication (PEI) occasions.

[0003]

[0003] Wireless communication systems have been widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, or other similar types of services. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple access techniques capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmission power, or other resources) with the users. The multiple access techniques may rely on any of the following, to name just a few: code division, time division, frequency division orthogonal frequency division, single carrier frequency division, or time division synchronous code division. These and other multiple access techniques have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that allows various wireless devices to communicate at city, national, regional, and even global levels.

[0004]

[0004] Although wireless communication systems have made great technological advances over the years, challenges still exist. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between wireless transmitters and wireless receivers, thereby undermining various existing wireless channel measurement and reporting mechanisms used to manage and optimize the use of finite wireless channel resources. Therefore, further improvements in wireless communication systems are needed to overcome various challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0005]

[0005] One aspect provides a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method including receiving from a network entity a paging early indication (PEI) configuration indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in multiple POs for multiple paging occasions (POs) in multiple paging frames (PFs), identifying a reference PF from one of the multiple PFs, and monitoring the PEI at a location of the PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset.

[0006]

[0006] One aspect provides a method of wireless communication by a network entity, including transmitting a PEI configuration to a UE, for multiple POs among the multiple PFs, indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the multiple POs, identifying a reference PF from one of the multiple PFs, and transmitting the PEI at a PEI occasion location determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset.

[0007]

[0007] Other aspects provide an apparatus operable, configured or otherwise adapted to perform the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein, a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein, and an apparatus comprising means for performing the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein. By way of example, the apparatus may comprise a processing system, a device having a processing system, or processing systems cooperating via one or more networks.

[0008]

[0008] The following description and the annexed drawings set forth certain features for purposes of illustration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009]

[0009] The accompanying drawings illustrate certain features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure. [Figure 1]

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example wireless communication network. [Diagram 2]

[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a base station and user equipment. [Figure 3A]

[0012] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 3C] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 3D] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 4]

[0013] 1 illustrates an example timeline for paging early indication (PEI) occasions and paging occasions (POs) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5]

[0014] 1 illustrates a call flow diagram for PEI occasion location determination according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A]

[0015] 1 illustrates an example of PEI occasion location determination according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] 1 illustrates an example of PEI occasion location determination according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7A]

[0016] 1 illustrates an example timeline for PEI occasion location determination in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7B] 1 illustrates an example timeline for PEI occasion location determination in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0017] 1 illustrates an example process for wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates an example process for wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]

[0018] 1 illustrates an exemplary communications device according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates an exemplary communications device according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010]

[0019] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus, method, processing system, and computer-readable medium for determining a location of a paging early indication (PEI) occasion. The techniques may enable a user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS) to align and be synchronized with respect to the location of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion to be used for the PEI.

[0011]

[0020] The UE may conserve battery power by entering an idle or inactive mode while monitoring (e.g., on sparse occasions) paging information, such as a PDCCH from the network, to receive system information block (SIB) updates, earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) messages, and / or various other messages when the UE is paged. The PEI may be used to allow the UE to remain in a lower power state for longer.

[0012]

[0021] A PEI generally refers to a signal or message used as a pre-notification before the transmission of an actual paging message in corresponding paging occasions (POs). By monitoring the PEI, a UE may only monitor subsequent POs for paging if the associated PEI indicates paging for the UE in those POs. A potential advantage of such a PDCCH-based PEI is that it may carry more information than a sequence-based PEI. For example, a PDCCH-based PEI may be able to provide indications for multiple POs. Aggregation of this information may help reduce the signaling load on the paging channel. A PEI configuration may indicate what type of information is carried in a PDCCH-based PEI, such as the number of POs indicated by the PEI and the number of copies of the PEI transmitted (e.g., to increase the likelihood that the PEI is successfully received). A PEI occasion (PEI occasions, PEI-O) may be a PEI PDCCH monitoring occasion transmitted on all synchronization signal block (SSB) beams.

[0013]

[0022] In some systems, a single PEI may be used to indicate whether a UE is paged in one or more POs across multiple PFs. In such cases, the UE may determine the PEI-O to monitor by applying frame-level and system-level timing offsets from a reference point (in time) determined based on the start of the reference PF.

[0014]

[0023] Unfortunately, there may be uncertainty about which PF should be used as the reference PF for applying the frame-level timing offset. As a result, it is not always clear which PF should be used as the reference PF for applying the frame-level timing offset. This ambiguity may lead to the UE unnecessarily monitoring too many PEI occasions, resulting in a waste of processing power. Furthermore, this ambiguity may also cause the UE to miss the PEI and the corresponding page, which may lead to delays in reaching the UE and degradation of system performance and user experience.

[0015]

[0024] Aspects of the present disclosure provide various solutions that can help remove this ambiguity and help the UE and base station remain synchronized with respect to the location of the PEI occasion. For example, after receiving a PEI configuration indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in multiple POs among multiple PFs, aspects of the present disclosure enable the UE to identify a reference PF from one of the multiple PFs. The UE may monitor the PEI at the location of the PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and a timing offset.

[0016]

[0025] In some cases, the timing offset may include a frame-level timing offset and a symbol-level timing offset. In such a case, the UE determines the location of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point that is a frame-level timing offset before the start of the reference PF and determining the start of the PEI occasion that is a symbol-level timing offset before the reference point. Identifying the reference PF may involve identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from the configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by a frame-level and a symbol-level timing offset. In some cases, identifying the reference PF is based on a start offset configured by a network entity.

[0017]

[0026] The proposed aspects can help to remove the uncertainty in the reference timing, allowing the UE to uniquely identify the PEI-O to monitor. Removing the uncertainty in the reference timing can help the UE to avoid monitoring too many PEI-Os, which can help to avoid unnecessary power consumption. The proposed aspects can also help the UE to avoid missing the PEI, which can help to avoid delays in reaching the UE, thereby improving system performance and user experience.

[0018] Wireless Communication Network Overview

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication network 100 in which aspects described herein may be implemented.

[0019]

[0028] Generally, the wireless communication network 100 includes base stations (BSs) 102, user equipments (UEs) 104, and one or more core networks, such as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160 and a 5G Core (5GC) network 190, which interoperate to provide wireless communication services.

[0020]

[0029] The BS 102 may provide an access point to the EPC 160 and / or the 5GC 190 for the UE 104 and may perform one or more of the following functions: transfer of user data, encryption and decryption of radio channels, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages, among other functions. A base station may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, NodeB, eNB, ng-eNB (e.g., an eNB enhanced to provide connectivity to both EPC160 and 5GC190), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, or transceiver function, or a transmit reception point in various contexts.

[0021]

[0030] More generally, a base station, such as BS 102, may include components located in a single physical location or components located in various physical locations. In embodiments in which a base station includes components located in various physical locations, the various components may each perform various functions such that the various components collectively achieve similar functionality as a base station located in a single physical location. Thus, a base station may equally refer to a standalone base station or a base station including components located in various physical or virtualized locations. In some implementations, such base stations including components located in various physical locations may be referred to as or associated with a distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture, such as an Open RAN (O-RAN) or Virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture. In some implementations, such components of a base station may include or refer to one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU).

[0022]

[0031] The BSs 102 communicate wirelessly with the UEs 104 via communication links 120. Each of the BSs 102 may provide communication coverage in a respective geographic coverage area 110, which may in some cases overlap. For example, a small cell 102' (e.g., a low power base station) may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro cells (e.g., high power base stations).

[0023]

[0032] The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the BS 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from the BS 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity in various aspects.

[0024]

[0033] Examples of UEs 104 include mobile phones, smartphones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players, cameras, gaming consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small cooking appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or other similar devices. Some of the UEs 104 may be internet of things (IoT) devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, or other IoT devices), always on (AON) devices, or edge processing devices. The UE 104 may also be referred to more generally as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, or client.

[0025]

[0034] Communications using higher frequency bands may have higher path loss and shorter range compared to lower frequency communications. Thus, some base stations (e.g., 180 in FIG. 1) may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, the base station 180 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming.

[0026]

[0035] In some cases, the base station 180 may transmit a beamformed signal to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182′. The UE 104 may receive a beamformed signal from the base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182″. The UE 104 may also transmit a beamformed signal to the base station 180 in one or more transmit directions 182″. The base station 180 may also receive a beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182′. The base station 180 and the UE 104 may then perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of the base station 180 and the UE 104. In particular, the transmit direction and receive direction for the base station 180 may or may not be the same. Similarly, the transmit direction and receive direction for the UE 104 may or may not be the same.

[0027]

[0036] The wireless communication network 100 may include a PEI location determination component 199, which may identify the location of a configured PEI occasion. The wireless communication network 100 further includes a PEI location determination component 198, which may be used to identify the location of a configured PEI occasion.

[0028]

[0037] 2 illustrates aspects of an example BS 102 and UE 104. Generally, the BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 220, 230, 238, and 240), antennas 234a-t (collectively 234), transceivers 232a-t (collectively 232) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 212) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 239). For example, the BS 102 may transmit and receive data between itself and the UE 104.

[0029]

[0038] The BS 102 includes a controller / processor 240 that may be configured to implement various functions related to wireless communications. In the depicted example, the controller / processor 240 includes a PEI position determination component 241 that may represent the PEI position determination component 199 of FIG. 1. Notably, while shown as an aspect of the controller / processor 240, the PEI position determination component 241 may be implemented in addition to or instead of various other aspects of the BS 102 in other implementations.

[0030]

[0039] Generally, the UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 258, 264, 266, and 280), antennas 252a-r (collectively 252), transceivers 254a-r (collectively 254) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., a data source 262) and wireless reception of data (e.g., a data sink 260).

[0031]

[0040] The UE 104 includes a controller / processor 280 that may be configured to implement various functions relating to wireless communications. In the depicted example, the controller / processor 280 includes a PEI position determination component 281 that may represent the PEI position determination component 198 of FIG. 1. Notably, while shown as an aspect of the controller / processor 280, the PEI position determination component 281 may be implemented in addition to or instead of various other aspects of the UE 104 in other implementations.

[0032]

[0041] Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D illustrate aspects of data structures for a wireless communications network, such as the wireless communications network 100 of Figure 1. In particular, Figure 3A is a diagram 300 illustrating an example of a first subframe in a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, Figure 3B is a diagram 330 illustrating an example of a DL channel in a 5G subframe, Figure 3C is a diagram 350 illustrating an example of a second subframe in a 5G frame configuration, and Figure 3D is a diagram 380 illustrating an example of a UL channel in a 5G subframe.

[0033]

[0042] Further discussion regarding Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D is provided later in this disclosure.

[0034] Overview of mmWave Wireless Communications

[0043] In wireless communications, the electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into various classes, bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequencies may also be referred to as carriers, subcarriers, frequency channels, tones, or subbands.

[0035]

[0044] 5G networks may utilize several frequency ranges, possibly defined by standards such as the 3GPP standard. For example, 3GPP technical standard TS 38.101 currently defines Frequency Range 1 (FR1) as including 600 MHz to 6 GHz, although specific uplink and downlink allocations may be outside of this general range. Thus, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as the "sub-6 GHz" band.

[0036]

[0045] Similarly, TS 38.101 currently defines Frequency Range 2 (FR2) as including 26-41 GHz, although again, specific uplink and downlink allocations may be outside this general range. FR2 is sometimes referred to (interchangeably) as the "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave") band because the wavelengths at these frequencies are between 1 and 10 millimeters, although it is distinct from the extremely high frequency (EHF) bands (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as "millimeter wave" bands.

[0037]

[0046] Communications using mmWave / near mmWave radio frequency bands (e.g., 3 GHz to 300 GHz) may have higher path loss and shorter range compared to lower frequency communications. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 1, a base station (e.g., 180) configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio frequency bands may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0038] Aspects Related to PEI Occasion Position Determination

[0047] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus, method, processing system, and computer-readable medium for determining locations of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions for a PEI.

[0039]

[0048] As mentioned above, the PEI may allow the UE to conserve battery power by entering an idle or inactive mode. By monitoring the PEI, the UE may only monitor subsequent POs for paging if the associated PEI indicates paging for the UE in those POs.

[0040]

[0049] As shown in timing diagram 400 of Figure 4, in some systems, one PEI may be used to indicate whether a UE is paged in one or multiple POs over up to two paging frames (PF1 and PF2). As shown, the PEI occasion (PEI-O) location may be determined based on frame-level and symbol-level timing offsets relative to a reference point. If the PEI is associated with multiple PFs, the frame-level timing offset may be applied to one of the PFs (which may be considered as the reference PF).

[0041]

[0050] 4, PF1 is a reference PF, and the reference point is determined by applying a frame-level timing offset from the beginning of PF1 (the frame-level timing offset value is 1). The location of the PEI occasion may then be determined by applying a symbol-level timing offset from the reference point to locate the first PDCCH monitoring occasion of the PEI occasion.

[0042]

[0051] As mentioned above, it may not always be clear which PF should be used as the reference PF for applying the frame-level timing offset, which may lead to the UE unnecessarily monitoring too many PEI occasions, or in some cases, causing the UE to miss the PEI and the corresponding page indicated thereby.

[0043]

[0052] Aspects of the present disclosure provide various techniques for determining locations of PDCCH monitoring occasions for a PEI associated with multiple POs in multiple PFs.

[0044]

[0053] PEI location determination according to an aspect of the present disclosure may be understood with reference to the call flow diagram 500 of FIG. 5, which assumes that the UE is served by a gNB.

[0045]

[0054] As shown, the gNB may signal a UE configuration for a PEI for multiple POs in multiple paging frames (PFs), indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in multiple POs.

[0046]

[0055] The UE may determine the location of the PEI occasion based on the reference PF, the frame-level timing offset, and the symbol-level timing offset. Figures 6 and 7 show various examples of how the UE may identify the reference PF and determine a location for the PEI occasion therefrom. The UE monitors the PEI during the configured PEI occasion at the determined location.

[0047]

[0056] In some cases, the network may configure the PEI-O location based on a PDCCH search space set configuration for the PEI. In such a case, the search space set configuration may provide the UE with a periodicity and offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI-O.

[0048]

[0057] In such a case, the network may configure a PF for the UE in each paging cycle (also called a discontinuous reception or DRX cycle), and the UE may evaluate each PF as a potential candidate to serve as a reference PF for applying a frame-level timing offset to determine a location for the PEI-O.

[0049]

[0058] For example, the UE may evaluate the PF by applying a frame-level timing offset and a symbol-level timing offset to (the start of) that PF, and to qualify as a valid PF reference candidate, the UE would expect the resulting start position to align with the start of the first PMO of the PEI-O. An example of this evaluation is shown in Figures 6A and 6B.

[0050]

[0059] In Figure 6A, the UE evaluates PF2 as a potential reference PF candidate. As shown, when the UE applies a frame-level timing offset and a symbol-level timing offset to the start of PF2, the resulting position does not align with the configured PMO of the configured PEI-O. Therefore, PF2 is excluded as a valid reference PF.

[0051]

[0060] However, as shown in Figure 6B, when the UE evaluates PF1 as a potential reference PF candidate by applying a frame-level timing offset and a symbol-level timing offset to the start of PF1, the resulting position aligns with the configured PMO of the configured PEI-O, and therefore PF1 is identified as a valid reference PF.

[0052]

[0061] In some cases, if there is no PF configured by the network that satisfies the timing relationship between the start of the first PMO of the PEI-O and the PF determined by the frame level timing offset and the symbol level timing offset, the UE may take some appropriate action. For example, according to the first option, the UE may not process its PO (the PO configured for the UE) during the paging cycle. According to the second option, the UE may ignore the PEI and process the paging PDCCH in its PO in the paging cycle. In other words, the UE may ignore the PEI indication or not even monitor the PEI in the PEI-O, and instead monitor the paging PDCCH in its PO regardless (with a potential negative impact on power saving). This may be considered as a fallback procedure to the conventional (legacy) paging procedure.

[0053]

[0062] According to the example PEI-O location determination procedure shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the UE and the network may determine a reference PF based on the configured frame-level and symbol-level timing offsets (which may be part of the PEI configuration), and from there, determine the first PMO of the configured PEI-O. In such a case, the network may take measures to ensure that the first PF and the first PMO are both properly configured to satisfy the offset between them. In some cases, this may mean taking measures to ensure that the two independent configurations of the PEI PDCCH search space set and paging frame for the UE are compatible.

[0054]

[0063] As described with reference to Figures 6A and 6B, the UE may need to perform additional processing operations to evaluate the candidate reference PFs. For example, the UE may hypothetically derive the PEI-O location by assuming that the PF is the reference (first) PF associated with the PEI-O or that a PF prior to the PF is the first PF associated with the PEI-O. As described above, the candidate PFs that follow (match) the PEI PDCCH search space set configuration are used to determine the PEI-O location.

[0055]

[0064] In some cases, the network may configure the frame-level timing offset separately for each PF in one paging cycle. For example, this configuration may be carried via a system information block (SIB) for the serving cell. In such a case, the UE may use the frame-level timing offset of its own PF to determine the PEI-O location. In other words, the network may ensure that the separately configured frame-level timing offset results in alignment with the corresponding PEI-O location for a given UE.

[0056]

[0065] 7A shows an example timeline for PEI occasion position determination based on separately configured frame-level timing offsets. As illustrated, if PF1 is the PF for the UE, it may apply the (first) frame-level timing offset configured for PF1 to determine the reference point. Meanwhile, if PF2 is the PF for the UE, it may apply the (second) frame-level timing offset configured for PF2 to determine the reference point.

[0057]

[0066] Once the reference point is determined by the frame level timing offset from the start of the PF for the UE, the UE may use the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to locate the start of the first PDCCH MO of the PEI-O to identify the PEI-O position.

[0058]

[0067] In some cases, the network may configure (explicitly indicate) a starting offset for determining a reference PF when more than one PF is associated with a PEI-O. The starting offset may be indicated according to various options.

[0059]

[0068] According to a first option, the starting offset may be defined based on the radio frame number. For example, the reference PF may be determined as follows: Modulo(radio frame number + starting offset, I pf )=0 In the formula, I pf is the duration of adjacent PFs associated with the same PEI-O.

[0060] According to a first option, the starting offset may be defined based on the index of the PF within the paging cycle. For example, the reference PF may be determined as follows: Modulo (PF index in paging cycle + starting offset, N pf,PEI )=0 N in the formula pf,PEIis the number of PFs associated with the same PEI-O. pf,PEI If = 2 and the starting offset is 0, the reference PF of the PF(s) associated with the PEI-O is the PF with an even PF index, whereas if the starting offset is 1, the first PF of the PF(s) associated with the PEI-O is the PF with an odd PF index. Figure 7B shows the starting offset option of 0 when two PFs are associated with the PEI-O and the starting offset is 0.

[0061]

[0069] In some cases, whether a PF has an odd or even index may determine whether the PF is a reference PF. For example, only the even-numbered PF (i.e., the PF with an even index) in a paging cycle may be used as the reference PF if the two PFs are associated with the same PEI-O. In this case, if the UE's PF has an odd index, the UE uses the PF before this PF as the reference PF. This simple approach can provide flexibility in network configuration while resulting in relatively low UE processing effort.

[0062]

[0070] Various other optimizations may help ensure relatively simple network configuration and UE implementation. For example, in some cases, when a PF is associated with one PEI, all POs in the PF may be mapped to the PEI (e.g., mapping POs of partial PFs to one PEI is not supported). As another example, in some cases, when two or more PFs are associated with one PEI, all PFs associated with the PEI are in the same paging cycle (e.g., PF mapping to one PEI from different paging cycles may not be supported).

[0063]

[0071] The various examples above have assumed a PEI mapped to POs in two PFs (PF1 and PF2). However, one skilled in the art will recognize that the PEI-O location determination techniques described herein can be extended to cases where a PEI maps to more than two PFs.

[0064] Exemplary Methods

[0072] 8 illustrates an example of a method 800 for wireless communication according to an aspect of the disclosure. In some aspects, a user equipment such as the UE 104 of FIGS. 1 and 2 or the processing system 1005 of FIG. 10 may perform the method 800.

[0065]

[0073] The method 800 begins with receiving, from a network entity, a PEI configuration indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the multiple POs for multiple POs in multiple PFs, in step 805. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by a PEI configuration circuit such as that described with reference to FIG.

[0066]

[0074] The method 800 then proceeds to step 810, where a reference PF is identified from one of the multiple PFs. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by a reference PF circuit such as that described with reference to FIG.

[0067]

[0075] The method 800 then proceeds to step 815, where it monitors the PEI at the location of the PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and the at least one timing offset. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by a PEI monitoring circuit such as that described with reference to FIG.

[0068]

[0076] In some aspects, the at least one timing offset comprises a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset. In some aspects, the UE determines the location of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point that is a frame level timing offset before a start of a reference PF and determining a start of the PEI occasion that is a symbol level timing offset before the reference point. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame level and a symbol level timing offset.

[0069]

[0077] In some aspects, identifying one of the multiple PFs whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame-level and symbol-level timing offset includes evaluating candidate PEI occasion positions derived for the multiple PFs using the frame-level and symbol-level timing offsets to identify a reference PF.

[0070]

[0078] In some aspects, the method 800 further includes at least one of: skipping the PO and not processing a paging PDCCH in the paging cycle, or ignoring the PEI and processing a paging PDCCH in a PO within the paging cycle, if the UE cannot identify a PF whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by the frame level and symbol level timing offsets.

[0071]

[0079] In some aspects, the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion is provided by a network entity as part of the search space set configuration, hi some aspects, the periodicity and offset provided by the network is for the first PMO of the PEI occasion.

[0072]

[0080] In some aspects, the configuration configures a frame level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. In some aspects, the method 800 further includes using the frame level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine a location of the reference point. In some aspects, the method 800 further includes using a symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of a PEI occasion.

[0073]

[0081] In some aspects, identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by the network entity. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and the duration of the multiple PFs. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on an index of the PF within a paging cycle. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving an index of the PF within a paging cycle, the starting offset, and the number of the multiple PFs.

[0074]

[0082] In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the multiple PFs having an odd index as the reference PF or identifying one of the multiple PFs having an even index as the reference PF. In some aspects, all POs in the multiple PFs are mapped to the PEI. In some aspects, the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle.

[0075]

[0083] 9 illustrates an example of a method 900 for wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In some aspects, a base station, such as the BS 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, or the processing system 1105 of FIG. 11 may perform the method 900.

[0076]

[0084] The method 900 begins with transmitting, to the UE, a PEI configuration for multiple POs in multiple PFs indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the multiple POs, in step 905. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by a PEI configuration circuit such as that described with reference to FIG.

[0077]

[0085] The method 900 then proceeds to step 910, where a reference PF is identified from one of the multiple PFs. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by a reference PF circuit such as that described with reference to FIG.

[0078]

[0086] The method 900 then proceeds to step 915, where the PEI is transmitted at a location of the PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and the at least one timing offset. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by a PEI transmission circuit such as that described with reference to FIG.

[0079]

[0087] In some aspects, the at least one timing offset comprises a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset. In some aspects, the network entity determines the location of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point that is a frame level timing offset before a start of a reference PF and determining a start of the PEI occasion that is a symbol level timing offset before the reference point.

[0080]

[0088] In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame-level and a symbol-level timing offset. In some aspects, the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion are provided by a network entity as part of a search space set configuration. In some aspects, the periodicity and offset provided by the network are for the first PMO of the PEI occasion.

[0081]

[0089] In some aspects, the configuration configures a frame level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. In some aspects, the method 900 further includes using the configured frame level timing offset for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine a location of the reference point. In some aspects, the method 900 further includes using a symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of a PEI occasion.

[0082]

[0090] In some aspects, identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by a network entity. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and a duration of the multiple PFs.

[0083]

[0091] In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on an index of the PF within the paging cycle. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and the number of PFs.

[0084]

[0092] In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the multiple PFs having an odd index as the reference PF or identifying one of the multiple PFs having an even index as the reference PF. In some aspects, all POs in the multiple PFs are mapped to a PEI. In some aspects, the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle.

[0085] Exemplary Wireless Communication Device

[0093] Figure 10 illustrates an example communications device 1000 including various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein, such as those illustrated and described with respect to Figure 8. In some examples, the communications device 1000 may be a UE 104, for example, as described with respect to Figures 1 and 2.

[0086]

[0094] The communication device 1000 includes a processing system 1005 coupled to a transceiver 1055 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 1055 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 1000 via an antenna 1060, such as various signals as described herein. The transceiver 1055 may communicate bidirectionally via the antenna 1060, a wired link, or a wireless link as described herein. For example, the transceiver 1055 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1055 may also include or be connected to a modem to modulate packets, provide the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulate packets received from the antenna. In some examples, the transceiver 1055 may be tuned to operate at a specified frequency. For example, the modem may configure the transceiver 1055 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on a communication protocol used by the modem.

[0087]

[0095] The processing system 1005 can be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 1000, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communication device 1000. The processing system 1005 includes one or more processors 1010 coupled to the computer-readable medium / memory 1030 via a bus 1050.

[0088]

[0096] The one or more processors 1010 can include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processing components, digital signal processors (DSPs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the one or more processors 1010 can be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller is integrated into the one or more processors 1010. In some cases, the one or more processors 1010 are configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory to perform various functions. In some aspects, the one or more processors 1010 include dedicated components for modem processing, baseband processing, digital signal processing, or transmission processing.

[0089]

[0097] In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1030 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1010, cause the one or more processors 1010 to perform the operations illustrated in FIG. 8 or other operations for implementing various techniques described herein.

[0090]

[0098] In one aspect, the computer readable medium / memory 1030 includes a PEI configuration code 1035 , a reference PF code 1040 , and a PEI monitoring code 1045 .

[0091]

[0099] Examples of computer-readable medium / memory 1030 include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), solid-state memory, hard drives, hard disk drives, etc. In some examples, the computer-readable medium / memory 1030 is used to store computer-readable, computer-executable software that includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices, among others. In some cases, a memory controller operates the memory cells. For example, the memory controller may include a row decoder, a column decoder, or both. In some cases, the memory cells in the memory store information in the form of logic states.

[0092]

[0100] The various components of the communications device 1000 may provide means for performing the methods described herein, including those with respect to FIG.

[0093]

[0101] In some examples, the means for transmitting or sending (or the means for outputting for transmission) may include the transceiver 254 and / or antenna(s) 252 of the UE 104 illustrated in FIG. 2 and / or the transceiver 1055 and antenna 1060 of the communications device of FIG. 10.

[0094]

[0102] In some examples, the means for receiving (or the means for obtaining) may include the transceiver 254 and / or antenna(s) 252 of the UE 104 illustrated in FIG. 2 and / or the transceiver 1055 and antenna 1060 of the communications device of FIG. 10.

[0095]

[0103] In some examples, the means for performing various operations described herein may include various processing system 1005 components such as, for example, one or more processors 1010 in FIG. 10, or aspects of UE 104 shown in FIG. 2, including receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, and / or controller / processor 280 (including PEI position determination component 281).

[0096]

[0104] In one aspect, the one or more processors 1010 include a PEI configuration circuit 1015, a reference PF circuit 1020, and a PEI monitoring circuit 1025.

[0097]

[0105] According to some aspects, the PEI configuration circuit 1015 receives a PEI configuration from a network entity for multiple POs in multiple PFs, indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the multiple POs. In some aspects, all POs in the multiple PFs are mapped to a PEI. In some aspects, the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle.

[0098]

[0106] According to some aspects, the reference PF circuit 1020 identifies a reference PF from one of the multiple PFs.

[0099]

[0107] According to some aspects, the PEI monitoring circuit 1025 monitors the PEI at a location of the PEI occasion determined based on a reference PF and at least one timing offset. In some aspects, the at least one timing offset comprises a frame-level timing offset and a symbol-level timing offset. In some aspects, the UE determines the location of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point that is a frame-level timing offset before a start of the reference PF and determining a start of the PEI occasion that is a symbol-level timing offset before the reference point.

[0100]

[0108] In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the multiple PFs whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame-level and symbol-level timing offset. In some aspects, identifying one of the multiple PFs whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame-level and symbol-level timing offset includes evaluating candidate PEI occasion positions derived for the multiple PFs using the frame-level and symbol-level timing offset to identify the reference PF. In some examples (e.g., if the UE cannot identify a PF whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame-level and symbol-level timing offset), the PEI configuration circuit 1015 skips the PO and does not process the paging PDCCH in the paging cycle, ignores the PEI and processes the paging PDCCH in a PO within the paging cycle, or both.

[0101]

[0109] In some aspects, the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion are provided by a network entity as part of the search space set configuration. In some aspects, the periodicity and offset provided by the network are for the first PMO of the PEI occasion. In some aspects, the configuration configures a frame level timing offset separately for each PF in one paging cycle. In some aspects, identifying a reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. In some examples, the PEI configuration circuit 1015 uses the frame level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine the location of the reference point. In some examples, the PEI configuration circuit 1015 uses a symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine the start of the PEI occasion.

[0102]

[0110] In some aspects, the reference PF circuit 1020 identifies a reference PF based on a starting offset configured by a network entity. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and a duration of the plurality of PFs. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on an index of the PF within a paging cycle. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving an index of the PF within a paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF.

[0103]

[0111] Notably, FIG. 10 is merely one example and many other examples and configurations of communication devices are possible.

[0104]

[0112] Figure 11 illustrates an example communications device 1100 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein, such as those illustrated and described with respect to Figure 9. In some examples, the communications device may be, for example, a BS 102 as described with respect to Figures 1 and 2.

[0105]

[0113] The communication device 1100 includes a processing system 1105 coupled to a transceiver 1155 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 1155 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 1100 via an antenna 1160, such as various signals as described herein. The transceiver 1155 may communicate bidirectionally via the antenna 1160, a wired link, or a wireless link as described herein. For example, the transceiver 1155 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1155 may also include or be connected to a modem to modulate packets, provide the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulate packets received from the antenna. In some examples, the transceiver 1155 may be tuned to operate at a specified frequency. For example, the modem may configure the transceiver 1155 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on a communication protocol used by the modem.

[0106]

[0114] The processing system 1105 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communications device 1100, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communications device 1100. The processing system 1105 includes one or more processors 1110 coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1130 via a bus 1150.

[0107]

[0115] The one or more processors 1110 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processing components, DSPs, CPUs, GPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the one or more processors 1110 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller is integrated into the one or more processors 1110. In some cases, the one or more processors 1110 are configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory to perform various functions. In some aspects, the one or more processors 1110 include dedicated components for modem processing, baseband processing, digital signal processing, or transmit processing.

[0108]

[0116] In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1130 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1110, cause the one or more processors 1110 to perform the operations illustrated in FIG. 9 or other operations for implementing various techniques described herein.

[0109]

[0117] In one aspect, the computer readable medium / memory 1130 includes a PEI configuration code 1135 , a reference PF code 1140 , and a PEI transmission code 1145 .

[0110]

[0118] Examples of computer readable medium / memory 1130 include RAM, ROM, solid state memory, hard drives, hard disk drives, etc. In some examples, computer readable medium / memory 1130 is used to store computer readable, computer executable software that includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory includes, among other things, a BIOS that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or devices. In some cases, a memory controller operates the memory cells. For example, the memory controller may include a row decoder, a column decoder, or both. In some cases, the memory cells in the memory store information in the form of logic states.

[0111]

[0119] The various components of the communications device 1100 may provide means for performing the methods described herein, including those with respect to FIG.

[0112]

[0120] In some examples, the means for transmitting or sending (or the means for outputting for transmission) may include the transceiver 232 and / or antenna(s) 234 of the BS 102 illustrated in FIG. 2 and / or the transceiver 1155 and antenna 1160 of the communications device in FIG. 11.

[0113]

[0121] In some examples, the means for receiving (or the means for acquiring) may include the transceiver 232 and / or antenna(s) 234 of the BS 102 illustrated in FIG. 2 and / or the transceiver 1155 and antenna 1160 of the communications device in FIG. 11.

[0114]

[0122] In some examples, means for performing various operations described herein may include, for example, one or more processors 1110 in FIG. 11, or various processing system 1105 components such as the aspects of BS 102 shown in FIG. 2, including receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, and / or controller / processor 240 (including PEI position determination component 241).

[0115]

[0123] In one aspect, the one or more processors 1110 include a PEI configuration circuit 1115 , a reference PF circuit 1120 , and a PEI transmission circuit 1125 .

[0116]

[0124] According to some aspects, the PEI configuration circuit 1115 transmits to the UE a PEI configuration for multiple POs in multiple PFs indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the multiple POs. In some aspects, all POs in the multiple PFs are mapped to the PEI. In some aspects, the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle.

[0117]

[0125] According to some aspects, the reference PF circuit 1120 identifies a reference PF from one of the multiple PFs.

[0118]

[0126] According to some aspects, the PEI transmission circuit 1125 transmits the PEI at a position of the PEI occasion determined based on a reference PF and at least one timing offset. In some aspects, the at least one timing offset comprises a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset. In some aspects, the network entity determines the position of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point that is a frame level timing offset before a start of the reference PF and determining a start of the PEI occasion that is a symbol level timing offset before the reference point. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame level and a symbol level timing offset. In some aspects, the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion are provided by the network entity as part of a search space set configuration. In some aspects, the periodicity and offset provided by the network are for the first PMO of the PEI occasion. In some aspects, the configuration configures the frame level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. In some examples, the PEI configuration circuit 1115 uses a frame level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine the location of the reference point. In some examples, the PEI configuration circuit 1115 uses a symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine the start of a PEI occasion.

[0119]

[0127] In some aspects, the reference PF circuit 1120 identifies a reference PF based on a starting offset configured by a network entity. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and a duration of the plurality of PFs. In some aspects, the starting offset is defined based on an index of the PF within a paging cycle. In some aspects, the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving an index of the PF within a paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs. In some aspects, identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF.

[0120]

[0128] Notably, FIG. 11 is merely one example and many other examples and configurations of communication devices are possible.

[0121] Example clauses

[0129] The following numbered clauses describe example implementations.

[0122]

[0130] Clause 1: A method of wireless communication by a user equipment, comprising: receiving from a network entity a PEI configuration indicating, for a plurality of POs in a plurality of PFs, whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; and monitoring the PEI at a position of a PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset.

[0123]

[0131] Clause 2: The method according to clause 1, wherein at least one timing offset comprises a frame-level timing offset and a symbol-level timing offset, and the UE determines a reference point that is the frame-level timing offset before the start of the reference PF, and determines the start of the PEI occasion that is the symbol-level timing offset before the reference point, thereby determining the position of the PEI occasion.

[0124]

[0132] Clause 3: The method according to clause 2, wherein identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by frame-level and symbol-level timing offsets.

[0125]

[0133] Clause 4: The method according to clause 3, wherein identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by frame-level and symbol-level timing offsets includes evaluating candidate PEI occasion positions derived for the plurality of PFs using the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset to identify the reference PF.

[0126]

[0134] Clause 5: The method according to clause 4, further including at least one of: skipping the PO, not processing the paging PDCCH in the paging cycle, or ignoring the PEI and processing the paging PDCCH in the PO within the paging cycle, when the UE cannot identify the PF whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by frame-level and symbol-level timing offsets.

[0127]

[0135] Clause 6: The method according to clause 3, wherein the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion are provided by a network entity as part of the search space set configuration.

[0128]

[0136] Clause 7: The method of clause 6, wherein the periodicity and offset provided by the network is for the first PMO of a PEI occasion.

[0129]

[0137] Clause 8: The method of clause 2, wherein the configuring comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset separately for each PF in one paging cycle, and identifying a reference PF comprises identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF.

[0130]

[0138] Clause 9: The method of clause 8, further comprising: using a frame level timing offset configured for a PF for the PO of the UE to determine a location of a reference point; and using a symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of a PEI occasion.

[0131]

[0139] Clause 10: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by a network entity.

[0132]

[0140] Clause 11: The method of clause 10, wherein a starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number, and the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and a duration of the multiple PFs.

[0133]

[0141] Clause 12: The method of clause 10, wherein the starting offset is defined based on an index of the PF within the paging cycle, and the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the multiple PFs.

[0134]

[0142] Clause 13: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 12, wherein identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of a plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF, or identifying one of a plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF.

[0135]

[0143] Clause 14: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein all POs in a plurality of PFs are mapped to a PEI.

[0136]

[0144] Clause 15: The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 14, wherein multiple PFs are within the same paging cycle.

[0137]

[0145] Clause 16: A method of wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: transmitting to a UE, for a plurality of POs among a plurality of PFs, a configuration of PEIs indicating whether a paging PDCCH is scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; and transmitting the PEI at a position of a PEI occasion determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset.

[0138]

[0146] Clause 17: The method of clause 16, wherein the at least one timing offset comprises a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset, and the network entity determines the position of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point that is a frame level timing offset before the start of a reference PF and determining a start of the PEI occasion that is a symbol level timing offset before the reference point.

[0139]

[0147] Clause 18: The method of clause 17, wherein identifying a reference PF includes identifying one of a plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PMO of the PEI occasion by a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset.

[0140]

[0148] Clause 19: The method of clause 18, wherein the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion is provided by a network entity as part of a search space set configuration.

[0141]

[0149] Clause 20: The method of clause 19, wherein the periodicity and offset provided by the network is for the first PMO of a PEI occasion.

[0142]

[0150] Clause 21: The method of clause 17, wherein the configuring comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset separately for each PF in one paging cycle, and identifying a reference PF comprises identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF.

[0143]

[0151] Clause 22: The method of clause 21, further comprising: using a frame level timing offset configured for a PF for the PO of the UE to determine a location of a reference point; and using a symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of a PEI occasion.

[0144]

[0152] Clause 23: The method of any one of clauses 16 to 22, wherein identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by a network entity.

[0145]

[0153] Clause 24: The method of clause 23, wherein a starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number, and a reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and durations of a number of PFs.

[0146]

[0154] Clause 25: The method of clause 24, wherein a starting offset is defined based on an index of the PF within the paging cycle, and a reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of PFs.

[0147]

[0155] Clause 26: The method according to any one of Clauses 16 to 25, including identifying a reference PF as one of a plurality of PFs having odd indices or identifying a reference PF as one of a plurality of PFs having even indices.

[0148]

[0156] Clause 27: The method according to any one of Clauses 16 to 26, wherein all POs within a plurality of PFs are mapped to a PEI.

[0149]

[0157] Clause 28: The method according to any one of Clauses 16 to 27, wherein a plurality of PFs are within the same paging cycle.

[0150]

[0158] Clause 29: A processing system comprising a memory having computer-executable instructions and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the processing system to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0151]

[0159] Clause 30: A processing system comprising means for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0152]

[0160] Clause 31: A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the processing system to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0153]

[0161] Clause 32: A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0154] Considerations for Additional Wireless Communication Networks

[0162] The techniques and methods described herein may be used for a variety of wireless communications networks (or Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs)) and Radio Access Technologies (RATs). Although aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 3G, 4G, and / or 5G (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR)) wireless technologies, aspects of the disclosure may be equally applicable to other communications systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0155]

[0163] 5G wireless communication networks may support a variety of advanced wireless communication services, such as enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), millimeter Wave (mmWave), Machine Type Communication (MTC), and / or mission-critical targeted Ultra-Reliable, Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), etc. These services, etc., may include latency and reliability requirements.

[0156]

[0164] Returning to FIG. 1, various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented within an exemplary wireless communication network 100.

[0157]

[0165] In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to a coverage area of ​​a NodeB and / or a narrowband subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In an NR system, the terms "cell" and BS, next generation NodeB (gNB or gNodeB), access point (AP), distributed unit (DU), carrier, or transmit reception point may be used interchangeably. A BS may provide communication coverage for a macrocell, a picocell, a femtocell, and / or other types of cells.

[0158]

[0166] A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a few kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with a service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a sports stadium) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with a service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs that have an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS, a home BS, or a home NodeB.

[0159]

[0167] BSs 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network, E-UTRAN) may interface with the EPC 160 through a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). BSs 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN, NG-RAN) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC 160 or 5GC 190) through a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface). The third backhaul link 134 may typically be wired or wireless.

[0160]

[0168] Small cell 102’ can operate in the licensed frequency spectrum and / or the unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, small cell 102’ can adopt NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as used by Wi-Fi AP 150. Small cell 102’ adopting NR in the unlicensed frequency spectrum may enhance the coverage to the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0161]

[0169] Some base stations such as BS 180 (for example, gNB) can operate in the conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency, and / or near mmWave frequency for communicating with UE 104. When BS 180 operates at mmWave or near mmWave frequencies, BS 180 may be called a mmWave base station.

[0162]

[0170] The communication link 120 between BS 102 and, for example, UE 104 can be via one or more carriers. BS 102 / UE 104 can use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz per carrier (for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz, etc.) allocated in carrier aggregation up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) used for transmission in each direction. Those carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The carrier allocation may be asymmetric for DL and UL (for example, for DL, more or fewer carriers may be allocated than for UL). The component carriers can include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier can be referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier can be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0163]

[0171] The wireless communication network 100 further includes Wi-Fi access points (APs) 150 in communication with Wi-Fi stations (STAs) 152 over communication links 154, for example, in the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the STAs 152 / APs 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communication to determine if a channel is available.

[0164]

[0172] Particular UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. The D2D communication links 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication links 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a PSSCH, and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be via various wireless D2D communication systems, such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on IEEE 802.11 standards, 4G (e.g., LTE), or 5G (e.g., NR), to name a few options.

[0165]

[0173] The EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may be in communication with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0166]

[0174] Generally, user Internet protocol (IP) packets are forwarded through a Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to a PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation as well as other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0167]

[0175] The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may act as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions and may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to deliver MBMS traffic to BSs 102 that belong to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a particular service and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0168]

[0176] The 5GC 190 may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may be in communication with a Unified Data Management (UDM) 196.

[0169]

[0177] The AMF 192 is generally a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the 5GC 190. Generally, the AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management.

[0170]

[0178] All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are forwarded through the UPF 195, which connects to IP services 197 and provides UE IP address allocation as well as other functions for the 5GC 190. The IP services 197 may include, for example, the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0171]

[0179] Turning now to FIG. 2, various example components of a BS 102 and a UE 104 (eg, the wireless communication network 100 of FIG. 1) that may be used to implement aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0172]

[0180] At the BS 102, the transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 and control information from the controller / processor 240. The control information may be for a Physical Broadcast CHannel (PBCH), a Physical Control Format Indicator CHannel (PCFICH), a Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator CHannel (PHICH), a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Group Common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), etc. In some examples, the data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0173]

[0181] A medium access control (MAC)-control element (MAC-CE) is a MAC layer communication construct that may be used to control command exchanges between wireless nodes. The MAC-CE may be carried within a shared channel, such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a PSSCH.

[0174]

[0182] The transmit processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols, such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH DMRS, and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0175]

[0183] A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) in transceivers 232a-t. Each modulator in transceivers 232a-t may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in transceivers 232a-t may be transmitted via antennas 234a-t, respectively.

[0176]

[0184] At the UE 104, the antennas 252a-252r may receive downlink signals from the BS 102 and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a-254r, respectively, within the transceivers. Each demodulator within the transceivers 254a-254r may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols.

[0177]

[0185] A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 254a-254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols and provide decoded data for the UE 104 to a data sink 260 and provide decoded control information to the controller / processor 280.

[0178]

[0186] On the uplink, at the UE 104, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data (e.g., for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) from a controller / processor 280. The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for a reference signal (e.g., for a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by a modulator in the transceivers 254a-254r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0179]

[0187] At the BS 102, the uplink signals from the UE 104 may be received by antennas 234a-t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 232a-t, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 104. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to a controller / processor 240.

[0180]

[0188] Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0181]

[0189] A scheduler 244 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0182]

[0190] 5G may utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with Cyclic Prefix (CP) on the uplink and downlink. 5G may also support half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplexing (TDD). OFDM and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) partition the system bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Modulation symbols may be sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers may depend on the system bandwidth. The minimum resource allocation, referred to as an RB, may be 12 consecutive subcarriers in some examples. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover multiple RBs. NR may support a base SubCarrier Spacing (SCS) of 15 KHz, and other SCSs (e.g., 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, etc.) may be defined relative to the base SCS.

[0183]

[0191] 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D illustrate various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communications network, such as wireless communications network 100 of FIG.

[0184]

[0192] In various aspects, the 5G frame configuration may be Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL. The 5G frame configuration may also be Time Division Duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL. In the example provided by Figures 3A, 3C, the 5G frame configuration is assumed to be TDD, subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (which is mostly DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and X is flexible in use between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (which is mostly UL). Subframes 3 and 4 are shown with slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, although any particular subframe may be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are all DL and UL, respectively. The other slot formats 2-61 contain a mix of DL, UL and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the slot format through the received slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically through DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically through RRC signaling). Note that the following description also applies to 5G frame configurations, which are TDD.

[0185]

[0193] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame configurations and / or different channels. A frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a minislot, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. In some examples, each slot may include 7 or 14 symbols depending on the slot configuration.

[0186]

[0194] For example, in slot configuration 0, each slot may contain 14 symbols, and in slot configuration 1, each slot may contain 7 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be Cyclic Prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also referred to as single carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-limited scenarios, i.e., when restricted to single stream transmission).

[0187]

[0195] The number of slots in a subframe is based on the slot configuration and numerology. In slot configuration 0, the different numerologies (μ) 0-5 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. In slot configuration 1, the different numerologies 0-2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for slot configuration 0 and numerology μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2μ slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of numerology. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2μ×15 kHz, where μ is the numerology 0-5. Thus, numerology μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz and numerology μ=5 has a subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D provide an example of slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and numerology μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0188]

[0196] A resource grid may be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot contains RBs (also called physical RBs (PRBs)), which span 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0189]

[0197] As shown in Figure 3A, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE (e.g., UE 104 in Figures 1 and 2). The RS may include Demodulation RS (DM-RS) (shown as Rx for one particular configuration where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include Beam Measurement RS (BRS), Beam Refinement RS (BRRS), and Phase Tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0190]

[0198] 3B shows an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DCI in one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE containing 9 RE Groups (REGs), each REG containing 4 consecutive REs within one OFDM symbol.

[0191]

[0199] A primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be present in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is used by a UE (e.g., 104 in FIGS. 1 and 2) to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification information.

[0192]

[0200] A Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) may be present in symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the group number of the physical layer cell identity and the timing of the radio frame.

[0193]

[0201] Based on the physical layer identity and the group number of the physical layer cell identity, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the above-mentioned DM-RS. A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying a master information block (MIB) may be logically grouped with a PSS and an SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and a system frame number (SFN). A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted over the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.

[0194]

[0202] As shown in FIG. 3C, some of the REs carry DM-RS (denoted as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may transmit DM-RS for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be transmitted in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether a short or long PUCCH is transmitted and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE may transmit sounding reference signals (SRS). The SRS may be transmitted in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb configuration, and the UE may transmit the SRS in one of the combs. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0195]

[0203] 3D shows an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH, in one configuration, may be arranged as shown. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSR), power headroom reports (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0196] Additional Considerations

[0204] The foregoing description provides examples of PEI location determination in a communication system. The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or aspects described in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, the methods described may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in some other embodiments. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects described herein. Moreover, the scope of the disclosure is intended to encompass apparatuses or methods that are implemented using other structures, functions, or structures and functions in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure described herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0197]

[0205] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication technologies, such as 5G (e.g., 5G NR), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology, such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. TDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as NR (e.g., 5G RA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are parts of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA.UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). NR is a new wireless communications technology under development.

[0198]

[0206] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with this disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0199]

[0207] When implemented in hardware, an exemplary hardware configuration may comprise a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented using a bus architecture. The bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges depending on the particular application of the processing system and the overall design constraints. The bus may link various circuits together, including the processor, the machine-readable medium, and the bus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a network adapter, among other things, to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the physical (PHY) layer. In the case of user equipment (such as the example UE 104 of FIG. 1), the user interface (e.g., keypad, display, mouse, joystick, touch screen, biometric sensor, proximity sensor, light emitting element, etc.) may also connect to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. The processor may be implemented using one or more general-purpose processors and / or special-purpose processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuitry capable of executing software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functionality for a processing system depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0200]

[0208] If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Software shall be broadly construed to mean instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A processor may be responsible for general processing, including managing a bus and executing software modules stored on a machine-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. By way of example, a machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier wave modulated by data, and / or a computer-readable storage medium having stored instructions separate from a wireless node, all of which may be accessed by a processor through a bus interface. Alternatively or additionally, the machine-readable medium, or any portion thereof, may be integrated into the processor, such as may be a cache and / or a general purpose register file. Examples of machine-readable storage media may include, by way of example only, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Flash memory, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a register, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard drive, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination thereof. The machine-readable medium may be embodied in a computer program product.

[0201]

[0209] A software module may comprise a single instruction or many instructions, and may be distributed across several different code segments, among different programs, and across several storage media. A computer-readable medium may comprise several software modules. A software module includes instructions that, when executed by a device such as a processor, cause a processing system to perform various functions. A software module may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or may be distributed across several storage devices. As an example, a software module may be loaded into RAM from a hard drive when a trigger event occurs. During execution of a software module, a processor may load some of the instructions into a cache to increase access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a general-purpose register file for execution by the processor. When referring to a function of a software module below, it will be understood that such function is implemented by a processor upon executing instructions from that software module.

[0202]

[0210] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. By way of example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination having multiples of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other permutation of a, b, and c).

[0203]

[0211] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, electing, establishing, and the like.

[0204]

[0212] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions for achieving the method. The steps and / or actions of those methods may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order of specific steps and / or actions and / or the use of those steps and / or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. Those means may include various hardware and / or software component(s) including, but not limited to, circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors, and / or various hardware and / or software module(s). In general, when operations are illustrated in figures, those operations may have corresponding equivalent means-plus-function components that are similarly numbered.

[0205]

[0213] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, reference to an element by the singular is not intended to mean "only one" unless expressly stated as such, but rather "one or more." The term "several" refers to one or more, unless expressly stated otherwise. No element of a claim is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for" or, in the case of a method claim, unless the element is recited using the phrase "step for." All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later become known to those skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be made public, regardless of whether such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The invention as described in the claims of the original application is set forth below. [C1] 1. A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network entity, a paging early indication (PEI) configuration for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), the PEI indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; monitoring the PEI at a PEI occasion location determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset; A method comprising: [C2] the at least one timing offset comprises a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset; the UE determining the position of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point, the frame level timing offset before a start of the reference PF, and determining a start of the PEI occasion, the symbol level timing offset before the reference point; The method according to C1. [C3] The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset. [C4] identifying one of the plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame level timing offset and the symbol level timing offset; The method of claim 3, comprising evaluating derived candidate PEI occasion positions for the plurality of PFs using the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset to identify the reference PF. [C5] If the UE cannot identify a PF whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by the frame level timing offset and the symbol level timing offset, skipping the PO and not processing the paging PDCCH in the paging cycle; or ignoring the PEI and processing a paging PDCCH in the PO within the paging cycle; The method of claim 4, further comprising at least one of: [C6] The method of claim 3, wherein the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion is provided by the network entity as part of a search space set configuration. [C7] The method of C6, wherein the periodicity and the offset provided by the network entity are for a first PMO of the PEI occasion. [C8] The configuration further comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset for each PF within a paging cycle separately; identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. The method according to C2. [C9] using the frame-level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine the location of the reference point; using the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of the PEI occasion; The method of C8, further comprising: [C10] The method of C1, wherein identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by the network entity. [C11] the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and a duration of the plurality of PFs. The method according to C10. [C12] The starting offset is defined based on an index of a PF within a paging cycle; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs. The method according to C10. [C13] Identifying the reference PF identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF; or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF; The method according to C1, comprising: [C14] The method of claim 1, wherein all POs in the plurality of PFs are mapped to the PEI. [C15] The method of C1, wherein the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle. [C16] 1. A method of wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a configuration of paging early indications (PEIs) for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; transmitting a PEI at a PEI occasion location determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset; A method comprising: [C17] the at least one timing offset comprises a frame level timing offset and a symbol level timing offset; determining the location of the PEI occasion by the network entity determining a reference point, the frame level timing offset before a start of the reference PF, and determining a start of the PEI occasion, the symbol level timing offset before the reference point; The method according to C16. [C18] The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the reference PF includes identifying one of the plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame level timing offset and the symbol level timing offset. [C19] The method of claim 18, wherein the periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion is provided by the network entity as part of a search space set configuration. [C20] The method of claim 19, wherein the periodicity and the offset provided by the network entity are for a first PMO of the PEI occasion. [C21] The configuration further comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset for each PF within a paging cycle separately; identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. The method according to C17. [C22] using the frame-level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine the location of the reference point; using the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of the PEI occasion; The method of C21, further comprising: [C23] The method of C16, wherein identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by the network entity. [C24] the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and a duration of the plurality of PFs. The method described in C23. [C25] The starting offset is defined based on an index of a PF within a paging cycle; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs. The method described in C24. [C26] Identifying the reference PF identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF; or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF; The method according to C16, comprising: [C27] The method of C16, wherein all POs in the plurality of PFs are mapped to the PEI. [C28] The method of C16, wherein the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle. [C29] A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, comprising: a memory having computer-executable instructions; Executing the computer-executable instructions, the UE: receiving, from a network entity, configurations of paging early indications (PEIs) for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; monitoring the PEI at a PEI occasion location determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset; one or more processors configured to A user equipment (UE) comprising: [C30] 1. A network entity configured for wireless communication, comprising: a memory having computer-executable instructions; Executing the computer-executable instructions, the network entity: causing a user equipment (UE) to transmit, for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), a configuration of paging early indications (PEIs) indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; transmitting a PEI at a PEI occasion location determined based on the reference PF and at least one timing offset; one or more processors configured to A network entity comprising:

Claims

1. 1. A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network entity, a paging early indication (PEI) configuration for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), the PEI indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; monitoring the PEI at a location of a PEI occasion determined based on at least a frame-level timing offset relative to a start of the reference PF; Including, Monitoring the PEI includes: determining a reference point that is before the frame-level timing offset from the start of the reference PF; The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the PEI occasion is a symbol level timing offset from the reference point.

2. the UE determining the position of the PEI occasion by determining the reference point, which is the frame level timing offset before the start of the reference PF, and determining the start of the PEI occasion, which is the symbol level timing offset before the reference point. The method of claim 1.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the reference PF comprises identifying one of the plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying one of the multiple PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset comprises: evaluating candidate PEI occasion positions derived for the multiple PFs using the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset to identify the reference PF.

5. If the UE is unable to identify a PF whose start is offset from the configured PMO of the PEI occasion by the frame level timing offset and the symbol level timing offset, skipping the PO and not processing the paging PDCCH in the paging cycle; or ignoring the PEI and processing a paging PDCCH in the PO within the paging cycle; The method of claim 4 , further comprising at least one of:

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising receiving from the network entity a periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion as part of a search space set configuration.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the periodicity and the offset are for a first PMO of the PEI occasion.

8. The configuration comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle; and identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. The method of claim 2.

9. using the frame-level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine a location of the reference point; using the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of the PEI occasion; The method of claim 8 further comprising:

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by the network entity.

11. the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and durations of the plurality of PFs; The method of claim 10.

12. The starting offset is defined based on an index of a PF within a paging cycle; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs. The method of claim 10.

13. Identifying the reference PF, identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF; or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein all POs in the plurality of PFs are mapped to the PEI.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple PFs are within the same paging cycle.

16. 1. A method of wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a paging early indication (PEI) configuration for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; transmitting a PEI at a location of a PEI occasion determined based on at least a frame-level timing offset relative to a start of the reference PF; Including, Transmitting the PEI comprises: determining a reference point that is before the frame-level timing offset from the start of the reference PF; The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the PEI occasion is a symbol level timing offset from the reference point.

17. the network entity determining the location of the PEI occasion by determining a reference point, the frame level timing offset before the start of the reference PF, and determining a start of the PEI occasion, the symbol level timing offset before the reference point; 17. The method of claim 16.

18. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the reference PF comprises identifying one of the multiple PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein a periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion is provided by the network entity as part of a search space set configuration.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the periodicity and the offset provided by the network entity are for a first PMO of the PEI occasion.

21. The configuration comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle; and identifying the reference PF includes identifying a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF.

20. The method of claim 17.

22. using the frame-level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine a location of the reference point; using the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to determine a start of the PEI occasion; 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

23. The method of claim 16 , wherein identifying the reference PF is based on a starting offset configured by the network entity.

24. the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and durations of the plurality of PFs; 24. The method of claim 23.

25. The starting offset is defined based on an index of a PF within a paging cycle; the reference PF is identified based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs.

25. The method of claim 24.

26. Identifying the reference PF, identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF; or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF; 17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

27. The method of claim 16 , wherein all POs in the plurality of PFs are mapped to the PEI.

28. The method of claim 16 , wherein the multiple PFs are within the same paging cycle.

29. A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, comprising: one or more memories comprising executable instructions; Executing the instructions, the UE receiving, from a network entity, a paging early indication (PEI) configuration for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), the PEI indicating whether paging physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) are scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; monitoring the PEI at a location of a PEI occasion determined based on at least a frame-level timing offset relative to a start of the reference PF; one or more processors configured to cause Equipped with Monitoring the PEI includes: determining a reference point that is before the frame-level timing offset from the start of the reference PF; the location of the PEI occasion is before a symbol level timing offset from the reference point. User Equipment (UE).

30. the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to determine the reference point, the reference point being the frame level timing offset before the start of the reference PF, and to determine a start of the PEI occasion, the symbol level timing offset before the reference point.

30. The UE of claim 29.

31. 31. The UE of claim 30, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to identify one of the multiple PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset.

32. 32. The UE of claim 31, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to evaluate candidate PEI occasion positions derived for the multiple PFs using the frame level timing offset and the symbol level timing offset to identify the reference PF.

33. One or more processors execute the instructions to cause the UE to: It is configured to skip the PO and not process the paging PDCCH in the paging cycle, or 33. The UE of claim 32, configured to at least one of: ignore the PEI; and process a paging PDCCH in the PO within the paging cycle.

34. 32. The UE of claim 31, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to receive from the network entity a periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion as part of a search space set configuration.

35. The UE of claim 34, wherein the periodicity and the offset are for a first PMO of the PEI occasion.

36. The configuration comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle; the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to identify a PF for one PO of the UE as the reference PF. The UE of claim 30.

37. One or more processors execute the instructions to cause the UE to: using the frame-level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine the location of the reference point; causing the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to be used to determine the start of the PEI occasion. The UE of claim 36 configured to:

38. 30. The UE of claim 29, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to identify the reference PF based on a starting offset configured by the network entity.

39. the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number; the one or more processors execute the instructions to cause the UE to identify the reference PF based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and durations of the multiple PFs. The UE of claim 38 configured to:

40. The starting offset is defined based on an index of a PF within a paging cycle; the one or more processors execute the instructions to cause the UE to identify the reference PF based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs. The UE of claim 38 configured to:

41. One or more processors execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF; or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF; The UE of claim 29 configured to:

42. The UE of claim 29, wherein all POs in the multiple PFs are mapped to the PEI.

43. The UE of claim 29 , wherein the multiple PFs are within the same paging cycle.

44. 1. A network entity configured for wireless communication, comprising: one or more memories comprising executable instructions; Executing the instructions, the network entity: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a paging early indication (PEI) configuration for a plurality of paging occasions (POs) in a plurality of paging frames (PFs), indicating whether a paging physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is scheduled in the plurality of POs; identifying a reference PF from one of the plurality of PFs; transmitting a PEI at a location of a PEI occasion determined based on at least a frame-level timing offset relative to a start of the reference PF; one or more processors configured to cause Equipped with Transmitting the PEI comprises: determining a reference point that is before the frame-level timing offset from the start of the reference PF; The location of the PEI occasion is a symbol level timing offset from the reference point.

45. the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the network entity to determine the reference point, the reference point being the frame level timing offset before the start of the reference PF, and to determine a start of the PEI occasion, the symbol level timing offset before the reference point.

45. A network entity according to claim 44.

46. 46. ​​The network entity of claim 45, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the network entity to identify one of the plurality of PFs whose start is offset from a configured PDCCH monitoring occasion (PMO) of the PEI occasion by the frame-level timing offset and the symbol-level timing offset.

47. 47. The network entity of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the network entity to transmit to the UE a periodicity and offset for the PMO of the PEI occasion as part of a search space set configuration.

48. 48. The network entity of claim 47, wherein the periodicity and the offset are for a first PMO of the PEI occasion.

49. The configuration comprises configuring a frame-level timing offset separately for each PF within one paging cycle; the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the network entity to identify a PF for a PO of the UE as the reference PF.

46. ​​A network entity according to claim 45.

50. The one or more processors execute the instructions to cause the network entity to: using the frame-level timing offset configured for the PF for the PO of the UE to determine the location of the reference point; causing the symbol level timing offset from the reference point to be used to determine the start of the PEI occasion.

50. The network entity of claim 49, configured to:

51. 45. The network entity of claim 44, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause the network entity to identify the reference PF based on a starting offset configured by the network entity.

52. the starting offset is defined based on a radio frame number; the one or more processors execute the instructions to cause the network entity to identify the reference PF based on a modulo function involving the radio frame number, the starting offset, and durations of the multiple PFs.

52. The network entity of claim 51 configured to:

53. The starting offset is defined based on an index of a PF within a paging cycle; the one or more processors execute the instructions to cause the network entity to identify the reference PF based on a modulo function involving the index of the PF within the paging cycle, the starting offset, and a number of the plurality of PFs.

53. A network entity as claimed in claim 52, configured to:

54. The one or more processors execute the instructions to cause the network entity to: Identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an odd index as the reference PF; or identifying one of the plurality of PFs having an even index as the reference PF; 45. The network entity of claim 44, configured to:

55. The network entity of claim 44, wherein all POs in the plurality of PFs are mapped to the PEI.

56. The network entity of claim 44, wherein the multiple PFs are in the same paging cycle.

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