Method, network device, and terminal device

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an effective mechanism for dealing with discontinuous coverage scenarios, in which a terminal device receives a first configuration indicating at least one first time period during which the terminal device is located within the coverage of a network. Furthermore, the terminal device performs at least one of performing cell search, performing measurements for cell reselection, or monitoring paging messages during the at least one first time period. In this way, unnecessary power / signaling consumption is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, apparatuses, and media for communication.

Background Art

[0002] In conventional wireless communication, even when a terminal device is in an idle state, the terminal device has to perform measurements or monitor paging messages. Regarding core network (CN) devices, the CN device is responsible for triggering the paging procedure of the terminal device and maintaining the registration state of the terminal device. In recent years, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) have been proposed to provide wide-area coverage. NTN refers to a network or a segment of a network that uses aircraft or spacecraft equipped with transmitter relay nodes or base stations, or uses radio frequency (RF) resources provided by satellites or unmanned aerial system (UAS) platforms.

[0003] Currently, it is agreed that NTN supports discontinuous coverage. When the terminal device is outside the coverage of the network, if the terminal device and the CN device perform normal operations (the terminal device performs measurements, monitors paging messages, and the CN device starts the paging procedure, etc.), undesirable power / signal consumption and unexpected registration state transitions occur.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for communication. If there are embodiments that do not fall within the scope of the claims, they should be construed as useful examples for understanding the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method for communication includes, at a terminal device, receiving a first setting indicating at least one first period during which the terminal device is located within the coverage of a network. The method further includes performing at least one of executing a cell search, performing measurements for cell reselection, or monitoring a paging message within the at least one first period.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a CN device, receiving a second setting indicating at least one second period during which the terminal device is located within the coverage of a network. The method further includes clearing or invalidating a paging proceed factor (PPF) flag for the terminal device within the at least one second period.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at an access network device providing a service to a terminal device, determining time information indicating a time during which the terminal device is located within the coverage of a network. The method further includes transmitting, based on the determined time information, a first setting indicating at least one first period used by the terminal device to the terminal device, and transmitting a second setting indicating at least one second period used by the CN device to the CN device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor unit and a memory coupled to the processor unit and storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor unit, cause the device to execute the method according to the first aspect.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a CN device is provided. The CN device includes a processor unit and a memory coupled to the processor unit and storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor unit, cause the device to execute the method according to the second aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an access network device is provided. The access network device includes a processor unit and a memory coupled to the processor unit and storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor unit, the device is caused to execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the first aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the second aspect.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0014] It should be understood that the summary part of the invention is not intended to identify important or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure should be readily understood through the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] Through a more detailed description of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure should become more apparent.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are useful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

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

[0018] References to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "exemplary embodiment", etc. in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments need to include such a particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Also, these expressions do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in relation to an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that such feature, structure, or characteristic, whether explicitly described or not, may affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to other embodiments.

[0019] In this specification, terms such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element. As used in this specification, the term "and / or" includes any one or more of the listed items, and all combinations thereof.

[0020] The terms used in this specification are for the sole purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, the terms "comprising", "comprises", "having", "has", "including", and / or "includes", when used in this specification, define the presence of the described features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] In some instances, a value, procedure, or device is referred to as "optimal," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection is possible from among a plurality of functional alternatives being used, and that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other selections.

[0022] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (registered trademark)), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Further, communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network may be performed by any suitable generation of communication protocol. Communication protocols include, but are not limited to, communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network or sixth generation (6G), and / or other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development of communication, it is natural that there will also be future communication technologies and communication systems in which the present disclosure can be implemented. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0023] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having a wireless or wired communication function. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, IoT (Internet of Things) devices, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) devices, IoE (Internet of Everything) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for V2X communication (where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network), devices for IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul), spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including HAP (High Altitude Platforms) and satellites that include unmanned aerial vehicle systems (UAS), XR (Extended Reality) devices including different types of reality such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) generally known as drones that do not require a human pilot, devices on high-speed trains (HSTs), imaging devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage / playback devices, or Internet devices that enable wireless / wired Internet access and browsing, etc., but are not limited thereto. The "terminal device" can further support public safety, mission-critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software delivery, group communication, and IoT applications by having a multicast / broadcast function. Also, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) may be incorporated, as known as multi-SIM. The term "terminal device" can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0024] The term "core network device" / "CN device" means any device or entity that provides access and mobility management functions (AMF: Access and Mobility management Function), session management functions (SMF: Session Management Function), user plane functions (UPF), etc. By way of example and not limitation, the CN device may be a mobility management entity (MME: Mobility Management Entity), AMF, SMF, UPF, etc. In other embodiments, the CN device may be any other suitable device or entity.

[0025] As used herein, the term "access network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage through which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle systems (UAS) platforms, Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission and reception points (TRP), remote radio units (RRU), radio heads (RH), remote radio heads (RRH), IAB nodes, low-power nodes (femto nodes, pico nodes, etc.), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface), etc.

[0026] The terminal device or network device may have artificial intelligence (Al) or machine learning capabilities. Generally, it includes models that can learn from a large number of data collected for a specific function and be used to predict some information.

[0027] The terminal device or network device may function in a plurality of frequency ranges, such as, for example, FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands higher than 100 GHz, terahertz (THz), etc. Furthermore, it can function in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. In a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario, the terminal device may have multiple connections with the network device. The terminal device or network device can function in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-divided duplex modes.

[0028] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test facilities such as, for example, signal generators, signal analyzers, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, test terminal devices, test network devices, channel emulators, etc.

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with any generation of communication protocol, whether currently known or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth generation (6G) network.

[0030] As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of an analog hardware circuit and / or a digital hardware circuit and software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory that cooperate to provide various functions to a device such as a terminal device or a network device. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software / firmware for operation but may not have software present when not required for operation. As used herein, the term circuit encompasses mere hardware circuits or processors, or portions of hardware circuits or processors, as well as implementations of their (or their) attendant software and / or firmware.

[0031] As described above, NTN can provide wide network coverage. Currently, different types of satellites (or UAS platforms) may exist in NTN. Examples of satellite types are shown in Table 1.

[0032] Table 1 Types of Satellite / UAS Platforms

Table 1

[0033] Furthermore, NTN typically features the following elements. · One or more satellite gateways (sat-gateways) that connect NTN to a public data network - GEO satellites are fed by one or more satellite gateways deployed across the coverage targeted by the satellite (e.g., regional or continental coverage). It is assumed that a UE within a cell receives services from only one satellite gateway. - Non-GEO satellites receive services continuously from one or more satellite gateways at a time. This system ensures the continuity of services and feeder links between satellite gateways that provide services continuously, using sufficient time to progress mobility anchoring and handover. · Feeder link or wireless link between a satellite gateway and a satellite (or UAS platform) · Service link or wireless link between user equipment and a satellite (or UAS platform) · A satellite (or UAS platform) on which either a transparent payload or a regenerative (with on-board processing) payload can be implemented. The satellite (or UAS platform) generates beams and typically generates multiple beams in a predetermined serving area limited to its field of view. The footprint of the beam is typically elliptical. The field of view of the satellite (or UAS platform) depends on the installed antenna diagram and the minimum elevation angle. - Transparent payload: Radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification. Thus, the waveform signal repeated by the payload does not change. - Regenerative payload: Radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification, as well as demodulation / decoding, switching and / or routing, encoding / modulation. This is virtually equivalent to installing all or part of the base station function (such as gNB) on the satellite (or UAS platform). · Inter-Satellite Links (ISL) are optional in the case of a satellite constellation. In this case, a regenerative payload installed on the satellite is required. ISL may operate in the RF frequency or optical band. · The UE receives services from a satellite (or UAS platform) within the target service area.

[0034] Currently, NTN is being developed to support scenarios for IoT and extended machine type communication (eMTC). Examples of IoT NTN are shown below. · Scenario A: GEO-based non-terrestrial access network · Scenario B: LEO-based non-terrestrial access network that generates steerable beams (Altitude 1200 km, 600 km) · Scenario C: LEO-based non-terrestrial access network that generates fixed beams whose footprint moves together with satellites (altitude 1200 km, 600 km) · Scenario D: MEO-based non-terrestrial access network that generates fixed beams whose footprint moves together with satellites (altitude 10000 km)

[0035] As described above, it has been agreed to support discontinuous coverage in NTN. So far, generally, neither the terminal device nor the CN device has been able to successfully obtain the coverage status of the network. As a result, for the CN device, the CN device is unaware that the terminal device is out of coverage and still attempts to initiate the necessary paging procedure for the terminal device. Such paging failure states due to discontinuous coverage are temporary and intermittent. However, since the CN device cannot understand that the paging failure is due to discontinuous coverage, it transitions the terminal device to the deregistered state. In this case, when the terminal device enters the network coverage again and wants to communicate with the network, the terminal device has to execute the initial registration or PDU establishment procedure.

[0036] For the terminal device, since the terminal device cannot recognize that it is out of coverage, it will continue to monitor measurements and paging messages.

[0037] As can be understood, since the scenario of discontinuous coverage has not been properly processed, the terminal device and the CN device experience undesirable power / signal consumption and unexpected registration state transitions.

[0038] Several mechanisms have been proposed to reduce unwanted power consumption / signaling overhead, but these mechanisms are not applicable to discontinuous coverage scenarios. For example, conventional mechanisms for reducing unwanted power consumption / signaling overhead include discontinuous reception (DRX), extended discontinuous reception (eDRX), PSM, and relaxed monitoring.

[0039] Refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary pattern 100 of a conventional PSM. In the conventional solution shown in FIG. 1, a UE can adopt PSM. If the UE wants to use PSM, the UE has to request an active time value and may request a periodic TAU timer value for each attach and tracking area update (TAU) procedure. Further, the UE shall not request a periodic TAU timer value if it is not requesting an active time value. Therefore, if the UE is not requesting an active time value, the network shall not allocate an active time value.

[0040] When the network allocates an active time value, the UE and the MME start an active timer with the active time value allocated by the network when transitioning from the connected mode to the idle mode. The UE shall stop the active timer if it is running when the transition to the connected mode occurs. When the active timer expires, the UE deactivates the access stratum function and enters PSM. In PSM, by deactivating the access stratum function, the UE stops all idle mode procedures, but any applicable non-access stratum timer such as a periodic TAU timer continues to run.

[0041] Furthermore, if applicable, the UE must resume the access stratum function and the idle mode procedure before the periodic TAU timer for executing the periodic TAU procedure expires. The UE may resume the idle mode procedure and the access stratum function at any time during PSM, for example, for mobile originated calls, etc. When the active timer for the UE expires, the MME recognizes that the UE has entered PSM and is not available for paging.

[0042] As is clear, in the conventional solution, the MME assigns a fixed TAU timer value and a fixed active time value without considering the network coverage state at all. Therefore, for scenarios with discontinuous coverage, it is desirable to propose a solution that can reduce unwanted power consumption / signaling overhead and avoid unexpected registration state transitions.

[0043] To solve the above and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an effective mechanism for dealing with scenarios of discontinuous coverage. In this solution, the terminal device and the CN device can obtain information indicating the network coverage. With such information, the terminal device and the CN device can reduce unwanted power consumption / signaling overhead and avoid unexpected registration state transitions.

[0044] Hereinafter, the principles and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] In the following, a satellite is used as an example of an access network device for explaining some specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments described with respect to the satellite are equally applicable to other types of access network devices.

[0046] In the following description, the terms "period", "window", "cycle", and "interval" may be used interchangeably.

[0047] The term "at least one first period" is incorporated in the description of the terminal device. During at least one first period, the terminal device is considered to be located within the coverage of the network. Similarly, the term "at least one second period" is incorporated in the description of the CN device. During at least one second period, the CN device is considered to be located within the coverage of the network.

[0048] It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the above "at least one first period" and "at least one second period" are associated with the coverage state in the network and do not necessarily refer to the actual coverage state in the network.

[0049] Furthermore, in some exemplary embodiments, "at least one first period" is the same as "at least one second period", but in some other exemplary embodiments, "at least one first period" is different from "at least one second period".

[0050] Also, the terminal device may obtain "at least one first period" in various ways. In one exemplary embodiment, the terminal device obtains / collects information (ephemeris, constellation almanac, etc.) and calculates / derives at least one first period locally. In another exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 210 obtains at least one first period from a setting (referred to as the "first setting") transmitted from another network device (such as an access network device or a CN device).

[0051] In addition, the procedure for the CN device to obtain "at least one second period" is similar to the procedure discussed for the terminal device to obtain "at least one first period". Specifically, the CN device may calculate / derive at least one second period locally, or obtain at least one second period from a setting (referred to as the "second setting") transmitted from another network device (such as an access network device or a terminal device).

[0052] In the present disclosure, the term "time information" is introduced when describing an access network device. "Time information" refers to information associated with the coverage state of a network. As an example of a specific embodiment, the access network device collects information associated with the coverage information of a neighboring access network device via a feeder link with a CN or an ISL with a neighboring access network device, and determines time information based on the collected information and its own coverage information.

[0053] It should be noted that in the present disclosure, "time information", "at least one first period", "at least one second period", "first setting", and "second setting" may be represented / shown by any suitable method / parameters.

[0054] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, "time information", "at least one first period", and "at least one second period" may also be referred to as "service time" / "service window".

[0055] Exemplary Environment FIG. 2 shows an exemplary communication environment 200 in which an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication environment 200 includes a terminal device 210, an access network device 230-1 that provides services to the terminal device 210, and a further access network device 230-2. In the following text, the access network devices 230-1 and 230-2 are collectively referred to as the access network device 230, or individually as the network device 230. Furthermore, one or more ISLs may be established between the access network device 230-1 and the access network device 230-2.

[0056] Furthermore, either of the access network devices 230-1 and 230-2 may provide one or more serving areas (sometimes referred to as "cells") to the terminal device 210. In the specific example of FIG. 2, the access network device 230-1 provides a serving area 235-1, and the access network device 230-2 provides a serving area 235-2. Hereinafter, the serving areas 235-1 and 235-2 may be collectively referred to as the serving area 235, or individually referred to as the serving area 235.

[0057] When the terminal device is within the serving area 235 of each access network device 230, the terminal device 210 may communicate with each access network device 230 via a service link or a wireless link or the like. The communication in the direction from the terminal device 210 to the access network device 230 is referred to as uplink communication, and the reverse communication in the direction from the access network device 230 to the terminal device 210 is referred to as downlink communication.

[0058] Furthermore, in the specific example of FIG. 2, both the terminal device 210 and the access network device 230 may move over time. During the movement, the terminal device 210 may be located in different serving areas 235, and in some cases, may be outside the network coverage.

[0059] In the specific example of FIG. 2, the terminal device 210 may be in different states (connected state, inactive state, idle state, etc.), and may also be operated by a power saving mechanism including, but not limited to, DRX, eDRX, PSM, relaxation of monitoring, etc.

[0060] Furthermore, the communication environment 200 also includes a CN 225. Furthermore, the CN 225 may include a plurality of CN devices (for example, the CN device 220 as shown in FIG. 2). The access network devices 230-1 and 230-2 may be connected to the CN device 220 via a feeder link or a wireless link or the like.

[0061] Communications within the communication environment 200 may conform to any suitable standard, which may include, but is not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. Further, the communication may be executed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or the sixth generation (6G).

[0062] It should be understood that the number of access network devices, terminal devices, CN devices, CNs, and serving areas and their connections are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication environment 200 may include any suitable access network devices, terminal devices, CN devices, CNs, and serving areas suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that the communication environment 200 may include one or more additional network devices such as base stations, gateways, etc.

[0063] Exemplary Process The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a signaling chart illustrating a communication process 300 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The process 300 may involve the terminal device 210, the CN device 220, and the access network device 230.

[0064] In the specific example of FIG. 3, the communication network is an NTN that supports discontinuous coverage. Further, the access network device 230 is a satellite or UAS platform.

[0065] During operation, the terminal device 210 receives a first setting indicating at least one first period during which the terminal device 210 is located within the coverage of the network. In one exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 210 receives the first setting from the access network device 230 (350-1). In another exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 210 receives the first setting from the CN device 220.

[0066] Alternatively, it should be understood that in some other exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 may collect information related to the coverage of the network and then calculate / derive the first period by itself. In this way, the terminal device 210 may obtain the coverage information of the network.

[0067] Similarly, the CN device 220 may also receive a second setting indicating at least one second period during which the terminal device 210 is located within the coverage of the network (350-2). In one exemplary embodiment, the CN device 220 receives the second setting from the access network device 230 (330-2). In another exemplary embodiment, the CN device 220 receives the second setting from the terminal device 210.

[0068] Alternatively, it should be understood that in some other exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 may collect information related to the coverage of the network and then calculate / derive the second period by itself. In this way, the CN device 220 may obtain the coverage information of the network.

[0069] As described above, the first setting and the second setting may be transmitted by the access network device 230. Specifically, the access network device 230 may determine the time information when the terminal device 210 is located within the network coverage (430). Then, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting to the terminal device 210 while transmitting the second setting to the CN device 220.

[0070] Furthermore, the access network device 230 may transmit the first setting and the second setting at any suitable opportunity or in response to some predefined events. In one exemplary embodiment, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting and the second setting in response to the terminal device 210 transitioning from a connected state to an idle mode (such as the RRC idle state) (for example, the access network device 230 determines that the terminal device 210 has transitioned to the RRC idle state (340)). In another exemplary embodiment, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting and the second setting when the terminal device is in a connected state (such as the RRC connected state). It should be understood that the transition from the connected state to the idle mode is only given for illustration purposes and does not imply any limitation. In other exemplary embodiments, when other power-saving mechanisms are operating in the network, the access network device 230 may transmit the first setting and the second setting in response to other suitable state transitions. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0071] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting and the second setting conditionally. As one exemplary embodiment, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting and the second setting only when the access network device 230 receives a first message for requesting the first setting from the terminal device 210. Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting and the second setting regardless of whether the terminal device 210 requests the first setting.

[0072] In this way, the access network device 230 may notify both the terminal device 210 and the CN device 220 of the network coverage information (i.e., the serving time). By doing so, the terminal device 210 and the CN device 220 can maintain consistency regarding the reachability of the terminal device 210.

[0073] Also, in some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 determines time information based on information such as the speed of the terminal device 210, the moving direction of the terminal device 210, the position of the terminal device 210, and the ephemeris / constellation almanac of itself and neighboring access network devices. In this way, the time information may be determined in a method specialized for the terminal device, and the accuracy of the determined time information is improved accordingly.

[0074] Also, this function / feature may be optionally enabled or supported in the network. In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 transmits (310) an instruction indicating that the access network device 230 supports the setting of the first setting. The instruction may be used as the capability information of the access network device 230, and further may be used as an instruction for enabling this function / feature in the network.

[0075] Furthermore, the above instruction may be transmitted in any suitable method. In one exemplary embodiment, the access network device 230 may transmit the instruction in a broadcast manner in the system information (SI).

[0076] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 may also send a first message to the access network device 230 to request a first setting (320). Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 sends the first message only when it receives an indication from the access network device 230 indicating that the access network device 230 supports the setting of the first setting. Thus, this function / feature may be implemented as an optional function / feature, and the terminal device 210 may also determine whether to enable the function / feature.

[0077] Further, the first message may include one or more service characteristics or user preferences. In one exemplary embodiment, the first message includes user preference information indicating an expected period for communicating with the network. Thus, the first setting generated for the terminal device 210 can be made more reasonable.

[0078] As already stated, the at least one first period, the at least one second period, and the period corresponding to the time information do not necessarily refer to the actual coverage state in the network.

[0079] Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of at least one first period (or at least one second period). In the specific example of FIG. 4, three access network devices such as the access network device 230-1 (denoted as "S1" in FIG. 4), the access network device 230-2 (denoted as "S2" in FIG. 4), and a further access network device (denoted as "S3" in FIG. 4) may provide service areas within the network. Periods 410-1 and 410-2 correspond to the service periods provided by the access network device 230-1, periods 420-1 and 420-2 correspond to the service periods provided by the access network device 230-2, and periods 430-1 and 430-2 correspond to the service periods provided by the further access network device. Further, the access network device 230-1 is providing service to the terminal device 210.

[0080] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, the details of at least one first period will be discussed. In the specific example of FIG. 4, periods 440-1 to 440-4 correspond to at least one first period.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one first period may cover only a part of the access network devices in the network. As shown in FIG. 4, at least one first period is only related to access network devices 230-1 (i.e., S1) and access network device 230-2 (i.e., S2).

[0082] Alternatively, it should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, at least one first period is only related to a specific access network device (such as serving access network device 230-1, etc.).

[0083] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one first period is periodic. In this case, at least one first period may be indicated by the period of the at least one first period and each period of the at least one first period. Further, either the period or the period may be set as a default value. In that case, either the period or the period may be omitted when indicating at least one first period.

[0084] Or, at least one first period is aperiodic. In this case, the at least one first period may be indicated by information on a plurality of serving times (for example, T time, where T is greater than zero) within the next period.

[0085] In some exemplary embodiments, any one of at least one first period may be provided by either the current serving access network device (such as S1, etc.) or any one of the neighboring access network devices (such as S2, S3, etc.). Further, each of the first periods may be indicated by a start time and an end time.

[0086] It should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments regarding at least one first period are described for illustrative purposes only. In other exemplary embodiments, at least one first period may be in any suitable manner (periodic or aperiodic) and may be represented / indicated by any suitable parameters.

[0087] At least one second period is similar to at least one first period. That is, the above description regarding the first period is also applicable to at least one second period. For the sake of simplicity, the same or similar descriptions are omitted here.

[0088] It should be understood that the first period and the second period should correspond to each other so that the operations at the terminal device 210 and the CN device match each other. However, the first period and the second period do not necessarily have to be exactly the same. As described above, at least one first period and at least one second period may be different. In one exemplary embodiment, at least one second period has a length longer than the corresponding first period.

[0089] Through the above process, network elements (including the terminal device 210, the CN device 220, and the access network device 230) can obtain the coverage state in the network. And the network elements can behave reasonably with higher power efficiency.

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 executes normal idle mode operations within at least one first period (360-1), while disabling normal idle mode operations beyond the at least one first period (360-2). An example of normal idle mode operation is the execution of cell search. Another example of normal idle mode operation is to perform measurements for cell reselection. A further example of idle mode operation is the normal monitoring of paging messages. In one specific example, the terminal device 210 monitors paging messages. The monitoring of paging messages includes first monitoring downlink control information messages and proceeding with the reception of paging messages based on the monitoring results.

[0091] In addition to the above examples, normal idle mode operations may include, but are not limited to, the following. · Monitor the update of system information (SI) and further update SI based on the monitoring results. · Perform transmission and reception of sidelink communication. · Perform announcements and monitoring of sidelink discovery. · Perform transmission and reception of V2X sidelink communication. · Perform transmission and reception of NR sidelink communication. · Transmission and reception of V2X sidelink communication. · Perform mobile-originated early data transmission (MO-EDT). · Perform mobile-terminated early data transmission (MO-EDT). · Perform transmission using the reconfigured uplink resource (PUR).

[0092] It should be understood that the above examples are not intended to cover all normal idle mode operations, but rather to deepen the understanding of the operations that can be supported within at least one first period.

[0093] Furthermore, the above procedure may be executed in coordination with other mechanisms (DRX, eDRX, PSM, relaxed monitoring, etc.). In one exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 210 monitors paging messages using DRX and / or eDRX within at least one first period.

[0094] By doing so, unnecessary operations of the terminal device 210 when it is beyond at least one Period are avoided, and power consumption in the terminal device 210 is reduced.

[0095] Regarding the CN device 220 (MME, etc.), the CN device 220 may presume that the terminal device 210 is reachable within at least one second period (370-1), while presuming that the UE is unreachable beyond at least one second period (370-2).

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, when the CN device 220 detects a paging failure within at least one second period (for example, when the CN device 220 fails to receive a response to a paging message from the terminal device 210), the CN device 220 transmits a downlink data notification rejection message to notify the SGW about the paging failure.

[0097] Alternatively or additionally, in some exemplary embodiments, when the CN device 220 detects the expiration of a reachable timer (i.e., a timer corresponding to or similar to a periodic TAU timer), the CN device 220 presumes that the UE is not reachable. Furthermore, the CN device 220 does not immediately delete the bearers of the terminal device 210. Instead, the CN device 220 clears the PPF flag of the CN device 220 and starts an implicit detach timer. When the implicit detach timer expires before the terminal device 210 contacts the network, the CN device 220 implicitly detaches the terminal device 210.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, after receiving the second setting, the CN device 220 directly indicates to the SGW that the terminal device 210 will be unreachable for a certain period of time. That is, the CN device 220 notifies the SGW of the coverage interruption along with the predicted suspension time of the downlink data. The predicted suspension time may be determined based on at least one second period. Specifically, after receiving the second setting, the CN device 220 transmits to the SGW first information indicating the first available time for the terminal device 210 to receive downlink data. Here, the first available time is determined based on the second setting.

[0099] Alternatively or additionally, in some exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 clears the PPF flag of the terminal device 210 for more than at least one second period. Or, in some exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 does not clear the PPF flag, but instead invalidates the PPF flag of the terminal device 210 for more than at least one second period. In some exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 starts a timer (referred to as "timer A"), and when the timer expires, the CN device 220 may consider the terminal device 210 to be unreachable (i.e., outside the coverage). Further, when timer A expires, the CN device 220 starts an implicit detach timer.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, when the CN device 220 receives a downlink data notification for the terminal device 210 from the SGW for more than at least one second period, the CN device 220 transmits a rejection message for the downlink data notification to the SGW. Further, the rejection message indicates the second available time for the terminal device 210 to receive downlink data (e.g., indicated by the value of a timer), and the second available time is determined based on the second setting. For example, when the CN device 220 receives a downlink data notification message from the SGW for more than the second period, the CN device 220 does not page the terminal device 210 and transmits to the SGW a downlink data notification rejection message with / including the setting of timer B (indicating the period during which the terminal device 210 may become reachable again).

[0101] In this way, by using the second period, the CN device 220 may distinguish different unreachable situations (e.g., situations caused by discontinuous coverage, situations caused by other reasons (the terminal device may be powered off)). As a result, when detecting a paging failure or receiving a downlink data notification, the CN device 220 may perform different operations based on the second period. Further, the terminal device 210 and the CN device 220 can maintain consistency regarding reachability between the terminal device 210 and the CN device 220, thereby avoiding unnecessary power consumption caused by frequently performing initial registration when the terminal device 210 returns to coverage (i.e., avoiding the implicit detach operation when the terminal device is out of coverage due to discontinuous service).

[0102] Note that it should be noted that the operations at the terminal device 210 and the operations at the CN device 220 should be consistent. For the purpose of illustration only, for one specific process, it will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows another signaling chart showing a communication process 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The process 500 may involve the terminal device 210, the CN device 220, and an SGW (not shown in FIG. 2).

[0103] During operation, the terminal device 210 and the CN device 220 maintain consistency regarding reachability between each other (510). For example, the terminal device 210 has received at least one first period, and the CN device 220 has received at least one second period.

[0104] Within the reachable period (i.e., within at least one of the first / second periods), as described above, the terminal device 210 performs normal idle mode operation (520). Regarding the CN device 220, the CN device 220 maintains a mobile reachable timer based on the second period. When the mobile reachable timer expires, the CN device 220 clears or invalidates the PPF of the terminal device 210 (530). When the mobile reachable timer expires and the CN device 220 receives a downlink data notification message from the SGW (540), the CN device 220 responds to the SGW with a downlink data notification rejection message (550). Also, when the mobile reachable timer has not expired, the terminal device 210 may be paged according to a common paging strategy.

[0105] During the unreachable period (i.e., exceeding at least one of the first / second periods), the terminal device 210 disables unnecessary idle mode operations (560). Regarding the CN device 220, the CN device 220 clears or invalidates the PPF flag for the unreachable period determined based on at least one second period (570). When the mobile reachable timer expires and the CN device 220 receives a downlink data notification message from the SGW (580), the CN device 220 responds to the SGW with a downlink data notification rejection message (590). Here, the downlink data notification rejection message may include a parameter indicating a period during which the terminal device 210 can become reachable again.

[0106] In wireless communication, network elements (including the terminal device 210, the CN device 220, and the access network device 230) may maintain one or more timers for controlling communication within the network. In some exemplary embodiments, the maintenance of the relevant timers can also be improved according to reachability / coverage information (i.e., serving time).

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 starts a first timer for controlling communication with the network, and further pauses the first timer for at least one first period. When the terminal device 210 is in the idle state, the first timer may be associated with the TAU timer. Alternatively, when the terminal device 210 is in the connected state, the first timer may be associated with an onDurationTimer, a drx-InactivityTimer, a drx-RetransmissionTimer, or a drxShortCycleTimer.

[0108] An example of a specific embodiment for maintaining the relevant timer will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows an exemplary process 600 for maintaining the relevant timer. For the purpose of discussion, the process 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The same reference numerals used in FIG. 6 have the same physical meaning as those shown in FIG. 4.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device 210 starts the first timer at time t1. In one exemplary embodiment, when the first timer is associated with the TAU timer, when the terminal device 210 transitions from the connected state to the idle state, the terminal device 210 starts the first timer.

[0110] Next, when the terminal device 210 leaves the network coverage (i.e., exceeds the first period), the terminal device 210 pauses the first timer. In the specific example of FIG. 6, the terminal device 210 pauses the first timer at times t2 and t4. Further, when the terminal device 210 returns to the network coverage again (i.e., within the first period), the terminal device 210 resumes / continues the first timer. In the specific example of FIG. 6, the terminal device 210 resumes / continues the first timer at times t3 and t5.

[0111] Thereafter, when the first timer expires at time t6, the terminal device may trigger corresponding operations such as starting a TAU procedure.

[0112] As already stated, the operations at the terminal device must match the operations on the network side. That is, if the procedure for maintaining the timer in the terminal device 210 is improved, the corresponding timer maintained by the access network device 230 and the CN device 220 must also be improved accordingly.

[0113] Specifically, in some exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 starts a second timer for controlling communication with the terminal device 210 and pauses the second timer for at least one period exceeding at least one second period. Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the second timer is associated with a TAU timer (such as a mobile reachable timer, etc.).

[0114] Regarding the access network device 230, in some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 starts a third timer for controlling communication with the terminal device 210 and pauses the third timer for at least one period corresponding to at least one first period. Also, in some exemplary embodiments, the third timer is associated with an onDurationTimer, a drx-InactivityTimer, a drx-RetransmissionTimer, or a drxShortCycleTimer.

[0115] The operations for maintaining the second timer and the third timer are similar to the operations for maintaining the first timer. For the sake of brevity, the same or similar descriptions are omitted here.

[0116] Furthermore, as described above, both the terminal device 210 and the access network device 230 may move over time, and for this reason, the determined time information / First setting / Second setting may become inappropriate / invalid. According to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the determined time information / First setting / Second setting may be updated dynamically.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 may determine time information and periodically transmit the First setting and the Second setting to the terminal device 210 and the CN device 220.

[0118] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the determined time information / First setting / Second setting may be updated according to some specific conditions.

[0119] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device 210 determines that the First setting is at least partially invalid, the terminal device 210 transmits a second message for updating the First setting to the access network device 230 that provides services to the terminal device 210.

[0120] The second message may be transmitted to the access network device at any appropriate opportunity. In one exemplary embodiment, when the terminal device 210 returns to coverage, it starts an access procedure (i.e., transmits a second message) to update the First setting. In another exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 210 starts updating the First setting when the terminal device 210 next accesses the network.

[0121] In some exemplary embodiments, when the access network device 230 receives a second message for updating the first setting from the terminal device 210, the access network device 230-1 determines the updated time information of the terminal device 210. Then, the access network device 230-1 transmits the updated first setting associated with the determined updated time information to the terminal device 210, and transmits the updated second setting associated with the determined updated time information to the CN device 220.

[0122] Furthermore, the terminal device 210 may determine that the first setting is at least partially invalid according to any appropriate criterion. In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid when the moving distance of the terminal device 210 within an evaluation period (referred to as "T_evaluate") exceeds a distance threshold (referred to as "D_ref"). As an example of a specific embodiment, when the terminal device 210 discovers that the distance from the reference point is greater than / less than not D_ref, the terminal device 210 infers that the first setting is no longer appropriate. Here, the reference point is the position where the terminal device 210 receives the first setting. In an example of a specific embodiment, the terminal device 210 evaluates the change in this distance at least every T_evaluate.

[0123] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, when the period (referred to as "T_difference") during which the terminal device 210 fails to communicate with the network within one first period of at least one first period exceeds a time threshold (referred to as "T_ref"), the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid. In other words, when T_difference within the first period exceeds T_ref, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid.

[0124] Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a correspondence example 700 between the first period and the actual coverage period.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 7, the first setting indicates that coverage starts at time T1, while the actual measurement indicates that coverage starts at time T2. That is, the actual coverage starts later than expected. The time difference is represented as T_difference = T2 - T1, i.e., time difference 710, as shown in FIG. 7. In this specific example, when T_difference = T2 - T1 > T_ref, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid.

[0126] Also, the terminal device 210 may recognize that the actual coverage starts later than expected, and may further determine the delay period (i.e., T_difference). Therefore, the terminal device 210 may extend the first period by T_difference. Further, the information of T_difference may also be reported to the access network device 230 via a second message or the like for updating the first setting.

[0127] Continuing to refer to FIG. 7, the first setting indicates that coverage ends at time T4, while the actual measurement indicates that coverage ends at time T3. That is, the actual coverage ends earlier. As shown in FIG. 7, the time difference is represented as T_difference = T4 - T3, i.e., time difference 720. In this specific example, when T_difference = T4 - T3 > T_ref, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid.

[0128] Also, the parameters and criteria used by the terminal device to determine the validity of the first setting may be set by the access network device 230. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 transmits a third message to the terminal device 210. The third message may include information indicating at least one of a distance threshold, an evaluation period, and a time threshold.

[0129] It should be understood that the above examples for determining whether the first setting is at least partially invalid are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. In other exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 may apply any suitable criteria to determine whether the first setting is at least partially invalid. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0130] Exemplary method FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 800 can be implemented by the terminal device 210 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0131] In block 810, the terminal device 210 receives a first setting indicating at least one first period during which the terminal device 210 is located within the coverage of the network.

[0132] In block 820, within the at least one first period, the terminal device 210 performs at least one of performing a cell search, performing measurements for cell reselection, or monitoring paging messages.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 disables at least one of performing a cell search, performing measurements for cell reselection, or monitoring paging messages beyond the at least one first period.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 receives from the access network device 230 an indication indicating that the access network device 230 providing services to the terminal device 210 supports the setting of the first setting.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 transmits a first message for requesting the first setting to the access network device 230 providing services to the terminal device 210.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, the first message includes user preference information indicating an expected period for communicating with the network.

[0137] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one first period is periodic, and the first setting indicates a period of at least one first period or one of the respective periods of at least one first period.

[0138] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 starts a first timer for controlling communication with the network and pauses the first timer for more than at least one first period.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, the first timer is associated with one of a tracking area update timer (TAU timer), an on - duration timer, a discontinuous reception - inactivity timer (drx - InactivityTimer), a discontinuous reception - retransmission timer (drx - RetransmissionTimer), or a discontinuous reception - short cycle timer (drxShortCycleTimer).

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid and transmits a second message for updating the first setting to the access network device 230 that provides services to the terminal device 210.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid when the moving distance of the terminal device 210 within the evaluation period exceeds a distance threshold.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, when the period during which the terminal device 210 fails to communicate with the network within one of at least one first period exceeds a time threshold, the terminal device 210 determines that the first setting is at least partially invalid.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 receives a third message from the access network device 230. The third message includes information indicating at least one of a distance threshold, an evaluation period, or a time threshold.

[0144] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 900 can be implemented by the CN device 220 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0145] In block 910, the CN device 220 receives a second setting indicating at least one second period during which the terminal device 210 is located within the network coverage.

[0146] In block 920, the CN device 220 clears or invalidates the paging progress element flag for the terminal device 210 within at least one second period.

[0147] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one second period is a periodic resource, and the second setting indicates a period of at least one second period or one of the respective periods of at least one second period.

[0148] In some embodiments, after receiving the second setting, the CN device 220 transmits, based on the second setting, first information indicating a first available time for the terminal device 210 to receive downlink data to the SGW.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, when receiving a downlink data notification for the terminal device 210 from the serving gateway after exceeding at least one second period, the CN device 220 transmits a rejection message for the downlink data notification to the SGW. The rejection message indicates a second available time for the terminal device 210 to receive downlink data. The second available time is determined based on the second setting.

[0150] In some exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 starts a second timer for controlling communication with the terminal device 210 and pauses the second timer for at least one second period.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, the second timer is associated with a tracking area update timer (TAU timer).

[0152] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 1000 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 1000 can be implemented by an access network device 230 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0153] In block 1010, an access network device 230 that provides services to a terminal device determines time information indicating the time that the terminal device 210 is located within the network coverage.

[0154] In block 1020, the access network device 230 transmits a first setting indicating at least one first period used by the terminal device 210 to the terminal device 210 and a second setting indicating at least one second period used by the CN device 220 to the CN device 220 based on the determined time information.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 transmits an instruction indicating that the access network device 230 supports the setting of the first setting to the terminal device 210.

[0156] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 receives a first message for requesting the first setting from the terminal device 210.

[0157] In some exemplary embodiments, the first message includes user preference information indicating an expected period for communicating with the network. The access network device 230 determines the time information based on the user preference information.

[0158] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 receives a second message from the terminal device 210 to update the first setting, determines the updated time information of the terminal device 210, transmits the updated first setting associated with the determined updated time information to the terminal device 210, and transmits the updated second setting associated with the determined updated time information to the CN device 220.

[0159] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 transmits a third message to the terminal device 210 that includes information used by the terminal device 210 to determine the validity of the first setting. The information indicates at least one of a distance threshold, an evaluation period, or a time threshold.

[0160] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 transmits the first setting and the second setting in response to the terminal device 210 transitioning from a connected state to an idle state.

[0161] In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 230 starts a third timer for controlling communication with the terminal device 210 and pauses the third timer for a period exceeding at least one period corresponding to at least one first period.

[0162] In some exemplary embodiments, the third timer is associated with one of an onDurationTimer, a drx-InactivityTimer, a drx-RetransmissionTimer, or a drxShortCycleTimer.

[0163] Exemplary device In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 receives a first setting indicating at least one first period during which the terminal device 210 is located within the coverage of the network, and within the at least one first period, is provided with a circuit configured to perform at least one of cell search, measurement for cell reselection, or monitoring of paging messages.

[0164] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to disable at least one of cell search, measurement for cell reselection, or monitoring of paging messages beyond the at least one first period.

[0165] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to receive an indication from the access network device 230 indicating that the access network device 230 providing services to the terminal device 210 supports the setting of the first setting.

[0166] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to transmit a first message for requesting the first setting to the access network device 230 providing services to the terminal device 210.

[0167] In some exemplary embodiments, the first message includes user preference information indicating an expected period for communicating with the network.

[0168] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one first period is periodic, and the first setting indicates the period of the at least one first period or one of the respective periods of the at least one first period.

[0169] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to start a first timer for controlling communication with the network and pause the first timer beyond the at least one first period.

[0170] In some exemplary embodiments, the first timer is associated with one of a Tracking Area Update Timer (TAU timer), an onDurationTimer, a discontinuous reception - inactivity timer (drx - InactivityTimer), a discontinuous reception - retransmission timer (drx - RetransmissionTimer), or a discontinuous reception - short cycle timer (drxShortCycleTimer).

[0171] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to determine that the first setting is at least partially invalid and transmit a second message for updating the first setting to an access network device 230 that provides services to the terminal device 210.

[0172] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to determine that the first setting is at least partially invalid if the moving distance of the terminal device 210 within an evaluation period exceeds a distance threshold.

[0173] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to determine that the first setting is at least partially invalid if the period during which the terminal device 210 fails to communicate with the network within one of at least one first period exceeds a time threshold.

[0174] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to receive a third message from the access network device 230. The third message includes information indicating at least one of a distance threshold, an evaluation period, or a time threshold.

[0175] In some exemplary embodiments, the CN device 220 includes a circuit configured to receive a second setting indicating at least one second period during which the terminal device 210 is located within the network coverage and clear or invalidate a paging progress element flag for the terminal device 210 within the at least one second period.

[0176] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one second period is a periodic resource, and the second setting indicates a period of at least one second period or one of the respective periods of at least one second period.

[0177] In some exemplary embodiments, after receiving the second setting, the circuit is further configured to transmit, based on the second setting, first information indicating a first available time for receiving downlink data of the terminal device 210 to the serving gateway.

[0178] In some exemplary embodiments, when the circuit further receives a downlink data notification for the terminal device 210 from the serving gateway over at least one second period, the circuit is configured to transmit a rejection message for the downlink data notification to the serving gateway. The rejection message indicates a second available time for receiving downlink data of the terminal device 210, and the second available time is determined based on the second setting.

[0179] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to start a second timer for controlling communication with the terminal device 210 and pause the second timer over at least one second period.

[0180] In some exemplary embodiments, the second timer is associated with a tracking area update timer (TAU timer).

[0181] In some exemplary embodiments, an access network device 230 that provides services to a terminal device includes a circuit configured to determine time information on the time when the terminal device is located within the coverage of the network, and based on the determined time information, transmit a first setting indicating at least one first period used by the terminal device 210 to the terminal device 210, and transmit a second setting indicating at least one second period used by the CN device 220 to the CN device 220.

[0182] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to send an instruction indicating that the access network device 230 supports the setting of the first setting to the terminal device 210.

[0183] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to receive a first message from the terminal device 210 for requesting the first setting.

[0184] In some exemplary embodiments, the first message includes user preference information indicating an expected period for communicating with the network. The circuit is further configured to determine time information based on the user preference information.

[0185] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to receive a second message from the terminal device 210 for updating the first setting, determine the updated time information of the terminal device 210, send the updated first setting associated with the determined updated time information to the terminal device 210, and send the updated second setting associated with the determined updated time information to the CN device 220.

[0186] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to send a third message including information used by the terminal device 210 to determine the validity of the first setting to the terminal device 210. The information indicates at least one of a distance threshold, an evaluation period, or a time threshold.

[0187] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to send the first setting and the second setting in response to the terminal device 210 transitioning from a connected state to an idle state.

[0188] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit is further configured to start a third timer for controlling communication with the terminal device 210 and pause the third timer for more than at least one period corresponding to at least one first period.

[0189] In some exemplary embodiments, the third timer is associated with one of an onDurationTimer, a drx-InactivityTimer, a drx-RetransmissionTimer, or a drxShortCycleTimer.

[0190] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1100 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1100 can be considered to be a further exemplary implementation of the terminal device 210, the access network device 230, and the CN device 220 shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the apparatus 1100 can be implemented in or at least as part of the terminal device 210, the access network device 230, and the CN device 220.

[0191] As shown in the figure, the apparatus 1100 includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1140. The memory 1120 stores at least a part of the program 1130. The TX / RX 1140 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1140 has at least one antenna for facilitating communication, but in practice, the access node described in the present application may have a plurality of antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements, for example, an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a mobility management entity (MME) / serving gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, a Un interface for communication between an eNB and a relay node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

[0192] Program 1130 is considered to include program instructions, and when the program is executed by the associated processor 1110, as discussed with reference to FIGS. 2-10 herein, it enables the apparatus 1100 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware executable by the processor 1110 of the apparatus 1100. The processor 1110 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, the combination of the processor 1110 and the memory 1120 may constitute processing means 1150 suitable for implementing each embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0193] The memory 1120 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may be implemented by any suitable data storage technology (examples include, but are not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 1120 is shown for the apparatus 1100, multiple physically different memory modules may be installed in the apparatus 1100. The processor 1110 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may include, for example, but is not limited to, a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and one or more processors based on a multi-core processor configuration. The apparatus 1100 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips that are temporally dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0194] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects are implemented by hardware, and other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or by some other pictorial representation, and the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, for example, by hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or combinations thereof, but it will be understood that they are not limited thereto.

[0195] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules. The instructions are executed on a device on a target physical processor or virtual processor to execute the processes or methods described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 18. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located on either local or remote storage media.

[0196] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure may be described in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or a controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing devices. When the program code is executed by the processor or the controller, the functions / operations defined in the flowchart and / or block diagram are implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as an independent software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0197] The above program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that includes or stores a program used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0198] Note that although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations are required to be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or that all of the operations shown are required to obtain a desired result. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, these are not limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather should be construed as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in one embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of one embodiment may be implemented separately in a plurality of embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0199] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined by the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method executed by a network device, comprising: Receiving a first setting related to a period from a terminal device assumed to be unreachable within the period; Clearing a paging progress flag according to the period; Receiving a message for updating the period when the first setting is invalid; Including A method.

2. Further comprising adjusting a mobile reachable timer according to the period, The method according to claim 1.

3. Further comprising transmitting a second setting indicating a predicted suspension time, The predicted suspension time is determined based on the period, The method according to claim 1.

4. The network device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), The method according to claim 1.

5. A method executed by a terminal device, comprising: Transmitting a first setting related to a period to a network device, assuming that the terminal device is unreachable within the period; Disabling monitoring of paging messages according to the period; Transmitting a message for updating the period when the first setting is invalid; Including A method.

6. Further comprising receiving a second period related to Extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX), The second period is determined based on time information related to the period, The method according to claim 5.

7. Based on the period, a predicted suspension time is determined, The method according to claim 5.

8. A network device, comprising: Means for receiving a first setting related to a period from a terminal device assumed to be unreachable within the period; Means for clearing a paging progress flag according to the period; Means for receiving a message for updating the period when the first setting is invalid; Comprising A network device.

9. Further comprising means for adjusting a mobile reachable timer according to the period, The network device according to claim 8.

10. Further comprising means for transmitting a second setting indicating a predicted suspension time, The predicted suspension time is determined based on the period, The network device according to claim 8.

11. A terminal device, Means for transmitting a first setting related to a period to a network device, the means for assuming that the terminal device is unreachable within the period, Means for disabling monitoring of paging messages according to the period, Means for transmitting a message for updating the period when the first setting is invalid, Comprising, Terminal device.

12. Further comprising means for receiving a second period related to extended discontinuous reception (eDRX: Extended Discontinuous Reception), The second period is determined based on time information related to the period, The terminal device according to claim 11.

13. Based on the period, a predicted pause time is determined, The terminal device according to claim 11.

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