Method, terminal device, and network device for communication

Abstract

To provide a method for communication, a terminal device and a network device that reinforce relaxed measurement for saving the battery power of the terminal device.SOLUTION: For a communication system 200, a method includes: receiving, by a terminal device 210, setting information representing one or more paging identification information from a network device 220; receiving control information from the network device; and determining whether the control information represents one or more paging identification information, wherein when the control information does not represent the one or more paging identification information, the terminal device need not monitor a paging occasion (PO).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, and media for communication. [Background technology]

[0002] Communication technology is developing rapidly. In cellular networks, when a terminal device moves from cell to cell and performs cell selection / reselection and handover, it must measure the signal strength / quality of neighboring cells. For example, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, the terminal device may measure two parameters related to reference signals: RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) and RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality). In addition, relaxed measurement has been introduced to save battery power in terminal devices. Further research on relaxed measurement is needed to enhance it. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Overall, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for enhancing relaxation measurements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes determining, in a terminal device, a received power and a signal quality of a signal transmitted from a network device in a serving cell. The method further includes determining whether the received power exceeds a threshold power and whether the signal quality exceeds a threshold quality. The method further includes, in response to determining that the received power exceeds the threshold power and the signal quality exceeds the threshold quality, entering a relaxed measurement mode in the serving cell in which measurements are performed less frequently than in a normal measurement mode.

[0005] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes receiving, in a terminal device, mapping information transmitted by a serving cell from a network device, the mapping information indicating at least a relationship between a first frequency band assigned to a first neighboring cell of the serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering a reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell, the reduced measurement mode having a reduced number of measurements compared to a normal measurement mode. The method further includes determining a first received power of a first signal transmitted in the first frequency band. The method further includes entering the reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell based on the received power and the mapping information.

[0006] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a terminal device, configuration information from a network device indicating one or more activated identity indexes for paging. The method further includes receiving control information from the network device. The method further includes processing the control information based on the one or more activated identity indexes.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including: determining, in a network device in a serving cell, mapping information indicating at least a relationship between a first frequency band allocated to a first neighboring cell of a serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering, in the first neighboring cell, a reduced measurement mode in which the number of measurements is reduced compared to a normal measurement mode; and transmitting the mapping information to a terminal device in the serving cell.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes transmitting, at a network device, configuration information indicating one or more activated identity indexes for paging to a terminal device. The method further includes generating control information based on the one or more activated identity indexes. The method further includes transmitting the control information to the network device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processing unit; and a memory coupled to the processing unit and storing instructions, which, when executed by the processing unit, performs operations including: determining, in the terminal device, a received power and a signal quality of a signal transmitted from a network device in a serving cell; determining whether the received power exceeds a threshold power and whether the signal quality exceeds a threshold quality; and, in accordance with determining that the received power exceeds the threshold power and the signal quality exceeds the threshold quality, entering a relaxed measurement mode in the serving cell in which the number of measurements is less than that in a normal measurement mode.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processing unit; and a memory coupled to the processing unit and storing instructions, the terminal device performing, when the instructions are executed by the processing unit, operations including: receiving, in the terminal device, mapping information transmitted by a serving cell from a network device, the mapping information indicating at least a relationship between a first frequency band assigned to a first neighboring cell of the serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering, in the first neighboring cell, a reduced measurement mode in which the number of measurements is reduced compared to the normal measurement mode; determining a first received power of a first signal transmitted in the first frequency band; and entering the reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell based on the received power and the mapping information.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processing unit; and a memory coupled to the processing unit and having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, performing operations including receiving, from a network device at the terminal device, configuration information indicating one or more activated identity indexes for paging, receiving control information from the network device, and processing the control information based on the one or more activated identity indexes.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising: a processing unit; and a memory coupled to the processing unit and having instructions stored therein, the network device performing, when the instructions are executed by the processing unit, operations including: determining, in the network device in the serving cell, mapping information indicating at least a relationship between a first frequency band allocated to a first neighboring cell of a serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering, in the first neighboring cell, a reduced measurement mode in which the number of measurements is reduced compared to a normal measurement mode; and transmitting the mapping information to a terminal device in the serving cell.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising: a processing unit; and a memory coupled to the processing unit and having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, performing operations including: transmitting configuration information indicating one or more activated identity indexes for paging to a terminal device at the network device; generating control information based on the one or more activated identity indexes; and transmitting the control information to the network device.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to any one of the first, second, third, fourth or fifth aspects.

[0015] Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments of the present disclosure in the drawings.

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication environment.

[0018] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0019] [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of measurement timing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling flow for mitigation measurements, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling flow for paging in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] In the figures, the same or similar reference symbols represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0030] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0031] The term "network device" as used herein means a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area in which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a New Radio Access Node B (gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a low-power node such as a femto node or a pico node, a satellite network device, an aircraft network device, etc. For purposes of explanation, some exemplary embodiments will be described below with reference to an eNB as an example of a network device.

[0032] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device capable of wireless or wired communication. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktop computers, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, any Internet of Things (IoE) device, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, and in-vehicle devices for V2X communication. The "X" in V2X can represent a pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, or an image capture device such as a digital camera, a gaming device, a music storage and playback device, or an internet appliance that enables wireless or wired internet access and browsing. In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user device," and "UE" can be used interchangeably.

[0033] Communications described herein may comply with any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, New Radio Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communications may be performed in accordance with any currently known or future-developed generation of communications protocols. Examples of communications protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.85G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth-generation (5G) communications protocols. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies.

[0034] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof should be understood as open-ended, meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. can refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below.

[0035] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to illustrate that choices may be made from among many functional alternatives used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other choices.

[0036] As explained above, in LTE, relaxation measurements are introduced to save battery power in terminal devices. In New Radio (NR) systems, some enhancements to relaxation measurements are introduced. In relaxation measurements, the reference received power value (S rxlevRef ) is the current received power value of the serving cell (S rxlev ) value, S rxlev The value is S rxlevRef However, for now, S rxlevRef There is no mechanism to reduce the value.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the prior art, it has been agreed that the paging mechanism should be enhanced to minimize the monitoring of paging occasions (POs) by the terminal. When a terminal is required to perform intra-frequency or inter-frequency measurements according to the measurement rules, the terminal can choose not to perform intra-frequency or inter-frequency measurements in the following cases: (1) The relaxed monitoring criteria of subclause 5.2.4.12.1 are met. SearchDeltaP (2) The time that has elapsed since the last measurement for cell reselection was performed is less than 24 hours; (3) After the selection or reselection of a new cell, the terminal device SearchDeltaP Intra-frequency or inter-frequency measurements were performed between

[0038] According to the prior art, the relaxed monitoring criteria is realized by the following Equation 1: (Number 1) S rxlevRef- S rxlev <SSearchDeltaP (1) where S rxlev is the current S of the serving cell rxlev value (dB), S rxlevRef is the reference S of the serving cell rxlev The value (dB) is shown.

[0039] A terminal device is considered to be an S if one of the following is true: rxlevRefThe value of the serving cell's current S rxlev (1) After selecting or reselecting a new cell, (2) (S rxlev -S rxlevRef )>0, or (3)T SearchDeltaP In some embodiments, relaxed monitoring criteria for T SearchDeltaP may be 5 minutes, or may be the eDRX cycle length if eDRX is configured and the eDRX cycle length is longer than 5 minutes.

[0040] Furthermore, upon receiving a paging message, if the terminal device is in radio resource control (RRC)_IDLE, for each paging record, if the ue-Identity included in the paging record matches the terminal device identity assigned by the higher layer, the terminal device may forward the ue-Identity and accessType (if present) to the higher layer. If the terminal device is in RRC_INACTIVE, for each paging record, if the ue-Identity included in the PagingRecord matches the fullI-RNTI stored by the terminal device and if the terminal device was configured with access identity 1 by the higher layer, the terminal device may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure. If the terminal device is configured with access identity 2 by the higher layer, the terminal device may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure. If the terminal device is configured with one or more access identities equal to 11 to 15 by the higher layer, the terminal device may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure. Alternatively, if the ue-Identity included in the paging record matches the terminal device identity assigned by the upper layer, the terminal device may forward the ue-Identity and accessType (if present) to the upper layer and perform the actions when transitioning to RRC_IDLE.

[0041] However, according to the prior art, when the terminal device is in the center of the cell, it must operate in the measurement relaxation mode. However, if the terminal device then moves from the center of the unit to the edge, the terminal device can exit the measurement relaxation mode. However, T searchdeltaP After that, the terminal device rxlevref The new S rxlev and T searchdeltaP After a period of time, the terminal should perform measurement relaxation again. However, if the terminal is at the cell edge, the terminal will not perform measurements until it enters another cell.

[0042] For example, as shown in FIG. 1, at time 101, terminal device 110 may be located at the center of the cell of network device 120, and terminal device 110 may be located at S rxlevref to the current S rxlev , and no measurements are performed due to the relaxed measurement conditions. At time 102, the terminal device 110 can move towards the cell edge, whereupon the relaxed measurement conditions are no longer met and so starts performing measurements. At time 103, the terminal device 110 may continue to move towards the cell edge. The time from time 102 to time 103 is T searchdeltaP Since the current S rxlev By S rxlevref At time 104, terminal device 110 may continue to move outside the cell. Terminal device 110 may still not perform measurements even though it has moved outside the cell, which may cause problems.

[0043] Furthermore, even when a stationary / low-mobility terminal device moves to the other side of a cell far from a cell having a frequency with a higher priority, the terminal device can perform measurements on the frequency with a higher priority. This allows power saving to be achieved by introducing a mechanism that disables the terminal device from performing measurements on the frequency with a higher priority.

[0044] Furthermore, in conventional paging mechanisms, a paging is an RRC message that includes the identity of the terminal device. If the ue-Identity included in the paging record matches the terminal device identity assigned by the higher layer, the terminal device must consider itself a member of the paging list and forward the ue-Identity to the higher layer. If the ue-Identity not included in the paging record matches the terminal device identity assigned by the higher layer, the terminal device may discard the TB. However, the terminal device must waste resources to monitor the PO and descramble the information.

[0045] To solve at least some of the aforementioned problems, new techniques in enhancing mitigation measurements are needed. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a new power threshold is introduced to trigger and / or terminate the mitigation measurement mode. In this way, it is possible to prevent the terminal device from entering the mitigation measurement mode when the terminal device is located at a cell edge. In addition, the network device configures mapping information of neighboring cells for entering the mitigation measurement mode. In this way, it is possible to select the mitigation measurement mode for an appropriate neighboring cell. Furthermore, the terminal device can be configured with one or more identities for descrambling downlink information. In this way, it is possible to save resources in the terminal device.

[0046] 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Communication system 200, which is part of a communication network, includes terminal devices 210-1, 210-2, ..., 210-N, which may be collectively referred to as "terminal devices 210." The number N may be any suitable integer.

[0047] Communication system 200 further includes network device 220-1, network device 220-2, ..., network device 220-M, which may be collectively referred to as "network device 220." The number M may be any suitable integer. In communication system 200, network devices 220 and terminal devices 210 may communicate data and control information with each other. The number of terminal devices and network devices shown in FIG. 2 is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation.

[0048] Communications in communication system 200 may be achieved according to any suitable communications protocol, including, but not limited to, cellular communications protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communications protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. Furthermore, communications may utilize any suitable wireless communications technology, including, but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), and / or any other technology now known or developed in the future.

[0049]

[0033] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure in detail. Please refer to Fig. 3, which is a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, the method 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The method 300 may be implemented in the terminal device 210-1 of Fig. 2.

[0050] In block 310, the terminal device 210-1 determines the received power of a signal transmitted in the serving cell 230-1. The terminal device 210-1 further determines the signal quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device 210-1 and the network device 220-1 within the serving cell 230-1. For example, the terminal device 210-1 can obtain a reference signal received power. Additionally, the terminal device 210-1 can also obtain a reference signal received quality.

[0051] In some embodiments, the terminal device 210-1 can determine whether a condition for entering the relaxed measurement mode is met. The condition can be predetermined in the terminal device 210-1. Alternatively, information regarding the condition can be received from another device (e.g., a network device). The term "relaxed measurement mode" can refer to a mode in which the terminal device performs measurements less frequently than in the normal measurement mode. For example, the criteria for the relaxed measurement mode are as follows: (Number 2) S rxlevRef -S rxlev <SSearchDeltaP (2) where S rxlev is the current S of the serving cell rxlev value (dB), S rxlevRef is the reference S of the serving cell rxlev The value (dB) is shown.

[0052] In block 320, terminal device 210-1 measures the received power (e.g., S rxlev ) is the threshold power (e.g., S intrasearchP ) and the signal quality (e.g., S qual ) is a threshold quality (e.g., S intrasearch In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 determines whether S rxlev S intrasearchP Smaller, S qual S intrasearch If it is smaller than S rxlevrefIn some embodiments, the threshold power is a reference signal received power threshold for activating intra-frequency measurements, and the threshold quality is a reference signal received quality threshold for activating intra-frequency measurements.

[0053] In block 330, if the received power exceeds the threshold power and the signal quality exceeds the threshold quality, terminal device 210-1 enters relaxed measurement mode in serving cell 230-1. In some embodiments, the received power is adjusted to a set power (S rxlevrefconf ) but with a different reference power (S rxlevref ), the terminal device 210-1 may update another reference power to be the received power. For example, T SearchDeltaP The relaxed monitoring criteria for S are not met, and rxlev S intrasearchP Beyond S qual S intrasearchQ If the number of terminal devices 210-1 exceeds S rxlevRef The value of the serving cell's current S rxlev value, which means that the terminal device 210-1 enters the relaxation measurement mode. SearchDeltaP may be 5 minutes, or may be the e-discontinuous reception (drx) cycle length if eDRX is configured and the eDRX cycle length is longer than 5 minutes.

[0054] Alternatively, a separate reference power (S rxlevref ) is T rxlev is the most recent value for a certain period of time. rxlev is a timer that is set by the network device 220-1 (for example, via system information in a dedicated RRC configuration). rxlev DeS rxlevref When you update the timer T rxlev When the timer expires, the terminal device 210-1 can start the last measured received power (S rxlev ) value in S rxlevrefIn another embodiment, the terminal device 210-1 may update the timer T rxlev The average received power value measured when rxlevref ) may be updated.

[0055] In some embodiments, a reference power (e.g., S) is applied to terminate the relaxation measurement mode. rxlevRefQ In some embodiments, S rxlevRefQ is S intrasearchP The reference power may be higher, i.e., the reference power may be higher than the threshold power. For example, the terminal device 210-1 may determine another received power of another signal on the serving cell 230-1. If the another received power is lower than the another reference power, the terminal device 210-1 may exit the relaxed measurement mode. For example, the terminal device 210-1 may enter the normal measurement mode.

[0056] Alternatively, terminal device 210-1 can determine another received power of another signal transmitted by serving cell 230-1. Terminal device 210-1 can also determine another signal quality of another signal transmitted by serving cell 230-1. If the another received power is below a threshold power and the another signal quality is below a threshold quality, terminal device 210-1 may exit the relaxed measurement mode. For example, terminal device 210-1 can enter a normal measurement mode.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, terminal device 210-1 may perform measurements at time 4020 during measurement period 4060 between time 4010 and time 4030. Terminal device 210-1 may enter relaxation measurement mode at time 4030 and exit relaxation measurement mode at time 4040. Terminal device 210-1 may start a first timer (e.g., "T quit Terminal device 210-1 may then re-enter the relaxation measurement mode during a timer period (shown as period 4070 in FIG. 4). A second timer (e.g., "T searchDeltaP" may start after the first timer expires. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a new measurement period 4060 may start after period 4070. Terminal device 210-1 may take measurements at time 4050 during new measurement period 4060.

[0058] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent a terminal device from entering the relaxed measurement mode when the signal quality is relatively poor. In this way, even if the terminal device was previously in the relaxed measurement mode, if the terminal device moves out of the serving cell, the terminal device can perform measurements. Also, frequent switching between the normal measurement mode and the relaxed measurement mode is avoided.

[0059] 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, the method 500 may be implemented in terminal device 210-1 as shown in FIG.

[0060] In some embodiments, if the frequencies of neighboring cells (e.g., cells 230-2 and 230-3) have a higher priority than the serving frequency, the terminal device should continue to measure the neighboring cells when the serving cell does not meet the criteria. Therefore, for low-mobility terminal devices, especially stationary terminal devices, it should be possible to prohibit measuring the frequency of cell 230-3 when they are on the other side of the serving cell (e.g., closer to cell 230-2).

[0061] In block 510, the terminal device 210-1 receives mapping information transmitted by the serving cell 230-1 from the network device 220-1. The mapping information indicates at least a relationship between a first frequency band allocated to a first neighboring cell (e.g., cell 230-3) of the serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering a reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell. The term "reduced measurement mode" may refer to a mode in which the terminal device performs measurements a reduced number of times compared to the normal measurement mode. Tables 1 and 2 show examples of mapping information, respectively. It should be noted that the parameters shown in Tables 1 and 2 are merely examples and not limitations. [Table 1] [Table 2]

[0062] In block 520, terminal device 210-1 determines a first received power of a first signal transmitted in a first frequency band. For example, the terminal device may determine the RSRP of a first neighboring cell 230-3.

[0063] In block 530, the terminal device 210-1 enters a reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell based on the received power and mapping information. For example, as shown in Table 1, in entry 1, for F1, if the first received power is higher than x dB of the neighboring cell 230-2 and lower than a dB of the neighboring cell 230-3, it means that the terminal device 210-1 is closer to the neighboring cell 230-2. Typically, the value of x dB is greater than the value of a dB. In this case, the terminal device 210-1 can enter a reduced measurement mode in the neighboring cell 230-3.

[0064] In some embodiments, the mapping information may include only the threshold value for the first neighboring cell (e.g., cell 230-3) whose signal is fading for terminal device 210-1, as shown in Table 2. The first received power is lower than x dB and the first received power is lower than x dB for a period of c minutes (T searchdelta ) maintain, the terminal device 210-1 may enter a reduced measurement mode in the neighboring cell 230-3.

[0065] In some embodiments, if terminal device 210-1 has already entered the reduced measurement mode for cell 230-3, terminal device 210-1 may start a timer (e.g., T rexactive ) can be started. The terminal device 210-1 may suspend power measurement in the cell 230-3 unless one of the following conditions is met before the timer expires: neighbor cell reselection, the radio resource control state is changed to the radio resource control connected state, or the third received power of the serving cell is lower than the third threshold level. More specifically, the timer T rexactive During this period, the terminal device 210-1 does not measure the cell 230-3 only if the terminal device 210-1 performs cell reselection at least once, if the terminal device 210-1 changes its state to RRC Connected, or if the received power of the serving cell 230-2 is lower than the configured threshold Sservthd.

[0066] After the timer expires, terminal device 210-1 ends / exits the reduced measurement mode and begins performing measurements on a higher priority frequency (e.g., F3). In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 can re-enter the reduced measurement mode if the conditions for the reduced measurement mode are met.

[0067] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal device can select an appropriate cell to perform the reduced measurement mode, thereby enabling efficient measurement while using fewer resources and saving power in the terminal device.

[0068] 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, the method 600 may be implemented in the terminal device 210-1 as shown in FIG.

[0069] In block 610, terminal device 210-1 receives configuration information from network device 220-1. The configuration information indicates one or more activated identity indexes for paging. For example, if terminal device 210-1's power is below a threshold power, in other words, if terminal device 210-1 is a low-power terminal device, terminal device 210-1 can be configured with only one activated identity index. In some embodiments, network device 220-1 can configure a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). Alternatively, terminal device 210-1 may be configured with a PRNTI index. In some embodiments, the configuration information can be sent within a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). Alternatively, an RRC release message can include the configuration information.

[0070] In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 can receive preconfiguration information from network device 220-1. The preconfiguration information indicates multiple identity indexes for paging that can be configured for terminal device 210-1. One or more activated identity indexes can be included in the multiple identity indexes. The multiple identity indexes can include any suitable number of identity indexes, such as 4, 8, 16, etc. For example, terminal device 210-1 may be configured with four P-RNTI indices, with each P-RNTI index having an activated identity index. The multiple identity indexes are shown in Table 3 below. [Table 3]

[0071] In block 620, terminal device 210-1 receives control information from network device 220-1. In some embodiments, the control information may be scrambled with an activated P-RNTI index. For example, if P-RNTI index 2 is activated, the control information may be scrambled with P-RNTI index 2. In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 may monitor a PO to obtain the control information.

[0072] In block 630, terminal device 210-1 processes control information based on one or more activated identity indexes. For example, if the activated indexes are P-RNTI index 2 and P-RNTI index 4, terminal device 210-1 may descramble the control information with P-RNTI index 2 and P-RNTI index 4. If the control information can be successfully descrambled using one of the activated identity indexes, the descrambled control information may be passed to a higher layer (e.g., the RRC layer) for further processing. If the control information cannot be scrambled with the activated identity index, terminal device 210-1 may discard the control information. In this way, terminal device 210-1 does not need to use more resources to process the control information, thereby saving resources.

[0073] In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 may obtain a list of identity indexes from the control information. Terminal device 210-1 may determine whether one or more activated identity indexes are included in the list of identity indexes. If the configured one or more activated identity indexes (e.g., P-RNTI index 2 and P-RNTI index 4) are in the list of identity indexes, the control information may be passed to a higher layer (e.g., the RRC layer) for further processing. If the configured one or more activated identity indexes are not included in the list, terminal device 210-1 may discard the control information. In this way, terminal device 210-1 does not need to use more resources to process the control information, thereby saving resources.

[0074] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal device can determine whether control information is associated with the terminal device at the physical layer. If the control information is not scrambled with an activated identity index or does not include an activated identity index, the terminal device does not need to pass the control information to an upper layer. In this way, resources in the terminal device can be saved.

[0075] 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, the method 700 may be implemented in the network device 220-1 as shown in FIG.

[0076] In block 710, the network device 220-1 determines mapping information. The mapping information indicates at least a relationship between a first frequency band allocated to a first neighboring cell (e.g., cell 230-3) of the serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering a reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell. The term "reduced measurement mode" may refer to a mode in which the terminal device performs measurements a reduced number of times compared to the normal measurement mode.

[0077] In some embodiments, the mapping information further indicates a second frequency band and a second threshold power to be allocated to the second neighboring cell, hi other embodiments, the mapping information further indicates a threshold time period for triggering the mitigated measurement mode.

[0078] At block 720, network device 220-1 transmits the mapping information to end device 210-1.

[0079] 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, the method 800 may be implemented in the network device 220-1 as shown in FIG.

[0080] In block 810, network device 220-1 transmits configuration information to terminal device 210-1. The configuration information indicates one or more activated identity indexes for paging. For example, if the power of terminal device 210-1 is below a threshold power, in other words, if terminal device 210-1 is a low-power terminal device, network device 220-1 can configure only one activated identity index for terminal device 210-1.

[0081] In some embodiments, the network device 220-1 can configure a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). Alternatively, the terminal device 210-1 may be configured with a PRNTI index. In some embodiments, the configuration information can be sent within a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). Alternatively, an RRC release message can include the configuration information.

[0082] In some embodiments, network device 220-1 can transmit preconfiguration information to terminal device 210-1. The preconfiguration information indicates multiple identity indexes for paging that can be configured for terminal device 210-1. One or more activated identity indexes can be included in the multiple identity indexes. The multiple identity indexes can include any suitable number of identity indexes, such as 4, 8, 16, etc. For example, terminal device 210-1 can be configured with four P-RNTI indices, each of which can be activated simultaneously.

[0083] In block 820, network device 220-2 generates control information based on one or more activated identity indexes for paging. In some embodiments, the control information may be scrambled with one or more activated identity indexes. Alternatively, the control information may include a list of identity indexes for paging.

[0084] At block 830, network device 220-2 transmits control information to terminal device 210-1.

[0085] Reference is now made to Figure 9, which illustrates a signaling flow for mitigation measurements, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, process 900 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Signaling flow 900 may involve terminal device 210-1 and network device 220-1.

[0086] The network device 220-1 determines (9010) mapping information. The mapping information indicates at least a relationship between a first frequency band allocated to a first neighboring cell (e.g., cell 230-3) of the serving cell and a first threshold power for triggering a reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell. The term "reduced measurement mode" may refer to a mode in which the terminal device performs measurements a reduced number of times compared to the normal measurement mode.

[0087] In some embodiments, the mapping information further indicates a second frequency band and a second threshold power to be allocated to the second neighboring cell, hi other embodiments, the mapping information further indicates a threshold time period for triggering the mitigated measurement mode.

[0088] The network device 220-1 transmits 9020 mapping information to the terminal device 210-1. The terminal device 210-1 determines 9030 a first received power of a first signal transmitted in a first frequency band. For example, the terminal device can determine the RSRP of a first neighboring cell 230-3.

[0089] The terminal device 210-1 enters the reduced measurement mode in the first neighboring cell based on the received power and mapping information (9040). For example, as shown in Table 1, in entry 1, for F1, if the first received power is higher than x dB of the neighboring cell 230-2 and lower than a dB of the neighboring cell 230-3, it means that the terminal device 210-1 is closer to the neighboring cell 230-2. Usually, the value of x dB is greater than the value of a dB. In this case, the terminal device 210-1 can enter the reduced measurement mode in the neighboring cell 230-3.

[0090] In some embodiments, the mapping information may include only the threshold value for the first neighboring cell (e.g., cell 230-3) whose signal is fading for terminal device 210-1, as shown in Table 2. The first received power is lower than x dB and the first received power is lower than x dB for a period of c minutes (T searchdelta ) maintain, the terminal device 210-1 may enter a reduced measurement mode in the neighboring cell 230-3.

[0091] In some embodiments, if terminal device 210-1 has already entered the reduced measurement mode for cell 230-3, terminal device 210-1 may start a timer (e.g., T rexactive ) can be started (9050). The terminal device 210-1 may suspend power measurement in the cell 230-3 unless one of the following conditions is met before the timer expires: neighbor cell reselection, the radio resource control state is changed to the radio resource control connected state, or the third received power of the serving cell is lower than the third threshold level. More specifically, the timer T rexactive During this period, the terminal device 210-1 does not perform measurements in the cell 230-3 only if the terminal device 210-1 performs cell reselection at least once, the terminal device 210-1 changes its state to RRC Connected, or the received power of the serving cell 230-2 is lower than the configured threshold Sservthd.

[0092] After the timer expires, terminal device 210-1 ends / exits the reduced measurement mode and begins performing measurements on a higher priority frequency (e.g., F3). In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 can re-enter the reduced measurement mode if the conditions for the reduced measurement mode are met.

[0093] 10 illustrates a signaling flow for paging, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, process 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Signaling flow 1000 may involve terminal device 210-1 and network device 220-1.

[0094] The network device 220-1 transmits (1010) configuration information to the terminal device 210-1. The configuration information indicates one or more activated identity indexes for paging. For example, if the power of the terminal device 210-1 is below a threshold power, in other words, if the terminal device 210-1 is a low-power terminal device, the network device 220-1 can configure only one activated identity index for the terminal device 210-1.

[0095] In some embodiments, the network device 220-1 can configure a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). Alternatively, the terminal device 210-1 may be configured with a PRNTI index. In some embodiments, the configuration information can be sent within a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). Alternatively, an RRC release message can include the configuration information.

[0096] In some embodiments, network device 220-1 can transmit preconfiguration information to terminal device 210-1. The preconfiguration information indicates multiple identity indexes for paging that can be configured for terminal device 210-1. One or more activated identity indexes can be included in the multiple identity indexes. The multiple identity indexes can include any suitable number of identity indexes, such as 4, 8, 16, etc. For example, terminal device 210-1 can be configured with four P-RNTI indices, each of which can be activated simultaneously.

[0097] The network device 220-2 generates 1020 control information based on one or more activated identity indices for paging. In some embodiments, the control information may be scrambled with one or more activated identity indices. Alternatively, the control information may include a list of identity indices for paging.

[0098] The network device 220-2 transmits (1030) control information to the terminal device 210-1. The terminal device 210-1 processes (1040) the control information based on one or more activated identity indexes. For example, if the activated indexes are P-RNTI index 2 and P-RNTI index 4, the terminal device 210-1 can descramble the control information with P-RNTI index 2 and P-RNTI index 4. If the control information can be successfully descrambled using one of the activated identity indexes, the descrambled control information can be passed to a higher layer (e.g., the RRC layer) for further processing. If the control information cannot be scrambled with the activated identity index, the terminal device 210-1 may discard the control information. In this way, the terminal device 210-1 does not need to use more resources to process the control information, thereby saving resources.

[0099] In some embodiments, terminal device 210-1 may obtain a list of identity indexes from the control information. Terminal device 210-1 may determine whether one or more activated identity indexes are included in the list of identity indexes. If the configured one or more activated identity indexes (e.g., P-RNTI index 2 and P-RNTI index 4) are in the list of identity indexes, the control information may be passed to a higher layer (e.g., the RRC layer) for further processing. If the configured one or more activated identity indexes are not included in the list, terminal device 210-1 may discard the control information. In this way, terminal device 210-1 does not need to use more resources to process the control information, thereby saving resources.

[0100] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1100 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1100 may be considered as another exemplary implementation of the terminal device 210 and the network device 220 shown in Figure 2. Accordingly, the apparatus 1100 may be implemented in, or as at least a part of, the terminal device 210 or the network device 220.

[0101] As shown, 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 portion of a program 1130. The TX / RX 1140 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to herein may actually have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as 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, an 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.

[0102] It is assumed that the program 1130 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1110, enable the device 1100 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 3-10. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1110 of the device 1100, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1110 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 1110 and the memory 1120 may form a processing means 1150 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0103] Memory 1120 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. While only one memory 1120 is shown in device 1100, several physically distinct memory modules may be present within device 1100. Processor 1110 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1100 may have multiple processors, e.g., application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0104] Overall, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0105] The present disclosure also 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, that execute within a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform a process or method described above with reference to any one of FIGS. 3 through 10. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0106] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the program code to implement the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code can run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0107] The above-described program code may be embodied in a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program used by or associated 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 aforementioned media. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, 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 optical disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0108] Although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing these operations in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, or performing all of the operations described, is required to achieve desired results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features that are described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0109] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined in 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 example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method executed by a terminal device, comprising: receiving configuration information from a network device indicating one or more paging identities; receiving control information from the network device; determining whether the control information indicates the one or more paging identifications; Including, If the control information does not indicate one or more paging identification information, the terminal device in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state does not need to monitor paging occasions (POs). Communication method.

2. A terminal device, means for receiving configuration information from a network device indicating one or more paging identifications; means for receiving control information from the network device; means for determining whether the control information indicates the one or more paging identification information; If the control information does not indicate one or more paging identification information, the terminal device in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state does not need to monitor paging occasions (POs). Terminal device.

3. 1. A communication method performed by a network device, comprising: transmitting configuration information indicating one or more paging identification information to the terminal device; transmitting control information to the terminal device for use in indicating or not indicating the one or more paging identification information; Including, If the control information does not indicate the one or more paging identification information, there is no need to monitor paging occasions (POs) in the terminal device in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state. Communication method.

4. means for transmitting configuration information indicating one or more paging identification information to a terminal device; means for transmitting control information used to indicate or not indicate the one or more paging identification information to the terminal device; If the control information does not indicate the one or more paging identification information, there is no need to monitor paging occasions (POs) in the terminal device in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state. Network equipment.

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