Energy-efficient paging procedure for dual-mode user devices

Abstract

To provide energy efficient paging of dual-mode user equipment (UE).SOLUTION: UE may receive paging configuration information from a first network. The paging configuration information may comprise paging parameter(s) for monitoring a paging channel of a second network. Based on the received paging configuration information, the UE may monitor the paging channel of the second network and receive a paging message associated with the first network from the second network. In response to receiving the paging message from the second network, the UE may transmit a paging response to the first network. Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs are disclosed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments generally relate to the field of wireless communication. In particular, some exemplary embodiments relate to paging dual-mode user equipment in a cellular communication network.

Background Art

[0002] User equipment (UE) such as a mobile phone may be configured with multiple radios for communicating with a base station or access point according to different standards or their profiles, such as 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR), 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3GPP LTE-MTC or LTE-M (LTE Machine Type Communications), or 3GPP NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things). Different radios may be associated with different power consumption characteristics, and in some applications, it may be desirable to reduce power consumption while still enabling sufficient communication capabilities.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] Exemplary embodiments provide a method for energy-efficient paging of dual-mode user equipment. This advantage may be achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further implementations are provided in the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0005] According to a first embodiment, the device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured to cause the device to perform at least the following steps using the at least one processor: receiving paging configuration information from a first network, including instructions for at least one paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; monitoring the paging channel of the second network based on the at least one paging parameter; and sending a paging response to the first network in response to receiving a paging message from the paging channel of the second network.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured, using at least one processor, to cause the device to transmit instructions to a first network indicating its ability to receive paging messages from a second network relating to the first network.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the capability indication may indicate the ability to receive paging messages from a second network in a narrowband idle mode.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one paging parameter may comprise at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifier.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the paging configuration information may include at least one of the following: instructions for a fallback condition for transitioning to idle mode with respect to a first network; instructions for a cell reselection condition for the first network; or instructions for a set of adjacent cells of the first network that support paging through a second network.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured to cause the device, using at least one processor, to perform the steps of: performing cell reselection for a set of adjacent cells of the first network that support paging through the second network in response to the detection of a cell reselection condition for the first network; and continuing to monitor the paging channels of the second network or starting to monitor the second paging channels of the second network based on paging configuration information received from the reselected cells.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured, using at least one processor, to cause the device to take the step of transitioning to an idle mode with respect to a first network in response to the detection of a fallback condition.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured, using at least one processor, to cause the device to perform the steps of detecting at least one paging response parameter in paging configuration information or a paging message, and transmitting a paging response to a first network based on the at least one paging response parameter.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one paging response parameter may comprise at least one of the cell identifier of the first network or the frequency of the first network.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the paging configuration information may include a wireless resource control connection release message.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured to cause the device to perform the step of receiving control information from a second network, comprising at least one of the following: an instruction for a paging subframe offset for a paging subframe configured for the second network; an instruction for a paging radio network temporary identifier; an identifier for a wake-up signal sequence; or an instruction for the time location of a wake-up signal.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured to cause the device to perform the step of monitoring a paging channel of a second network based on at least one of a paging subframe offset, a paging radio network temporary identifier, or a wake-up signal, using at least one processor.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the control information is an instruction to update system information of a first network, a system information value tag of a first network, or a physical cell identifier and / or frequency information of a cell of a first network related to the current cell of a second network, and the paging message may comprise at least one of the instructions received from the current cell of the second network.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, the control information may be received in downlink control information, at least one system information block, at least one bandwidth reduction system information block, or at least one narrowband system information block.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured to cause the device to perform the step of receiving from the first network an instruction of at least one of the following: a time-frequency location of at least one common channel of the second network, a time-frequency location of at least one common signal of the second network, or timing information of the second network.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured to cause the device to detect a paging message based on the type of paging message and an identifier associated with a first network, wherein the type of paging message may be configured to cause the device to take the step of indicating the use of an identifier associated with a first network in the paging message.

[0021] According to a second embodiment, the method may include the steps of: receiving paging configuration information from a first network, including instructions for at least one paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; monitoring the paging channel of the second network based on at least one paging parameter; and sending a paging response to the first network in response to receiving a paging message from the paging channel of the second network.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further include the step of sending an instruction to the first network indicating its ability to receive paging messages from the second network relating to the first network.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the capability indication may indicate the ability to receive paging messages from a second network in a narrowband idle mode.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, at least one paging parameter may comprise at least one of a discontinuous reception cycle, an international mobile subscriber identity, or a non-active radio network temporary identifier.

[0025] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the paging configuration information may comprise at least one of an instruction of fallback conditions for migrating to the idle mode with respect to the first network, an instruction of cell reselection conditions for the first network, or an instruction of a set of adjacent cells of the first network that support paging via the second network.

[0026] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further comprise performing cell reselection for cells of a set of adjacent cells of the first network that support paging via the second network in response to detecting cell reselection conditions for the first network, and continuing to monitor the paging channel of the second network or starting to monitor a second paging channel of the second network based on the paging configuration information received from the reselected cell.

[0027] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further comprise migrating to the idle mode with respect to the first network in response to detecting the fallback conditions.

[0028] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further comprise detecting at least one paging response parameter in the paging configuration information or the paging message, and transmitting a paging response to the first network based on the at least one paging response parameter.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, at least one paging response parameter may comprise at least one of a cell identifier of the first network or a frequency of the first network.

[0030] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the paging configuration information may include a radio resource control connection release message.

[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further include receiving, from a second network, control information including at least one of an indication of a paging subframe offset for a paging subframe configured for the second network, an indication of a paging radio network temporary identifier, an identifier of a wake-up signal sequence, or an indication of a time location of a wake-up signal.

[0032] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further include monitoring a paging channel of the second network based on at least one of a paging subframe offset, a paging radio network temporary identifier, or a wake-up signal.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the control information may include at least one of an indication of an update of system information of a first network, a system information value tag of the first network, or physical cell identifier and / or frequency information of a cell of the first network related to a current cell of the second network, where the paging message is received from the current cell of the second network.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the control information may be received in downlink control information, at least one system information block, at least one bandwidth reduction system information block, or at least one narrowband system information block.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further include receiving from the first network an instruction of at least one of the following: the time-frequency location of at least one common channel of the second network, the time-frequency location of at least one common signal of the second network, or timing information of the second network.

[0036] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect, the method may further include detecting a paging message based on the type of paging message and an identifier associated with a first network, the type of paging message indicating the use of an identifier associated with a first network in the paging message.

[0037] According to a third aspect, a computer program may include instructions to cause the device to perform the following steps: receiving paging configuration information from a first network, including instructions for at least one paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; monitoring the paging channel of the second network based on at least one paging parameter; and sending a paging response to the first network in response to receiving a paging message from the paging channel of the second network. The computer program may further include instructions to cause the device to perform any exemplary embodiment of the method of the second aspect.

[0038] According to a fourth aspect, the apparatus may include means for receiving paging configuration information from a first network, comprising instructions for at least one paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; means for monitoring the paging channel of the second network based on at least one paging parameter; and means for sending a paging response to the first network in response to receiving a paging message from the paging channel of the second network. The apparatus may further include means for performing any exemplary embodiment of the method of the second aspect.

[0039] According to a fifth aspect, the device may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and computer code are configured to cause the device to perform, using at least one processor, the steps of: transmitting paging configuration information to a client node, including instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring the paging channel of a second network; transmitting paging configuration information to the second network, including at least one second paging parameter for transmitting paging messages related to the first network to the client node; and receiving paging responses from the client node.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured, using at least one processor, to cause the device to perform the steps of: receiving an instruction from a client node of the ability to receive paging messages associated with the first network from a second network; and transmitting paging configuration information to the second network in response to receiving the instruction of the client node's ability to receive paging messages associated with the first network from the second network.

[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, the capability indication may indicate the ability to receive paging messages from the second network in a narrowband idle mode with respect to the second network.

[0042] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, at least one first paging parameter or at least one second paging parameter may comprise at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifiers.

[0043] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, the paging configuration information transmitted to the client node may include at least one of the following: instructions for cell reselection conditions for a first network; instructions for a set of adjacent cells in the first network that support paging through a second network; or instructions for fallback conditions for transitioning to idle mode for the first network.

[0044] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, the paging configuration information sent to a client node or to a second network may include at least one paging response parameter.

[0045] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, at least one paging response parameter may comprise at least one of a cell identifier of the first network or an indication of the frequency of the first network.

[0046] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, the paging configuration information transmitted to the client node may include a wireless resource control connection release message.

[0047] According to an exemplary embodiment of the fifth aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured, using at least one processor, to cause the device to perform the steps of transmitting to a client node instructions for the time-frequency location of at least one common channel of the second network, the time-frequency location of at least one common signal of the second network, or timing information of the second network.

[0048] According to a sixth aspect, the method may include the steps of: sending paging configuration information to a client node, which includes instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; sending paging configuration information to the second network, which includes at least one second paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network to the client node; and receiving a paging response from the client node.

[0049] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method may further include receiving an instruction from a client node indicating its ability to receive paging messages associated with the first network from a second network, and transmitting paging configuration information to the second network in response to receiving the instruction indicating the client node's ability to receive paging messages associated with the first network from the second network.

[0050] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, the capability indication may indicate the ability to receive paging messages from the second network in a narrowband idle mode with respect to the second network.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, at least one first paging parameter or at least one second paging parameter may comprise at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifiers.

[0052] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, the paging configuration information transmitted to the client node may include at least one of the following: instructions for cell reselection conditions for a first network; instructions for a set of adjacent cells in the first network that support paging through a second network; or instructions for fallback conditions for transitioning to idle mode for the first network.

[0053] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, the paging configuration information transmitted to a client node or to a second network may comprise at least one paging response parameter.

[0054] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, at least one paging response parameter may comprise at least one of a cell identifier of the first network or an indication of the frequency of the first network.

[0055] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, the paging configuration information transmitted to the client node may include a wireless resource control connection release message.

[0056] According to an exemplary embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method may further include transmitting to a client node an instruction for the time-frequency location of at least one common channel of the second network, the time-frequency location of at least one common signal of the second network, or timing information of the second network.

[0057] According to the seventh aspect, the computer program may include instructions for the device to perform the steps of: transmitting paging configuration information to a client node, including instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; transmitting paging configuration information to the second network, including at least one second paging parameter for transmitting paging messages related to the first network to the client node; and receiving a paging response from the client node. The computer program may further include instructions for the device to perform any exemplary embodiment of the method of the sixth aspect.

[0058] According to the eighth aspect, the apparatus may include means for transmitting paging configuration information to a client node, comprising instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network; means for transmitting paging configuration information to the second network, comprising at least one second paging parameter for transmitting paging messages related to the first network to the client node; and means for receiving paging responses from the client node. The apparatus may further include means for performing any exemplary embodiment of the method of the sixth aspect.

[0059] According to the ninth aspect, the device may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and computer code are configured to cause the device to perform the following steps using the at least one processor: receiving paging configuration information from a first network, including at least one paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network from a second network to client nodes; and sending paging messages associated with the first network to client nodes based on the at least one paging parameter.

[0060] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, at least one paging parameter may comprise at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifiers.

[0061] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, the paging message may comprise at least one paging response parameter.

[0062] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, at least one paging response parameter may comprise at least one of a cell identifier of the first network or an indication of the frequency of the first network.

[0063] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, the type of paging message may indicate the use of an identifier associated with a first network in the paging message.

[0064] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, at least one memory and computer code may be further configured, using at least one processor, to cause the device to transmit control information to a client node, which includes at least one of the following: an instruction for a paging subframe offset for a paging occasion configured for a second network; an instruction for a paging radio network temporary identifier; an identifier for a wake-up signal sequence; or an instruction for the time location of a wake-up signal.

[0065] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, the control information is an instruction to update system information of a first network, a system information value tag of a first network, or a physical cell identifier and / or frequency information of a cell of a first network related to the current cell of a second network, and the paging message may comprise at least one of the instructions transmitted in the current cell of the second network.

[0066] According to an exemplary embodiment of the ninth aspect, control information may be transmitted in downlink control information, at least one system information block, at least one bandwidth reduction system information block, or at least one narrowband system information block.

[0067] According to a tenth aspect, the method may include the steps of: receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes at least one paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network from a second network to client nodes; and sending paging messages associated with the first network to client nodes based on at least one paging parameter.

[0068] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, at least one paging parameter may comprise at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifier.

[0069] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, the paging message may comprise at least one paging response parameter.

[0070] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, at least one paging response parameter may comprise at least one of a cell identifier of the first network or an indication of the frequency of the first network.

[0071] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, the type of paging message may indicate the use of an identifier associated with a first network in the paging message.

[0072] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, the method may include transmitting control information to a client node that includes at least one of a paging subframe offset for a paging occasion configured for a second network, a paging radio network temporary identifier, a wake-up signal sequence identifier, or a wake-up signal time location.

[0073] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, the control information is an instruction to update system information of a first network, a system information value tag of a first network, or a physical cell identifier and / or frequency information of a cell of a first network related to the current cell of a second network, and the paging message may comprise at least one of the instructions transmitted in the current cell of the second network.

[0074] According to an exemplary embodiment of the tenth aspect, control information may be transmitted in downlink control information, at least one system information block, at least one bandwidth reduction system information block, or at least one narrowband system information block.

[0075] According to the eleventh aspect, the computer program may include instructions to cause the device to perform the steps of: receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes at least one paging parameter for sending paging messages associated with the first network from a second network to client nodes; and sending paging messages associated with the first network to client nodes based on at least one paging parameter. The computer program may further include instructions to cause the device to perform any exemplary embodiment of the method of the tenth aspect.

[0076] According to the twelfth aspect, the apparatus may include means for receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes at least one paging parameter for sending paging messages associated with a first network from a second network to client nodes, and means for sending paging messages associated with the first network to client nodes based on at least one paging parameter. The apparatus may further include means for performing any exemplary embodiment of the method of the tenth aspect.

[0077] Many of the associated features will be more easily understood by referring to the following detailed description, which is considered in relation to the attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0078] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the exemplary embodiments and constitute part of this specification, illustrate the exemplary embodiments and are helpful in understanding them together with the description.

[0079] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a network comprising network nodes and client nodes, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a device configured to carry out one or more exemplary embodiments. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a procedure for paging a dual-mode user device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example flowchart for paging a dual-mode user device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a message sequence between a dual-mode user device, a 5G New Radio (NR) network node, and an LTE or NB-IoT network node for paging the dual-mode user device, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a 5G New Radio (NR) cell reselection procedure during paging monitoring via LTE or NB-IoT, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a message sequence between a dual-mode user device and an LTE network node for the distribution of paging control information, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a message sequence between a dual-mode user device and an NB-IoT node for the distribution of paging control information, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a method for receiving paging on a client node, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a method for configuring paging of client nodes by a network node, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a method for paging client nodes by a network node instead of another network node, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0080] In the attached drawings, similar reference numerals are used to specify similar parts. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0081] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments are given in detail, and examples are shown in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below in relation to the accompanying drawings is intended to describe this embodiment and is not intended to represent the only form in which this embodiment may be constructed or utilized. The description describes the function of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be achieved by different examples.

[0082] Technologies such as NB (Narrowband) IoT (Internet of Things), LTE-M (Long Term Evolution-Machine Type communication), and eMTC (enhanced Machine Type communication), as defined by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), enable low-power communication over cellular networks. However, low-power technologies like NB-IoT or LTE-M may not provide sufficient communication capacity for all current or future applications. 3GPP 5G NR (New Radio), or simply NR, offers another radio access technology targeting various types of services such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) communication, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLCC), and massive machine type communication (mMTC). However, the power consumption of NR user equipment can be too high for some IoT-type applications.

[0083] Therefore, it is desirable to enable lower power consumption within the NR standard, and for that purpose, a low-power profile of NR, such as NR-Light, may be offered. However, another concern is that significantly modifying the NR radio for NR-Light purposes would cause divergence on the chipset side and would not be attractive to chipset development. NR-Light is intended to address new use cases with IoT-type requirements that cannot be met by NB-IoT or LTE-M, such as higher data rates, higher reliability, and lower latency than eMTC or NB-IoT, while on the other hand, it is intended to address lower cost and complexity as well as longer battery life than NR eMBB.

[0084] One concern with NR is that its reference signal, such as the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), may not enable an energy-efficient design for NR radios, for example, due to infrequent measurement opportunities. On the other hand, NB-IoT and LTE-M can achieve lower power consumption by not having the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) of LTE, without the effects of beamforming, and by adding various UE power-saving optimizations on top of the LTE design. For example, due to good CRS availability, the UE can wake up at any time and quickly access the network. In contrast, in NR idle mode, the UE may have to wait longer to store enough energy with less frequent CRS, which leads to wasted battery power. For example, idle power consumption is estimated to be up to 45% higher compared to LTE, and the difference for NB-IoT or eMTC can be even higher.

[0085] Therefore, it is desirable to develop systems that enable reasonable UE power consumption for reduced-capability devices such as NR-Light devices or other low-complexity devices, and that utilize the NR physical layer (L1) without significant NR physical layer changes. Low UE power consumption is particularly important in idle and inactive states. NR radios may have higher power consumption than NB-IoT or LTE-M radios, or basic LTE radios. NR-Light devices are intended for IoT-type applications and are therefore intended to provide longer battery life than NR eMBB-centric devices. However, NR-Light devices are intended to be more capable IoT-centric devices than NB-IoT or LTE-M devices. Fundamentally changing the NR system, for example, the NR physical layer, can cause problems with legacy devices and is therefore not always a desirable approach. Also, NR physical layer changes for UE power optimization must be made at the expense of NR system performance. Changes can also add cost to device design.

[0086] A dual-mode UE may have the ability to access two networks, for example, an NR network and an LTE or NB-IoT network, or to operate according to different network profiles. Power consumption may be reduced, for example, by using a technique in which the dual-mode UE is moved to the NR side once it is registered and paged on the LTE side. However, this may involve moving the UE context from the LTE EPC (Evolved Packet Core) to the 5G core. This may cause additional interaction between the two core networks, and interoperability between different manufacturers may also be difficult to achieve. For example, modifications on the EPC side may be required to understand the nature of such a dual-mode UE in order to properly parameterize the UE. An exemplary embodiment provides a method for reducing the power consumption of a dual-mode UE without requiring UE context transfer between the two core networks.

[0087] According to an exemplary embodiment, the UE can receive paging configuration information from a first network. The paging configuration information may include paging parameters for monitoring the paging channel of a second network. Network nodes of the second network may be configured to send paging messages on behalf of the first network. Based on the received paging configuration information, the UE can monitor the paging channel of the second network and receive paging messages from the second network related to the first network. In response to receiving paging messages from the second network, the UE may send a paging response to the first network. The first network may provide higher communication capabilities than the second network. However, monitoring paging in the second network may be more energy-efficient. For example, paging may be monitored in the second network using radios with lower power consumption than the radios used to communicate with the first network. Also, the paging procedure in the second network may be more energy-efficient.

[0088] Figure 1 shows an example of network 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. Network 100 may comprise at least one client node, which may also be called a user node, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal, terminal, etc. The UE 110 may communicate with one or more base stations via a wireless radio channel, such as an evolved node B (eNB) 120 of an LTE or NB-IoT network and a next-generation node B (gNB) 130 of a 5G (NR) network. Generally, the eNB 120 and gNB 130 are provided as examples of base stations for the first and second networks, respectively. The first and second networks may also be called the primary network and the secondary network, respectively. Base stations may also be called radio access network (RAN) nodes or simply network nodes.

[0089] A base station may be equipped with any suitable radio access point. Generally, a first network node may be configured to operate according to a first standard, and a second network node may be configured to operate according to a second standard. A standard may also be understood as a specification or a profile or subset of a group of specifications. For example, the first standard may be the NR-Light profile of NR. The second standard may be NB-IoT or LTE-M. Thus, the first network may be a 5G network, for example, an NR or NR-Light network. The second network may be an NB-IoT network or an LTE-M network. While exemplary embodiments have been described using these specific standards and networks as examples, it will be understood that exemplary embodiments may be applicable to networks based on any suitable standard or its profile. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, the first network may be configured to operate according to a wireless local area network standard, for example, the IEEE 802.11 series or a standard specified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, and the second network may be configured to operate according to a cellular standard, for example, a standard specified by 3GPP.

[0090] Network 100 may further comprise a core network 140. The core network 140 can functionally connect different types of base stations, thereby enabling cooperation between RAN nodes. The core network 140 can be implemented by any suitable means. For example, the core network 140 may be configured according to the service-based architecture (SBA) of a 5G core network (CN) 144, which allows multiple interconnected network functions (NFs) to access each other's services via service-based interfaces (SBIs). The core network 140 may comprise one or more access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 145. The AMFs 145 may be responsible for connectivity and mobility management. For example, the AMFs 145 may receive and process connectivity and session request-related information received from UEs 110 via an eNB 120 or gNB 130. The AMFs 145 may comprise a registration management function (RM) 146 configured to handle the registration and unregistration of UEs to and from the network.

[0091] Furthermore, the core network 140 may be configured to operate according to the LTE Evolutionary Packet Core (EPC) 141. For example, the core network 140 may include one or more Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) 142. The MME 142 may include, for example, an Extended Packet Core Mobility Management (EMM) function 143 configured to manage service requests from UEs 110, process paging procedures for UEs 110, and control the mobility of UEs 110. The EMM 143 may be configured, for example, to allocate tracking areas for UEs 110. A tracking area may consist of multiple cells to which UEs 110 can move without updating its location in the MME 142. The UEs 110 may determine whether they have moved to a new tracking area based on comparing the tracking area code (TAC) received from the current cell with a group of tracking area codes included in the tracking area list.

[0092] Radio resource control (RRC) can refer to the provision of radio resource-related control data. Radio resource control messages can be transmitted over various logical control channels, such as a common control channel (CCCH) or a dedicated control channel (DCCH). A logical control channel can be mapped to one or more signaling radio bearers (SRBs).

[0093] System information may include information provided to the UE110 by the network 100 for performing actions such as cell selection, cell reselection, and handover. System information may be provided in a Master Information Block (MIB) and one or more system information blocks, for example, on a broadcast control channel (BCCH).

[0094] While some exemplary embodiments have been described using specific RRC messages and system information blocks (SIBs) as examples, any suitable message can be configured to carry the paging-related signaling information described herein. Although some exemplary embodiments have been described using 4G (LTE) and / or 5G networks as examples, the exemplary embodiments presented herein are not limited to these exemplary networks and may be applied to any current or future communication network, such as other types of cellular networks, short-range wireless networks, broadcast networks, etc.

[0095] Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the device 200, such as a client node like UE110, or a network node like eNB120 or gNB130. The device 200 may comprise at least one processor 202. The at least one processor may comprise one or more of various processing devices or processor circuits, such as a coprocessor, microprocessor, controller, digital signal processor (DSP), processing circuit with or without an associated DSP, or various other processing devices including an integrated circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an MCU (microcontroller unit), a hardware accelerator, a dedicated computer chip, etc.

[0096] The device 200 may further include at least one memory 204. The memory may be configured to store, for example, computer program code, operating system software, and application software. The memory may include one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination thereof. For example, the memory may be configured as a magnetic storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, etc.), a magneto-optical storage device, or a semiconductor memory (e.g., a mask ROM, a PROM (programmable ROM), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash ROM, a RAM (random access memory), etc.).

[0097] The device 200 may further comprise a communication interface 208 configured to enable the device 200 to transmit and / or receive information to and from other devices. In one example, the device 200 may use the communication interface 208 to transmit or receive signaling information and data in accordance with at least one cellular communication protocol. The communication interface may be configured to provide at least one wireless radio connection, such as a 3GPP mobile broadband connection (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G). However, the communication interface may comprise one or more other types of connections, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection as standardized by the IEEE 802.11 series or the Wi-Fi Alliance, a short-range radio network connection such as Bluetooth®, NFC (Near Field Communication), or RFID connection, a local area network (LAN) connection, a wired connection such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection or an optical network connection, or a wired internet connection. The communication interface 208 may comprise or be configured to be coupled to at least one antenna for transmitting and / or receiving radio frequency signals. One or more of the various types of connections may also be implemented as separate communication interfaces that can be coupled to or configured to be coupled to multiple antennas.

[0098] The apparatus 200 may further include a user interface 210 having input and / or output devices. The input device may take various forms, such as a keyboard, a touchscreen, or one or more embedded control buttons. The output device may include, for example, a display, a speaker, a vibration motor, etc.

[0099] When the device 200 is configured to implement several functions, some components of the device and / or memory, for example, may be configured to implement these functions. Furthermore, when at least one processor 202 is configured to implement several functions, these functions may be implemented, for example, using program code 206 contained in at least one memory 204.

[0100] The functions described herein may be performed at least partially by one or more computer program product components, such as software components. According to embodiments, the apparatus comprises a processor or processor circuit, such as a microcontroller, which, when executed, is configured by program code to perform the embodiments of operation and function described herein. Alternatively or additionally, the functions described herein may be performed at least partially by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-chip systems (SOCs), composite programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and graphics processing units (GPUs).

[0101] The apparatus 200 comprises means for performing at least one method described herein. In one example, the means comprises at least one processor 202 and at least one memory 204 containing program code 206 that, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the apparatus 200 to perform the method.

[0102] The device 200 may comprise computing devices such as, for example, base stations, servers, mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Examples of IoT devices include, but are not limited to, home appliances, wearables, sensors, and smart appliances. In one example, the device 200 may comprise a vehicle such as an automobile. Although the device 200 is shown as a single device, it should be understood that, where applicable, the functionality of the device 200 may be distributed across multiple devices, for example, to implement an exemplary embodiment as a cloud computing service.

[0103] Figure 3 shows an example of a paging procedure for a dual-mode user device according to an exemplary embodiment. When the UE110 is connected to the gNB130 in idle mode, monitoring of the NR(Light) carrier can be replaced by monitoring of an LTE or NB-IoT paging channel (PCH), which may be transmitted over, for example, an LTE physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or an NB-IoT narrowband physical downlink shared channel (NPDSCH).

[0104] The gNB130 may transmit at least one paging configuration message that may contain paging configuration information, for example, instructions for monitoring the LTE or NB-IoT PCH for NR paging messages. Paging configuration information may be provided, for example, as part of dedicated signaling and / or broadcast signaling. In response to receiving paging configuration information, the UE110 may begin listening to or monitoring the LTE or NB-IoT PCH. For example, the UE110 may be configured to follow the LTE side by the 5G side of the corresponding UE ID (identifier). The UE110 may determine the paging frames and / or paging occasions to be monitored based on its International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI). Alternatively, the network may configure a specific IMSI value to be used. This IMSI value can then determine which UE ID triggers a jump to the LTE side. For example, the UE110 may have additional identifiers other than additional IMSI values. In response to detecting a paging message for an additional identifier, the UE110 may jump to the 5G side. Another identifier may trigger the UE110 to proceed to the LTE side. Therefore, in addition to the S-TMSI (serving temporary mobile subscribed identity), any identifier that can be commonly used for paging may be used. The UE110 may also be notified of discontinuous receive (DRX) cycles to monitor LTE or NB-IoT PCH.

[0105] The gNB130 can provide the eNB120 with inter-node signaling information, such as a paging instruction, to provide NR paging messages via LTE or NB-IoT and configure the eNB120 to activate the transmission of paging messages accordingly. The paging instruction may comprise paging configuration information having at least one paging parameter for sending NR network-related paging messages to the UE110. The paging configuration information provided to the eNB120 may include identifiers related to the NR network, such as IMSI or I-RNTI (Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier), which are used to page the UE110 on the LTE / NB-IoT side. The paging configuration information may further comprise DRX cycles configured or to be configured for the UE110 to receive NR paging via LTE / NB-IoT.

[0106] The eNB120 can generate a paging message based on the received paging parameters. For example, the eNB120 may insert the indicated NR identifier into the paging message, or it may determine the transmission time of the paging message based on the indicated DRX cycle of the UE110. The paging message for the NR may then be transmitted by the eNB120, for example, using a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a narrowband physical downlink shared channel (NPDSCH).

[0107] When an NR paging message is received from the LTE / NB-IoT PCH, the UE110 can directly send a paging response to the gNB130. After the data transmission via the gNB130 is complete, the UE110 can return to monitoring the LTE / NB-IoT PCH. This procedure results in the same idle-mode power consumption as LTE or NB-IoT, thanks to the same Radio Resource Management (RMM) operation. Furthermore, the UE context can be maintained in the 5G core network (CN)144, and therefore this procedure makes it possible to avoid UE context transfer between LTE and 5G. Moreover, this procedure enables energy-efficient paging without defining new narrowband operation for NR, which may result in L1 (Layer 1) changes, new L1 wake-up signals, or new synchronous signal block structures (e.g., with more frequent DMRS occurrences) to achieve lower idle-mode power consumption and thereby longer device standby time.

[0108] Figure 4 shows an example flowchart for paging a dual-mode user device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0109] In operation 401, gNB130 may send paging parameters to UE110 in order to configure UE110 to receive NR paging messages via LTE or NB-IoT.

[0110] In operation 402, UE110 may move to listen on an LTE or NB-IoT paging channel. Listening on a paging channel may be based on received paging parameters.

[0111] In operation 403, UE110 may determine whether an NR paging message was received from an LTE or NB-IoT paging channel. For example, UE110 may determine whether the paging message contains a UE ID derived from the NR signaling. If no NR-related paging message has been received from an LTE or NB-IoT paging channel, UE110 may continue listening to the paging channel in 402. In response to determining that an NR-related paging message was received from an LTE or NB-IoT paging channel, UE110 may proceed to operation 404.

[0112] In operation 404, UE110 may respond to a paging message via a 5G(NR) carrier. The paging response may be sent based on paging response parameters received from gNB130 or eNB120.

[0113] In operation 405, the UE110 and gNB130 can transfer data over a 5G(NR) carrier.

[0114] In operation 406, UE110 and / or gNB130 may run out of 5G data to be transmitted. UE110 and / or gNB130 may further start a timer to determine whether to continue transferring further data over the 5G(NR) carrier.

[0115] In operation 407, the UE110 and / or gNB130 can determine whether the timer has expired before any further 5G data is received for transmission. If further data is received before the timer expires, the 5G data transfer may continue in operation 405. In response to detecting that the timer has expired before any further 5G data is received for transmission, the gNB130 can return to operation 401 to reconfigure the UE110 for 5G(NR) paging over LTE or NB-IoT.

[0116] 5G paging over LTE or NB-IoT enables 5G data rates and lower latency while reducing idle-mode power consumption due to the more energy-efficient paging of LTE or NB-IoT, thereby enabling longer battery life for dual-mode UEs. Another advantage is that the hardware implementation of the dual-mode UE is unaffected because simultaneous support for 5G and LTE or NB-IoT is not required. Another advantage is that context transfer between EPC141 and 5G CN144 can be avoided. Therefore, changes to EPC141 can be avoided.

[0117] According to an exemplary embodiment, UE110 can determine whether it is (substantially) stationary, for example, based on being connected to the same eNB120 and being within a predetermined range. UE110 may determine it is within a predetermined range, for example, if the signal strength from eNB120, such as the reference signal received power (RSRP), exceeds a threshold. While monitoring the LTE or NB-IoT network for NR paging, UE110 may be configured to check the availability of the NR signal if the signal strength decreases, for example, below a threshold. If the NR signal is no longer available at sufficient strength, UE110 may decide to perform cell reselection to LTE. Tracking area updates may also be performed accordingly.

[0118] The UE110 can also be configured to monitor NR signals for cell reselection at pre-configured or signaled time intervals to ensure that NR coverage still exists, even if the UE110 was monitoring NR paging based on LTE or NB-IoT. Monitoring NR signals when paging is configured to be provided via LTE or NB-IoT may be relaxed compared to normal NR requirements in order to maintain the benefits of power saving. For example, the time interval set for NR cell reselection monitoring may be longer than the time interval set for monitoring the NR paging channel when NR paging is provided by the NR network itself.

[0119] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a message sequence between a dual-mode user device, an NR network node, and an LTE or NB-IoT network node for paging the dual-mode user device, according to an exemplary embodiment. gNB130 and eNB120 are provided as examples of network nodes for the first and second networks, which in this example are the NR(Light) network and the LTE or NB-IoT network, respectively.

[0120] In operation 501, UE110 may send an instruction indicating its ability to receive paging messages related to the NR network from an LTE or NB-IoT network. The instruction may be sent to gNB130. The ability instruction may indicate the ability to receive paging messages from the NB-IoT network in narrowband idle mode. Narrowband idle mode generally refers to an idle mode relating to a secondary network that has lower idle mode power consumption and / or lower communication capability compared to the primary network that provides paging services. For example, when monitoring for NR paging from an LTE or NB-IoT network, narrowband idle mode may consist of RRC_IDLE mode with respect to the LTE or NB-IoT network. However, while in RRC_IDLE mode with respect to LTE or NB-IoT, UE110 may be in another mode with respect to the NR network, for example, RRC_INACTIVE. The ability instruction may be provided as a new UE capability entry for “narrowband idle mode”, which generally indicates the ability to receive NR paging messages via a secondary network, for example, LTE or NB-IoT. The gNB130 may receive an instruction indicating the UE110's ability to receive NR-related paging messages from the LTE / NB-IoT network. In response to receiving this ability instruction, the gNB130 may configure the eNB120 to send NR-related paging messages, as described with reference to Figure 3. For example, the gNB130 may send paging configuration information to the eNB120. The paging configuration information may include, for example, at least one paging parameter for handling NR paging over the LTE or NB-IoT network.

[0121] In operation 502, gNB130 may send an RRC connection release message to UE110. The RRC connection release message may include narrowband idle mode support information. Thus, the RRC connection release message may include, for example, an instruction for at least one paging parameter for monitoring the paging channel of the LTE or NB-IoT network as narrowband idle mode support information. The at least one paging parameter may include, for example, a DRX cycle, IMSI, or I-RNTI. The instruction for the paging parameter may include a value for the paging parameter, for example, a specific value for the IMSI. Alternatively, the instruction for the paging parameter may include an instruction for a paging parameter without a value for the parameter. For example, gNB130 may request UE110 to monitor the paging channel of the LTE or NB-IoT based on a pre-configured IMSI value in UE110. Or, gNB130 may provide UE110 with a special IMSI value for monitoring the LTE or NB-IoT network for NR paging. The UE110 can receive RRC connection release messages from the gNB130.

[0122] The RRC connection release message may further include instructions for a fallback condition to transition to an idle mode, such as RRC_IDLE mode, with respect to the NR network. The fallback condition may be associated with radio conditions between the UE110 and gNB130, such as the signal strength of gNB130, including RSRP at the UE110. Thus, the fallback condition may include, for example, an RSRP change threshold for transitioning to NR idle mode.

[0123] The RRC connection release message is an example of paging configuration information, but it should be understood that similar information may be provided by other control messages or within control information such as one or more system information blocks. Furthermore, even if some messages are described as a single message, it should be understood that similar information may be transmitted using multiple messages. For example, paging parameters may be distributed across multiple paging configuration messages.

[0124] The RRC connection release message may further include instructions for cell reselection conditions for the NR network. These cell reselection conditions may be associated with radio conditions between the UE110 and gNB130, such as RSRP. However, the threshold for cell reselection may differ from the threshold for fallback to NR idle mode.

[0125] The RRC connection release message may further include instructions for a set of neighboring cells in the NR network that support paging over LTE or NB-IoT, such as a list of neighboring cells. The instructions may be provided to notify the UE110 about neighboring NR cells, and the UE110 may continue to monitor NR paging on the LTE side or the NB-IoT side.

[0126] Figure 6 shows an example of an NR cell reselection procedure during paging monitoring via LTE, according to an exemplary embodiment. This procedure can be applied, for example, to perform NR cell reselection during narrowband idle mode in an NR-Light UE110. LTE-M is used as an example of a second network providing paging services to a first network, 5G NR. The RSRP of the LTE-M signal (LTE-M-RSRP) and the NR signal (NR-RSRP), as well as the corresponding operation in the UE110, are shown with respect to time t. Initially, the UE110 may be monitoring the paging channel in a first cell of LTE-M. The UE110 may be in an inactive mode with respect to the NR network (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE). The UE110 may be located in a first cell of NR (NR Cell-1). The RSRP of LTE-M may be higher than the RSRP of NR. As shown in Figure 6, the received signal strength may begin to decrease, and at the first time point T1, the NR signal may reach a threshold for cell reselection. Therefore, UE110 can determine that a cell reselection condition has been detected.

[0127] At the first time point T1, the UE110 can initiate NR cell reselection. Cell reselection may be performed on NR cells belonging to a set of adjacent cells instructed to support paging over LTE or NB-IoT. Performing NR cell reselection may be in response to detecting that the cell reselection conditions have been met. If a new NR cell (NR cell-2) is found, the UE110 may complete system acquisition and maintain the new (reselected) cell as the reference cell for uplinks, for example, for sending paging responses.

[0128] At a second (subsequent) time point T2, the UE110 may revert to LTE-M to continue monitoring the paging channel in the first LTE-M cell. Alternatively, the new NR cell (NR cell-2) may send instructions to the second LTE-M cell for NR paging. These instructions may be provided, for example, in paging configuration information, such as at least one paging configuration message, other control messages, or other control information. In response to receiving such instructions, the UE110 may begin monitoring the paging channel of the second LTE-M cell at the second time point T2.

[0129] If UE110 does not find an NR cell that is indicated to support NR paging over LTE-M, UE110 may re-select an NR cell that does not support NR paging over LTE-M and suspend monitoring LTE-M for NR paging messages.

[0130] Referring again to Figure 5, in operation 503, the UE110 may receive the LTE cell-specific reference signal (CRS) transmitted by the eNB120.

[0131] In operation 504, the UE110 may perform idle mode radio resource management (RRM) based on LTE-CRS.

[0132] In operation 505, eNB120 may transmit control information that includes an instruction for the current version of NR system information, for example, an NR system information value tag. The control information may be transmitted, for example, over the LTE physical broadcast channel (PBCH). UE110 may receive the control information.

[0133] In operation 506, the UE110 may monitor the LTE network, e.g., the PBCH, for changes in NR system information. If an indication of change or NR system information is detected, for example, if an increase in the NR system information value tag is detected, the UE110 may activate its NR radio and receive the updated system information from the gNB130. However, if no change is indicated, the UE110 may continue to monitor the LTE / NB-IoT paging channel for NR paging messages while keeping the NR radio in a low-power state.

[0134] In operation 507, eNB120 may send a paging message. The paging message may be sent over the LTE physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The paging message may be sent based on at least one paging parameter configured for UE110 to receive NR paging via LTE / NB-IoT. For example, the paging message may include a UE identifier associated with the NR network, or the paging message may be sent over a specific paging occasion (PO) of a paging frame (PF). The paging occasion may be determined by eNB120 based on a DRX cycle configured for UE110. As described above, UE110 may be notified of the paging parameters by gNB130. Alternatively or additionally, eNB120 may send instructions for at least one paging parameter to UE110. eNB120 may receive instructions for paging parameters from gNB130 as one or more paging configuration messages, for example, within inter-node signaling. The paging messages transmitted by the eNB120 may also include instructions for the NR carrier to be used for data communication, such as mobile incoming calls.

[0135] In operation 508, UE110 may monitor a paging channel of the LTE or NB-IoT network based on paging parameters. UE110 may then receive an NR paging message from eNB120 on the monitored paging channel of the LTE or NB-IoT network. In response to receiving the paging message, UE110 may switch to NR and send a paging response to gNB130, or generally to the NR network. The paging response may be sent based on paging configuration information received from gNB130 or paging response parameters detected in a paging message received from eNB120. gNB130 may send the paging response parameters directly to UE110, for example, in the paging configuration information. Alternatively, or additionally, gNB130 may send the paging response parameters to eNB120, and eNB may forward the paging response parameters to UE110, for example, in a paging message. The paging response parameters may include, for example, at least one of the cell identifier of the NR network or the frequency of the NR network. Paging responses may be transmitted to identified cells and / or on indicated frequencies. Generally, paging messages can be decoded using radio access techniques (RATs) different from actual data communications, for example, mobile incoming or outgoing calls performed by the UE110.

[0136] The gNB130 can receive a paging response message from the UE110. In response to receiving the paging response, the gNB130 can establish a connection with the UE110 and initiate 5G data transfer over the NR carrier.

[0137] In operation 509, for example, while monitoring the paging channel of an LTE or NB-IoT network, the UE110 may monitor the strength of the LTE or NB-IoT signal, e.g., RSRP. As described above, the RRC connection release message may include instructions for a fallback condition to transition to NR idle mode. In response to a fallback condition, e.g., detection of an RSRP below a fallback threshold, the UE110 may transition to idle mode with respect to the NR network. Furthermore, the UE110 may interrupt monitoring of LTE / NB-IoT for NR paging messages.

[0138] In operation 510, the UE110 may receive NR synchronous signal block (SSB) and / or NR paging messages from the gNB130. This ensures the delivery of NR paging messages to the dual-mode UE110 in the event of radio degradation on the LTE or NB-IoT side.

[0139] Figure 7 shows an example message sequence between a dual-mode user device and an LTE network node for the distribution of paging control information, according to an exemplary embodiment. Operations 701 and 702 enable the setting of a paging occasion for the NR(Light)UE110. Operations 703-705 enable the setting of changes for monitoring the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and wake-up signal (WUS). The PDCCH may comprise a physical layer channel carried at a predetermined location in a downlink subframe, for example, in a predetermined number of first OFDM symbols in a downlink subframe. The PDCCH may be used to transmit paging messages. Operations 706 and 707 enable LTE paging for the NR(Light)UE110. Operations 708 and 709 enable LTE system support for NR system information changes. Although the above operations are shown as a single message sequence, it is understood that the operations may be applied separately or in different combinations.

[0140] In operation 701, the eNB120 may transmit control information to the UE110. The UE110 may receive control information. The control information may be provided as LTE system information, for example, in one or more system information blocks (SIBs). The control information may include paging parameters for configuring the UE110 for receiving NR paging from the eNB120. For example, the control information may include an indication of a paging subframe (PS) offset. The UE110 may be configured to monitor a specific paging occasion for receiving LTE paging messages. The paging subframe offset may be relative to a paging occasion configured for LTE paging. A paging occasion may include a specific subframe in a paging frame (PF). A paging frame may be transmitted over a paging channel. A paging frame may include one or more paging occasions (subframes). For paging events for UE110, the paging occasion may include an identifier for UE110, such as a Paging Wireless Network Temporary Identifier (P-RNTI).

[0141] In operation 702, UE110 can use paging subframe offset information to calculate paging occasions to be monitored for NR paging. Paging occasions for NR paging can be calculated based on the identifier of UE110 related to at least the NR(Light) network and the indicated paging subframe offset. Paging frames (PF) and paging occasions (PO) can be derived from the identifier of UE110, for example, as follows: - The system frame number (SFN) for paging frames can be determined based on (SFN PF_offset) mod T = (Tdiv N) * (UE_ID mod N). - The index (i_s) indicating the start of a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging DCI can be determined based on i_s = floor(UE_ID / N)modNs.

[0142] In the above formula, T is the DRX cycle of UE110, N is the total number of paging frames in DRX cycle T, Ns is the number of paging occasions for the paging frames, PF_offset is the offset used for PF determination, and UE ID is, for example, the 5G-S-TMSI of UE110 with a remainder of 1024. The use of a paging subframe offset ensures that NR paging messages are not sent with the same paging occasions as LTE, thus avoiding unnecessary wake-ups of narrowband IoT devices. Alternatively, UE110 may be configured to monitor the same paging occasions as for LTE paging, but use different identifier values, e.g., different P-RNTIs, to avoid false wake-ups. To configure UE110 to monitor the same paging occasions, eNB120 may set the paging subframe offset to zero or send a different instruction to use the same paging occasions for both LTE and NR paging.

[0143] In operation 703, the eNB120 may transmit control information to the UE110 as, for example, LTE system information, as described above. The control information may include an identifier for detecting NR paging messages on the LTE paging channel, for example, an instruction for P-RNTI. The identifier may be an identifier used for the UE110 in the NR network, for example, NR P-PRNTI. The control information may further include information related to the wake-up signal (WUS), for example, an identifier for the wake-up signal sequence and / or an instruction for the time location of the wake-up signal. The wake-up signal may be used to wake up the UE110 from sleep mode in order to detect whether the UE110 is being paged in a paging occasion. The wake-up signal may be received by the UE110's low-power wake-up receiver, so that the main LTE receiver can be kept in a low-power state longer than a normal DRX cycle, which reduces power consumption. The time location of a WUS can be signaled, for example, by indicating how far before a relevant paging occasion the WUS occurs, based on an offset relative to the paging occasion. A separate UE capability indicating how long the UE needs to wake up after receiving a WUS can be provided by the UE110 to the network, for example, the gNB130 or eNB120.

[0144] In operation 704, UE110 may monitor NR(Light) specific wake-up signals based on control information. For example, UE110 may monitor a paging channel on the PDCCH for a wake-up signal having a wake-up signal and / or a wake-up sequence at an indicated time location. Alternatively, the wake-up signal may be transmitted on a separate channel, for example, on a narrower bandwidth transmission channel. Thus, UE110 may initially monitor a separate wake-up signal channel instead of the paging channel. In response to receiving a wake-up signal, UE110 may turn on the main LTE receiver and begin monitoring the paging channel on the LTE-PDCCH for NR paging messages.

[0145] In operation 705, UE110 may monitor the paging channel based on control information. For example, UE110 may monitor the paging occasion determined in 702. UE110 may monitor the paging channel for an identifier indicated in the control information received from eNB120 in 703, such as NR-P-RNTI.

[0146] In operation 706, eNB120 may send a paging message. The paging message may be of a specific type, for example, an RRC-Paging-IRAT (inter-RAT) message. The type of paging message may indicate the use of an NR identifier in the paging message. Thus, the paging message may include an NR paging identifier for UE110. The paging message may further include redirection information for sending a paging response, for example, one or more paging response parameters. The paging response parameters may indicate, for example, an NR carrier for which UE110 is requested to send a paging response. The NR carrier may be identified by a cell identifier and frequency. UE110 may receive a paging message. UE110 may detect a paging message based on an NR identifier. Detecting a paging message may further be based on the type of paging message. For example, UE110 may first detect the type of paging message. If the type of paging message indicates the use of an NR identifier, UE110 may determine whether the configured NR identifier is included in the paging message. If the type does not indicate the use of an NR identifier, UE110 may decide not to check the paging message for that NR identifier. Therefore, indicating the type of the paging message allows UE110 to avoid searching for NR identifiers in paging messages that it knows do not contain NR identifiers.

[0147] In operation 707, UE110 may switch to a specific NR carrier configured to send a paging response. UE110 may then send a paging response to gNB130 on the NR carrier.

[0148] In operation 708, eNB120 may transmit further control information to UE110, for example, over the LTE-PDCCH. The control information may include information indicating changes in NR system information, such as additional downlink control information (DCI) bits. DCI may be carried, for example, over the LTE-PDCCH or MPDCCH (PDCCH for LTE-M). The control information may include instructions for updating NR system information. This allows UE110 to be notified of changes in NR system information even if UE110 does not access the NR network while monitoring NR paging on the LTE side. When UE110 detects a change in NR system information, it can access the NR network to receive the updated system information from gNB130.

[0149] In operation 709, eNB120 may transmit further control information to UE110. This control information may be transmitted as part of the LTE system information, for example, in one or more system information blocks such as SIB1 or one or more bandwidth reduction system information blocks such as SIB1-BR (bandwidth reduction). The control information may include parameters to assist UE110 in monitoring the LTE paging channel and keeping it synchronized with the latest system information and cells. For example, the control information may include an NR(Light) physical cell identifier (PCI), frequency information shared by LTE-M and NB-IoT cells, and an NR(Light) system information value tag.

[0150] The PCI and / or frequency information of the NR network may be used in the UE110 to determine which cell to connect after receiving an NR paging message from the eNB120. The PCI and frequency information of the NR network may be associated with the current cell of the LTE network, for example, with the NR cell to be co-located.

[0151] The system information value tag can indicate the currently applicable version of the system information. Based on the system information value tag, the UE110 can detect changes in the NR system information. The UE110 can then access the NR network to receive the updated system information from the gNB130.

[0152] The various control information described herein may be provided in any suitable control channel or signal. For example, control information may be transmitted or received in downlink control information or system information. Downlink control information may be transmitted or received on the PDCCH. System information may comprise one or more system information blocks (SIBs) in LTE or one or more bandwidth reduction system information blocks (SIB-BRs) in LTE-M. Control information may also be referred to as paging control information, paging signaling, narrowband paging control information, narrowband paging signaling, etc.

[0153] Figure 8 shows an example of a message sequence between a dual-mode user device and an NB-IoT node for the distribution of paging control information, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0154] In operation 801, similar to operation 701, the eNB120 (NB-IoT eNB) may transmit control information to the UE110, and the UE110 may receive control information. However, the control information may also be provided in narrowband system information (NB System information), for example, in one or more narrowband system information blocks (NB-SIBs) of the NB-IoT.

[0155] In operation 802, UE110 can calculate the paging occasion for receiving NR paging from eNB120, similar to operation 702.

[0156] In operation 803, eNB120 can transmit further control information to UE110, similar to operation 703. However, the control information may be provided in narrowband system information.

[0157] In operation 804, the UE110 may, as in operation 704, monitor the NR(Light) specific wake-up signal before the paging occasion.

[0158] In operation 805, the UE110 can monitor the NB-IoT's narrowband PDCCH (NPDDCH) for NR paging messages, similar to operation 705. Operations 803-805 allow configuration of changes for monitoring the NPDCCH and wake-up signal (WUS).

[0159] In operation 806, the eNB120 may send a paging message, similar to operation 706. However, the paging message may be sent over the NB-IoT paging channel, for example, over the NPDCCH.

[0160] In operation 807, UE110 may switch to a specific NR carrier for sending a paging response, similar to operation 707. UE110 may then send the paging response to gNB130 on the NR carrier.

[0161] In operation 808, eNB120 can send further control information to UE110, similar to operation 708. However, the control information may also be sent over the NB-IoT control channel. For example, DCI can be carried over NPDCCH (the NB-IoT PDCCH). UE110 can receive the control information over the corresponding channel.

[0162] In operation 809, eNB120 may transmit further control information to UE110, similar to operation 709. However, the control information may also be transmitted as part of the system information of the NB-IoT. The system information may comprise one or more narrowband system information blocks (NB-SIBs) of the NB-IoT, for example, NB-SIB1. Alternatively or additionally, the control information may be provided in one or more bandwidth-reduced system information blocks, such as SIB-BR1.

[0163] According to an exemplary embodiment, UE110 may receive control information, such as a system information message, from gNB130, which includes information about a common signal location with reference to an LTE-M or NB-IoT common channel or correct network timing, in order to enable UE110 to switch back to narrowband monitoring. The common channel or signal may comprise a channel or signal addressed to all or more UEs, such as a broadcast channel or signal. The control information may comprise, for example, a time-frequency location of at least one common channel in the LTE or NB-IoT network, a time-frequency location of at least one common signal in the LTE or NB-IoT network, or an indication of timing information for the LTE or NB-IoT network. The timing information for the LTE or NB-IoT network may comprise timing information for an LTE or NB-IoT control signal, such as a paging signal, with reference to the (frame) timing of the NR carrier. Based on this information, UE110 may receive information about the common channel or common signal in the LTE or NB-IoT network. The common channel or signal may carry, for example, the various control information described herein. This allows the UE110 to directly access relevant control information in the LTE or NB-IoT network based on information received from the NR network.

[0164] As described above, the exemplary embodiment enables energy-efficient paging for dual-mode devices. A further advantage is that it avoids impacting idle-mode power consumption of LTE, LTE-M, or NB-IoT devices and allows for independent paging capacity between LTE-only devices and devices that use LTE for idle-mode operation.

[0165] Figure 9 shows an example of a method 900 for receiving paging on a client node, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0166] In operation 901, the method may include receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes instructions for at least one paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network.

[0167] In operation 902, the method may include monitoring the paging channel of a second network based on at least one paging parameter.

[0168] In 903, the method may include sending a paging response to the first network in response to receiving a paging message from a paging channel of the second network.

[0169] Figure 10 shows an example of a method 1000 for configuring paging of client nodes by a network node, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0170] In 1001, the method may include sending paging configuration information to a client node, which includes instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring a paging channel of a second network.

[0171] In 1002, the method may include sending paging configuration information to a second network, which includes at least one second paging parameter for sending paging messages related to a first network to client nodes.

[0172] In 1003, the method may include receiving a paging response from a client node.

[0173] Figure 11 shows an example of a method 1100 for paging client nodes by a network node instead of another network node, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0174] In 1101, the method may include receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes at least one paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network from a second network to client nodes.

[0175] In 1102, the method may include sending a paging message to a client node relating to a first network, based on at least one paging parameter.

[0176] Further features of the method, as described throughout this specification and the appended claims, arise directly from the functionality of a client node such as UE110, or a network node such as eNB120 or gNB130, and are therefore not repeated here. Different variations of the method can also be applied, as described in relation to various exemplary embodiments.

[0177] A device, such as a client node like UE110, or a network node like eNB120 or gNB130, may be configured to perform or cause to perform any aspect of the method described herein. Furthermore, a computer program, when executed, may provide instructions to cause the device to perform any aspect of the method described herein. Furthermore, the device may provide means for performing any aspect of the method described herein. According to an exemplary embodiment, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing program code, the program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause to perform any aspect of the method.

[0178] Any range or device value given herein can be extended or modified without loss of the desired effect. Furthermore, unless expressly denied, any embodiment can be combined with another embodiment.

[0179] While this subject matter is described in language specific to structural features and / or actions, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and actions are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

[0180] It will be understood that the above benefits and advantages may relate to one embodiment or to several embodiments. Embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the described problems, or that have any or all of the described benefits and advantages. It will further be understood that a reference to "one" item may refer to one or more of these items.

[0181] The steps or operations of the methods described herein may be performed in any preferred order, or, where appropriate, simultaneously. In addition, individual blocks may be removed from any of the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Any aspect of the embodiments described above can be combined with any aspect of any of the other embodiments described to form further embodiments without losing the desired effect.

[0182] The term “equipped with” is used herein to mean including an identified method, block, or element, but such block or element does not include an exclusive list, and the method or apparatus may include additional blocks or elements.

[0183] Subjects may be referred to as the "first" subject or the "second" subject, but this does not necessarily indicate any order or importance of the subjects. Rather, such attributes may only be used to create differences between subjects.

[0184] As used in this application, the term “circuit” can mean one, more or all of the following: (a) (i) combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) any part of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), software, etc., hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuits only); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software; (c) hardware circuits and / or processors such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, however the software may not be present when not required for operation. This definition of circuit applies to all use of this term in this application, including any claim.

[0185] As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also includes simply a hardware circuit or processor (or more processors), or a part of a hardware circuit or processor, and the implementation of its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, as applicable to the elements of a particular claim.

[0186] The above description is given merely as an example, and it will be understood that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described above in some detail or by reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art can make numerous modifications to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this specification.

Claims

1. At least one processor, A device in a node of a first network, including at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are provided to the device by the at least one processor. The steps include sending paging configuration information to a client node, which includes instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring the paging channel of a second network, The steps include transmitting paging configuration information to the second network, which includes at least one second paging parameter for sending paging messages associated with the first network to the client nodes, The steps include receiving a paging response from the client node, A device characterized by being configured to perform the following action.

2. The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to access the device. The steps include receiving an instruction from the client node indicating the ability to receive paging messages associated with the first network from the second network, The steps include: sending at least one second paging configuration message to the second network in response to receiving the instruction regarding the client node's ability to receive paging messages related to the first network from the second network; The apparatus according to claim 1, further configured to perform the following:

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one first paging parameter or the at least one second paging parameter comprises at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifiers.

4. The aforementioned at least one first paging configuration message is: Instructions for cell reselection conditions for the first network, Instructions for a set of adjacent cells in the first network that support paging via the second network, Instructions for the fallback conditions for transitioning to idle mode with respect to the first network, The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the following.

5. At least one processor, A device in a node of a second network, including at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by the at least one processor to access the device. Steps include receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes at least one second paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network from a second network to a client node, The steps of sending the paging message associated with the first network to the client node that has received paging configuration information including instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring the paging channel of the second network, based on the at least one second paging parameter, A device configured to perform the following action.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the at least one paging parameter includes at least one of discontinuous reception cycles, international mobile subscriber identification, or inactive radio network temporary identifier.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the paging message includes at least one paging response parameter.

8. The steps include sending paging configuration information to a client node, which includes instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring the paging channel of a second network, The steps include transmitting paging configuration information to the second network, which includes at least one second paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network to the client nodes, The steps include receiving a paging response from the client node, A method performed by a node of a first network, characterized by including the following:

9. The steps include receiving paging configuration information from a first network, which includes at least one second paging parameter for sending paging messages related to the first network from a second network to client nodes, The steps of sending a paging message associated with the first network to the client node that has received paging configuration information including instructions for at least one first paging parameter for monitoring the paging channel of the second network, based on the at least one second paging parameter, A method performed by a node of a second network, characterized by including the following:

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