Method of communication

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for Low Power (LP) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) monitoring. A terminal device turns on a receiver of the terminal device and monitors a WUS without performing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) operation corresponding to an RRC idle / inactive process. The terminal device further starts a timer associated with the WUS. When the timer expires, the terminal device performs the RRC operation and turns off the receiver. Thus, the terminal device can determine when to perform the RRC operation and turn off the receiver based on the timer. Thus, the terminal device can recognize the status of a connection with a network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, apparatus, and computer storage media for monitoring low-power (LP) wake-up signals (WUS).

Background Art

[0002] In a communication system, devices such as terminal devices are powered by batteries. In order to support various communication services provided by the communication system, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting, these devices need to consume a significant amount of battery power. For example, these devices consume tens of milliwatts in the idle / inactive state of radio resource control (RRC) and hundreds of milliwatts in the RRC connected state.

[0003] On the one hand, it is desirable to extend the battery life of these devices for improved energy efficiency and a better user experience. On the other hand, various communication services provided by these devices require low latency. Work is underway to introduce an LP WUS monitoring mechanism that can extend battery life while supporting low latency.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and computer storage media for LP WUS monitoring.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first embodiment, a method of communication performed by a terminal device is provided. The method includes turning on a receiver in the terminal device and monitoring a wake-up signal (WUS) without performing an RRC operation corresponding to a radio resource control (RRC) idle / inactive process. The method further includes starting a timer associated with the WUS. The method further includes, upon determination that the timer has expired, performing the RRC operation without having the receiver monitor the WUS.

[0006] In a second embodiment, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises a processor and a memory. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the network device to perform the method described in the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0007] In a third embodiment, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to perform the method described in the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0008] It should be understood that the summary portion of the invention is not intended to identify any important or fundamental features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure should be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] The above-mentioned and other objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure will be further clarified by describing in more detail some embodiments of this disclosure in the attached drawings.

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an exemplary communication network on which the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented.

[0011] [Figure 2A]It is a diagram showing an example of a terminal device equipped with an LP receiver.

[0012] [Figure 2B] It is a diagram showing an exemplary manner of using a terminal device equipped with an LP receiver.

[0013] [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing a signaling flow for communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 4A] It is a flowchart of an exemplary method for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 4B] It is a flowchart of an exemplary state transition process of a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 5A] It is a flowchart of another exemplary method for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 5B] It is a flowchart of another exemplary state transition process of a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 6A] It is a flowchart of another exemplary method for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 6B] It is a diagram showing a switching process of an LP receiver and a communication device of a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 7A]A flowchart of yet another exemplary method for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 7B] A flowchart of yet another exemplary state transition process of a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 8] A flowchart of an exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 9] A schematic block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] In the figure, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Here, the principles of the present disclosure will be explained by referring to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the methods described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0027] As used herein, the term “terminal device” refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for V2X communication where X represents pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure / networks, devices for integrated access and integrated access and backhaul (IAB), satellite-borne vehicles or aircraft-borne vehicles within non-terrestrial networks (NTN), including high-altitude platforms (HAP) encompassing satellites and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR). This includes, but is not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality, such as Reality; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that do not have human operators and are commonly referred to as drones; devices on high-speed trains (HSTs); or image acquisition devices such as digital cameras; sensor game devices; music storage and playback devices; or internet-connected home appliances that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing.The “Terminal Device” may further have “Multicast / Broadcast” capabilities to support V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software distribution, group communications, and IoT applications where public safety and mission are of paramount importance. It may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term “Terminal Device” may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0028] The term "network device" refers to a device that can provide or host a cell or coverage on which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, low-power nodes such as Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolutionary Node B (eNodeB or eNB), Next Generation Node B (gNB), Transmit and Receive Point (TRP), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), IAB node, Femtonode, Piconode, and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS). Terminal devices or network devices may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities. Generally, this includes a trained model from a large amount of data collected for a particular function, which can be used to predict some information.

[0029] As used herein, the term “circuit” may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of an analog and / or digital hardware circuit and software / firmware. In yet another example, a circuit may be any part of a hardware processor having a digital signal processor, software and one or more memories, which work together to cause a device such as a terminal or network device to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor such as a microprocessor or a part thereof that requires software / firmware for operation, but the software may not be present if it is not required for operation. As used herein, the term “circuit” also includes the implementation of a hardware circuit or one or more processors alone, or a part of a hardware circuit or one or more processors and their (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0030] As used herein, the singular "one" and "the foregoing" also include the plural unless explicitly indicated in the context. The term "including" and its variations should be understood as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may refer to different or identical subjects. The following may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0031] In some examples, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as “best,” “worst,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. Such descriptions are intended to show that a choice can be made from among many usable functional alternatives, and it should be understood that such a choice does not need to be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more desirable than other choices.

[0032] Terminal devices or network devices may possess artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities. Generally, this includes a trained model derived from a large amount of data collected for a specific function, which can be used to predict certain information.

[0033] Terminal or network devices may operate on several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, they can operate on licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. Terminal devices may have two or more connections to network devices under Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenarios. Terminal or network devices can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, or cross-split-duplex modes.

[0034] In one embodiment, a terminal device may communicate directly with another terminal device in the communication network. Information regarding the settings of the terminal device may be transmitted from a network device in the communication network or may be pre-configured. This information may be transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, media access control (MAC) control element (CE), downlink control information (DCI), or pre-configuration.

[0035] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented, for example, in test equipment such as signal generators, signal analyzers, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, test terminal devices, test network devices, and channel emulators.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth-generation (6G) networks.

[0037] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Examples of communication environments

[0038] Figure 1 shows an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The network 100 includes a network device 110 and terminal devices 120 served by the network device 110. The serving area of ​​the network device 110 is referred to as cell 102. It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is given for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. The network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that, although not shown, one or more terminal devices may be located within cell 102 and served by the network device 110.

[0039] In the communication network 100, the network device 110 can communicate / transmit data and control information to the terminal device 120, and the terminal device 120 can also communicate / transmit data and control information to the network device 110. The link from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120 is called a downlink (DL), and the link from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 is called an uplink (UL).

[0040] Depending on the communication technology, network 100 may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Address (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, or any other network. The communication described in network 100 may conform to any appropriate standard, including but not limited to NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols. The technologies described herein can be used with the aforementioned wireless networks and technologies, as well as other wireless networks and technologies. For clarity, several aspects of the technology will be described below in relation to LTE, and LTE terminology will be used in most of the following descriptions.

[0041] In network 100, terminal device 120 may operate in different modes, states, and processes. For example, terminal device 120 in an RRC connection state may monitor the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and obtain permission to transmit downlink data on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0042] Alternatively, terminal device 120 may operate in the RRC_IDLE state (or idle mode) or the RRC_INACTIVE state (these two states may also be referred to as the RRC idle / inactive state or process). In the RRC idle / inactive state, terminal device 120 may camp in a cell, for example, cell 102 (which may be referred to as the camped cell). If the camped cell is suitable for terminal device 120, terminal device 120 may receive system information from the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). The network may send a “paging” message for terminal device 120 on the control channel of the camped cell. Terminal device 120 may receive and respond to the paging message. Additionally, if terminal device 120 wishes to establish an RRC connection or resume a suspended RRC connection, terminal device 120 may access the network on the control channel of the camped cell.

[0043] During an RRC idle / inactive process, the terminal device 120 may perform various operations. Operations performed by the terminal device 120 in an RRC idle / inactive state, or operations corresponding to an RRC idle / inactive process, may be referred to as "RRC operations." Examples of RRC operations may include, but are not limited to, monitoring of paging procedures, such as monitoring paging opportunities (PO), performing adjacent cell measurement and cell (re)selection, performing measurements, performing synchronization of synchronization signal blocks (SSB), and performing paging reception.

[0044] As briefly mentioned above, extending the battery life of these devices is desirable for improved energy efficiency and a better user experience. Conventionally, it has been proposed to reduce power consumption by using discontinuous reception (DRX) by terminal devices in the RRC idle / inactive state. For example, the terminal device performs SSB synchronization and monitors one PO per DRX period for potential paging message reception. The DRX period value is set in radio frames (rf), e.g., rf32, rf64, rf128, rf256, etc. However, the power consumption reduced using DRX is still high and cannot meet the battery life requirements.

[0045] Furthermore, it has been proposed to reduce power consumption by using an enhanced DRX (eDRX) with a larger cycle value for terminal devices in an RRC idle / inactive state. For example, a terminal device configured to have eDRX performs SSB synchronization and monitors PO during a periodic paging time window (PTW). Outside of the PTW, the terminal device may be in a long sleep state where it does not perform RRC operations such as SSB synchronization or PO monitoring. The eDRX cycle value is set in hyperframes (hf, hf1=rf1024), for example, hfhalf, hf1, hf2, hf4, ..., hf256. While eDRX reduces power consumption, it increases latency. Therefore, such an approach cannot satisfy latency requirements.

[0046] To meet both battery life and delay requirements, it has been proposed to reduce power consumption by using a terminal device equipped with an LP receiver for monitoring the WUS. Figure 2A shows an exemplary terminal device 200 equipped with a receiver 220. The receiver 220 is configured to monitor the WUS 230, which may include a simple signal, such as a binary amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulated on / off keying (OOK) signal. Because the receiver 220 consumes very little power, it may be referred to as an LP receiver, an ultra-low power receiver, or an LP WUS receiver.

[0047] The terminal device 200 further comprises a communication device 210. The communication device 210 is configured to perform a normal RRC state, such as an RRC connected state or an RRC idle / inactive state. The communication device 210 may be referred to as the "main radio". The communication device 210 may also be referred to as the current NR / LTE communication device.

[0048] The terminal device 200 may be in LP WUS mode. In LP WUS mode, the communication device 210 may be turned off or in deep sleep mode, and the terminal device 200 may not perform RRC operations, such as paging monitoring. In LP WUS mode, the receiver 220 is turned on and monitors the WUS 230. In some exemplary embodiments, if the receiver 220 does not detect the WUS, the terminal device 200 is The terminal device 200 may maintain LP WUS mode. Additionally, if the monitored WUS 230 is negative, for example OOK=0, the terminal device 200 may maintain LP WUS mode. Otherwise, if the monitored WUS 230 is positive, for example OOK=1, the terminal device 200 may cause the receiver 220 to send a trigger to turn on the communication device 210. The terminal device 200 may also turn off the receiver 220.

[0049] Figure 2B shows an exemplary scheme 250 utilizing a terminal device 200 equipped with an LP receiver 220. In scheme 250, the power consumption 260 of the receiver 220 is significantly lower than the power consumption 270 of the communication device 210. As shown in Figure 2B, before time T 280, the receiver 220 is always on and the communication device 210 is off. Time T 280 may be a slot, symbol, subframe, frame, or other appropriate unit. At T 280, the receiver 220 monitors WUS(OOK=1) 290, so from T 280 the receiver 220 is off, and at T 280 the communication device 210 is on. After T 280, the communication device 210 performs RRC operations, e.g., PO monitoring and SSB synchronization. The power consumption 260 of the receiver 220 while it is on may be 1 / 100th of the power consumption 270 of the communication device 210 when it is turned on. By monitoring the WUS 230 using the receiver 220, both power consumption and latency can be reduced.

[0050] However, several issues that need to be resolved remain regarding monitoring WUS using receivers. For example, in one situation, if WUS is only monitored using a receiver, the terminal device may not recognize a situation where there are no measurements for cell selection or reselection, for example, when the terminal device becomes unable to reach the network device due to mobility or wireless environment. The terminal device is still monitoring WUS but knows that it has already been disconnected from the network. In another situation, if the terminal device returns to a normal RRC state (e.g., RRC idle / inactive) but there are no paging notifications, the terminal device will consume more power if it continues to monitor normal paging. Also, in yet another situation, if the terminal device returns to a normal RRC state but recognizes that a camped cell is unsuitable or unavailable based on measurements or cell selection or reselection criteria, it is necessary to consider how the terminal device should act in such a situation.

[0051] As described above, monitoring the WUS using a receiver is extremely difficult. According to embodiments of this disclosure, a solution for WUS monitoring using a receiver is proposed to address any of the above problems. A terminal device monitors the WUS by turning on its receiver and without performing RRC operations corresponding to RRC idle / inactive processes. The terminal device starts a timer associated with the WUS. When the timer expires, the terminal device performs the RRC operation and turns off the receiver. For example, the terminal device may perform the RRC operation using its communication device. By using a timer associated with the WUS, the terminal device can determine when to perform the RRC operation and when to turn the receiver off or on. Thus, the terminal device may fall back to the normal RRC state when necessary. To better understand the solution for WUS monitoring using a receiver, several embodiments will now be described with reference to Figures 3 to 9. Exemplary WUS monitoring using an LP receiver

[0052] Figure 3 shows a signaling flow 300 for communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the signaling flow 300 involves the terminal device 120 and the network device 110 in Figure 1. More or fewer devices may be involved in the signaling flow 300, and it should be understood that the number of devices shown in Figure 3 is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation.

[0053] In operation, the network device 110 may transmit a configuration to the terminal device 120 (305). The configuration may indicate a timer associated with the WUS. For example, the network device 110 may transmit the configuration via dedicated RRC signaling, such as RRC Release or RRC Reconfiguration. As another example, the network device 110 may transmit the configuration via system information. In such a case, the timer may be included in a System Information Block (SIB), such as SIBx. Upon receiving the configuration (310), the terminal device 120 may determine the timer associated with the WUS (315). As used below, the “timer associated with the WUS” may also be referred to as the “maximum maintenance timer.” The timer may be set or predefined to any appropriate number of ms, s, min, or other durations.

[0054] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 may not need to transmit the configuration to the terminal device 120 (305). The timer associated with the WUS may be predefined. For example, the timer may be predefined in a specification such as TS 38.331 or TS 38.304 or any other suitable specification. The terminal device 120 may determine the timer based on the predefined timer (315).

[0055] Alternatively, or additionally, multiple timers associated with the WUS may be included in the received (310) configuration or predefined. In such cases, the terminal device 120 may determine the timer from the multiple timers based on the paging probability (PP) (315). PP is Non-Access Stratum (NAS) auxiliary information. In some exemplary embodiments, multiple thresholds may be set, configured via the network, or predefined to determine the PP type. For example, if the PP is less than a first threshold, the PP type is determined to be a low PP type. If the PP is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, the PP type is determined to be an intermediate PP type. If the PP is greater than a second threshold and less than a third threshold, the PP type is determined to be a high PP type.

[0056] It should be understood that the number of thresholds can be any appropriate number greater than zero. The number of thresholds can be one less than the number of timers. For example, if there is only one threshold, it is possible to determine two PP types, and two timers can correspond to two PP types. If there are more thresholds, it is possible to determine finer-grained PP types, and more timers can correspond to these PP types.

[0057] The plurality of timers may be broadcast over the network, configured, or predefined to correspond to the plurality of PP types. For example, Timer 1 may correspond to a low PP type, Timer 2 to an intermediate PP type, and Timer 3 to a high PP type. When the terminal device 120 obtains a PP from a registration procedure, the terminal device 120 may determine the PP type and, based on that PP, determine the corresponding timer from the plurality of timers (315).

[0058] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 may transmit a capability request to the terminal device 120 (320). Upon receiving the capability request from the network device 110 (325), the terminal device 120 may transmit a response to the network device 110 (330). The network device 110 may receive the response (335). The response may include at least one of the following: a first duration (also referred to as T3) for turning on the receiver of the terminal device, a second duration (also referred to as T2) for turning off the communication device of the terminal device, a third duration (also referred to as T1) for turning on the communication device, or a fourth duration (also referred to as T4) for turning off the receiver. T1, T2, T3, and T4 may be set or predefined to any appropriate number of ms, s, min, or other durations. Embodiments relating to some of these durations are described below in detail with reference to Figures 6A and 6B.

[0059] Terminal device 120 turns on its receiver (also referred to as LP receiver or LP WUS receiver) (340) and monitors the WUS without performing RRC operations corresponding to RRC idle / inactive processes. For example, terminal device 120 may turn on its receiver (340) and turn off its communication device (also referred to as main radio) to stop performing RRC operations. The WUS may include a binary amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation on / off keying (OOK) signal. By monitoring such a simple WUS signal, the power consumption of terminal device 120 can be significantly reduced.

[0060] The terminal device 120 starts the determined (315) timer (345). When the timer expires, the terminal device 120 performs the RRC operation (350) and turns off the receiver. For example, the terminal device 120 may turn on the communication device to perform the RRC operation and turn off the receiver to stop monitoring the WUS.

[0061] It should be understood that the signaling flow 300 may include other operations. For example, terminal device 120 may receive an instruction from network device 110 to enter LP WUS mode. The scope of the present invention is not limited in this respect.

[0062] By using a timer, the terminal device may determine when to perform RRC operation and when to turn the receiver off or on. Thus, regardless of whether the network is reachable or not, the terminal device may fall back to the normal RRC state. Additionally, the terminal device can recognize the status of its connection to the network. Therefore, this approach can extend battery life and support low latency.

[0063] Several exemplary embodiments of how to monitor WUS and when to perform RRC operations are described below in relation to Figures 4A to 7B and Tables 1 to 4.

[0064] Figure 4A is a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of terminal device 120 in Figure 1.

[0065] In block 405, terminal device 120 may initiate entry into LP WUS mode. For example, terminal device 120 may decide whether or not to enter LP WUS mode based on instructions from network device 110. Alternatively, terminal device 120 may decide to enter LP WUS mode based on higher layers or other decision criteria. In LP WUS mode, terminal device 120 may monitor WUS without performing RRC operations.

[0066] In block 410, terminal device 120 starts a timer associated with the WUS, turns off its communication device, and turns on its receiver. For example, terminal device 120 may also start timers, turn off its communication device, and turn on its receiver in parallel.

[0067] In block 415, the terminal device 120 monitors the WUS using the receiver. In block 420, the terminal device 120 determines whether the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1. If the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 stops the timer, turns on the communication device, and turns off the receiver in block 425. That is, an OOK equal to 1 indicates that the communication device is on. For example, the terminal device 120 may stop the timer, turn on the communication device, and turn off the receiver in parallel. In block 430, the terminal device 120 may enter an RRC idle / inactive state or process. For example, the terminal device 120 may execute a paging procedure, SSB reception, and measurement corresponding to the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE process. In other words, the terminal device may perform actions when entering RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE or when exiting LP WUS mode.

[0068] If WUS does not contain an OOK equal to 1 (i.e., no WUS is detected, or the detected WUS contains an OOK equal to 0), the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 435. For example, the terminal device 120 may maintain WUS monitoring by the receiver without performing RRC operation by the communication device. Method 400 may proceed to block 415 after block 435.

[0069] In block 440, the terminal device 120 determines whether the timer has expired. If the timer has expired, the terminal device 120 turns on the communication device and turns off the receiver in block 445. For example, the terminal device 120 may turn on the communication device and turn off the receiver in parallel in block 445. That is, the terminal device may perform RRC operation using the communication device and exit LP WUS mode.

[0070] If the timer does not expire, the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 435. Method 400 may then proceed to block 415 after block 435.

[0071] It should be understood that some of the blocks shown in Figure 4A may be divided into multiple subblocks. For example, block 410 or block 425 may each be divided into three subblocks. Block 445 may be divided into two subblocks. Each subblock of a corresponding block may be executed in parallel or sequentially.

[0072] Figure 4B is a flowchart of an exemplary state transition process 450 of a terminal device 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the terminal device 120 may be in RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 460 or in LP WUS mode 470. In RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 460, the terminal device 120 may monitor paging, perform SSB reception, perform measurements, etc. In LP WUS mode 470, the terminal device 120 may monitor WUS with a receiver. In the first transition 480, the terminal device 120 may exit RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 460 and enter LP WUS mode 470, and at the same time, a timer is started. If the timer expires or if the monitored WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 performs a second transition 490. In the second transition 490, the terminal device 120 exits LP WUS mode 470 and enters RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE mode 460.

[0073] Table 1 below shows exemplary processes performed by the terminal device 120 at the start of entry into LP WUS mode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The processes shown in Table 1 may be implemented as method 400 in Figure 4A and / or state transition process 450 in Figure 4B. Table 1 TIFF0007910621000001.tif82162

[0074] By using Method 400 and / or State Transition Process 450, or the processes described in Table 1, it is possible to ensure that the terminal device is aware of the status of its connection to the network. When the timer expires, the terminal device may fall back to the normal RRC state and monitor the paging procedure (e.g., performing SSB synchronization, measurement, and paging reception).

[0075] Figure 5A is a flowchart of another exemplary method 500 for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of terminal device 120 in Figure 1.

[0076] In block 505, terminal device 120 may initiate entry into LP WUS mode. For example, terminal device 120 may decide whether or not to enter LP WUS mode based on instructions from network device 110. Alternatively, terminal device 120 may decide to enter LP WUS mode based on higher layers or other decision criteria. In LP WUS mode, terminal device 120 may monitor WUS without performing RRC operations.

[0077] In block 510, terminal device 120 starts the timer associated with the WUS, turns off the communication device of terminal device 120, and turns on the receiver of terminal device 120. For example, terminal device 120 may start the timer, turn off the communication device, and turn on the receiver in parallel or sequentially.

[0078] In block 515, the terminal device 120 monitors the WUS using the receiver. In block 520, the terminal device 120 determines whether the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1. If the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 stops the timer, turns on the communication device, and turns off the receiver in block 525. For example, the terminal device 120 may stop the timer, turn on the communication device, and turn off the receiver in parallel or sequentially. In block 530, the terminal device 120 may enter an RRC idle / inactive state or process. For example, the terminal device 120 may execute a paging procedure, SSB reception, and measurement corresponding to the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE process. In other words, the terminal device may perform operations when entering RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE or when exiting LP WUS mode.

[0079] If WUS does not contain an OOK equal to 1 (i.e., no WUS is detected, or the detected WUS contains an OOK equal to 0), the terminal device 120 may determine in block 540 whether WUS contains an OOK equal to 0. If the terminal device 120 determines that WUS contains an OOK equal to 0, the terminal device 120 restarts the timer in block 545. Thus, a 1-bit signal equal to 0 (reserved) (i.e., the OOK signal) can be used for a network availability indicator. By restarting the timer based on the network availability indicator, the terminal device can recognize the status of its connection to the network.

[0080] After restarting the timer in block 545, the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 535. Additionally, if the terminal device 120 does not detect WUS, it may maintain LP WUS mode in block 535. For example, the terminal device 120 may maintain WUS monitoring by the receiver without performing RRC operation by the communication device. Method 500 may proceed to block 515 after block 535.

[0081] In block 550, the terminal device 120 determines whether the timer has expired. If the timer has expired, in block 555, the terminal device 120 turns on the communication device and turns off the receiver. For example, in block 555, the terminal device 120 may turn on the communication device and turn off the receiver. That is, the terminal device may perform RRC operation using the communication device and exit LP WUS mode.

[0082] If the timer does not expire, the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 535. Then, method 500 may proceed to block 515 after block 535.

[0083] It should be understood that some of the blocks shown in Figure 5A may be divided into multiple subblocks. For example, block 510 or block 525 may each be divided into three subblocks. Block 555 may be divided into two subblocks. Each subblock of a corresponding block may be executed in parallel or sequentially.

[0084] Figure 5B is a flowchart of another exemplary state transition process 560 of a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the terminal device 120 may be in RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 570 or in LP WUS mode 580. In RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 570, the terminal device 120 may monitor paging, perform SSB reception, perform measurements, etc. In LP WUS mode 580, the terminal device 120 may monitor WUS by a receiver. In the first transition 575, the terminal device 120 may exit RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 570 and enter LP WUS mode 580, and at the same time, a timer is started. If the timer expires or if the monitored WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 performs a second transition 585. In the second transition 585, the terminal device 120 exits LP WUS mode 580 and enters RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 570. Figure 5B further illustrates operation 590. If the monitored WUS contains an OOK equal to 0, the terminal device 120 performs operation 590 to restart the timer.

[0085] Table 2 below shows exemplary processes performed by the terminal device 120 at the start of entry into LP WUS mode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The processes shown in Table 2 may be implemented as method 500 in Figure 5A and / or state transition process 560 in Figure 5B. Table 2 TIFF0007910621000002.tif103161

[0086] By using Method 500 and / or State Transition Process 560 and / or the processes described in Table 2, it is possible to ensure that the terminal device is aware of the status of its connection to the network. When the timer expires, the terminal device may fall back to the normal RRC state and monitor the paging procedure (e.g., performing SSB synchronization, measurement, and paging reception). In such embodiments, the reception of a WUS equal to 0 (or OOK equal to 0) indicates that the terminal device does not need to return to the normal RRC state and that the network device will become available by restarting the timer.

[0087] Figure 6A is a flowchart of another exemplary method 600 for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 600 will be described from the viewpoint of terminal device 120 in Figure 1.

[0088] In block 605, terminal device 120 may initiate entry into LP WUS mode. For example, terminal device 120 may decide whether or not to enter LP WUS mode based on instructions from network device 110. Alternatively, terminal device 120 may decide to enter LP WUS mode based on higher layers or other decision criteria. In LP WUS mode, terminal device 120 may monitor WUS without performing RRC operations.

[0089] In block 610, terminal device 120 turns on its receiver. For example, terminal device 120 turns on the receiver in the first time slot. In block 615, terminal device 120 turns off its communication device after a first duration from block 610. For example, terminal device 120 may turn off its communication device in a second time slot, which is the first duration after the first time slot. The first duration (also referred to as T3) represents the duration for which the receiver is turned on. The time unit of this duration or time offset may be a slot, symbol, subframe, frame, or other appropriate unit.

[0090] In block 620, the terminal device 120 starts the timer associated with the WUS. For example, the terminal device 120 may start the timer after a first duration from block 610. Alternatively, the terminal device 120 may start the timer after a second duration from block 610. The second duration includes the first duration and another duration T2 representing the duration for which the communication device is turned off.

[0091] In block 625, the terminal device 120 monitors the WUS using the receiver. In block 630, the terminal device 120 determines whether the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1. If the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 stops the timer, turns on the communication device, and turns off the receiver in block 635. For example, the terminal device 120 may stop the timer, turn on the communication device, and turn off the receiver, for example, in parallel. In block 640, the terminal device 120 may enter an RRC idle / inactive state or process. For example, the terminal device 120 may execute a paging procedure, SSB reception, and measurement corresponding to the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE process. In other words, the terminal device may perform operations when entering RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE or when exiting LP WUS mode.

[0092] If WUS does not contain OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 645. For example, the terminal device 120 may maintain monitoring of WUS by the receiver without performing RRC operation by the communication device. Method 600 may proceed to block 625 after block 645.

[0093] In block 650, the terminal device 120 determines whether the timer has expired. If the timer has expired, the terminal device 120 turns on the communication device in block 655. In block 660, the terminal device 120 turns off the receiver. For example, the terminal device 120 may turn off the receiver after a third duration from block 655. The third duration (also referred to as T1) represents the duration for turning on the communication device. Blocks 655 and 660 allow the terminal device to perform RRC operation with the communication device and exit LP WUS mode.

[0094] If the timer does not expire, the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 645. Then, method 600 may proceed to block 625 after block 645.

[0095] It should be understood that some of the blocks shown in Figure 6A may be divided into multiple subblocks. For example, block 635 may be divided into three subblocks. Each subblock of a corresponding block may be executed in parallel or sequentially.

[0096] Figure 6B shows a switching process 670 for a communication device and a switching process 680 for an LP receiver according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the switching process 670, the communication device is turned on using T1 672 and turned off using T2 674. Similarly, in the switching process 680, the receiver is turned on using T3 682 and turned off using T4 684. The durations of T1, T2, T3, and T4 may be different or the same.

[0097] Referring back to Figure 3, the terminal device 120 may send a response to capability information to the network device 110 (330). The response may include capability information that includes at least one of the above T1 672, T2 674, T3 682 and T4 684.

[0098] Table 3 below shows exemplary processes performed by the terminal device 120 at the start of entry into LP WUS mode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The processes shown in Table 3 may be implemented as method 600 in Figure 6A. Table 3 TIFF0007910621000003.tif102160

[0099] By using Method 600 and / or the processes described in Table 3, it is possible to consider the time required for the communication device and / or receiver to start and / or stop. Thus, timer operation can be linked to the start / stop of the communication device and receiver. This allows for more precise timer design, thereby improving the performance and user experience of the terminal device.

[0100] Figure 7A is a flowchart of yet another exemplary method 700 for WUS monitoring according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 700 will be described from the viewpoint of terminal device 120 in Figure 1.

[0101] In block 705, terminal device 120 may initiate entry into LP WUS mode. For example, terminal device 120 may decide whether or not to enter LP WUS mode based on instructions from network device 110. Alternatively, terminal device 120 may decide to enter LP WUS mode based on higher layers or other decision criteria. In LP WUS mode, terminal device 120 may monitor WUS without performing RRC operations.

[0102] In block 710, terminal device 120 starts the timer associated with the WUS, turns off the communication device of terminal device 120, and turns on the receiver of terminal device 120. For example, terminal device 120 may start the timer, turn off the communication device, and turn on the receiver in parallel or sequentially.

[0103] In block 715, the terminal device 120 monitors the WUS using a receiver. In block 720, the terminal device 120 determines whether the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1. If the WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 increments the wake-up count (also referred to as the first number or wake-up-count) by 1. Additionally, the terminal device 120 starts or restarts the wake-up count timer (also referred to as the wake-up-count-timer). The wake-up count may be a variable of the terminal device 120. The wake-up count may be an integer. The wake-up count timer may be referred to as the second timer. In some exemplary embodiments, the wake-up count timer may be configured via a network, through dedicated RRC signaling (RRC Release or RRC configuration) or system information. Alternatively, the wake-up count timer may be predefined. The wake-up count timer may be set or predefined to any appropriate number of ms, s, min, or other durations.

[0104] In block 730, terminal device 120 determines whether the wake-up count has exceeded a threshold. That is, terminal device 120 counts a first number of monitored WUS (i.e., the wake-up count) indicating that RRC operation should be performed, and determines whether the first number has exceeded a threshold (also referred to as the threshold number or maxofwake-up-count). The threshold may be predefined to be any suitable integer. Alternatively, the threshold may be set by the network via dedicated RRC signaling (RRC Release or RRC configuration) or system information. If terminal device 120 determines that the wake-up count has exceeded the threshold, terminal device 120 stops the timer, turns on the communication device, and turns off the receiver in block 730. For example, terminal device 120 may stop the timer, turn on the communication device, and turn off the receiver in parallel or sequentially.

[0105] In block 740, the terminal device 120 may enter an RRC idle / inactive state or process. For example, the terminal device 120 may execute a paging procedure, SSB reception, and measurement corresponding to the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE process. In other words, the terminal device may perform an operation when entering RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE or when exiting LP WUS mode.

[0106] If terminal device 120 determines that the wake-up count has not exceeded the threshold, terminal device 120 may return to monitoring the WUS in block 715.

[0107] In block 750, terminal device 120 may determine whether the wake-up count timer has expired. If the wake-up count timer has expired, terminal device 120 resets the wake-up count to zero. That is, if the wake-up count falls below the threshold and the wake-up count timer expires, terminal device 120 sets the wake-up count to zero. Then, in block 715, terminal device 120 may return to monitoring the WUS. If the wake-up count timer has not expired, terminal device 120 may return to monitoring the WUS in block 715.

[0108] In block 760, the terminal device 120 determines whether the timer associated with the WUS has expired. If the timer has expired, in block 765, the terminal device 120 turns on the communication device and turns off the receiver. For example, in block 555, the terminal device 120 may turn on the communication device and turn off the receiver in parallel or sequentially. That is, the terminal device may perform RRC operation using the communication device and exit LP WUS mode.

[0109] If the timer does not expire, the terminal device 120 may maintain LP WUS mode in block 745. Then, method 700 may return after block 745 and proceed to block 715.

[0110] It should be understood that some of the blocks shown in Figure 7A may be divided into multiple subblocks. For example, block 710 or block 735 may each be divided into three subblocks. Block 765 may be divided into two subblocks. Each subblock of a corresponding block may be executed in parallel or sequentially.

[0111] Figure 7B is a flowchart of yet another exemplary state transition process 770 of a terminal device 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the terminal device 120 may be in RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 775 or in LP WUS mode 790. In RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 775, the terminal device 120 may monitor paging, perform SSB reception, perform measurements, etc. In LP WUS mode 790, the terminal device 120 may monitor WUS by receiver. In the first transition 780, the terminal device 120 may exit RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 775 and enter LP WUS mode 790, and at the same time, the timer is started. If the timer expires or the wake-up count is equal to a threshold (which is the maximum value of the wake-up count), the terminal device 120 performs a second transition 785. In the second transition 785, the terminal device 120 exits LP WUS mode 790 and enters RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE 775. Figure 7B further illustrates operations 793 and 796. If the monitored WUS contains an OOK equal to 1, the terminal device 120 may perform operation 793 to increment the wake-up count by 1. If the wake-up count timer expires, the terminal device 120 may perform operation 796 to reset the wake-up count timer to zero.

[0112] Table 4 below shows exemplary processes performed by the terminal device 120 at the start of entry into LP WUS mode according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The processes shown in Table 4 may be implemented as method 600 in Figure 7A and / or state transition process 770 in Figure 7B. Table 4 TIFF0007910621000004.tif113162

[0113] By using method 700 and state transition process 770, errors due to simple OOK signals can be avoided. The terminal device may be configured with a wake-up count that determines how many WUS signals with OOK equal to 1 are received before the terminal device turns on the communication device. In this way, the risk of the terminal device inaccurately detecting the OOK signal can be reduced.

[0114] It should be understood that the methods 400-700 described above may be implemented separately or in combination. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0115] The above example illustrates that terminal device 120 may terminate LP WUS mode based on the expiration of a timer. Additionally, or alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 may decide to terminate LP WUS mode based on instructions from a higher layer. For example, terminal device 120 may receive a first instruction from a higher layer. The first instruction indicates to perform an RRC operation and turn off the receiver. Alternatively, the first instruction may indicate to turn on the communication device and turn off the receiver. That is, the higher layer requests termination of LP WUS mode. The higher layer compares with the RRC layer. The higher layer refers to the NAS layer of terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may turn on the communication device and turn off the receiver. Terminal device 120 may perform an RRC operation, e.g., SSB reception, paging process, and measurement corresponding to the RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE process.

[0116] Additionally, terminal device 120 may send a second instruction to the upper layer. The second instruction (termination reason) indicates that the first instruction caused the RRC operation to be performed and the receiver to be turned off. The termination reason may be an Information Element (IE). For example, terminal device 120 may set the termination reason to "requested by upper layer" or "other" to indicate to the upper layer that LP WUS mode has ended.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, if terminal device 120 receives a first instruction from a higher layer indicating to terminate LP WUS mode, terminal device 120 may, for example, turn on the receiver and turn off the communication device in parallel. Table 5 below shows examples of LP WUS mode termination indicated by a higher layer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Table 5 TIFF0007910621000005.tif52160

[0118] Alternatively, or additionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may turn off the receiver after a duration of time since the communication device was turned on, for example, after T1 672 in Figure 6B.

[0119] Table 6 below shows another example of LP WUS mode termination as indicated by the upper layer, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example in Table 6, the time required for the communication device to start was taken into consideration. Thus, timer operations can be linked to the start of the communication device. This allows for more precise timer design, thereby improving the performance and user experience of the terminal device. Table 6 TIFF0007910621000006.tif56163

[0120] By instructing the terminal device to terminate LP WUS mode from a higher layer, the terminal device can terminate LP WUS mode on its own. In this way, it is possible to ensure that the terminal device can flexibly control LP WUS mode.

[0121] The implementation methods for determining when to exit LP WUS mode have already been described. In some exemplary embodiments, after the terminal device exits LP WUS mode and performs RRC operations, the terminal device may return to LP WUS mode under certain conditions. These conditions for the terminal device to return to LP WUS mode are described in detail below.

[0122] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may fall back to the normal RRC state upon timer expiration or termination request requested by a higher layer, and the terminal device 120 may determine whether the cell being camped by the terminal device 120 is unsuitable for the terminal device 120 by performing cell selection or re-selection criteria or by performing measurements. If, based on the cell (re)selection criteria or measurements, the camped cell is unsuitable for the terminal device 120, the terminal device 120 may perform the cell selection or re-selection process and disable the receiver so as not to monitor the WUS. In other words, the terminal device 120 may disable the LP WUS function.

[0123] Thus, if the terminal device returns to the normal RRC state but recognizes that the cell is inappropriate or unavailable, the terminal device may initiate a cell selection or re-selection procedure, or disable the LP WUS function.

[0124] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 may disable the LP WUS function until the next network instruction, or for a period of time as it is realized. For example, terminal device 120 may receive an instruction from network device 110 to monitor the WUS. Upon receiving such instruction, terminal device 120 may enter LP WUS mode, for example, by turning on the receiver to monitor the WUS and turning off the communication device to stop performing RRC operations. For example, if terminal device 120 determines that the receiver has been disabled for a duration exceeding a time threshold, terminal device 120 may decide to enter LP WUS mode, for example, by turning on the receiver to monitor the WUS and turning off the communication device to stop performing RRC operations. The time threshold may be (pre)set or predefined.

[0125] The robustness of this LP WUS monitoring mechanism can be ensured by disabling the LP WUS function under certain conditions (e.g., improperly camped cells) and re-entering LP WUS mode under conditions such as exceeding network instructions or time thresholds.

[0126] Table 7 below shows exemplary processes performed by the terminal device 120 when it falls back to the normal RRC state due to a timer or upper-layer termination request, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Table 7, the terminal device 120 may be referred to as the UE. Table 7 TIFF0007910621000007.tif46160

[0127] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine the number of paging opportunities (POs) (represented as NumPO). NumPO may be set by the network via dedicated RRC signaling or system information. Alternatively, NumPO may be predefined. NumPO may be set or predefined to any suitable integer. When the terminal device 120 performs RRC operations, if no paging notification (responding to the terminal device 120) is received from the network during the PO duration, the terminal device 120 may fall back to LP WUS mode. For example, the terminal device 120 may turn on the receiver to monitor the WUS and turn off the communication device. The PO duration represents the duration for which the terminal device 120 monitors NumPO paging cycles.

[0128] Table 8 below shows another exemplary process performed by the terminal device 120 when the terminal device 120 falls back to the normal RRC state according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Table 8, the terminal device 120 may be referred to as the UE. Table 8 TIFF0007910621000008.tif29160

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 may start a third timer (also referred to as an inactive timer). The third timer may be set via the network, through dedicated RRC signaling or system information. Alternatively, the third timer may be predefined. The third timer may be set or predefined to any appropriate number of ms, s, min, or other durations. The third timer may indicate that terminal device 120 may return to LP WUS mode if no paging is received during the third timer.

[0130] For example, terminal device 120 starts a third timer after performing an RRC operation and turning off the WUS. If no paging notification is received from the network during the third timer, terminal device 120 may fall back to LP WUS mode. For example, terminal device 120 may turn on the receiver to monitor the WUS and turn off the communication device. In some exemplary embodiments, the third timer may be set to multiple times the paging cycle.

[0131] Table 9 below shows another exemplary process performed by the terminal device 120 when the terminal device 120 falls back to the normal RRC state according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Table 9, the terminal device 120 may be referred to as the UE. Table 9 TIFF0007910621000009.tif41160

[0132] Thus, if the terminal device returns to the normal RRC state but there is no paging notification, the terminal device can return to LP WUS mode based on the above conditions. By returning to LP WUS mode based on the above conditions, the power consumption of the terminal device can be further reduced. In this way, the battery life of the terminal device can be extended. Exemplary methods and apparatus

[0133] Figure 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 800 can be implemented in a terminal device 120 as shown in Figure 1. Method 800 may include additional blocks not shown, and / or some of the illustrated blocks may be omitted, and it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. For illustrative purposes, Method 800 will be described with reference to Figure 1 from the perspective of the terminal device 120.

[0134] In block 810, terminal device 120 turns on its receiver and monitors the WUS without performing RRC operations corresponding to RRC idle / inactive processes. In some exemplary embodiments, when the receiver is turned on and the WUS is monitored without performing RRC operations, terminal device 120 may turn off its communication device and stop performing RRC operations.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, when the receiver is turned on and monitoring the WUS without performing RRC operations, the terminal device 120 may turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS, and after a first duration, turn off the terminal device's communication device to stop performing RRC operations. The first duration represents the duration for which the receiver is turned on. In some exemplary embodiments, when starting a timer, the terminal device 120 may start the timer after the first duration or a second duration. The second duration includes the first duration and another duration for which the communication device is turned off.

[0136] In block 820, the terminal device 120 starts a timer associated with the WUS. For example, the timer may be predefined. Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive a setting from the network device 110, which indicates the timer. The terminal device 120 may determine the timer based on the setting.

[0137] Alternatively, or as an addition, the terminal device 120 may receive a plurality of timers set by the network device 110. The terminal device 120 may determine which timer to use from the plurality of timers based on the paging probability (PP).

[0138] In block 830, the terminal device 120 performs an RRC operation and turns off the receiver in accordance with the determination that the timer has expired. In some embodiments, when the terminal device 120 performs the RRC operation and turns off the receiver, it may turn on the communication device of the terminal device 120 to perform the RRC operation and turn off the receiver to stop the receiver from monitoring the WUS. For example, when turning off the receiver, the terminal device 120 may turn off the receiver after a third duration since the communication device was turned on. The third duration represents the duration for turning on the communication device.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 may receive a first instruction from a higher layer. The first instruction indicates to perform an RRC operation and turn off the receiver. Terminal device 120 may further transmit a second instruction to the higher layer. The second instruction indicates that the first instruction caused the RRC operation to be performed and the receiver to be turned off.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 may receive a capability request from network device 110. Upon receiving the capability request from network device 110, terminal device 120 may send a response to the network device. The response includes at least one of a first duration for turning on the receiver, a second duration for turning off the communication device of terminal device 120, a third duration for turning on the communication device, or a fourth duration for turning off the receiver.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, if the WUS monitored by the receiver indicates that the WUS should be maintained, the terminal device 120 restarts the timer.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, if the monitored WUS performs an RRC operation and indicates that the receiver should be turned off, the terminal device 120 turns on its communication device to perform an RRC operation, turns off the receiver, and stops the timer.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may count a first number of monitored WUSs that indicate to perform an RRC operation while the second timer is running. The second timer is set by the network device. If the first number exceeds a threshold, the terminal device 120 turns on its communication device to perform an RRC operation, turns off the receiver, and stops the timer. Additionally, if a monitored WUS indicates to perform an RRC operation, the terminal device 120 starts or restarts the second timer. Alternatively or additionally, if the first number falls below a threshold number and the second timer expires, the terminal device 120 may set the first number to zero.

[0144] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device performs the RRC operation, the circuit may be configured to further perform cell selection or reselection criteria or to perform measurements. If the cell selection or reselection criteria or the measurement indicates that a cell being camped by the terminal device is unsuitable for the terminal device, the circuit may be configured to perform the cell selection or reselection process and disable the receiver so as not to monitor the WUS.

[0145] In some exemplary embodiments, upon receiving an instruction from a network device to monitor the WUS, the circuit may be configured to turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS without performing the RRC operation.

[0146] Alternatively, or additionally, if the receiver has been disabled for a duration exceeding a time threshold, the circuit may be configured to turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS without performing the RRC operation.

[0147] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to start a third timer after the terminal device has performed the RRC operation and turned off the WUS. If no paging notification is received from the network device during the third timer, the circuit may be configured to turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS.

[0148] In some embodiments, if the terminal device performs the RRC operation and no paging notification is received from the network device during the paging opportunity (PO) duration, the circuit may be configured to turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS. The PO duration represents the duration during which the terminal device monitors a second number of paging cycles.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, the WUS includes a binary amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulated on / off keying (OOK) signal.

[0150] Details of WUS monitoring as described herein have been explained with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Next, exemplary implementations of the terminal device 120 will be described below. In some embodiments, the terminal device (for example, the terminal device 120) includes a circuit configured to turn on the receiver of the terminal device and monitor the WUS without performing RRC operations corresponding to RRC idle / inactive processes. In some exemplary embodiments, when the receiver is turned on and the WUS is monitored without performing the RRC operations, the circuit may be configured to turn off the communication device of the terminal device and stop the execution of the RRC operations.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, when the receiver is turned on and the WUS is monitored without performing the RRC operation, the circuit may be configured to turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS, and after a first duration, turn off the communication device of the terminal device and stop performing the RRC operation. The first duration represents the duration for which the receiver is turned on. In some exemplary embodiments, when the timer is started, the circuit may be configured to start the timer after the first duration or a second duration. The second duration includes the first duration and another duration for which the communication device is turned off.

[0152] The circuit may further be configured to start a timer associated with the WUS. For example, the timer may be predefined. Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the circuit may be configured to receive a setting from the network device 110. The setting indicates the timer. The circuit may be configured to determine the timer based on the setting.

[0153] Alternatively, or additionally, the circuit may be configured to receive a plurality of timers set by a network device. The circuit may be configured to determine the timer from the plurality of timers based on paging probability (PP).

[0154] The circuit is further configured to perform the RRC operation and turn off the receiver in accordance with the determination that the timer has expired. In some exemplary embodiments, when performing the RRC operation and turning off the receiver, the circuit may be configured to turn on the communication device of the terminal device to perform the RRC operation and turn off the receiver to stop the receiver from monitoring the WUS. For example, when turning off the receiver, the circuit may be configured to turn off the receiver after a third duration from the time the communication device is turned on. The third duration represents the duration for which the communication device is turned on.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit may be configured to receive a first instruction from a higher layer. The first instruction indicates to perform an RRC operation and turn off the receiver. The circuit may further be configured to transmit a second instruction to the higher layer. The second instruction indicates that the RRC operation and turning off the receiver were triggered by the first instruction.

[0156] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit may be configured to receive capability requests from a network device. Upon receiving the capability request from the network device, the terminal device may be configured to send a response to the network device, the response comprising at least one of a first duration for turning on the receiver, a second duration for turning off the communication device of the terminal device, a third duration for turning on the communication device, or a fourth duration for turning off the receiver.

[0157] In some exemplary embodiments, if the WUS monitored by the receiver indicates that the WUS should be maintained, the circuit may be configured to restart the timer.

[0158] In some exemplary embodiments, if the monitored WUS indicates that the RRC operation should be performed and the receiver should be turned off, the circuit may be configured to turn on the communication device of the terminal device to perform the RRC operation, turn off the receiver, and stop the timer.

[0159] In some exemplary embodiments, the circuit may be configured to count a first number of monitored WUSs indicating that the RRC operation should be performed while the second timer is running. The second timer is configured by the network device. If the first number exceeds a threshold, the circuit may be configured to turn on the communication device of the terminal device to perform the RRC operation, turn off the receiver, and stop the timer. Additionally, if a monitored WUS indicates that the RRC operation should be performed, the circuit may be configured to start or restart the second timer. Alternatively or additionally, if the first number falls below the threshold number and the second timer expires, the circuit may be configured to set the first number to zero.

[0160] In some exemplary embodiments, when the terminal device 120 performs RRC operations, the terminal device 120 may further perform cell selection or reselection criteria or measurements. If the cell selection or reselection criteria or measurements indicate that a cell being camped by the terminal device 120 is unsuitable for the terminal device 120, the terminal device 120 may perform the cell selection or reselection process and disable the receiver to stop monitoring the WUS.

[0161] In some exemplary embodiments, upon receiving an instruction from the network device 110 to monitor the WUS, the terminal device 120 may turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS without performing RRC operations.

[0162] Alternatively, or additionally, if the receiver has been disabled for a duration exceeding a time threshold, the terminal device 120 may turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS without performing RRC operations.

[0163] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may start a third timer after performing an RRC operation and turning off the WUS. If no paging notification is received from the network device 110 during the third timer, the terminal device 120 may turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS.

[0164] In some embodiments, if terminal device 120 is performing RRC operation and does not receive a paging notification from network device 110 during the paging opportunity (PO) duration, terminal device 120 may further turn on the receiver and monitor the WUS. The PO duration represents the duration during which the terminal device monitors a second number of paging cycles.

[0165] In some exemplary embodiments, the WUS includes a binary amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulated on / off keying (OOK) signal.

[0166] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 900 can be considered as another exemplary embodiment of the network device 110 or terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1. Thus, the device 900 may be implemented in or as part of the network device 110 or terminal device 120.

[0167] As shown in the figure, the device 900 comprises a processor 910, a memory 920 coupled to the processor 910, appropriate transmitters (TX) and receivers (RX) 940 coupled to the processor 910, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 940. 920 is, and stores at least a portion of program 930. The TX / RX 940 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, but the access nodes referred to herein may actually have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as the X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs, the S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, the Un interface for communication between an eNB and a Relay Node (RN), or the Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

[0168] It is assumed that program 930 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 910, enable the device 900 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 3-8. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 910 of the device 900, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 910 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 910 and memory 920 may form processing means 950 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0169] Memory 920 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as non-temporary computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one memory 920 is shown in device 900, several physically different memory modules may exist within device 900. Processor 910 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Device 900 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips that are temporally dependent on a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0170] Overall, various embodiments of the Disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various embodiments of the Disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or any other pictorial representation, it should be understood that any blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, in non-limiting examples, in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0171] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions contained in a program module, which are executed within a device on a real or virtual processor of interest to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to Figures 3, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, and / or 8. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or realize a particular abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules may be combined or separated among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of a program module may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0172] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device, and when executed by the processor or controller, the program code may implement the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as an independent software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0173] The program code described above may be implemented on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store programs used by or associated with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the aforementioned mediums. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media may include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0174] While the operations have been described in a specific order, it should not be understood that, in order to obtain the desired results, these operations must be performed in the specific order shown, or in a sequential order, or that all of the described operations must be performed. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while some specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented separately or in any suitable subcombination in multiple embodiments.

[0175] While this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological behavior, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or behaviors described above. Rather, the specific features and behaviors described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication performed by a terminal device, The receiver of the terminal device is turned on, and the Wake-Up Signal (WUS) is monitored without performing RRC operations corresponding to Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle / inactive processes. The timer associated with the aforementioned WUS is started, In accordance with the determination that the timer has expired, the RRC operation is performed, and the receiver is turned off. Includes, While the terminal device is performing the RRC operation, the method Performing cell selection or re-selection criteria, or performing measurements, If, according to the cell selection or re-selection criteria or the measurement determination, it is determined that the cell being camped by the terminal device is unsuitable for the terminal device, the cell selection or re-selection process is executed. Disabling the receiver from monitoring the WUS, Further including, method.

2. The setting indicating the timer is received from the network device, The timer is determined based on the above settings, The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The timer is predefined The method according to claim 1.

4. Receiving multiple timers set by the network device, Based on the paging probability (PP), the timer is determined from the plurality of timers, The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. Turning on the receiver and monitoring the WUS without performing the RRC operation is, To turn off the communication device of the terminal device and stop the execution of the RRC operation, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, including

6. Turning on the receiver and monitoring the WUS without performing the RRC operation is, Turning on the receiver and monitoring the WUS, After a first duration, the communication device of the terminal device is turned off and the execution of the RRC operation is stopped, wherein the first duration represents the duration for which the receiver is turned on. Starting the aforementioned timer means This includes starting the timer after the first or second duration, wherein the second duration includes the first duration and another duration for turning off the communication device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. Executing the RRC operation and turning off the receiver is The communication device of the terminal device is turned on and the RRC operation is performed, The receiver is turned off to stop the WUS monitoring by the receiver, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, including

8. Turning off the aforementioned receiver means This includes turning off the receiver after a third duration following the turning on of the communication device, where the third duration represents the duration for turning on the communication device. The method according to claim 7.

9. Receiving a first instruction from a higher layer, the first instruction indicating that the RRC operation should be performed and the receiver should be turned off, Transmitting a second instruction to the upper layer, the second instruction indicating that the RRC operation and the turning off of the receiver were triggered by the first instruction, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

10. The further includes receiving a capability request from a network device and transmitting a response to the network device, wherein the response is A first duration for turning on the receiver, A second duration for turning off the communication device of the terminal device, A third duration for turning on the communication device, or A fourth duration for turning off the receiver, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one of the above.

11. The timer is restarted in accordance with the decision that the monitored WUS indicates the receiver should continue monitoring the WUS. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

12. In accordance with the decision that the monitored WUS performs the RRC operation and indicates that the receiver should be turned off, The communication device of the terminal device is turned on and the RRC operation is performed, Turning off the aforementioned receiver, Stopping the aforementioned timer, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

13. While a second timer set by the network device is running, the first number of monitored WUSs indicating that the RRC operation should be performed is counted, In accordance with the determination that the first number exceeds the threshold number, The communication device of the terminal device is turned on and the RRC operation is performed, Turning off the aforementioned receiver, Stopping the aforementioned timer, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

14. In accordance with the decision that the monitored WUS indicates to perform the RRC operation, the second timer is started or restarted. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

15. In accordance with the determination that the first number falls below the threshold number and the second timer has expired, the first number is set to zero. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

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