Allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources

Abstract

Approaches for allocation of Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resources to a User Equipment (UE) are described. In one example, a pre-emption request may be received from a requesting UE in communication with a communication network for allocation of a GWUS resource. Thereafter, a served UE may be caused to release a first GWUS resource allocated to the served UE. Subsequently, the first GWUS resource may be allocated to the requesting UE.

Description

[0001] ALLOCATION OF GROUP WAKE-UP SIGNAL (GWUS) RESOURCES

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0003] This application claims the benefit of IN Provisional Application No. 202311052362, filed August 3, 2023. The entire content of the above-referenced application is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] Various examples described herein relate to approaches for allocation of GWUS resources to a User Equipment (UE) within a communication network.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] In a communication network, such as a 5thgeneration (5G) network, certain devices may have long battery life requirements, i.e., the device is expected to sustainably operate for prolonged periods of time without charging. In certain cases, battery of such devices may either be small or in certain cases, may even be non-replaceable. In case of the former, the device may have to be charged periodically so as to ensure that the device is in an operational state. In case the battery is not replaceable, the devices are expected to last for a long time. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, wearable devices, security and surveillance devices, and medical devices. Various approaches may be followed for extending the battery life of such devices.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Aspects of the present subject matter relate to allocation of Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resources to a requesting User Equipment (UE) within a communication network.

[0010] In an example, a communication apparatus for allocation of Group Wake-up Signal resources is described. The communication apparatus may include at least one processor, and a machine- readable storage medium. The machine-readable storage medium may include instructions that may be executed by the processor. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the communication apparatus to perform one or more functions. For example, upon execution of the instructions, the communication apparatus may receive a pre-emption request from a requesting User Equipment (UE). The requesting UE may be in communication with a communication network. Further, the pre-emption request may be for allocation of a Group Wakeup Signal (GWUS) resource. The communication apparatus may then cause a served UE to release a first GWUS resource allocated to the served UE. Thereafter, the first GWUS resource may be allocated to the requesting UE.

[0011] In one example, the communication apparatus may identify the served UE by receiving a preemption information from a given UE in communication with the communication network. The given UE may be allocated with the first GWUS resource, and the pre-emption information may indicate that the given UE may be suitable to release the first GWUS resource. Thereafter, the given UE may be designated as the served UE.

[0012] In another example, the pre-emption information may be a UE Assistance Information (UAI) communicated using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication protocol.

[0013] In yet another example, the communication apparatus may cause the served UE to release the first GWUS resource by communicating a pre-emption indication to the served UE to release the first GWUS resource. Upon release of the first GWUS resource, a confirmation message may be received from the served UE.

[0014] In yet another example, to subsequently allocate the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE, the communication apparatus may initiate a reconfiguration process. The reconfiguration process may cause the allocation of the first GWUS resource released by the served UE, to the requesting UE.

[0015] In yet another example, pursuant to the release of the first GWUS resource from the served UE, the communication apparatus may cause the served UE to change its operational state to an RRC CONNECTED state.

[0016] In yet another example, the communication apparatus may be one of a base station device and a gNodeB (gNB).

[0017] In yet another example, upon allocating the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE, the communication apparatus may cause the requesting UE to switch to Low Power Wake-up Signal (LP-WUS) mode of operation. The communication apparatus may further cause the requesting UE to change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE and an RRC INACTIVE state.

[0018] In yet another example, the pre-emption request received from the requesting UE may include a flag. The flag, when set, may indicate a level of criticality of the requesting UE for availing the GWUS resource.

[0019] In yet another example, the pre-emption request may be one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message, and a UCI (Uplink Control Information).

[0020] In another example, a method for allocation of Group Wake-up Signal resources is described. A requesting User Equipment (UE) may transmit a request to a base station device. The request may be for allocation of a Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resource. Thereafter, the requesting UE may receive an allocation of a first GWUS resource released by a served UE. On receiving the allocation of the first GWUS resource, the requesting UE may change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE and an RRC INACTIVE state.

[0021] In one example, the request may include a plurality of operational attributes associated with the requesting UE.

[0022] In another example, the request transmitted by the requesting UE may be a GWUS Resource preemption request communicated to the base station device using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication protocol.

[0023] In yet another example, the requesting UE may further receive a GWUS availability message from the base station device.

[0024] In yet another example, a non-transitory computer readable medium is described. The non- transitory computer readable medium may include computer-readable instructions. The instructions, when executed by a processor, may cause a served User Equipment (UE) to allocate Group Wake-up Signal resources. The instructions may cause the served UE to evaluate one or more device attributes associated with the served UE. Based on the evaluation, the instructions may further cause to designate the served UE to release an allocated first GWUS resource. The instructions may furthermore cause to generate a pre-emption information indicating that the served UE is suitable to release the first GWUS resource. Thereafter, the instructions may cause the served UE to transmit the pre-emption information to a base station device.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The following detailed description references the drawings, wherein:

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication apparatus for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a User Equipment (UE), as per an implementation of the present subject matter;

[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a network environment comprising a communication apparatus for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a requesting User Equipment (UE), as per an implementation of the present subject matter;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a communication apparatus for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a requesting User Equipment (UE), as per an implementation of the present subject matter;

[0030] FIG. 4 is an example call-flow diagram depicting various functionalities between a served UE, a communication apparatus , and a requesting UE for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to the requesting UE, as per an implementation of the present subject matter;

[0031] FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting an example method to be implemented in a requesting UE for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources, as per an implementation of the present subject matter;

[0032] FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting an example method for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a requesting User Equipment, as per an implementation of the present subject matter; and

[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates a non-transitory computer-readable medium for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a requesting User Equipment (UE), as per an implementation of the present subject matter.

[0034] Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings provide examples and / or implementations consistent with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and / or implementations provided in the drawings.

[0035] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] A communication network may typically include a variety of network and user devices. Each of the devices, through their respective functionalities, may be responsible for implementing one or more network operations. Within the network, different devices may be in communication with each other, over the communication network, and may facilitate the exchange of data. Further, the manner in which the communication between different devices may be implemented, may be based on the corresponding network protocols. In the context of a 5th generation (5G) network, all the communication between different network or user devices may be based on network protocols as prescribed in the 5G protocol stack.

[0037] In a communication network, such as a 5G communication network, there may be certain devices which may have long battery life requirements, which may enable the devices to operate in a performant manner for weeks, or in certain cases, even years. Battery sources of such devices may not be rechargeable, and in case of the batteries getting drained, it may be required to remove such devices from the network and replace the batteries. In certain cases, it may also be required to replace such devices. Examples of such devices may include, but are not limited to, certain sensors, actuators deployed extensively for monitoring, measuring, charging, wearable devices such as smart watches, security devices, and medical monitoring devices.

[0038] Various methodologies and techniques may be adopted for extending the battery life of such devices. Typically, when such devices in the network are not engaged any data transfer, the devices may enter a sleep state (also referred to as IDLE state) to extend their battery life. During the sleep state, the device may not communicate with any other device. If communication with the device is to be resumed, a communication network may probe the devices in the sleep condition by sending a paging message. Upon receiving the paging message, the devices accordingly respond and initiate the communication. The devices may thus wake up at a predefined time intervals to monitor and detect the presence of the paging signal. For example, Extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) mechanisms enable waking up of the device to monitor for a paging signal. Such approaches may further extend the battery life of the device by managing the periodicity at which the devices may be configured to wake up and monitor for the paging signal. Although approaches such as eDRX do have an effect on the battery life of devices, however, are not suitable for devices, such as sensors, actuators, or wearables, which may be involved in latency critical applications. Examples of such applications include, but are not limited to, applications involving emergency situations.

[0039] In the context of a communication network, the devices may include one or more user equipment or UEs. In an example, the UEs may include a dedicated ultra-low power wake-up receiver (WUR). The WUR may be coupled to the UE in such a manner, that the WUR may remain powered on for monitoring the paging signal, while the UE may be kept in sleep state or powered off state. The WUR may monitor and receive the Wake-up signal (WUS) from the communication network. Upon receiving such signal, the WUR may trigger the UE and cause the UE to wake up.

[0040] Another approach involving Wake-Up Signal techniques, includes Group Wake-Up Signal (GWUS). In such implementation, UEs may be divided among multiple preconfigured groups. For each of the groups, the respective GWUS may be different. A GWUS may be transmitted when there may be a paging message for any UE belonging to the corresponding group. Upon receiving the GWUS, WURs of each of the UEs associated with the corresponding group may wake up, thereby allowing the data transfer to happen.

[0041] In a communication network, multiple resources may be configured for the GWUS, referred to as GWUS resources. As may be understood, a resource may refer to an assignment of one or more resource elements to channels and signals by means of RRC signalling. Such resources may provide the UEs with one or more parameters based on which the UEs may configure the way in which they will transmit or receive data. The UEs of the corresponding group may monitor the GWUS resource, for that group. For transmitting a wake-up signal to a UE of a particular group, the network may use the corresponding GWUS resource to send the wake-up signal. Each of the respective wake-up receivers of the UEs of the corresponding group may be monitoring the GWUS resource and may receive the wake-up signal. The GWUS resources for each of the groups may include a set of UEs which may be able to utilize the corresponding GWUS resource. Owing to the limitation in size of Wake-up Signal Physical Resource Blocks (WUS PRBs) and Spread Spectrum Code (SS-CDM) codes, the maximum number of UEs supported by a GWUS resource may be limited by the pay load size of the GWUS resource.

[0042] It may be the case that all the GWUS resources may be allocated to and utilized by a plurality of UEs, say the UEs being served by a base station device. In such cases, an additional UE, referred to as a requesting UE, which may be in communication with the communication network, may attempt to secure a GWUS resource so that it may switch to low powered WUS mode (i.e., LP- WUS mode) of operation. However, no such allocations may occur if no GWUS resources are available. As a result of which, the additional UE may have to keep continuing the standard mode of operation, for example, eDRX mode of operation (as has been described above). As discussed previously, any UE which is to operate in a mode other that the LP-WUS mode may have an effect on the battery life of the UE. Such issues may pose additional challenges where the requesting UEs may be performing critical operations and may need to extend and conserve their battery lives. Owing to the unavailability of GWUS resources, such requesting UEs may be unable to switch to LP-WUS mode of operation.

[0043] Approaches for allocation of Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resources to a requesting User Equipment (UE), are described. As would be further explained, the proposed approaches enable allocation of GWUS resources to a new UE even in cases when all the GWUS resources managed by a communication apparatus , are allocated. In an example, UE which have been allocated with a GWUS resource may be identified. From the identified UE, referred to as the served UE, the allocated GWUS resource may be released and allocated to the new UE, referred to as requesting UE.

[0044] In operation, the requesting UE may commence communication with a communication apparatus , such as a base station device. At this stage, the requesting UE may request the communication apparatus to allocate a GWUS resource by transmitting a request message to the communication apparatus . The communication apparatus may, thereafter, determine one or more served UEs. In an example, a served UE may be any UE to which the GWUS resource may have been allocated. In another example, the communication apparatus may determine whether any one of the served UEs are capable of releasing their allocated GWUS resource. Once the served UE, which is willing to release its GWUS resource is determined, the communication apparatus may cause the release of the allocated GWUS resource, referred to as a first GWUS resource. The first GWUS resource once released, may be allocated by the communication apparatus to the requesting UE.

[0045] Once the first GWUS resource is allocated, the requesting UE may utilize the GWUS resource and switch to low powered WUS (i.e., LP-WUS) mode, thereby conserving and extending the battery life. In an example, the served UE may opt for releasing the allocated GWUS resource based on a number of factors. Such factors may either pertain to the device of the served UE or may pertain to operational parameters of the served UE. For example, the served UE, based on their state of charge (SoC), may accordingly communicate to communication apparatus its willingness or suitability for releasing its allocated GWUS resource.

[0046] The manner in which the above-mentioned examples are implemented has been explained in detail with respect to FIGS. 1-7. While aspects of the present subject matter may be implemented in a variety of different communication systems, transmission environments, and / or configurations, the implementations are described in the context of the following system(s) as examples.

[0047] The terms during, while, and when as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be certain delay, such as a propagation delay, between the initial action and the reaction that is initiated by the initial action. Additionally, the words “connected” and “coupled” are used throughout for clarity of the description and can include either a direct connection or an indirect connection. Various examples of the present subject matter have been described below by referring to several examples.

[0048] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication apparatus 100, which enables allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a User Equipment (UE), as per an implementation of the present subject matter. In one example, the communication apparatus 100 may be implemented within a communication network. In the context of the communication network being a 5thGeneration (5G) network, the communication apparatus 100 may be implemented at the RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer of the 5G protocol stack. In another example, the communication apparatus 100 may be one of a base station device and a gNodeB (gNB). It yet another example, the communication apparatus 100 may also be implemented as any hardware-based, softwarebased, or network-based entity. It may be further noted that, such communication apparatus 100 may be implemented and understood using mechanisms as described in the applicable 3 GPP Technical Specification.

[0049] As depicted in FIG. 1, the communication apparatus 100 includes a processor 102 and a machine-readable storage medium 104 which is coupled to, and accessible by, the processor 102. Although not depicted, the communication apparatus 100 may include other components, such as interfaces to communicate over the communication network with external storage or computing devices, display, input / output interfaces, operating systems, applications, data, and other software or hardware components (all of which have not been depicted for sake of conciseness). In an example, machine-readable storage medium 104 may further include instruction(s) 106.

[0050] The processor 102 may be implemented as a dedicated processor, a shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. The machine-readable storage medium 104 may be communicatively connected to the processor 102. Among other capabilities, the processor 102 may fetch and execute computer-readable instructions, including instruction(s) 106, stored in the machine-readable storage medium 104. The machine-readable storage medium 104 may include non-transitory computer-readable medium including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), or nonvolatile memory such as EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, and the like. The instruction(s) 106 may be executed to enable allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a User Equipment (UE).

[0051] Although not depicted, the communication apparatus 100 may be in communication with a plurality of User Equipment or UEs through communication links (wired to wireless) implemented within a communication network. In the context of the communication network being a 5th generation (5G) network, as would be understood, the UEs may be operating conventionally in RRC CONNECTED state and may be signalling with the communication apparatus 100 through RRC based protocols. For implementing low powered wake up signalbased functions, the communication network may maintain a plurality of Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resources. The GWUS resources may be such, that upon utilization of the GWUS resources, the UE may be able to operate in Low-Power Wake-up Signal (LP-WUS) mode of operation, which allows the UE to assume a low-powered state or be capable of responding to signals and communication using the GWUS resource.

[0052] In the context of the present example, the UEs to which the GWUS resources may be allocated, and which may be operating in LP-WUS mode, may be referred to as served UEs. On the other hand, any UE requesting the communication apparatus 100 for an allocation of the GWUS resource, may be referred to as requesting UE.

[0053] In operation, the processor 102 may fetch and execute instruct! on (s) 106 for performing one or more actions, as discussed further. For example, as a result of the execution of instructions 108, the communication apparatus 100 may receive a pre-emption request for allocation of a GWUS resource, from a requesting UE. As described previously, the requesting UE may be in communication with the communication network and may be operating in an RRC CONNECTED state. Thereafter, the instructions 106 may be executed to identify a served UE. The served UE, in the context of the present example, may correspond to a UE which is allocated with a first GWUS resource from amongst a plurality of GWUS resources, and is suitable to release the first GWUS resource. In one example, a pre-emption information may be received from a given UE in communication with the network. Upon receiving such pre-emption information intimating that the allocated GWUS resource may be released when required, the served UE may be designated for release of the GWUS resource.

[0054] Continuing further, instructions 110 may then be executed to cause the served UE to release the first GWUS resource allocated to the served UE in response to the pre-emption request for allocation of the GWUS resource received from the requesting UE. Subsequently, the instructions 112 may be executed to allocate the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE. In one example, for the allocation of first GWUS resource released by the served UE to the requesting UE, the instructions 106 may be executed to initiate a reconfiguration process.

[0055] Pursuant to the release of the first GWUS resource from the served UE, the served UE may be caused to change its operational state to an RRC CONNECTED state. Further, upon allocating the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE, the instructions 106 may be executed to cause the requesting UE to change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE or an RRC INACTIVE state.

[0056] The above functionalities performed as a result of the execution of the instructions 106 may be performed by different programmable entities. The manner in which the communication apparatus 100 enables the allocation of GWUS resources to the requesting UE, is explained in further detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2-7.

[0057] FIG. 2 illustrates a network environment 200 for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a UE, as per an implementation of the present subject matter. The network environment 200 (referred to as environment 200) may be implemented as a communication network or may be a part of any communication network. In one example, the communication network may be implemented as a 5thgeneration (5G) network. Although, the present description has been explained with respect to the environment 200 as a 5G network and all the corresponding network protocols of the 5G network, however, it may be noted that any other communication network may also be considered, without deviating from the scope of the present subject matter.

[0058] The environment 200 may include a communication apparatus 202. In one example, the communication apparatus 202 may be similar to the communication apparatus 100, as described in conjunction with FIG. 1. In the context of the communication network implemented as a 5th Generation (5G) network, the communication apparatus 202 may be implemented within the RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer of the 5G protocol stack. In another example, the communication apparatus 202 may be one of a base station device and a gNodeB (gNB). The communication apparatus 202 may include an allocation engine 204. In one example, the allocation engine 204 may be implemented as a processing resource and may enable allocation of GWUS resources to a requesting UE.

[0059] As depicted in FIG. 2, the network environment 200 may include a plurality of User Equipment (UEs) 206-1, 206-2, . . ., 206-N (collectively referred to as UEs 206, and individually referred to as UE 206) which in turn may be in communication with the communication apparatus 202. In an example, the communication apparatus 202 may be adapted to operate for a 5G-NR (i.e., the New Radio) which in turn may interface with a core network through one or more backhaul links. In addition to other functions, the communication apparatus 202 may perform a variety of functions including, but not limited to, transfer of user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages, etc. The communication apparatus 202 may communicate directly or indirectly with each other similar base station devices over backhaul links, which in turn may be wired or wireless.

[0060] Returning to the present example, the communication apparatus 202 may manage a plurality of Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resources. In the context of the present example, the communication apparatus 202 may have allocated a GWUS resource to each of UEs 206. The GWUS resources may be such, that upon utilization of the GWUS resources, the UE may be able to operate in Low-Power Wake-up Signal (LP-WUS) mode of operation. In case the environment 200 corresponds to a 5G network, all the UEs may be operating in RRC CONNECTED state if they are in communication with the communication apparatus 202.

[0061] The operation of the different elements within the environment 200 is further explained with respect to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example communication apparatus 202, to be implemented in the network environment 200, as per an example of the present subject matter. The communication apparatus 202 may be implemented as communication apparatus 100 as described in FIG. 1, or as any other example as described in conjunction with FIG. 2. Such examples are not provided here again for the sake of brevity.

[0062] In the present example, the communication apparatus 202 includes processor(s) 302, memory 304, interface(s) 306, and transceiver 308. The processor(s) 302 may also be implemented as signal processor(s), state machine(s), and / or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. The memory 304 may store one or more executable instructions, which may be fetched and executed so as to perform one or more operations allocation of GWUS resources to requesting UE. The memory 304 may also be used for storing data which may be generated or utilized during the operation of the communication apparatus 202. The memory 304 may be non-transitory computer-readable medium including, for example, volatile memory, such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.

[0063] The interface(s) 306 may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output, and for exchanging a variety of operational instructions between other devices, such as the devices within the environment 200. The interface(s) 306 may also be relied for implementing communication between the communication apparatus 202, served UE 206, and requesting UE 208, as depicted in FIG. 2. The interface(s) 306 may be implemented as either hardware or software. The transceiver 308 may be used by the communication apparatus 202 to transmit or receive data or signals, while communicating with other components in the environment 200.

[0064] The communication apparatus 202 may further include engine(s) 310 and data 312. The engine(s) 310 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., program instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the communication apparatus 202. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the engine(s) 310 may be executable instructions. Such instructions may be stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium which may be coupled either directly with the communication apparatus 202 or indirectly (for example, through networked means). In an example, the engine(s) 310 may include a processing resource, for example, either a single processor or a combination of multiple processors, to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the non-transitory machine- readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement engine(s) 310. In other examples, the engine(s) 310 may be implemented as electronic circuitry. In one example, the engine(s) 310 may include an allocation engine 204 and other engine(s) 314. The other engine(s) 314 may implement one or more functionalities of the communication apparatus 202. The data 312 includes information that may be utilized or generated by engine(s) 310 during the course of operation of the communication apparatus 202. In one example, the data 312 includes pre-emption information 316, availability message 318, pre-emption request 320, pre-emption indication 322, confirmation message 324, and other data 326.

[0065] It may be noted that, along with the foregoing description of FIGS. 2-3, the manner in which the first GWUS resource is released from the served UE 206-1 and allocated to the requesting UE 208 is further explained in conjunction with a call flow diagram as illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 illustrates an example call-flow diagram depicting various functionalities between the served UE 206-1, the communication apparatus 202 (referred to as base station device 202), and the requesting UE 208 for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to the requesting UE 208, as per an implementation of the present subject matter.

[0066] During the course of operation, the communication apparatus 202 may be servicing (i.e., in communication with and managing) each of the UEs 206 (referred to as the served UEs 206). It may be possible that another UE, referred to as the requesting UE 208 may commence communication with the communication apparatus 202. The requesting UE 208 may request for a GWUS resource from the communication apparatus 202. The request for GWUS resource may be initiated owing to a number of factors. For instance, owing to various operational factors of the requesting UE 208 such as power consumption, battery state of charge (SoC), nature of the service being provided by the requesting UE 208, etc. the requesting UE 208 may not be capable of operating in eDRX mode of operation, for prolonged periods of time. To this end, the requesting UE 208 may attempt to switch to LP-WUS mode of operation, and therefore, may request the network, i.e., the communication apparatus 202 for GWUS resources.

[0067] In the present example, the served UEs 206 and the requesting UE 208 may be an Internet of Things (loT) device. Examples of such loT devices may include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a wearable device, sensors, home automation devices, or any other loT devices. However, it may be noted that such examples are only illustrative. The served UEs 206 and the requesting UE 208 may be implemented as any other loT device as well. All such examples would lie within the scope of the present subject matter. Once the requesting UE 208 establishes a session and commences communication with the communication apparatus 202, the communication apparatus 202 may allocate GWUS resource in response to a request (if the same is available with the communication apparatus 202).

[0068] Although the communication apparatus 202 may allocate the GWUS resource when available, no such allocation may occur if the GWUS resource which are managed by the communication apparatus 202 are not available as a result of already having been allocated to the served UEs 206. To this end, the communication apparatus 202 may evaluate the served UEs 206 to ascertain whether for any one of the served UEs 206 may release the GWUS resource for subsequently allocating to the requesting UE 208.

[0069] The process for determining the served UEs 206 for releasing the GWUS resource commences with each of the given UEs 206 initially sharing pre-emption information 316 with the communication apparatus 202 (represented by step 402 in FIG. 4). In an example, the preemption information 316 may in the form of a UE Assistance Information (UAI) message. In another example, the pre-emption information 316 may specify a variety of operational attributes associated with each of the given UEs 206. For example, the pre-emption information 316 may specify the SoC of a given UE. For another example, the pre-emption information 316 may also indicate a coverage level of the utilized GWUS resource by a given UE 206.

[0070] For yet another example, the pre-emption information 316 may also specify a time limit for utilizing the GWUS resource which has been allocated to the UE from which the pre-emption information 316 may be received. For example, it may be the case that a UE 206 may be able to release its allocated GWUS resource at a given instance of time, however, may require the GWUS resource back after a certain time has been elapsed. Such type of conditional device attributes may also be included within the pre-emption information 316. It may be further noted that such example is only illustrative, and any other device attributes may also be included without deviating from the scope of the present subject matter. Any other pertinent parameter may also be utilized without deviating from the scope of the present subject matter.

[0071] Proceeding further, on receiving the pre-emption information 316, the communication apparatus 202 may determine whether any one or more of the given UEs 206 is suitable for releasing the GWUS resource (which may be allocated to it). In an example, the allocation engine 204 within the communication apparatus 202 may make such a determination based on the pre-emption information 316. For example, a sustainable level of charge ascertained based on the SoC of a given UE 206 may indicate that the GWUS resource may be released from such UE 206. In another example, a low coverage resulting in non-performant low powered WUS by a given UE 206 may also indicate that the GWUS resources may be released from the said UE 206. For yet another example, the determination that the GWUS resource allocated to a given UE 206 may be released, may also be made based on a criticality of the function being undertaken by the said UE 206. It may be the case that any one of the UEs 206 may be performing a non-critical operation, and therefore, the GWUS resource utilized by the said UE may be released. It may be noted that such examples are only indicative and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the present subject matter.

[0072] Upon determining that a given UE, say UE 206-1, is suitable to release its allocated GWUS resource, the allocation engine 204 may designate the given UE, i.e., the served UE 206-1 as a UE for which its allocated GWUS resource may be released for subsequent allocation. In an example, the GWUS resource allocated to the served UE 206-1 is referred to as the first GWUS resource.

[0073] In another example, such determination of a given UE 206, say UE 206-1, to be suitable for release of its allocated GWUS resource may be made at the given UE 206-1 itself. In one example, a processing resource implemented at the given UE 206-1 may perform such determination. One or more device attributes (similar to the operational attributes described above) associated with the given UE 206-1 may be evaluated. Based on the evaluation, the given UE 206-1, i.e., the served UE 206-1 may be designated to release the allocated first GWUS resource. The evaluation may be done in a similar manner, as explained above. Such explanation is not provided here again for the sake of brevity.

[0074] Upon such designation, a pre-emption information, similar to the pre-emption information 316 may be generated at the served UE 206-1. Such pre-emption information may then be transmitted to the communication apparatus 202. In such cases, upon receiving the pre-emption information at the communication apparatus 202, the allocation engine 204 may need not perform the determination again, and may designate such UE, i.e., UE 206-1 in the present example, as the served UE 206-1 for which the allocated GWUS resource may be released for subsequent allocation.

[0075] In another example, the allocation engine 204 may utilize pre-defined network fairness policies to identify one or more of the served UEs 206 to be suitable for release of its respective allocated GWUS resource. For example, based on whether one of the served UEs, say served UE 206-1, has already released its allocated GWUS resource earlier, the allocation engine 204 may identify and designate served UE 206-1, for releasing its allocated GWUS resource.

[0076] Although in the examples as described above, the pre-emption information 316 provided by the served UEs 206 may be used to determine the served UE 206-1, from amongst the UEs 206, to be suitable for releasing its allocated GWUS resource, identification of such served UE 206-1 is not necessarily dependent on the served UE 206-1 sharing the pre-emption information 316 . The served UE 206-1 may be identified through other approaches or mechanisms. For example, the allocation engine 204 implemented within the communication apparatus 202 may select another UE, say UE 206-2, from the given UEs 206 randomly or based on a pre-defined criteria. As would be described later, in case of non-availability of a UE 206-1 to willingly release its resources, the allocation engine 204 may forcefully cause such selected UE 206-2 to release its resource, which then may be allocated to the requesting UE 208. In an example, such forceful allocation of resource from a UE, i.e., UE 206-2, to the requesting UE 208-2 even in cases of non-availability of a UE to willingly release its allocated resource may be based on a criticality of the requesting UE 208. Such examples would also lie within the scope of the present subject matter.

[0077] It may be further noted that there may be a plurality of served UEs 206 present in the network. For the ease of understandability, the present description would be explained with respect to a single served UE, referred as served UE 206-1. However, it may be noted that multiple UEs in the network may be willing to release their resources. Such example would also lie within the scope of the present subject matter.

[0078] Continuing further, thereafter, the allocation engine 204 may generate an availability message 318 (represented by step 404 in FIG. 4). In one example, the availability message 318 may convey that allocation of the GWUS resource is supported by the communication apparatus 202. In another example, the allocation engine 204 within the communication apparatus 202 may determine that GWUS resource allocation is supported based on availability of a served UE, served UE 206-1 in the present example. In another example, such determination may be made by the allocation engine 204 based on a pre-emption request 320 received from a requesting UE, requesting UE 208 in the present example. This would be described later in further details.

[0079] Continuing further, in one example, the availability message 318 may then be transmitted by the allocation engine 204 to the requesting UE 208 which may be in communication with the communication apparatus 202 and operating in an RRC CONNECTED state (as represented by step 406 in FIG. 4). In another example, the availability message 318 may be implemented within gwus-Config RRC Information Element (IE). In such cases, the gwus-Config RRC IE may include a ‘Cell GWUS Pre-emption Field’, which may be set to ‘ 1’ in cases when GWUS resource allocation is supported by the communication apparatus 202.

[0080] Continuing further, the allocation engine 204 may subsequently receive the pre-emption request 320 from the requesting UE 208. The requesting UE 208 may be in communication with the communication network, operating in an RRC CONNECTED state, and may now seek allocation of GWUS resources so that it may be able to switch to LP-WUS operational state (as represented by step 408 in FIG. 4). The pre-emption request 320 may be based on a Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication protocol, and may be one of a RRC message, a MAC Control Element (MAC-CE) message, and a UCI (Uplink Control Information).

[0081] The pre-emption request 320 may also include a variety of other information which may be considered to affect the allocation of the GWUS resource to the requesting UE 208. In an example, the pre-emption request 320 may include a flag. The flag, when set, may indicate a level of criticality of the requesting UE 208 for availing the GWUS resource. For example, the flag may include a plurality of operational attributes associated with the requesting UE 208, such as battery level, criticalness of the functionalities to be performed, etc. Such flags (or other indications) may be useful when multiple pre-emption requests may be received from a plurality of requesting UEs. In such cases, such flags may be used to determine the requesting UE which needs to be prioritized. However, it may be noted that such examples are only illustrative, and any other implementations would also be possible and covered within the scope of the present subject matter.

[0082] Continuing further, upon receiving the pre-emption request 320 from the requesting UE 208, in one example, it may be possible that there may be no available UEs which may be willing to release their GWUS resource. In such case, in one example, the allocation engine 204 may reject the pre-emption request 320 received from the requesting UE 208. In another example, based on the pre-emption request 320, the allocation engine 204 may reattempt for allocation of GWUS resource after certain predefined time interval has elapsed. It may be further noted that all such examples are illustrative, and any other examples possible may also lie within the scope of the present subject matter.

[0083] In another example, it may be the case that the availability message 318 was not transmitted by the allocation engine 204 to the requesting UE 208, or the requesting UE 208 had not received the availability message 318. In such cases, upon receiving the pre-emption request 320 from the requesting UE 208, the allocation engine 204, on determining that GWUS resource allocation is supported by the communication apparatus 202, may transmit the availability message 318 to the requesting UE 208 to convey that GWUS resource allocation is allowed.

[0084] In yet another example, in the case of the availability message 318 implemented within gwus- Config RRC Information Element (IE), as described previously, the ‘Cell GWUS Pre-emption Field’ may be set to ‘ 1’ in the case when GWUS resource allocation is supported by the communication apparatus 202. On the other hand, in yet another example, in case when GWUS resource allocation is not supported by the communication apparatus 202, the availability message 318 may be transmitted to the requesting UE 208 with the ‘Cell GWUS Pre-emption Field’ may be set to ‘O’.

[0085] Continuing further, in cases where a served UE 206-1 may be available to release its GWUS resource, the allocation engine 204 may process the pre-emption request 320 and initiate the process of allocation of the GWUS resource to the requesting UE, such as the requesting UE 208. The allocation engine 204 may cause the served UE 206-1 or UE 206-2 to release the first GWUS resource. In one example, the allocation engine 204 may communicate a pre-emption indication 322 to the served UE 206-1 to release the first GWUS resource (as shown in steps 410 and 412, respectively, in FIG. 4). The served UE 206 may receive the pre-emption indication 322. Upon receiving the pre-emption indication 322, the served UE 206 may release its GWUS resource, referred to as the first GWUS resource (as shown by block 414 in FIG. 4).

[0086] In one example, in cases where the served UE 206-1 may be utilizing the first GWUS resource and operating in RRC IDLE / RRC INACTIVE state, the allocation engine 204 may transmit the pre-emption indication 322 using WUS transmission over GWUS resource. In such cases, the preemption indication 322 may include a leave-request flag against a User Equipment ID (UE-ID) of the served UE 206-1. In such cases, the Wake-up receiver (WUR) of the served UE 206-1 may be monitoring the GWUS resource, and upon receiving the paging message with the UE-ID of the served UE 206-1, the served UE 206-1 may release its first GWUS resource. In another example, in cases where the served UE 206-1 may be operating in RRC CONNECTED state, the allocation engine 204 may transmit the pre-emption indication 322 as a MAC Control Element (MAC-CE) or a Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0087] Continuing further, pursuant to the release of the first GWUS resource, in one example, the allocation engine 204 may cause the served UE 206-1 to change its operational state to an RRC CONNECTED state. In such a case, upon release of the first GWUS resource, the served UE 206-1 may transmit a confirmation message 324 to the communication apparatus 202 (as shown by step 416 in FIG. 4). In another example, in cases where the served UE 206-1 may be operating in RRC CONNECTED state, the confirmation message 324 may be one of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Acknowledgement message, Uplink Control Information (UCI), or MAC Control Element (MAC-CE).

[0088] On the other hand, when the served UE 206-1 may be utilizing the first GWUS resource and operating in RRC IDLE / RRC INACTIVE state, it may also be possible that the confirmation message 324 may not be received from the served UE 206-1. In such cases, the allocation engine 204 may ascertain if the served UE 206-1 has released its utilized first GWUS resource or not. The allocation engine 204 may ascertain if the pre-emption indication 322 can be transmitted again to the served UE 206-1 in the WUS occasion of the served UE 206-1 without colliding with other occasion. If the allocation engine 204 is able to transmit the pre-emption indication 322 again to the served UE 206-1, it may be inferred that the pre-emption indication 322 transmitted earlier to the served UE 206-1 was missed, and thus, the served UE 206-1 may be requested again to release its utilized first GWUS resource. However, if the allocation engine 204 is unable to transmit the pre-emption indication 322 again to the served UE 206-1 in the WUS occasion of the served UE 206-1, the served UE 206-1 may wake up at its WUS occasion and may then receive the WUS transmission over its GWUS resource (as described in the previous paragraph). The served UE 206-1 may read the WUS transmission to check for its UE-ID. If the WUS transmission of the said GWUS does not include the UE-ID of the served UE 206-1, the served UE 206-1 may infer that it has been dropped from the said GWU S and the first GWU S resource has been assigned to the requesting UE 208. The served UE 206-1 may then switch to RRC CONNECTED state.

[0089] In yet another example, the served UE 206-1, upon releasing the first GWUS resource, may perform further additional functions, such as cell re-selection. In yet another example, in the case of Small Data Transmission, pursuant to the release of the first GWUS resource, the allocation engine 204 may prevent the served UE 206-1 to switch to RRC_CONNECTED state and the served UE 206-1 may continue to operate in the RRC IDLE / RRC IN ACTIVE STATE. In such cases, the served UE 206-1 may be able to transmit small amounts of data while remaining in the RRC INACTIVE state. However, it may be noted that such examples are only illustrative, and the served UE 206-1, on releasing the first GWUS resource, may perform any other type of operational state changes as well. All such examples would lie within the scope of the present subject matter (as shown by step 418 in FIG. 4).

[0090] Continuing further, upon release of the first GWUS resource from the served UE 206-1, the allocation engine 204 may initiate a reconfiguration process. Such reconfiguration may be implemented and understood using mechanisms as described in 3GPP Technical Specification 36.331. The allocation engine 204 may allocate the first GWUS resource released from the served UE 206-1 to the requesting UE 208 (as shown by block 420 in FIG. 4). It may be noted that the step 418 and block 420 may be performed concurrently on in an interchangeable order, without limiting the scope of the present subject matter.

[0091] The allocation engine 204, upon allocating the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE 208, may cause the requesting UE 208 to switch to LP-WUS mode of operation and change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE or an RRC INACTIVE state (as shown by block 422 in FIG. 4). As would be appreciated and noted, the requesting UE 208, in this manner, may be allocated with GWUS resource, even in cases when all the GWUS resources of the communication network are allocated. The allocated GWUS resource, referred to as the first GWUS resource, may be released from the served UE 206-1 and allocated to the requesting UE 208. As a result, the requesting UE 208 may be able to utilize the GWUS resources and switch to low powered WUS mode, thereby conserving and extending the battery life.

[0092] It may be noted that there may be a plurality of requesting UEs 208 present in the network that may be requesting the network for allocation of GWUS resources. In such cases, the communication apparatus 202 may receive the respective requests from all such requesting UEs 208 in a successive manner. The respective requests received from all such requesting UEs 208 may be prioritized based on a ranking manner. It may be again noted that all such examples are only illustrative, and any other technique known to a person skilled in the art may also be used without deviating from the scope of the present subject matter. FIG. 5 illustrate example method 500, to be implemented in a requesting User Equipment (UE), for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources, as per an implementation of the present subject matter. The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the aforementioned method, or an alternative method. Furthermore, method 500 may be implemented by processing resource or computing device(s) through any suitable hardware, non-transitory machine-readable program instructions, or combination thereof, or through logical circuitry.

[0093] It may also be understood that method 500 may be performed by programmed and / or configured network devices present within a network, with such devices including the requesting UE 208 as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 4. Furthermore, in certain circumstances, program instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium when executed may implement method 500 as will be readily understood. The non-transitory computer readable medium may include, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media, such as one or more magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. Although, the method 500 is described below with reference to the requesting UE 208, as described above, other suitable systems for the execution of this method can be utilized. Additionally, implementation of this method is not limited to such examples.

[0094] At block 502, a request for allocation of a Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resource may be transmitted from the requesting UE to a base station device. For example, requesting UE 208 may be in communication with the communication network, operating in an RRC CONNECTED state, and may seek allocation of GWUS resources so that it may be able to switch to LP-WUS operational state. The requesting UE 208 may transmit the pre-emption request 320 to the base station device 202 (referred to as communication apparatus 202 in FIG. 2). The allocation engine 204 implemented within the base station device 202, upon receiving the pre-emption request 320, may cause the served UE 206-1 to release the first GWUS resource. In one example, the allocation engine 204 may communicate a pre-emption indication 322 to the served UE 206- 1 to release the first GWUS resource. Upon receiving the pre-emption indication 322, the served UE 206-1 may release its first GWUS resource.

[0095] At block 504, an allocation of the first GWUS resource released by the served UE may be received by the requesting UE. For example, upon release of the first GWUS resource from the served UE 206-1, the allocation engine 204 may initiate a reconfiguration process. Such reconfiguration may be implemented and understood using mechanisms as described in 3GPP Technical Specification 36.331. The allocation engine 204 may allocate the first GWUS resource released from the served UE 206-1 to the requesting UE 208.

[0096] At block 506, on receiving the allocation of the first GWUS resource, the requesting UE may change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE and an RRC INACTIVE state. For example, the allocation engine 204, upon allocating the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE 208, may cause the requesting UE 208 to switch to LP-WUS mode of operation and change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE or an RRC INACTIVE state.

[0097] FIG. 6 depicts an example method 600 for allocation of group wake-up signal (GWUS) resources to a User Equipment, as per an implementation of the present subject matter.

[0098] At block 602, the communication apparatus may receive a pre-emption information from a served User Equipment (UE). For example, the process for determining the served UEs 206 for releasing the GWUS resource commences with each of the given UEs 206 initially sharing preemption information 316 with the communication apparatus 202. In an example, the pre-emption information 316 may in the form of a UE Assistance Information (UAI) message. In another example, the pre-emption information 316 may specify a variety of operational attributes associated with each of the given UEs 206.

[0099] At block 604, one of the served UEs may be designated to release a Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resource. For example, on receiving the pre-emption indication 322 from one or more given UEs 206, referred to as served UEs, the allocation engine 204, based on the variety of operational attributes specified in the pre-emption information 316 associated with each of the given UEs, may determine one of the served UEs 206 to be suitable for releasing the GWUS resource (which may be allocated to it), and designate such determined UE 206, served UE 206-1 in the present example, to release the GWUS resource. In an example, the GWUS resource allocated to the served UE 206-1 is referred to as the first GWUS resource.

[0100] At block 606, an availability message may be generated. For example, in response to the preemption information 316 received by the served UE 206-1, the allocation engine 204 may generate an availability message 318. In one example, the availability message 318 may convey to the requesting UE that allocation of the GWUS resource is supported by the communication apparatus 202.

[0101] At block 608, the availability message may be transmitted to a requesting UE. For example, the availability message 318 may be transmitted by the allocation engine 204 to the requesting UE 208 which may be in communication with the communication apparatus 202 and operating in an RRC CONNECTED state. As would be appreciated, such availability message 318 may convey to the requesting UE 208 that allocation of the GWUS resource would be supported by the communication apparatus 202.

[0102] At block 610, the communication apparatus may receive a request for allocation of the GWUS resource from the requesting UE. For example, the allocation engine 204 may then receive a pre-emption request 320 from the requesting UE 208. The requesting UE 208 may be in communication with the communication network, operating in an RRC CONNECTED state, and may seek allocation of GWUS resources so that it may be able to switch to LP-WUS operational state. In one example, the pre-emption request 320 may be based on a Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication protocol, and may be one of a RRC message, a MAC Control Element (MAC-CE) message, and a UCI (Uplink Control Information).

[0103] At block 612, a determination may be made to ascertain whether a pre-emption information has been received from any given UE or not. For example, as described previously, the allocation engine 204 may initially receive a pre-emption information 316 from one or more UEs in communication with the communication network. On receiving the pre-emption information 316, the allocation engine 204 may determine whether any one or more of the given UEs 206 is suitable for releasing the GWUS resource (which may be allocated to it). If no pre-emption information 316 have been received from any UE, i.e., no UE is available for releasing its GWUS resources (‘No’ path from block 612), the allocation engine 204 may proceed to block 614 and the allocation engine 204 may deny the request of the requesting UE 208 to allocate the GWUS resource. However, if a pre-emption indication 316 has been received from one or more UEs, i.e., one or more UEs in communication with the communication network are available for releasing their GWUS resource (‘Yes’ path from block 612), the method may proceed to block 616.

[0104] At block 616, a pre-emption indication may be transmitted to the served UE to release the first GWUS resource. For example, the allocation engine 204 may then cause the served UE 206-1 to release the first GWUS resource. In one example, the allocation engine 204 may communicate a pre-emption indication 322 to the served UE 206-1 to release the first GWUS resource.

[0105] At block 618, the served UE may be caused to release the first GWUS resource allocated to the served UE. For example, the served UE 206-1 may receive the pre-emption indication 322. Upon receiving the pre-emption indication 322, the served UE 206-1 may release the first GWUS resource.

[0106] At block 620, the communication apparatus may cause to modify the operational state of the served UE. For example, pursuant to the release of the first GWUS resource, the allocation engine 204 may cause the served UE 206-1 to change its operational state to an RRC CONNECTED state. In another example, upon release of the first GWUS resource, the served UE 206-1 may transmit a confirmation message 324 to the communication apparatus 202. In yet another example, the served UE 206-1, upon releasing the first GWUS resource, may perform further additional state changes, such as cell re-selection.

[0107] At block 622, the first GWUS resource may be concurrently allocated to the requesting UE. For example, upon release of the first GWUS resource from the served UE 206-1, the allocation engine 204 may concurrently initiate a reconfiguration process. Such reconfiguration may be implemented and understood using mechanisms as described in 3GPP Technical Specification 36.331. The allocation engine 204 may allocate the first GWUS resource released from the served UE 206-1 to the requesting UE 208.

[0108] At block 624, the requesting UE may be caused to switch to Low-Power Wake-up Signal (LP- WUS) mode. For example, the allocation engine 204, upon allocating the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE 208, may cause the requesting UE 208 to switch to LP-WUS mode of operational and change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE or an RRC INACTIVE state.

[0109] FIG. 7 illustrates a computing environment 700 implementing a non-transitory computer- readable medium 702 for allocation of Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resources to a User Equipment (UE), as per an implementation of the present subject matter. In an example, the computing environment 700 may comprise the above-explained served User Equipment (UE) 206-1. The computing environment 700 includes a processing resource 704 communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 702 through a communication link 706. In an example, the processing resource 704 may be a processor or a controller within the served UE 206-1 that fetches and executes computer-readable instructions from the non- transitory computer-readable medium 702.

[0110] The non-transitory computer-readable medium 702 may be, for example, an internal memory device or an external memory device. In an example, the communication link 706 may be a direct communication link, such as any memory read / write interface. In another example, the communication link 706 may be an indirect communication link, such as a network interface. In such a case, the processing resource 704 may access the non-transitory computer-readable medium 702 through a network 708. The network 708 may be a single network or a combination of multiple networks and may use a variety of different communication protocols.

[0111] In an example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 702 comprises executable instructions 710 for servicing a served UE 206-1. For example, the non-transitory computer- readable medium 702 may comprise executable instructions 710 to implement the functions performed by the served UE 206-1. The instructions 710 when executed may cause to evaluate one or more device attributes associated with the served UE 206-1. Examples of such device attributes may include, but are not limited to, Soc level, coverage level, and criticality of the functionalities performed by the served UE 206-1. Based on the evaluation, the instructions 710 may be further executed to designate the served UE 206-1 to release an allocated first GWUS resource. For example, based on the evaluation of the device attributes, a determination may be made whether the served UE 206-1 is suitable for releasing the GWUS resource (which may be allocated to it).

[0112] For example, a sustainable level of charge ascertained based on the SoC of the served UE 206- 1 may indicate that the GWUS resource may be released from such the said served UE 206-1. For another example, a low coverage resulting in non-performant low powered WUS by the served UE 206-1 may also indicate that the GWUS resources may be released from the served UE 206-1.

[0113] Thereafter, the instructions 710 may be executed to generate a pre-emption information 316 indicating that the served UE is suitable to release the first GWUS resource. The instructions 710 may then be executed to transmit the pre-emption information 316 to a base station device.

[0114] Although examples for the present disclosure have been described in language specific to structural features and / or methods, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A communication apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by the processor, to cause the communication apparatus to: receive a pre-emption request from a requesting User Equipment (UE) in communication with a communication network, wherein the pre-emption request is for allocation of a Group Wake-Up Signal (GWUS) resource; cause a served UE to release a first GWUS resource allocated to the served UE; and subsequently allocate the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE.

2. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor are further to identify the served UE by: receiving a pre-emption information from a given UE in communication with the communication network, wherein given UE is allocated with the first GWUS resource and wherein the pre-emption information indicates that the given UE is suitable to release the first GWUS resource; and designating the given UE as the served UE.

3. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pre-emption information is a UE Assistance Information (UAI) communicated using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication protocol.

4. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor are to cause the served UE to release the first GWUS resource by: communicating a pre-emption indication to the served UE to release the first GWUS resource; and upon release of the first GWUS resource, receiving a confirmation message from the served UE.

5. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein to subsequently allocate the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE, the instructions executable by the processorare to initiate a reconfiguration process to cause allocation of the first GWUS resource released by the served UE, to the requesting UE.

6. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor, pursuant to the release of the first GWUS resource from the served UE, are further to cause the served UE to change its operational state to an RRC CONNECTED state.

7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is one of base station device and a gNodeB (gNB).

8. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions executable by the processor, upon allocating the first GWUS resource to the requesting UE, is to cause the requesting UE to: switch to Low Power Wake-up Signal (LP-WUS) mode of operation; and change its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE and an RRC INACTIVE state.

9. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-emption request received from the requesting UE comprises a flag, wherein the flag, when set, is to indicate a level of criticality of the requesting UE for availing the GWUS resource.

10. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-emption request is one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message, and a UCI (Uplink Control Information).

11. A method comprising: transmitting, by a requesting User Equipment (UE), a request to a base station device, wherein the request is for allocation of a Group Wake-up Signal (GWUS) resource; receiving, by the requesting UE, an allocation of a first GWUS resource released by a served UE; and on receiving the allocation of the first GWUS resource, changing, by the requesting UE, its operational state to one of an RRC IDLE and an RRC INACTIVE state.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the request comprises a plurality of operational attributes associated with the requesting UE.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the request transmitted by the requesting UE is a GWUS Resource pre-emption request communicated to the base station device using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) communication protocol.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: receiving, by the requesting UE, a GWUS availability message from the base station device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause a served User Equipment (UE) to: evaluate one or more device attributes associated with the served UE; based on the evaluation, designating the served UE to release an allocated firstGWUS resource; generate a pre-emption information indicating that the served UE is suitable to release the first GWUS resource; and transmit the pre-emption information to a base station device.

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