Switching between a main radio and low power-wake up receiver for serving cell measurements in idle / inactive mode

Abstract

A method (400) is provided to be performed by a user equipment, UE (712), configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration. The method includes obtaining (402) information comprising at least one condition for transitioning from using a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell. Based on the at least one condition being fulfilled, the UE transitions (404) to the second receiver for the at least one cell. The UE performs (406) at least one measurement using the second receiver.

Description

[0001] SWITCHING BETWEEN A MAIN RADIO AND LOW POWER- WAKE UP RECEIVER FOR

[0002] SERVING CELL MEASUREMENTS IN IDLE / INACTIVE MODE

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for switching between a main receiver (MR) and a Low Power- Wake-up Receiver (LP-WUR) for serving cell measurements when in IDLE or INACTIVE mode.

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] The 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Wake-up Signal (WUS) is a power-saving mechanism introduced in New Radio (NR) Release 16. It aims to save power by allowing a User Equipment (UE) in a sleep state such as RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE to remain in the sleep state during periods of no data transmission. For example, when in sleep state, the UE does not listen to Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). When data is available, the gNodeB (gNB) notifies the UE to wake up, listen to PDCCH, and receive data during an OnDuration time. See, 3GPP TS 38.213, Section 10.3.

[0007] Wake-up receiver (WUR), which is also sometimes referred to as wake-up radio, refers to enabling a low power (LP), low-complexity receiver in a UE for the detection of the WUS. If there is relevant information in a paging message, this message is preceded by a WUS.

[0008] Once the WUR detects the intended WUS, the LP receiver wakes up a main receiver (MR), which may include a baseband / Radio Frequency receiver that is less power efficient and / or more complex than the LP receiver. Specifically, the LP receiver wakes up the MR for further detection of an incoming message, which is typically paging (e.g., PDCCH transmitted in paging occasions (PO) for scheduling a paging message on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)). Thus, in this manner, the MR can go to sleep mode and save power until it is triggered by WUR. The main benefits of employing WUR are lower energy consumption and longer device battery life, or at a fixed energy consumption the downlink (DL) latency can be reduced (shorter Discontinuous Reception (DRX) / duty-cycles and more frequent checks for incoming transmissions). FIGURE 1 illustrates the relationship between and location of a WUS and the paging occasion to which it is associated.

[0009] As an example, FIGURE 2 illustrates a dedicated WUR that is used for monitoring a WUS and the accompanying MR.

[0010] The WUS design principles include multiplexing with other NR transmissions without interference and generating the signal using existing gNB hardware. The signal design involves modulation, coding schemes, signal structure, payload, and time-frequency span considerations.

[0011] WUS for NR has been studied in Release 18. See, 3GPP TR 38.869 v. 0.4.0. A Work Item (WI) was recently initiated. See, RP-234056, Low- power Wake-up Signal and Receiver for NR(LP WUS / WUR). So far, during discussions on signal design Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)-based and On-Off Keying (OOK)-based WUS are main candidates, each with its advantages. For example, OFDM-based WUS reuses existing NR signal structures, minimizing impact on the gNB transmitter. The WUR duty-cycle length affects DL latency and energy consumption, with continuous WUR operation offering shorter latency but higher energy consumption. The current assumption is that WUR coverage should be similar to that of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

[0012] RRM Measurement Relaxation

[0013] Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement relaxation refers to the optimization of measurement activities in a cellular network to reduce power consumption in a UE while maintaining network performance. Based on UE mobility and location in the cell, the frequency of measurements conducted by UEs, particularly in RRC_IDLE / IN ACTIVE states, are changed (e.g., reduced) to conserve power without compromising the UE performance. UEs meeting the configured requirements on mobility and location can limit the number of measurements taken, adjust measurement intervals, or reduce the complexity of measurement processes.

[0014] In the context of reduced capability (RedCap) devices, RRM measurement relaxation plays a crucial role in enabling power-saving features for UEs. This includes strategies like reducing the number of cells for intra- frequency measurements, adapting intra and inter-frequency measurements, and utilizing additional resources for RRM measurements under certain conditions and deployment scenarios. Furthermore, higher layer procedures such as, for example, UE paging, System Information Block 1 (SIB 1) decoding, neighboring cell search, etc., are optimized to minimize power consumption during transitions between different states of connectivity.

[0015] Overall, RRM measurement relaxation is a key aspect of power-saving strategies in wireless networks, especially in the context of emerging technologies like 5thGeneration (5G) NR, where efficient power management is essential for enhancing battery life and optimizing network performance.

[0016] In one example, measurement relaxation is realized by extending the measurement time compared to the measurement time when no relaxation is applied. In another example, measurement relaxation is realized by not performing any neighbour cell measurements. In another example, measurement relaxation is realized by not performing any neighbour cell measurements for a certain time period, which may be pre-defined or configured by the network node. Examples of measurement time in low Radio Resource Control (RRC) activity state (e.g., RRC idle, RRC inactive states, etc.) are cell detection time (Tdetect), measurement period (Tmeasure), evaluation time (Tev iu te), etc. For example, it shown in Table 1 that, when a UE is configured with lowMobilityEvaluation and also meets the low mobility criterion, the UE performs intra-frequency neighbour cell measurements (e.g., Tdetect, NR_intra, Tmeasure, NR_intr and Tevaiuate, NR_intra) with relaxation by applying scaling factor KI = 3. By contrast, Kl=l when no relaxation is applied.

[0017] Table 1: Tdetect ,NR_Intra, Tmeasure, NR_Intra and Tevaiuate, NR_Intra Power Consumption

[0018] In 3GPP TS 38.840 v.16.0.0, a model is introduced for evaluating power consumption. FIGURE 3 illustrates UE power consumption at state transmission, according to 3GPP TS 38.840 v.16.0.0. Table 2 summarizes UE power consumption during the state transition, according to 3GPP TS 38.840 V.16.0.0.

[0019] Table 2: UE power consumption during the state transistion

[0020] This model has since evolved to support the investigations in the study item for WUS / WUR. See, 3GPP TR 38.869, V0.4.0.

[0021] A transition from a sleep state to a non- sleep state involves a transition period referred to as ramp-up in FIGURE 3. The power consumed during the transition increases based on how deep the sleep-state is. For WUR / WUS, an ultra-deep sleep state is introduced, in 3GGPP TR 38.869 v.0.4.0 . Specifically, Sections 6.3.1 and 6.3.2 of 3GPP TR 38.869, ¥0.4.0 describe power models for the MR and LP-WUR, respectively.

[0022] There currently exist certain challenge(s), however. For example, turning off the MR and using LP-WUR can, in some cases, be useful for lowering UE energy consumption when measuring serving cell in idle or inactive mode. However, it is not clear what conditions are needed for this to be efficient as compared to using MR all of the time or using relaxed measurements with MR. Similarly, when LP-WUR is used for serving cell measurements in idle or inactive mode, it is not clear under what conditions the MR should be turned on for these measurements. Also, transition of the MR from off to on takes time and power, and, thus, the number of transitions should be limited.

[0023] SUMMARY

[0024] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, methods and systems are provided that include different options and / or criteria for when the MR can be turned off and LP-WUR can be used for serving cell measurements for a UE in idle or inactive mode instead.

[0025] According to certain embodiments, a method performed by a UE configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration includes obtaining information, which includes at least one condition for transitioning from using a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell. Based on the at least one condition being fulfilled, the UE transitions to the second receiver for the at least one cell. The UE performs at least one measurement using the second receiver.

[0026] According to certain embodiments, a UE configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration includes a memory and a processor. The UE is configured to obtain information, which includes at least one condition for transitioning from using a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell. Based on the at least one condition being fulfilled, the UE is configured to transition to the second receiver for the at least one cell. The UE is configured to perform at least one measurement using the second receiver.

[0027] In a particular embodiment, when transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver, the UE transitions reception of at least one signal from a main receiver of the UE to a low power receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement and / or powers off a main receiver of the UE and powering on a low power receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement.

[0028] In a particular embodiment, the UE determines that the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0029] In a particular embodiment, when transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver, the UE transitions reception of at least one signal from a low power receiver of the UE to a main receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement and / or powers off a low power receiver of the UE and powering on a main receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement.

[0030] In a particular embodiment, the UE determines the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a first threshold for a minimum time duration; and one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0031] In a particular embodiment, the information indicates the at least one condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a main receiver; and / or the information indicates the at least one condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a low power receiver.

[0032] In a particular embodiment, the low power receiver comprises a LP-WUR.

[0033] In a particular embodiment, the UE determines that the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell; the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed with the first receiver; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any PUR transmission and / or CG-SDT; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with eDRX; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold. In a particular embodiment, prior to transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver, the UE uses a first measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the first receiver for performing the at least one measurement for a serving cell or a neighbor cell. The transition from the first receiver to the second receiver is based on the at least one measurement.

[0034] In a particular embodiment, the first measurement and / or receiver configuration includes a first measurement periodicity, and a second measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the second receiver includes a second measurement periodicity that is less than or greater than the first measurement periodicity.

[0035] In a particular embodiment, obtaining the information includes receiving the information from a network node.

[0036] In a particular embodiment, the UE transmits, to a network node, information comprising at least one of: a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; and a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver.

[0037] In a particular embodiment, the UE is in or is transitioning to a RRC Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0038] According to certain embodiments, a method by a network node for configuring a UE to perform measurements includes transmitting, to the UE, information that includes at least one condition for transitioning from a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell.

[0039] According to certain embodiments, a network node for configuring a UE to perform measurements includes a memory and a processor. The network node is configured to transmit, to the UE, information that includes at least one condition for transitioning from a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell.

[0040] In a particular embodiment, the network node configures the UE to transition from the first receiver to the second receiver when the at least one condition is fulfilled. The first receiver is associated with a first configuration comprising a first measurement periodicity, and the second receiver is associated with a second configuration comprising a second measurement periodicity that is greater than or less than the first measurement periodicity.

[0041] In a particular embodiment, the first receiver comprises a main receiver of the UE, and the second receiver comprises a low power receiver of the UE. The second measurement periodicity is less than the first measurement periodicity. The at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration; and one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0042] In a particular embodiment, the first receiver is a low power receiver of the UE, and the second receiver comprises a main receiver of the UE. The second measurement periodicity is greater than the first measurement periodicity. The at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a first threshold for a minimum time duration; and one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0043] In a particular embodiment, the low power receiver is a LP-WUR.

[0044] In a particular embodiment, the at least one condition is associated with a measurement performed by the UE according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the first receiver.

[0045] In a particular embodiment, the condition is fulfilled when at least one of: the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell; the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed with the first receiver; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any PUR transmission and / or CG- SDT; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with eDRX; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold. In a particular embodiment, the network node receives, from the UE, information comprising at least one of: a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; and a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver.

[0046] In a particular embodiment, the UE is in or is transitioning to a RRC Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0047] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of providing systems that use the MR as little as possible and instead use LP-WUR as much as possible so as to result in the lowest possible consumption. Certain embodiments may provide these advantages while also making sure that service performance is maintained. As used herein, performance includes mobility in idle and inactive as well as receiving of paging messages successfully.

[0048] As further examples, certain embodiments may provide technical advantage such as one or more of:

[0049] • providing device energy efficiency, and / or

[0050] • ensuring proper operation of UEs equipped with wake-up receivers, and / or

[0051] • enabling low-power and zero energy devices towards 6G.

[0052] Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skill in the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of the recited advantages.

[0053] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0055] FIGURE 1 illustrates the relationship between and location of a WUS and the paging occasion to which it is associated

[0056] FIGURE 2 illustrates a dedicated WUR that is used for monitoring a WUS and the accompanying MR;

[0057] FIGURE 3 illustrates UE power consumption at state transmission, according to 3GPP TS 38.840 v.16.0.0;

[0058] FIGURE 4 illustrates example actions that may be taken when UE(s) are at different locations in the cell, according to certain embodiments;

[0059] FIGURE 5 illustrates an example scenario for moving between using the MR and a LP- WUR for RRM measurements based on defined conditions;

[0060] FIGURE 6 illustrates an example method by a UE perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, according to certain embodiments;

[0061] FIGURE 7 illustrates another example method another example method performed by a UE configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, according to certain embodiments;

[0062] FIGURE 8 illustrates an example method by a network node for configuring a UE to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, according to certain embodiments;

[0063] FIGURE 9 illustrates another example method another example method by a network node for configuring a UE to perform measurements, according to certain embodiments;

[0064] FIGURE 10 illustrates an example communication system, according to certain embodiments;

[0065] FIGURE 11 illustrates an example UE, according to certain embodiments;

[0066] FIGURE 12 illustrates an example network node, according to certain embodiments; and

[0067] FIGURE 13 illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized, according to certain embodiments.

[0068] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0070] As used herein, ‘node’ can be a network node or a UE. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi- standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), Master eNB (MeNB), Secondary eNB (SeNB), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g., in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g., in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g., Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.), Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS), Self-Organizing Network (SON), positioning node (e.g., Evolved-Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC)), etc. The terms network node and radio network node are used interchangeably herein.

[0071] Another example of a node is E), which is a non-limiting term and refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, Machine-Type-Communication (MTC UE) or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), Unified Serial Bus (USB) dongles, etc.

[0072] The term radio access technology (RAT), may refer to any RAT such as, for example, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRA), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, NR, 4G, 5G, etc. Any of the equipment denoted by the terms node, network node or radio network node may be capable of supporting a single or multiple RATs.

[0073] The term signal or radio signal used herein can be any physical signal or physical channel. Examples of DL physical signals are reference signal (RS) such as Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) signals in SS / PBCH block (SSB), discovery reference signal (DRS), Cell Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), etc. RS may be periodic. For example, RS occasions carrying one or more RSs may occur with certain periodicity (e.g., 20 ms, 40 ms, etc.). The RS may also be aperiodic.

[0074] Each SSB carries New Radio-Primary Synchronization Signal (NR-PSS), New RadioSecondary Synchronization Signal (NR-SSS) and New Radio-Physical Broadcast Channel (NR- PBCH) in four successive symbols. One or multiple Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) are transmitted in one SSB burst which is repeated with certain periodicity such as, for example, 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. The UE is configured with information about SSB on cells of certain carrier frequency by one or more SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configurations. The SMTC configuration comprising parameters such as SMTC periodicity, SMTC occasion length in time or duration, SMTC time offset with regard to reference time (e.g., serving cell’s SFN) etc. Therefore, SMTC occasion may also occur with certain periodicity (e.g., 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms). Examples of uplink (UL) physical signals are reference signals such as Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS), etc. The term physical channel refers to any channel carrying higher layer information e.g. data, control etc. Examples of physical channels are Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Short PUSCH (sPUCCH), Short PDSCH (sPDSCH), Short PUCCH (sPUCCH), Short PUSCH (sPUSCH), MTC PDCCH (MPDCCH), Narrowband PBCH (NPBCH), Narrowband PDCCH (NPDCCH), Narrowband PDSCH (NPDSCH), Narrowband PUSCH (NPUSCH), Enhanced PDCCH (E-PDCCH), etc.

[0075] The term time resource used herein may correspond to any type of physical resource or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time. Examples of time resources are symbol, time slot, subframe, radio frame, transmission time interval (TTI), interleaving time, slot, sub- slot, minislot, system frame number (SFN) cycle, hyper-SFN (H-SFN) cycle, etc.

[0076] According to certain embodiments, methods and systems are provided that include different options and / or criteria for when the MR can be turned off and LP-WUR can be used for serving cell measurements for a UE in idle or inactive mode instead. For example, in particular embodiments, the options include thresholds for Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements on SSBs, time period for how long an RSRP criterion should be fulfilled, mobility, the LP-WUR capabilities of the UE and its configuration such as, for example, if low-power synchronization signal (LP-SS) is measured or SSB and if the OOK or OFDM modulated LP- WUS is used. Also, inactive mode configurations such as positioning in inactive of Configured Grant-Small Data Transmission (CG-SDT) are considered as criteria, in particular embodiments.

[0077] According to certain embodiments, options are provided for when to turn on MR for serving cell measurements in idle or inactive. In various particular embodiments, the options include RSRP thresholds for SSB or Low Power-Synchronization Signal (LP-SS) measurements, mobility, and whether LP-WUR can be used for neighbor cell measurements.

[0078] According to certain embodiments, options are provided for moving a UE to relaxed measurements when using LP-WUR.

[0079] According to certain embodiments, for example, the UE in a cell may pause some measurements when one or more criteria are met. Herein, this is referred to as measurement relaxation. Herein, certain embodiments are described to explain how a new feature LP-WUR can be incorporated when a cell with LP-WUR capabilities meets a set of criteria. In addition to or instead of the described measurement relaxation, certain embodiments enable the UE to switch off the MR and rely on measurements performed by LP-WUR. The use of LP-WUR is described in more detail below.

[0080] FIGURE 4 illustrates a diagram 100 of example actions that may be taken when UE(s) 102a-d are at different locations in the cell 104, according to certain embodiments. More specifically, FIGURE 4 depicts a cell where UEs 102a-d are located at different distances from the cell center 106 (or at different distances from the cell edge 104) and may operate using measurement relaxation when one or more criteria are met.

[0081] For example, in the depicted embodiment of FIGURE 4, a UE 102a is depicted as entering the cell at (1) and is at / near cell-edge 104. In this scenario, according to certain embodiments, the UE 102a may perform both serving cell measurements and neighbor cell measurements using the MR. At (2), the same or a different UE 102b has moved further into the cell but is still in the cell-edge area. According to certain embodiments, in this scenario and / or at this location within the cell, the UE 102b performs no measurements or performs relaxed measurements with the WUR with respect to the neighbor cell. However, the UE 102b performs measurements for the serving cell with the MR. In some embodiments, the UE 102b may be configured to introduce measurement relaxation for the serving cell.

[0082] At (3), the same or a different UE 102c is no longer in the cell-edge area and is in a location where it is possible to switch off the MR and rely on measurements with LP-WUR. Thus, according to certain embodiments, in this scenario and / or at this location within the cell, the UE 102c may perform no measurements for neighboring cells but may perform measurements for the serving cell using LP-WUR. Alternatively, the UE 102c may use the MR to perform measurements at a longer periodicity than the periodicity used for measurements performed closet to the cell edge.

[0083] At (4), the same or a different UE 102d is near the cell center. In his scenario and / or at this location, basically no measurements are needed for some period of time. Thus, according to certain embodiments, the UE 102d may perform no measurements for neighboring cells and, optionally, perform relaxed serving cell measurements using the LP-WUR.

[0084] FIGURE 5 illustrates, in more detail, an example scenario 200 for moving between using the MR and a LP-WUR for RRM measurements based on defined conditions, according to certain embodiments.

[0085] In the illustration, filled boxes 202 indicate that a receiver (MR or LP-WUR) performs measurements, and dashed boxes 204 indicate that a receiver is turned off (MR or LP-WUR).

[0086] According to certain embodiments, when moving from using MR to LP-WUR for RRM, the conditions are based on configurations and on measurements performed by the MR. In the other direction, when moving from LP-WUR to MR, the conditions are based on configurations and measurements performed by LP-WUR.

[0087] According to certain embodiments, an intermediary state may be provided where the MR RRM measurements are relaxed, but not turned off completely, and infrequent / relaxed MR measurements can still be used to determine if the UE can continue to apply the time relaxation for MR RRM measurements. Thus, as illustrated in FIGURE 4, certain embodiments may provide there can be three options for performing measurements:

[0088] • Complete switch off MR,

[0089] • Relaxed MR RRM measurements, and

[0090] • Relaxation of WUR RRM measurements (lower priority).

[0091] As used herein, Srxiev refers to signal strength measurement (e.g., RSRP) measurements performed based on SSBs or LP-SS in the serving cell, which is the cell on which the UE is camping. Also, Squairefers to signal quality measurement (e.g., RSRQ) measurements performed on the SSB or LP-SS in the serving cell, which is the cell on which the UE is camping. Example measurements (when the MR is concerned) are defined in 3GPP TS 38.304.

[0092] Criteria-Based Relaxed Measurement

[0093] According to certain embodiments, when in the idle or inactive mode, the UE turns off its MR and starts evaluating or measuring the serving cell quality using its LP-WUR when a set of conditions are fulfilled. In various particular embodiments, the set of conditions may include one or more of the following conditions:

[0094] • The serving cell supports LP-WUR.

[0095] • The Srxiev as measured by the MR is above a threshold, which implies that the UE is not near the cell-edge.

[0096] • The Squai, as measured by the MR, is above a threshold.

[0097] • The Srxiev and / or Squaihas been above the respective thresholds for a specified or configured time. o In a particular embodiment, for example, a time period is fixed in the specification, and the measurement result must be above a respective threshold for the duration of the specified time period. In a further particular embodiment, the length of the time period depends on other parameters such as, for example, a length of DRX or Enhanced DRX (eDRX) cycles, so that the length of the time period is different depending on values of other configured parameters. o In another particular embodiment, the time period is configured per UE or per cell using broadcast (e.g., system information (SI)) or dedicated signaling.

[0098] • The UE is in a low mobility state or stationary, as determined by changes in RSRP of one or several SSBs. This means that the RSRP has not changed more than a delta (i.e., maximum amount) from an initial reference value. In another example, the mobility state of the UE can be determined by pre-configured information in the UE or signaled information by the network.

[0099] • The UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode with respect to the neighbor cell measurements. Whether the UE is operating in a relaxed mode can be determined by checking if the UE has fulfilled one or more relaxed measurement criteria. Examples of relaxation criteria include UE fulfilling stationary criteria, low mobility criteria, not-at-cell edge criteria, or any combination of these or other criteria.

[0100] • Whether the UE is configured or requested or triggered to operate any critical or higher priority signals or channels. This requires the UE to measure in DL and / or transmit in UL. o In a particular embodiment, the critical or higher priority signals include reference signals (e.g., PRS) associated with positioning measurements such as Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), UE Receive (Rx) time difference measurements, etc. o In another particular embodiment, the UE is not configured with measurements that must be performed or are preferably performed by MR. Such measurements include a UE configured to do PRS measurements or transmit Positioning Periodic SRS or Semi-Persistent SRS in inactive mode.

[0101] • In another example embodiment, the UE is preconfigured with resources or a configured grant (CG) that are reserved for transmitting PUSCH while in RRC IDLE / RRC_INACTIVE state. Transmissions using preconfigured resources or configured grant are also known as Pre-Configured Uplink Resource (PUR) or CG- SDT. The preconfigured resources allow the UE to transmit in uplink using PUSCH with certain periodicity and with a specific set of preconfigured resources. According to certain particular embodiments, however, whether the UE turns off the MR and operates using the LP-WUR depends on whether the UE is expected to perform any PUR or CG-SDT transmissions. In other words, if the UE is expected to operate PUR or CG-SDT, the UE operates using the MR or refrains from turning off the MR. The reason for keeping the MR up and running is because the UE may not be able to operate channels or signals associated with PUR / CG-SDT using LP- WUR. Also, if the UE misses the intended transmission that occurs or is expected to occur within a certain time period, the UE may have to wait until the next PUR or CG-SDT occasion, which may happen after some time. Therefore, in this case, the transmissions using configured grants or preconfigured resources can be considered as critical or higher priority type. o In a particular example embodiment:

[0102] ■ A UE is configured with CG-SDT and the cg-SDT- TimeAlignmentTimer is running. In this case, the UE may be triggered to perform uplink transmissions on the CG-SDT resources, and this requires RSRP measurements on SSBs. This may require that the MR is on in order not to entail unnecessary latency. In this case, the UE can use the LP-WUR only after the cg-SDT- TimeAlignmentTimer has expired.

[0103] ■ The UEs LP-WUR uses OOK modulation and measures serving cell on LP-SS, or the UE uses OFDM and can measure serving cell using SSBs.

[0104] • Whether the UE is configured with Early Measurement Reporting (EMR), which is used to more quickly set up secondary cells for carrier aggregation (CA) or Dual Connectivity (DC). EMR measurements are performed on neighbour cells. In a particular embodiment, if the UE is configured to perform EMR or is currently performing EMR measurements, the UE refrains from turning off the MR and operating in LP-WUR because the UE may not be able to measure on the neighbour cells using LP-WUR. In another particular embodiment, if the UE is configured to perform EMR but there is no EMR measurements on-going (e.g., the timer associated with EMR such as, for example, the T331 timer, is not running), the UE turns off the MR and starts operating using the MR. However, if the UE is configured with EMR and there is an on-going EMR measurement (e.g., the T331 timer associated with EMR is running), the UE refrains from turning off MR and operating LP-WUR, in a particular embodiment.

[0105] • Whether the UE is configured to operate with eDRX. For example, if the UE is already configured to operate in eDRX or already operating in eDRX mode, the power saving gain by turning off the MR and using LP-WUR could be limited since there might be already substantial power saving gain with eDRX with MR. Therefore in this case, the UE may refrain from turning off the MR (and, thus, not operate using LP-WUR), in a particular embodiment. o In a particular example embodiment, the UE may decide to turn off the MR and start operating using LP-WUR only if the DRX cycle length or eDRX cycle length is greater than a certain threshold, e.g. 10.24 seconds. Otherwise, the UE may continue operating using the MR.

[0106] Note that for certain of these embodiments, the UE uses MR measurements to evaluate the above criteria and whether the RRM measurements using WUR (or MR RRM measurement relaxation) can be initiated. However, typically WUR measurements would be used by the UE to evaluate the same set of criteria (or a different set of criteria) to evaluate whether the UE must stop using the WUR for RRM measurements (or stop using MR RRM measurement relaxation). Therefore, different parameters such as, for example, RSRP thresholds, number of samples, or evaluations periods, may be configured and applied depending on whether the UE is measuring using MR (for start conditions) or WUR (for stop conditions).

[0107] After the LP-WUR has started to be used for RRM measurements, the UE must periodically evaluate whether the WUR RRM measurements (or MR RRM measurement relaxation) are not suitable anymore and, thus, whether use of the LP-WUR should be stopped. If this evaluation period is short, the only feasible options is to base it on WUR measurements, but for a longer evaluation period also start of the MR can be considered. For the latter, see also the overlap with the MR relaxation in the embodiment described below.

[0108] Concurrent LP-WUR Measurements and Relaxed MR Measurements

[0109] According to certain embodiments, when the UE switches to LP-WUR measurements of the serving cell, the UE may still use relaxed MR RRM measurements (relaxed measurements are not yet defined for LP-WUR but the assumption here is that similar relaxation could be applied to LP-WUR as those specified for MR). Conditions for this may be similar to the conditions described above but with some variations. For example, in various particular embodiments, a combination of one or more of the below described conditions may be used to determine if relaxed measurements can be applied by LP-WUR measurements:

[0110] • In a particular embodiment, the Srxiev, as measured by LP-WUR, is above a threshold. This threshold may be different for Srxiev measurements made on LP-SS and for those made on SSB. For cases where the UE can measure on both (i.e., an OFDM modulation capable UE), it may be configured as a priority for which SS to measure, or to mandate which of the ones should be used. This implies that the UE is not at cell-edge.

[0111] • In a particular embodiment, the Squai, as measured by LP-WUR, is above a threshold. Also in this case, this threshold may be different for Squaiand Srxiev measurements made on LP-SS and for those made on SSB. For cases where the UE can measure on both (i.e. an OFDM modulation capable UE, it may be configured a priority of which SS to measure, or to mandate which of the ones should be used.

[0112] • In a particular embodiment, the Srxiev and or Squaihas been above the respective thresholds for a specified time.

[0113] • In a particular embodiment, the UE may have been in a relaxed measurement state when using the MR. When it is switched to LP-SS, the UE may or may not continue to use the relaxed measurement configuration using LP-SS.

[0114] • In a particular embodiment, the configured thresholds for Srxiev can be combined with a threshold for Squaias measured by LP-WUR and may be tuned to be equivalent to when the UE is mandated to perform neighbor cell measurements. In this case, the UE immediately starts neighbor cell measurements when the MR is turned on.

[0115] • In a particular embodiment, the UE is in low mobility state or stationary as determined by changes in RSRP of one or several SSBs. This means that the RSRP has not changed more than a delta from an initial reference value.

[0116] Turning on the MR

[0117] According to certain embodiments, when the UE is using LP-WUR for serving cell measurements, the UE turns on the MR when one or more of the following criteria are met: o In a particular embodiment, the Srxiev, as measured by LP-WUR, is below a threshold. This threshold may be different for Srxiev measurements made on LP-SS and for those made on SSB. For cases where the UE can measure on both (i.e., an OFDM modulation capable UE), the UE may be configured with a priority of which SS to measure, or to mandate which of the ones to use. This implies that the UE is not in cell-edge. o In a particular embodiment, the Squai, as measured by LP-WUR, is below a threshold. Also in this case, this threshold may be different for Squaimeasurements made on LP-SS and for those made on SSB. For cases where the UE can measure on both (i.e., an OFDM modulation capable UE), it may be configured with a priority of which SS to measure, or to mandate which of the ones should be used. o In a particular embodiment, the Srxiev and or Squaihas been below the respective thresholds for a specified time. o In a particular embodiment, the configured thresholds for Srxiev are combined with a threshold for Squaias measured by LP-WUR and may be tuned to be equivalent to when the UE is mandated to perform neighbor cell measurements. In this case, the UE immediately starts neighbor cell measurements when the MR is turned on.

[0118] Configuration of Criteria / Parameters

[0119] According to certain embodiments, criteria and / or parameters that govern the UE behavior can be configured in SI. In a particular embodiment, for example, parameters are configured in the RRCRelease message. For example, if the UE is configured with CG-SDT, it may be configured whether the UE can use the LP-WUR measurements of RSRP to determine whether time alignment is valid or if the UE must use the MR for this. In such case, the LP-WUR is only used when cg- SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer has expired, in a particular embodiment.

[0120] Timer Aided Measurement Relaxation / Activation of LP-WUR

[0121] According to certain embodiments, a timer is started when the UE turns the MR back on or starts to use the MR again after using LP-WUR for serving cell measurements. The timer is used to keep track of time until the UE is allowed again to turn the MR off and / or use LP-WUR for the serving cell measurements. Thus, the timer keeps track of time during which the LP-WUR should not be used for serving cell measurements between two consecutive instances of using LP- WUR for the measurements. The time duration can be configurable or fixed in the specifications. The benefit of such a timer is that it can be used to avoid the UE constantly switching between receivers for the serving cell measurements. cDRX

[0122] In a particular embodiment, when the MR is using eDRX in RRC_IDLE or INACTIVE mode and the LP-WUS configuration is available in the serving cell, the UE turns off the MR and utilizes only the LR for serving cell measurements. The use of eDRX benefits the MR when the DL signalling is not expected from the network such as, for example, when the traffic inter arrival time is large. In such cases, the UE might not be paged at every paging occasion and the measurement performed prior to the paging occasion using the MR could be more costly in terms of energy consumption than the use of LP-WUS (for serving cell measurements and paging indication, for example, the UEs MR sleep cycle is more than the eDRX cycle). In this case, the MR need not to perform the serving cell measurements and further measurement relaxation can be applied to the LR based on the RSRP / RSRQ.

[0123] In a particular embodiment, the number of SSBs used by MR for re-sync is different in scenarios when eDRX cycle is used and MR is off. For example, in a particular embodiment, up to three SSBs are required by the MR to achieve re-sync if eDRX cycle is up to few minutes. As another example, in a particular embodiment, x SSBs are required if eDRX is between few minutes and tens of minutes, where x is greater than 3 and smaller than 10 SSBs. In still another example embodiment, ten SSBs are used for re-sync when the maximum eDRX cycle of 2.91 hours is used by the MR.

[0124] In a particular embodiment, the number of SSBs used by the MR for re-sync depends on the LP-WUR RSRP / RSRQ. Certain embodiments assume that the RSRP / RSRQ measurements performed by the LR could serve as basis for MR to achieve a quick synchronization using fewer SSBs or achieve a slow synchronization using more number of SSBs:

[0125] • Fast sync: 1-2 SSB when LR RSRP / RSRQ is high.

[0126] • Medium sync: 3-8 SSB when LR RSRP / RSRQ is medium.

[0127] • Slow sync: 9-10 SSB when LR RSRP / RSRQ is low.

[0128] This may also affect the ramp up time of the MR which relies on the wake-up time from ultra deep sleep and the variable sync time.

[0129] Additional Considerations

[0130] In general, the main motivation for offloading measurements to WUR is to conserve UE (main receiver) energy consumption. Considering that the main receiver has higher capabilities compared to WUR, it can provide higher measurement accuracy for mobility support and cell selection / re-selection. Therefore, there is a tradeoff between performance and power saving when employing WUR. In a particular embodiment, the use of WUR for performing measurements depends on the UE battery level. For example, when the UE battery level is below a certain threshold, power saving becomes more important; thus, WUR is used for performing measurements. Alternatively, the main receiver performs measurements following the legacy behavior to maintain the performance.

[0131] In a particular embodiment, the measurement relaxation factor for main receiver depends on the UE battery level. For example, larger relaxation factor is applied if UE battery level is below a certain threshold, in a particular embodiment.

[0132] FIGURE 6 illustrates an example method 300 by a UE perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method 300 includes at least one of an obtaining step at 302, a determining step at 304, a transitioning step at 306, and a performing / not performing step at 308. For example, at step 302, the UE may obtain information comprising at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from a first measurement and / or receiver configuration to a second measurement and / or receiver configuration for performing measurements in at least one cell. As another example, at step 304, the UE may determine that the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled. As another example, at step 306, and based on the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition being fulfilled, the UE may transition to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration for the at least one cell. As still another example, at step 308, the UE may perform or determine not to perform at least one action based on the second measurement and / or receiver configuration of the at least one cell.

[0133] FIGURE 7 illustrates another example method 400 performed by a UE configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, according to certain embodiments. As illustrated, the method begins at step 402 when the UE obtains information including at least one condition for transitioning from using a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell. Based on the at least one condition being fulfilled, the UE transition, at step 404, to the second receiver for the at least one cell. At step 406, the UE performs at least one measurement using the second receiver.

[0134] In a particular embodiment, transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver includes at least one of: transitioning reception of at least one signal from a main receiver of the UE to a low power receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; and powering off a main receiver of the UE and powering on a low power receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement.

[0135] In a particular embodiment, the UE determines that the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0136] In a particular embodiment, transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver includes at least one of: transitioning reception of at least one signal from a low power receiver of the UE to a main receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; and powering off a low power receiver of the UE and powering on a main receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement.

[0137] In a particular embodiment, the at least one condition is determined to be fulfilled when at least one of: a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a first threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0138] In a particular embodiment, the information indicates the at least one condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a main receiver. Additionally or alternatively, the information indicates the at least one condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a low power receiver.

[0139] In a particular embodiment, the low power receiver comprises a LP-WUR.

[0140] In a particular embodiment, the at least one condition is determined to be fulfilled when at least one of: the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell; the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed with the first receiver; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any Pre- Configured Uplink Resource, PUR, transmission and / or Configured Grant-Small Data Transmission, CG-SDT; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with Extended Discontinuous Reception, eDRX; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold.

[0141] In a particular embodiment, prior to transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver, the UE uses a first measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the first receiver for performing the at least one measurement for a serving cell or a neighbor cell. The transition from the first receiver to the second receiver is based on the at least one measurement. In a further particular embodiment, the first measurement and / or receiver configuration includes a first measurement periodicity a second measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the second receiver includes a second measurement periodicity that is less than or greater than the first measurement periodicity.

[0142] In a particular embodiment, the UE obtains the information including the at least one condition by receiving the information from a network node.

[0143] In a particular embodiment, the UE transmits, to a network node, information including at least one of: a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; and a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver.

[0144] In a particular embodiment, the UE is in or is transitioning to a RRC Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0145] FIGURE 8 illustrates an example method 500 by a network node for configuring a UE to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method includes at least one of a transmitting step at 502 and a configuring step at 504. For example, at step 502, the network node may transmit, to the UE, information comprising at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from a first measurement and / or receiver configuration to a second measurement and / or receiver configuration for performing measurements in at least one cell. As another example, at step 504, for example, the network node may configure the UE to determine that the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled; configure the UE to transitioning to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration based on the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition being fulfilled; and / or configure the UE to perform or determine not perform at least one action based on the second measurement and / or receiver configuration of the at least one cell.

[0146] FIGURE 9 illustrates another example method 600 by a network node for configuring a UE to perform measurements, according to certain embodiments. As illustrated, the method begins at step 602 when the network node transmits, to the UE, information comprising at least one condition for transitioning from a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell.

[0147] In a particular embodiment, the network node configures the UE to transition from the first receiver to the second receiver when the at least one condition is fulfilled. The first receiver is associated with a first configuration comprising a first measurement periodicity, and the second receiver is associated with a second configuration comprising a second measurement periodicity that is greater than or less than the first measurement periodicity.

[0148] In a particular embodiment, the first receiver is a main receiver of the UE, the second receiver is a LP receiver of the UE, the second measurement periodicity is less than the first measurement periodicity, and the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0149] In another particular embodiment, the first receiver is a LP receiver of the UE, the second receiver comprises a MR of the UE, the second measurement periodicity is greater than the first measurement periodicity, and the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a first threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below a threshold for a minimum time duration.

[0150] In a particular embodiment, the LP receiver is a LP-WUR.

[0151] In a particular embodiment, the at least one condition is associated with a measurement performed by the UE according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the first receiver.

[0152] In a particular embodiment, the condition is fulfilled when at least one of: the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell; the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed with the first receiver; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any PUR transmission and / or CG- SDT; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement 1

[0153] Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with eDRX; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold.

[0154] In a particular embodiment, the network node receives, from the UE, information comprising at least one of: a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; and a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver.

[0155] In a particular embodiment, the UE is in or is transitioning to a RRC Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0156] FIGURE 10 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunication network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0157] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0158] The UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 702.

[0159] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects the network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 706 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0160] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0161] As a whole, the communication system 700 of FIGURE 10 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0162] In some examples, the telecommunication network 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0163] In some examples, the UEs 712 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi- standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0164] In the example, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0165] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710b. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 710b. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0166] FIGURE 11 shows a UE 800, which may be an embodiment of the UE 112 of FIGURE 10, in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0167] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0168] The UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIGURE 11. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0169] The processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine -readable computer programs in the memory 810. The processing circuitry 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0170] In the example, the input / output interface 806 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. Examples of an input device include a touch- sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0171] In some embodiments, the power source 808 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 to which power is supplied.

[0172] The memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by the UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0173] The memory 810 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 810 may allow the UE 800 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0174] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The communication interface 812 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0175] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0176] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0177] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0178] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or itemtracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 800 shown in FIGURE 11.

[0179] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0180] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’ s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0181] FIGURE 12 shows a network node 900, which may be an embodiment of the network node 110 of FIGURE 5, in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0182] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0183] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi- standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0184] The network node 900 includes a processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908. The network node 900 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 900 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB s. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0185] The processing circuitry 902 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components, such as the memory 904, to provide network node 900 functionality.

[0186] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0187] The memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 902. The memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0188] The communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes radio frontend circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio frontend circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0189] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio front-end circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0190] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0191] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0192] The power source 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 908. As a further example, the power source 908 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0193] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIGURE 12 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0194] FIGURE 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1000 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0195] In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1000 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0196] Applications 1002 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0197] Hardware 1004 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1006 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1008a and 1008b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1008), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1006 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1008.

[0198] The VMs 1008 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1006. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1002 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1008, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0199] In the context of NFV, a VM 1008 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1008, and that part of hardware 1004 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements . Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1008 on top of the hardware 1004 and corresponds to the application 1002.

[0200] Hardware 1004 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1004 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1004 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1010, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1002. In some embodiments, hardware 1004 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1012 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0201] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0202] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0203] EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0204] Group A Example Embodiments

[0205] Example Embodiment AL A method performed by a user equipment configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, the method comprising: any of the user equipment steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0206] Example Embodiment A2. The method of the previous example, further comprising one or more additional user equipment steps, features or functions described above.

[0207] Example Embodiment A3. The method of any of the previous examples, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network node.

[0208] Group B Example Embodiments

[0209] Example Embodiment B 1. A method performed by a network node for configuring a User Equipment (UE) to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, the method comprising: any of the network node steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0210] Example Embodiment B2. The method of the previous example, further comprising one or more additional network node steps, features or functions described above.

[0211] Example Embodiment B3. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0212] Group C Example Embodiments

[0213] Example Embodiment Cl. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, the method comprising at least one of: obtaining information comprising at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from a first measurement and / or receiver configuration to a second measurement and / or receiver configuration for performing measurements in at least one cell; determining that the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled; based on the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition being fulfilled, transitioning to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration for the at least one cell; and performing or determining not to perform at least one action based on the second measurement and / or receiver configuration of the at least one cell.

[0214] Example Embodiment C2. The method Example Embodiment Cl, wherein transitioning from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises at least one of: transitioning reception of at least one signal from a main receiver of the UE to a low power receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; powering off a main receiver of the UE and powering on a low power receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement; performing at least one measurement using a low power receiver of the UE according to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration rather than a main receiver of the UE based on the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; performing the at least one measurement according to parameters associated with the second measurement and / or receiver configuration that are more relaxed than one or more parameters associated with the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; pausing and / or ceasing to perform at least one measurement; and increasing an amount of time between successive measurements for the at least one cell.

[0215] Example Embodiment C3. The method Example Embodiment Cl, wherein transitioning from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises at least one of: transitioning reception of at least one signal from a low power receiver of the UE to a main receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; powering off a low power receiver of the UE and powering on a main receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement; performing at least one measurement using a main receiver of the UE according to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration rather than a low power receiver of the UE based on the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; performing the at least one measurement according to parameters associated with the second measurement and / or receiver configuration that are not as relaxed as one or more parameters associated with the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; performing at least one measurement that was paused; and decreasing an amount of time between successive measurements for the at least one cell.

[0216] Example C4. The method of any one of Examples Cl to C3, wherein at least one of: the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from receiving signals via a main receiver to receiving signals via a low power receiver, the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from receiving signals via a low power receiver to receiving signals via a main receiver; the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a main receiver; and the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transition to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a low power receiver.

[0217] Example Embodiment C5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments C2 to C4, wherein the low power receiver uses less power to operate than the main receiver.

[0218] Example Embodiment C6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments C2 to C5, wherein the low power receiver comprises a LP-WUR.

[0219] Example Embodiment C7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C6, wherein the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is associated with a measurement performed according to the first measurement and / or receiver configuration. Example Embodiment C8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C7, wherein the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the second measurement and / or receiver configuration; a serving cell supports a low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a first threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a second threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a third threshold for a minimum time duration; one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a fourth threshold for a minimum time duration; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a fifth threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a sixth threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a seventh threshold for a minimum time duration; one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below an eighth threshold for a minimum time duration; the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell; a location of the UE from a cell edge is more than or less than a fifth threshold; a location of the UE from a cell edge is within a specified range; a location of the UE from a cell center is less than or more than a sixth threshold; a location of the UE from a cell center is within a specified range; the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed according to the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any PUR and / or CG-SDT transmissions; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with eDRX; a battery level measurement is above or below a minimum threshold; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold.

[0220] Example Embodiment C9. The method of Example Embodiment C8, wherein the signal strength measurement comprises a RSRP measurement for a serving cell.

[0221] Example Embodiment CIO. The method of Example Embodiment C8, wherein the signal quality measurement comprises a RSRQ measurement for a serving cell. Example Embodiment Cl l. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to CIO, wherein: the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is associated with a first measurement periodicity, and the second measurement and / or receiver configuration is associated with a second measurement periodicity.

[0222] Example Embodiment C 12. The method of Example Embodiment Cl l, wherein the second measurement periodicity is greater than the first measurement periodicity.

[0223] Example Embodiment C 13. The method of Example Embodiment Cl l, wherein the second measurement periodicity is less than the first measurement periodicity.

[0224] Example Embodiment C14. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C13, wherein prior to transitioning from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration the UE uses a main receiver for at least one of: performing at least one measurement associated with a serving cell; performing at least one measurement associated with a neighbor cell; and taking the at least one action after transitioning from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises at least one of: using a low power receiver to perform at least one measurement associated with the serving cell, using a low power receiver to perform at least one measurement associated with the neighbor cell; relaxing at least one parameter for performing the at least one measurement for the serving cell; relaxing at least one parameter for performing at least one measurement for the neighbor cell; and ceasing to perform at least one measurement for the neighbor cell.

[0225] Example C15. The method of any one of Examples Cl to C14, wherein: at least one of the criteria, rule, and / or condition comprises a minimum service performance; and the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled when a service performance value is greater than the minimum service performance.

[0226] Example Cl 6. The method of any one of Example Cl to Cl 5, wherein obtaining the information comprising the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition comprises receiving the information from a network node.

[0227] Example C17. The method of any one of Examples Cl to C16, comprising transmitting, to a network node, information comprising at least one of: a capability of the UE to transition to the second measurement configuration; a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; a capability of the UE to transition from a main receiver to a low power receiver; a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver; and / or an indication tha the UE includes a main receiver and / or a low power receiver.

[0228] Example C18. The method of any one of Examples Cl to C17, wherein the UE is in or is transitioning to an RRC Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0229] Example C19. The method of Examples Cl to C18, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0230] Example C20. A user equipment comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Examples Cl to Cl 9.

[0231] Example C21. A user equipment configured to perform any of the methods of Examples Cl to C19.

[0232] Example C22. A wireless device comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Examples Cl to Cl 9.

[0233] Example C23. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Examples Cl to Cl 9.

[0234] Example C24. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Examples Cl to Cl 9.

[0235] Example C25. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Examples Cl to C 19.

[0236] Group D Examples

[0237] Example Embodiment DI. A method performed by a network node configuring a User Equipment (UE) to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, the method comprising at least one of: transmitting, to the UE, information comprising at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from a first measurement and / or receiver configuration to a second measurement and / or receiver configuration for performing measurements in at least one cell; configuring the UE to determine that the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled; configuring the UE to transitioning to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration based on the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition being fulfilled; and configuring the UE to perform or determine not perform at least one action based on the second measurement and / or receiver configuration of the at least one cell.

[0238] Example Embodiment D2. The method Example Embodiment D, wherein configuring the UE to transition from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises at least one of: configuring the UE to transition from receiving at least one signal by a main receiver of the UE to receiving at least one signal by a low power receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; configuring the UE to power off a main receiver of the UE and powering on a low power receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement; configuring the UE to perform at least one measurement using a low power receiver of the UE according to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration rather than a main receiver of the UE based on the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; configuring the UE to perform the at least one measurement according to parameters associated with the second measurement and / or receiver configuration that are more relaxed than one or more parameters associated with the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; configuring the UE to pause and / or cease to perform at least one measurement; and configuring the UE to increase an amount of time between successive measurements for the at least one cell.

[0239] Example Embodiment D3. The method Example Embodiment DI, wherein configuring the UE to transition from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises at least one of: configuring the UE to transitioning from receiving at least one signal by a low power receiver of the UE to receiving at least one signal by a main receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; configuring the UE to power off a low power receiver of the UE and power on a main receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement; configuring the UE to perform at least one measurement using a main receiver of the UE according to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration rather than a low power receiver of the UE based on the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; configuring the UE to perform the at least one measurement according to parameters associated with the second measurement and / or receiver configuration that are not as relaxed as one or more parameters associated with the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; configuring the UE to perform at least one measurement that was paused; and configuring the UE to decrease an amount of time between successive measurements for the at least one cell.

[0240] Example D4. The method of any one of Examples DI to D3, wherein at least one of: the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from receiving signals via a main receiver to receiving signals via a low power receiver, the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning from receiving signals via a low power receiver to receiving signals via a main receiver; the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a main receiver; and the information indicates at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition for transition to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a low power receiver.

[0241] Example Embodiment D5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments D2 to D4, wherein the low power receiver uses less power to operate than the main receiver.

[0242] Example Embodiment D6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments D2 to D5, wherein the low power receiver comprises a LP-WUR.

[0243] Example Embodiment D7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D6, wherein the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is associated with a measurement performed according to the first measurement and / or receiver configuration.

[0244] Example Embodiment D8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D7, wherein the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the second measurement and / or receiver configuration; a serving cell supports a low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a first threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a second threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a third threshold for a minimum time duration; one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a fourth threshold for a minimum time duration; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a fifth threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a sixth threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a seventh threshold for a minimum time duration; one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below an eighth threshold for a minimum time duration; the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell; a location of the UE from a cell edge is more than or less than a fifth threshold; a location of the UE from a cell edge is within a specified range; a location of the UE from a cell center is less than or more than a sixth threshold; a location of the UE from a cell center is within a specified range; the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed according to the first measurement and / or receiver configuration; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any PUR and / or CG-SDT transmissions; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with eDRX; a battery level measurement is above or below a minimum threshold; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold.

[0245] Example Embodiment D9. The method of Example Embodiment D8, wherein the signal strength measurement comprises a RSRP measurement for a serving cell.

[0246] Example Embodiment DIO. The method of Example Embodiment D8, wherein the signal quality measurement comprises a RSRQ measurement for a serving cell.

[0247] Example Embodiment Dl l. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DIO, wherein: the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is associated with a first measurement periodicity, and the second measurement and / or receiver configuration is associated with a second measurement periodicity.

[0248] Example Embodiment DI 2. The method of Example Embodiment Dl l, wherein the second measurement periodicity is greater than the first measurement periodicity.

[0249] Example Embodiment D 13. The method of Example Embodiment Dl l, wherein the second measurement periodicity is less than the first measurement periodicity.

[0250] Example Embodiment D14. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 3, wherein prior to transitioning from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration the UE is configured to use a main receiver for at least one of: performing at least one measurement associated with a serving cell; performing at least one measurement associated with a neighbor cell; and taking the at least one action after transitioning from the first measurement and / or receiver configuration to the second measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises at least one of: using a low power receiver to perform at least one measurement associated with the serving cell, using a low power receiver to perform at least one measurement associated with the neighbor cell; relaxing at least one parameter for performing the at least one measurement for the serving cell; relaxing at least one parameter for performing at least one measurement for the neighbor cell; and ceasing to perform at least one measurement for the neighbor cell.

[0251] Example D15. The method of any one of Examples DI to D14, wherein: at least one of the criteria, rule, and / or condition comprises a minimum service performance; and the at least one criteria, rule, and / or condition is fulfilled when a service performance value is greater than the minimum service performance.

[0252] Example D16. The method of any one of Examples DI to D16, comprising receiving, from the UE, information comprising at least one of: a capability of the UE to transition to the second measurement configuration; a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; a capability of the UE to transition from a main receiver to a low power receiver; a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver; and / or an indication tha the UE includes a main receiver and / or a low power receiver.

[0253] Example D17. The method of any one of Examples DI to DI 6, wherein the UE is in or is transitioning to an RRC Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0254] Example D18. The method of any one of Examples DI to D17, wherein the network node comprises a gNodeB (gNB).

[0255] Example DI 9. The method of any of the previous Example Embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0256] Example D20. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Examples DI to D19.

[0257] Example D21. A network node configured to perform any of the methods of Examples DI to D19.

[0258] Example D22. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Examples DI to DI 9. Example D23. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Examples DI to DI 9.

[0259] Example D24. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Examples DI to DI 9.

[0260] Group E Examples

[0261] Example Embodiment El. A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0262] Example Embodiment E2. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0263] Example Embodiment E3. A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0264] Example Embodiment E4. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the host. Example Embodiment E5. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0265] Example E6. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0266] Example Embodiment E7. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0267] Example Embodiment E8. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0268] Example E9. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0269] Example Embodiment E10. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0270] Example Embodiment El l. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host. Example Embodiment E12. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0271] Example Embodiment El 3. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A and C Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0272] Example Embodiment E14. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0273] Example Embodiment E15. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0274] Example Embodiment E16. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0275] Example Embodiment E17. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0276] Example Embodiment El 8. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0277] Example Embodiment El 9. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0278] Example Embodiment E20. The method of any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0279] Example Embodiment E21. A communication system configured to provide an over-the- top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0280] Example Embodiment E22. The communication system of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the user equipment.

[0281] Example Embodiment E23. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0282] Example Embodiment E24. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. Example Embodiment E25. The host of the any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0283] Example Embodiment E26. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0284] Example Embodiment E27. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (400) performed by a user equipment, UE (712), configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, the method comprising: obtaining (402) information comprising at least one condition for transitioning from using a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell; based on the at least one condition being fulfilled, transitioning (404) to the second receiver for the at least one cell; and performing (406) at least one measurement using the second receiver.

2. The method Claim 1, wherein transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver comprises at least one of: transitioning reception of at least one signal from a main receiver of the UE to a low power receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; and powering off a main receiver of the UE and powering on a low power receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement.

3. The method of Claim 2, comprising determining that the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration.

4. The method Claim 1, wherein transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver comprises at least one of:transitioning reception of at least one signal from a low power receiver of the UE to a main receiver of the UE for performing at least one measurement; and powering off a low power receiver of the UE and powering on a main receiver of the UE for reception of at least one signal for performing at least one measurement;5. The method of Claim 4, comprising determining the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a first threshold for a minimum time duration; or one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below a threshold for a minimum time duration.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one of: the information indicates the at least one condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a main receiver; and the information indicates the at least one condition for transitioning to and / or from performing relaxed measurements using a low power receiver.

7. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 6, wherein the low power receiver comprises a Low Power-Wake Up Receiver, LP-WUR.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 7, comprising determining that the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell;the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed with the first receiver; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any Pre-Configured Uplink Resource, PUR, transmission and / or Configured Grant-Small Data Transmission, CG-SDT; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with Extended Discontinuous Reception, eDRX; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold.

9. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 8, comprising: prior to transitioning from the first receiver to the second receiver, using a first measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the first receiver for performing the at least one measurement for a serving cell or a neighbor cell, and wherein the transition from the first receiver to the second receiver is based on the at least one measurement.

10. The method of Claim 9, wherein: the first measurement and / or receiver configuration comprises a first measurement periodicity, and a second measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the second receiver comprises a second measurement periodicity that is less than or greater than the first measurement periodicity.

11. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein obtaining the information comprising the at least one condition comprises receiving the information from a network node (710).

12. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 11 , comprising transmitting, to a network node (710), information comprising at least one of:a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; and a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver.

13. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the UE is in or is transitioning to a Radio Resource Control, RRC, Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

14. A method (600) performed by a network node (710) for configuring a User Equipment, UE (712), to perform measurements, the method comprising: transmitting (602), to the UE, information comprising at least one condition for transitioning from a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell.

15. The method Claim 14, comprising configuring the UE to transition from the first receiver to the second receiver when the at least one condition is fulfilled, and wherein: the first receiver is associated with a first configuration comprising a first measurement periodicity, and the second receiver is associated with a second configuration comprising a second measurement periodicity that is greater than or less than the first measurement periodicity.

16. The method of any one of Claim 15, wherein: the first receiver comprises a main receiver of the UE, the second receiver comprises a low power receiver of the UE, the second measurement periodicity is less than the first measurement periodicity, and the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a serving cell supports the low power receiver; a value associated with a signal strength measurement is above a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is above a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration; andone or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been above a threshold for a minimum time duration.

17. The method of any one of Claim 15, wherein: the first receiver comprises a low power receiver of the UE, the second receiver comprises a main receiver of the UE, the second measurement periodicity is greater than the first measurement periodicity, and the at least one condition is fulfilled when at least one of: a value associated with a signal strength measurement is below a threshold; a value associated with a signal quality measurement is below a threshold; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has been below a first threshold for a minimum time duration; and one or more values associated with a signal quality measurement has been below a threshold for a minimum time duration.

18. The method of any one of Claims 16 to 17, wherein the low power receiver comprises a Low Power- Wake Up Receiver, LP-WUR.

19. The method of any one of Claims 14 to 18, wherein the at least one condition is associated with a measurement performed by the UE according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration associated with the first receiver.

20. The method of any one of Claims 14 to 19, wherein the condition is fulfilled when at least one of: the UE is in a low mobility state; one or more values associated with a signal strength measurement has not changed more than a maximum amount from an initial reference value; the UE is operating in a relaxed measurement mode for performing measurements for a neighboring cell;the UE is not configured to perform high priority measurements that must be performed with the first receiver; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform any Pre-Configured Uplink Resource, PUR, transmission and / or Configured Grant-Small Data Transmission, CG-SDT; whether or not the UE is configured and / or expected to perform Early measurement Reporting; whether or not the UE is configured to operate with Extended Discontinuous Reception, eDRX; and a time duration measured since a transition to using the first measurement and / or receiver configuration is greater than a threshold.

21. The method of any one of Examples 14 to 20, comprising receiving, from the UE, information comprising at least one of: a capability of the UE to operate in a low power state; and a capability of the UE to transition between a main receiver and a low power receiver.

22. The method of any one of Claims 14 to 21, wherein the UE is in or is transitioning to a Radio Resource Control, RRC, Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

23. A user equipment, UE (712), configured to perform measurements according to a first measurement and / or receiver configuration, the UE comprising a memory and a processor, the UE configured to: obtain (402) information comprising at least one condition for transitioning from using a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell; based on the at least one condition being fulfilled, transition (404) to the second receiver for the at least one cell; and perform (406) at least one measurement using the second receiver.

24. The UE of Claim 23, configured to perform any of the methods of Examples 2 to 13.

25. A network node (710) for configuring a User Equipment, UE (710), to perform measurements, the network node comprising a memory and a processor, the network node configured to: transmit (502), to the UE, information comprising at least one condition for transitioning from a first receiver to a second receiver for performing measurements in at least one cell.

26. The network node of Claim 36, configured to perform any of the methods of Examples 15 to 22.

Images