Method and apparatus for acquiring on-demand information in wireless networks

Abstract

A User Equipment (UE) for acquiring on-demand system information is provided. The UE includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to: receive, from a first cell, an Uplink (UL) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration, the UL WUS configuration including at least one Physical Cell Identity (PCI) value; receive, from a second cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and determine whether to perform a WUS transmission to the second cell based on a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) of the SSB. In addition, a method and a Base Station (BS) are also provided.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACQUIRING ON-DEMAND INFORMATION IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication and, more specifically, to a User Equipment (UE), Base Station (BS), and method for acquiring on-demand information in the wireless communication networks.

[0002] Various efforts have been made to improve different aspects of wireless communication for the cellular wireless communication systems, such as the 5thGeneration (5G) New Radio (NR), by improving data rate, latency, reliability, and mobility. The 5G NR system is designed to provide flexibility and configurability to optimize network services and types, accommodating various use cases, such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). As the demand for radio access continues to grow, however, there exists a need for further improvements in the next-generation wireless communication systems, such as improvements in a beam management procedure.Summery of Invention

[0003] The present disclosure is directed to a User Equipment (UE), a Base Station (BS), and a method for acquiring on-demand information in the wireless communication networks.

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a UE for acquiring on-demand system information is provided. The UE includes at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to: receive, from a first cell, an Uplink (UL) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration, the UL WUS configuration including at least one Physical Cell Identity (PCI) value; receive, from a second cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and determine whether to perform a WUS transmission to the second cell based on a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) of the SSB.

[0005] In an implementation of the first aspect, the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to: in response to receiving the UL WUS configuration, determine at least one cell associated with the at least one PCI value to be not barred.

[0006] In another implementation of the first aspect, determining whether to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell based on the L1-RSRP of the SSB includes: determining whether the L1-RSRP meets a criterion used for a cell (re)selection procedure; and in response to a determination that the L1-RSRP meets the criterion, determining to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell.

[0007] In another implementation of the first aspect, the criterion used for the cell (re)selection procedure comprises criterion S.

[0008] In another implementation of the first aspect, in response to determining to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell, the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to: perform the WUS transmission to the second cell; and monitor, on the second cell, a response to the WUS transmission; and receiving, from the second cell, an On-Demand System Information Block 1 in response to a reception of the response.

[0009] In another implementation of the first aspect, the UL WUS configuration further includes a parameter indicating a maximum number of WUS transmissions permitted before the WUS transmission is determined as failure by the UE.

[0010] In another implementation of the first aspect, the second cell includes a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell.

[0011] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a BS for providing configuration information to a UE to facilitating on-demand system information acquisition is provided. The BS includes at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the BS to: transmit, to the UE, a UL WUS configuration, the UL WUS configuration including at least one PCI value. The UL WUS configuration causes the UE to: receive, from a cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, an SSB; and determine whether to perform a WUS transmission to the cell based on an L1-RSRP of the SSB.

[0012] In an implementation of the second aspect, the UL WUS configuration further causes the UE to: in response to receiving the UL WUS configuration, determine at least one cell associated with the at least one PCI value to be not barred.

[0013] In another implementation of the second aspect, determining whether to perform the WUS transmission to the cell based on the L1-RSRP of the SSB includes: determining whether the L1-RSRP meets a criterion used for a cell (re)selection procedure; and in response to a determination that the L1-RSRP meets the criterion, determining to perform the WUS transmission to the cell.

[0014] In another implementation of the second aspect, the criterion used for the cell (re)selection procedure comprises criterion S.

[0015] In another implementation of the second aspect, the UL WUS configuration further causes the UE to: in response to determining to perform the WUS transmission to the cell, perform the WUS transmission to the cell, monitor, on the cell, a response to the WUS transmission, and receive, from the cell, an On-Demand System Information Block 1 in response to a reception of the response.

[0016] In another implementation of the second aspect, the UL WUS configuration further includes a parameter indicating a maximum number of WUS transmissions permitted before the WUS transmission is determined as failure by the UE.

[0017] In another implementation of the second aspect, the cell includes an NES cell.

[0018] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a UE for acquiring on-demand system information is provided. The method includes: receiving, from a first cell, a UL WUS configuration, the UL WUS configuration including at least one PCI value; receiving, from a second cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, an SSB; and determining whether to perform a WUS transmission to the second cell based on an L1-RSRP of the SSB.

[0019] Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed disclosure and the corresponding figures. Various features are not drawn to scale and dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method / process performed by a User Equipment (UE) for acquiring on-demand system information, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a node for wireless communication, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0022] Some of the abbreviations used in the present disclosure include: Abbreviation　　　　Full name 3GPP　　　　3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G　　　　5th Generation A-CSI　　　　Aperiodic Channel State Information ACK　　　　Acknowledgment AI　　　　Artificial Intelligence ARFCN　　　　Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel Number AS　　　　Access Stratum BA　　　　Bandwidth Adaptation BFR　　　　Beam Failure Recovery BM　　　　Beam Management BS　　　　Base Station BWP　　　　Bandwidth Part CA　　　　Carrier Aggregation CD-SSB　　　　Cell-Defining Synchronization Signal Block CE　　　　Control Element CN　　　　Core Network CORESET　　　　Control resource set COT　　　　Channel Occupancy Time C-RNTI　　　　Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier CSI　　　　Channel State Information CSI-RS　　　　Channel State Information-Reference Signal CSS　　　　Common Search Space DC　　　　Dual Connectivity DCI　　　　Downlink Control Information DCP　　　　DCI with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI DL　　　　Downlink DL-AOA　　　　Downlink Angle-Of-Arrival DL-TDOA　　　　Downlink Time-Difference-Of-Arrival DRX　　　　Discontinuous Reception E-UTRA　　　　Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access FDM　　　　Frequency-Division Multiplexing FR　　　　Frequency Range FR1　　　　Frequency Range 1 FR1-2　　　　Frequency Range 1-2 FR2　　　　Frequency Range 2 FR2-2　　　　Frequency Range 2-2 GNSS　　　　Global Navigation Satellite System GSCN　　　　Global Synchronization Channel Number GSO　　　　GeoSynchronous Orbit GW　　　　GateWay HARQ　　　　Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request HARQ-ACK　　　　HARQ Acknowledgement ID　　　　Identifier IE　　　　Information Element LCM　　　　Life Cycle Management LMF　　　　Location Management Function LTE　　　　Long Term Evolution L1 / L2 / L3　　　　Layer 1 / Layer 2 / Layer 3 MAC　　　　Medium Access Control MAC CE　　　　MAC Control Element MCG　　　　Master Cell Group MCS　　　　Modulation and Coding Scheme MIB　　　　Master Information Block MIMO　　　　Multiple Input Multiple Output ML　　　　Machine Learning Msg1　　　　Message 1 MsgA　　　　Message A MsgB　　　　Message B NACK　　　　Negative Acknowledgment NAS　　　　Non-Access Stratum NCGI　　　　NR Cell Global Identifier NGSO　　　　Non-GeoSynchronous Orbit NES　　　　Network Energy Saving NG-RAN　　　　Next Generation RAN NR　　　　New Radio NTN　　　　Non-Terrestrial Network NW　　　　Network OAM　　　　Operations, Administration and Maintenance OFDM　　　　Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing OSI　　　　Other SI / On-demand SI OTT　　　　Over the Top PBCH　　　　Physical Broadcast Channel PCell　　　　Primary Cell PCI　　　　Physical Cell Identity PDCCH　　　　Physical Downlink Control Channel PDSCH　　　　Physical Downlink Shared Channel PDU　　　　Protocol Data Unit PHY　　　　Physical (layer) PL-RS　　　　Path-Loss Reference Signal PRACH　　　　Physical Random Access Channel PRS　　　　Positioning Reference Signal PS　　　　Power Saving PSS　　　　Primary Synchronization Signal PSCell　　　　Primary Secondary Cell PUCCH　　　　Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCH　　　　Physical Uplink Shared Channel QCL　　　　Quasi Co-Location RA　　　　Random Access RACH　　　　Random Access Channel RAN　　　　Radio Access Network RAR　　　　Random Access Response RAT　　　　Random Access Technology Rel　　　　Release RLF　　　　Radio Link Failure RNA　　　　RAN Notification Area RNAU　　　　RAN Notification Area Update RNTI　　　　Radio Network Temporary Identifier RRC　　　　Radio Resource Control RRM　　　　Radio Resource Management RS　　　　Reference Signal RSRP　　　　Reference Signal Received Power RTT　　　　Round-Trip Time RV　　　　Redundancy Version Rx　　　　Reception SCell　　　　Secondary Cell SCG　　　　Secondary Cell Group SCS　　　　Subcarrier Spacing SFN　　　　System Frame Number SI　　　　System Information SIB　　　　System Information Block SIB1　　　　System Information Block 1 SMTC　　　　SSB Measurement Timing Configuration SpCell　　　　Special Cell SP-CSI　　　　Semi-Persistent Channel State Information SR　　　　Scheduling Request SRS　　　　Sounding Reference Signal SRI　　　　SRS Resource Indicator SS　　　　Synchronization Signal SSB　　　　Synchronization Signal Block SSS　　　　Secondary Synchronization Signal TA　　　　Timing Advance TAG　　　　Timing Advance Group TB　　　　Transport Block TBS　　　　Transport Block Size TCI　　　　Transmission Configuration Indicator TNL　　　　Transport Network Layer TR　　　　Technical Report TS　　　　Technical Specification Tx　　　　Transmission UAC　　　　Unified Access Control UCI　　　　Uplink Control Information UE　　　　User Equipment UL　　　　Uplink URLLC　　　　Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication WUS　　　　Wake-Up Signal XR　　　　eXtended Reality

[0023] The following contains specific information related to implementations of the present disclosure. The drawings and their accompanying detailed disclosure are merely directed to implementations. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these implementations. Other variations and implementations of the present disclosure will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0024] Unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the drawings may be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals. Moreover, the drawings and illustrations in the present disclosure are generally not to scale and are not intended to correspond to actual relative dimensions.

[0025] For the purposes of consistency and ease of understanding, like features may be identified (although, in some examples, not illustrated) by the same numerals in the drawings. However, the features in different implementations may be different in other respects and may not be narrowly confined to what is illustrated in the drawings.

[0026] References to “one implementation,” “an implementation,” “example implementation,” “various implementations,” “some implementations,” “implementations of the present application,” etc., may indicate that the implementation(s) of the present application so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every possible implementation of the present application necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “In some implementations,” or “in an example implementation,” “an implementation,” do not necessarily refer to the same implementation, although they may. Moreover, any use of phrases like “implementations” in connection with “the present application” are never meant to characterize that all implementations of the present application must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic, and should instead be understood to mean “at least some implementations of the present application” includes the stated particular feature, structure, or characteristic. The term “coupled” is defined as connected, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series, and the equivalent.

[0027] The expression “at least one of A, B and C” or “at least one of the following: A, B and C” means “only A, or only B, or only C, or any combination of A, B and C.” The terms “system” and “network” may be used interchangeably. The term “and / or” is only an association relationship for describing associated objects and represents that three relationships may exist such that A and / or B may indicate that A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, or B exists alone. The character “ / ” generally represents that the associated objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0028] For the purposes of explanation and non-limitation, specific details, such as functional entities, techniques, protocols, and standards, are set forth for providing an understanding of the disclosed technology. In other examples, detailed disclosure of well-known methods, technologies, systems, and architectures are omitted so as not to obscure the present disclosure with unnecessary details.

[0029] Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any network function(s) or algorithm(s) disclosed may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. Disclosed functions may correspond to modules which may be software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0030] A software implementation may include computer executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as memory or other type of storage devices. One or more microprocessors or general-purpose computers with communication processing capability may be programmed with corresponding executable instructions and perform the disclosed network function(s) or algorithm(s).

[0031] The microprocessors or general-purpose computers may include Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays, and / or one or more Digital Signal Processor (DSPs). Although some of the disclosed implementations are oriented to software installed and executing on computer hardware, alternative implementations implemented as firmware, as hardware, or as a combination of hardware and software are well within the scope of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium includes but is not limited to Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or any other equivalent medium capable of storing computer-readable instructions.

[0032] A radio communication network architecture such as a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, an LTE-Advanced Pro system, or a 5G NR Radio Access Network (RAN) typically includes at least one base station (BS), at least one UE, and one or more optional network elements that provide connection within a network. The UE communicates with the network such as a Core Network (CN), an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN), a 5G Core (5GC), or an internet via a RAN established by one or more BSs.

[0033] A UE may include, but is not limited to, a mobile station, a mobile terminal or device, or a user communication radio terminal. The UE may be a portable radio equipment that includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable device, a sensor, a vehicle, or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capability. The UE is configured to receive and transmit signals over an air interface to one or more cells in a RAN.

[0034] The BS may be configured to provide communication services according to at least a Radio Access Technology (RAT) such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) that is often referred to as 2G, GSM Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) that is often referred to as 3G based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), LTE, LTE-A, evolved LTE (eLTE) that is LTE connected to 5GC, NR (often referred to as 5G), and / or LTE-A Pro. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these protocols.

[0035] The BS may include, but is not limited to, a node B (NB) in the UMTS, an evolved node B (eNB) in LTE or LTE-A, a radio network controller (RNC) in UMTS, a BS controller (BSC) in the GSM / GERAN, an ng-eNB in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) BS in connection with 5GC, a next generation Node B (gNB) in the 5G-RAN, or any other apparatus capable of controlling radio communication and managing radio resources within a cell. The BS may serve one or more UEs via a radio interface. Although the gNB is used as an example in some implementations within the present disclosure, it should be noted that the disclosed implementations may also be applied to other types of base stations.

[0036] The BS may be operable to provide radio coverage to a specific geographical area using multiple cells forming the RAN. The BS may support the operations of the cells. Each cell may be operable to provide services to at least one UE within its radio coverage.

[0037] Each cell (may often referred to as a serving cell) may provide services to one or more UEs within the cell’s radio coverage, such that each cell schedules the DL (and optionally UL resources) to at least one UE within its radio coverage for DL (and optionally UL packet transmissions from the UE). The BS may communicate with one or more UEs in the radio communication system via the cells.

[0038] A cell may allocate sidelink (SL) resources for supporting the Proximity Services (ProSe) or Vehicle to Everything (V2X) services. Each cell may have overlapped coverage areas with other cells.

[0039] In Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) cases, the primary cell of a Master Cell Group (MCG) or a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) may be referred to as a Special Cell (SpCell). A Primary Cell (PCell) may include the SpCell of an MCG. A Primary SCG Cell (PSCell) may include the SpCell of an SCG. MCG may include a group of serving cells associated with the Master Node (MN), including the SpCell and optionally one or more Secondary Cells (SCells). An SCG may include a group of serving cells associated with the Secondary Node (SN), including the SpCell and optionally one or more SCells.

[0040] As discussed above, the frame structure for NR may support flexible configurations for accommodating various next generation (e.g., 5G) communication requirements, such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), while fulfilling high reliability, high data rate, and low latency requirements. The Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology in the 3GPP may serve as a baseline for an NR waveform. The scalable OFDM numerology, such as adaptive sub-carrier spacing, channel bandwidth, and Cyclic Prefix (CP), may also be used.

[0041] Two coding schemes may be considered for NR, specifically, Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code and Polar Code. The coding scheme adaption may be configured based on channel conditions and / or service applications.

[0042] At least the DL transmission data, a guard period, and UL transmission data should be included in a transmission time interval (TTI) of a single NR frame. The respective portions of the DL transmission data, the guard period, and the UL transmission data should also be configurable based on, for example, the network dynamics of NR. SL resources may also be provided in an NR frame to support ProSe services or V2X services.

[0043] Any two or more than two of the following paragraphs, (sub)-bullets, points, actions, behaviors, terms, or claims described in the present disclosure may be combined logically, reasonably, and properly to form a specific method.

[0044] Any sentence, paragraph, (sub)-bullet, point, action, behaviors, terms, or claims described in the present disclosure may be implemented independently and separately to form a specific method.

[0045] Dependency, e.g., “based on”, “more specifically”, “preferably”, “in one embodiment”, “in some implementations”, etc., in the present disclosure is just one possible example which would not restrict the specific method.

[0046] In some implementations, all the designs / embodiment / implementations introduced within this disclosure are not limited to be applied for dealing with the problems discussed within this disclosure. For example, the described embodiments may be applied to solve other problems that exist in the RAN of wireless communication systems. In some implementations, all of the numbers listed within the designs / embodiment / implementations introduced within this disclosure are just examples and for illustration, for example, of how the described methods are executed.

[0047] Examples of some selected terms in the present disclosure are provided as follows.

[0048] User Equipment (UE): The UE may be referred to as PHY / MAC / RLC / PDCP / SDAP entity. The PHY / MAC / RLC / PDCP / SDAP entity may be referred to the UE.

[0049] Network (NW): The NW may be a network node, a TRP, a cell (e.g., SpCell (Special Cell), PCell, PSCell, and / or SCell), an eNB, a gNB, and / or a base station.

[0050] Camped on a cell: Camped on a cell may refer to a state where the UE has completed the cell selection / reselection process and has chosen a cell. In this state, the UE may monitor system information and, in most cases, paging information.

[0051] Camped on any cell: Camped on any cell may refer to a state where the UE, while in an idle mode, has completed the cell selection / reselection process and has chosen a cell irrespective of its Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity.

[0052] Equivalent PLMN list: The equivalent PLMN list may refer to a list of PLMNs considered as equivalent by the UE for cell selection, cell reselection, and handover, according to information provided by the Non-Access Stratum (NAS).

[0053] Registration Area: The Registration Area may refer to an area in which the UE may roam without a need to perform a location registration, which may be a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) procedure.

[0054] Registered PLMN: The Registered PLMN may refer to the PLMN on which the UE has completed a location registration procedure.

[0055] Reserved Cell: The Reserved Cell may refer to a cell on which camping is not allowed, except for particular UEs if the system information indicates such an exception.

[0056] Selected PLMN: The Selected PLMN may refer to the PLMN that the NAS has chosen, either manually or automatically.

[0057] Serving cell: The Serving cell may refer to the cell on which the UE is camped.

[0058] Strongest cell: The Strongest cell may refer to the cell on a particular frequency that is considered the strongest according to the layer 1 cell search procedure.

[0059] Suitable Cell: The Suitable Cell may refer to a cell on which the UE may camp. In some implementations, the Suitable Cell may satisfy one or more of the following conditions: 　　　　1) the cell is part of either the Selected PLMN, the registered PLMN, or a PLMN of the Equivalent PLMN list; 　　　　2) the cell selection criteria are fulfilled; 　　　　3) the cell is not barred according to the last information provided by the NAS; and 　　　　4) the cell is part of at least one Tracking Area (TA) that is not part of the list of “Forbidden Tracking Areas,” where the TA belongs to a PLMN that fulfills the first condition.

[0060] Barred cell: The Barred cell may refer to a cell the UE is not allowed to camp on.

[0061] Cell A: The Cell A may refer to a cell that periodically transmits at least its own System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0062] NES Cell: The NES Cell may refer to a cell that transmits the SIB1 in response to an Uplink (UL) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) from a UE.

[0063] NES-Capable UE: The NES-Capable UE may refer to a UE that supports the NES function.

[0064] Network energy saving may be of great importance for environmental sustainability, to reduce environmental impact (such as greenhouse gas emissions), and for operational cost savings. As Fifth Generation (5G) technology may be becoming pervasive across industries and geographical areas, handling more advanced services and applications that may require very high data rates (e.g., Extended Reality (XR)), networks are being denser, use more antennas, employ larger bandwidths, and operate across more frequency bands. The environmental impact of 5G needs to stay under control, and novel solutions to improve network energy savings need to be developed.

[0065] The SIB1 includes information that provides UEs with essential information to perform basic operation, where SIB1 associated with a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) is broadcast by a next-generation Node B (gNB) or Network (NW). In legacy systems, a cell that is a candidate for a Primary Cell (PCell) may always send SIB1, which causes additional power consumption. Thus, the cell may transmit SIB1 according to a request sent by a UE for energy saving purposes, called “On-demand SIB1,” especially for a UE in an RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0066] In the following descriptions, the technical aspects to support on-demand SIB1 are described, especially for cell reservation and access restriction.

[0067] Single-Cell Scenario: A NES-Capable UE may only detect SSB(s) from a NES Cell, may obtain WUS configuration from the NES Cell, and may send UL WUS based on the WUS configuration to the NES Cell to acquire the corresponding SIB1.

[0068] In some implementations, the NES-Capable UE may identify whether the detected cell is a legacy cell or a NES Cell by an explicit method or an implicit method.

[0069] Multi-Cell Scenario: A NES-Capable UE may detect SSB(s) from NES Cell(s) and Cell A, may obtain assistance information for performing On-demand SIB1 operation (e.g., WUS configuration) from Cell A, and may send UL WUS based on assistance information to a detected NES Cell or Cell A to acquire the corresponding SIB1.

[0070] In some implementations, the NES-Capable UE may camp on Cell A if Cell A is considered as a suitable cell by the NES-Capable UE during a cell (re)selection procedure.

[0071] In some implementations, the NES-Capable UE may identify whether the detected cell is a legacy cell, Cell A, or a NES Cell by an explicit method (e.g., the spare bit in MIB) or an implicit method.

[0072] In some implementations, the NES-Capable UE may not camp on a NES Cell before receiving the corresponding SIB1 based on On-demand SIB1 operation.

[0073] In some implementations, the NES-Capable UE camped on Cell A may not establish an RRC connection due to UAC indicated by Cell A. In other words, the NES-Capable UE may be barred by Cell A via UAC.

[0074] In some implementations, Cell A may be associated with one or multiple NES Cells, where the association may be provided by an explicit method (e.g., a PCI list in WUS configuration, a PCI list in the requested SIBX) or an implicit method (e.g., redirecting information).

[0075] In some implementations, the NES-Capable UE camped on Cell A may expect to establish an RRC connection with a NES Cell, where the NES Cell may be associated with Cell A providing assistance information.

[0076] It should be noted that a non-NES-capable UE (e.g., a legacy UE) may operate based on 3GPP specifications that refer to versions prior to Release 19.

[0077] Cell Selection and Cell Reselection When a UE attends to camp on a cell, the cell may need to be selected based on a cell selection procedure or cell reselection procedure. If the UE does not camp on any cell yet, a cell selection procedure may be applied by the UE to find a suitable cell. If the UE has camped on a cell, a cell reselection procedure may be applied by the UE to find a more suitable cell.

[0078] A cell selection procedure may be performed without prior knowledge (initial cell search) or by leveraging stored information. For initial cell search, the UE may scan all RF channels in the NR bands according to its capabilities to find a suitable cell. On each frequency, the UE may only search for the strongest cell, and once a suitable cell is found, this cell may be selected. For cell selection by leveraging stored information, the UE may scan cells by leveraging stored information, and once the UE has found a suitable cell, the UE may select the suitable cell. It is noted that the initial cell selection procedure may be started if no suitable cell is found.

[0079] Each cell searched by the UE during cell selection or cell reselection may include at least one PLMN equal to the selected PLMN, the registered PLMN, or a PLMN of the equivalent PLMN list, where the selected PLMN, the registered PLMN, or a PLMN of the equivalent PLMN list is informed from NAS to the UE. Moreover, the selected PLMN, the registered PLMN, or the equivalent PLMN list may be provided according to a PLMN selection procedure. For a PLMN selection procedure, NAS may obtain a list of available PLMNs based on a cell search procedure performed by the UE, where the UE may report to the NAS all high-quality PLMNs (e.g., measured RSRP higher than the configured RSRP threshold) or all acceptable PLMNs with their RSRP values. It should be noted that a UE may perform a cell search procedure on a frequency or a RAT based on UE capability.

[0080] Cell Reservation and Access Restriction

[0081] A gNB or NW may control cell selection and reselection procedures by using cell status indication and special reservations. The gNB or NW may also control load by using UAC related to access restriction.

[0082] Cell Status and Cell Reservation: A UE may identify the cell status of a detected cell by decoding the corresponding MIB and SIB1. Cell status may be indicated as barred or not barred directly according to the setting of the field cellBarred in MIB. For example, the UE may identify that the cell status is barred if the cellBarred field is set to barred. On the other hand, the UE may treat the cell as barred if cell status is barred according to the setting of reserved information in SIB1. For example, the UE may treat the cell as if cell status is barred when the field cellReservedForOtherUse is set to true. The UE may treat the cell as a candidate during cell selection and cell reselection procedures if cell status is not barred or the UE does not treat the cell as if cell status is barred.

[0083] Access Restriction: A gNB or NW may perform access restriction for a UE by using UAC to prevent selected access categories or access identities from sending initial access messages. The information related to UAC may be broadcast in the SIB1 (e.g., the uac-BarringInfo IE) by the gNB or NW. In some implementations, the UE may camp on the cell, be restricted from accessing the cell due to UAC barring, and search for another cell to establish RRC Connection by using a cell reselection procedure.

[0084] When cell status barred is indicated or is to be treated as if the cell status is barred, the UE may not select or reselect this cell during a cell selection or cell reselection procedure, not even for emergency calls. More specifically, the cell may be excluded as a candidate for cell (re)selection for or up to 300 seconds if the UE considers the cell status of the cell to be barred or treated as if the cell status is barred. On the other hand, if barring is due to being unable to acquire the MIB, the UE may select another cell on the same frequency that meets the selection criteria. If the field intraFreqReselection in the MIB message is set to “allowed,” the UE may select another cell on the same frequency that meets re-selection criteria. If the field intraFreqReselection in the MIB message is set to "not allowed" and barring is due to being unable to acquire the SIB1, the UE may not re-select to another cell on the same frequency as the cell. It should be noted that if the intraFreqReselection field in the MIB message is set to “not allowed,” all cells on the same frequency as the barring cell may be excluded as candidates during the cell selection or reselection procedures for 300 seconds.

[0085] In the multi-cell scenarios, a NES-capable UE may obtain WUS configuration from Cell A and may send UL WUS to a NES cell to acquire on-demand SIB1 from the NES cell. From a NES-capable UE perspective, the following issues may need to be addressed: 　　　　1) How to identify if a detected cell is a NES cell or Cell A? 　　　　2) How to obtain WUS configuration from Cell A? 　　　　3) How to obtain On-demand SIB1 from the NES cell? 　　　　4) How to camp on a NES cell?

[0086] A NES-capable UE may identify the cell type of a detected cell according to information from the detected cell and / or another cell. For example, the NES-capable UE may identify the cell type based only on information from the currently detected cell. For example, the NES-capable UE may identify the cell type based only on information from another cell (e.g., Cell A). For example, the NES-capable UE may identify the cell type based on information from the currently detected cell and another cell. On the other hand, if a legacy UE detects Cell A or a NES cell, the legacy UE may be unable to distinguish whether the detected cell is Cell A, a NES cell, or a cell that does not support the NES feature.

[0087] In some implementations, the legacy UE may be barred by the detected NES cell due to being unable to acquire MIB or SIB1. For example, the legacy UE may be barred due to the field cellBarred in MIB being set to barred. For example, the legacy UE may be barred due to being unable to acquire SIB1 before on-demand SIB1 is transmitted. It should be noted that MIB acquisition may occur before SIB1 acquisition.

[0088] In some implementations, the (legacy) UE may camp on Cell A but may be unable to obtain WUS configuration from Cell A. For example, if WUS configuration is provided by Cell A based on On-demand System Information (OSI) acquisition, the legacy UE may be unable to decode the corresponding information for acquisition of WUS configuration in the SI-SchedulingInfo IE of SIB1.

[0089] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may identify the cell type based on information from the currently detected cell. For example, a NES cell may inform a NES-capable UE of its cell type by explicitly specifying a particular value for the spare bit in the MIB, the subcarrier offset, and / or the reserved bits in the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload. For example, a NES Cell may inform a NES-capable UE of its cell type by redirecting the NES-capable UE to detect SSB(s) associated with Cell A. More specifically, if the NES-capable UE detects first SSB(s) including the field cellBarred in MIB set to barred / not barred, 24 ≦ kSSB≦ 29 for FR1 or 12 ≦ kSSB≦ 13 for FR2, the NES-capable UE may determine the nearest (in the corresponding frequency direction) Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN) of the second SSB(s) having a Control Resource Set (CORESET) for an associated Type0-Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Common Search Space (CSS) set as NReferenceGSCN+ NOffsetGSCN, where NReferenceGSCNis the GSCN of the first SSB(s) and NOffsetGSCNis a GSCN offset provided by Table 13-16 for FR1 and Table 13-17 for FR2 in TS 38.213 V17.1.0. If the NES-capable UE detects the second SSB(s) associated with Cell A and / or obtains the association between Cell A and the NES cell from Cell A (e.g., WUS Configuration), the NES-capable UE may consider that the cell associated with the first SSB(s) may be a NES cell. In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE identifies the cell associated with second SSB(s) as Cell A, the NES-capable UE may consider the cell associated with the first SSB(s) as a NES cell. It should be noted that the GSCN corresponding to the second SSB(s) associated with Cell A provided by the NES cell may also be regarded as the redirecting information.

[0090] In some implementations, the WUS configuration stored by a UE may become invalid on the UE side. In such a case, the UE may be unable to identify the NES Cells after the stored WUS configuration becomes invalid. In some implementations, the WUS configuration may be considered valid to the UE before the UE re-obtains a valid WUS configuration from the serving cell. In some implementations, the WUS configuration may include one or more NES Cell identity lists (e.g., a PCI list).

[0091] A NES-capable UE may obtain WUS configuration from Cell A, where the WUS configuration may include at least the content used to transmit UL WUS to a NES cell. For example, the content may include time-frequency domain information and / or power domain information used to transmit UL WUS to the NES cell.

[0092] In some implementations, the WUS configuration may be included in Cell A’s SIB1, where the NES-capable UE may transmit UL WUS to a dedicated NES cell associated with Cell A, any one of the NES cells associated with Cell A, or all the NES cells associated with Cell A.

[0093] In some implementations, the WUS configuration may be included in SIBx, where the NES-capable UE may send a request to Cell A for acquiring SIBx based on On-demand SI acquisition. More specifically, information needed for acquisition of SIBx may be included in Cell A’s SIB1. For example, the scheduling information list within the SI-SchedulingInfo IE may include a SchedulingInfo IE associated with a SIB-Mapping IE. The SIB-Mapping IE may include a SIB-TypeInfo IE that includes the field “type” which may be set to SIBx (e.g., ENUMERATED {..., sibTypex, ..., spare3, spare2, spare1, ...}). Moreover, the NES-capable UE may transmit UL WUS to a dedicated NES cell associated with Cell A, any one of the NES cells associated with Cell A, or all the NES cells associated with Cell A. In other words, the WUS configuration may be applied to a specific NES cell associated with Cell A, or it may be common to all NES cells associated with Cell A.

[0094] In some implementations, UL WUS may be a preamble generated based on WUS configuration, where the WUS configuration may include one or more Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) root sequence indices used to generate a set of preambles based on clause 6.3.3.1 in TS 38.211 V15.10.0. It should be noted that the preamble may be a short format (e.g., LRA= 139) or a long format (e.g., LRA= 879). In some implementations, the number of preambles belonging to the set may be less than or equal to 64.

[0095] In some implementations, the first set of preambles used for Cell A’s related procedures (e.g., Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure, OSI request) and the second set of preambles used for UL WUS transmission may be disjoint. More specifically, the PRACH root sequence index(es) (e.g., the field prach-RootSequenceIndex) used to generate the first set and the second set may be different. For example, a first field prach-RootSequenceIndex in RRC configuration (e.g., the RACH-ConfigCommon IE) from Cell A’s SIB1 may be used to generate multiple preambles for Cell A’s related procedure. For example, a second field prach-RootSequenceIndex in RRC configuration may be used to generate multiple preambles for UL WUS transmission, where the second field prach-RootSequenceIndex may be included in WUS configuration and / or Cell A’s SIB1 and / or SIBx. It should be noted that the correlation between the preambles from the first and the second sets may be (close to) zero. In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may support generating two sets of preambles respectively corresponding to two root sequence indices.

[0096] In some implementations, the second set of preambles used for UL WUS transmission may be a subset of the first set used for Cell A’s related procedures (e.g., RACH procedure, OSI request), where the NES-capable UE may be configured with this information by Cell A via RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling. For example, the NES-capable UE may be configured with one or more indices by Cell A via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI signaling, where the configured index(es) may correspond to one or more preambles within the first set used for Cell A’s related procedures, and the corresponding preambles may be used for UL WUS transmission. For example, the NES-capable UE may be configured or indicated to an index in the FeatureCombinationPreambles IE corresponding to a preamble used to perform UL WUS to the NES cell. For example, the NES-capable UE may be configured or indicated to one or more preambles in the FeatureCombinationPreambles IE corresponding to one or more preambles used to perform UL WUS to the NES cell. Moreover, the NES-capable UE may be configured or indicated to a field corresponding to the index of the starting preamble used for UL WUS transmission and another field corresponding to the number of preambles used for UL WUS transmission. In other words, the second set may be described by these two fields.

[0097] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may randomly select a preamble from the second set to perform UL WUS transmission. It should be noted that “randomly select” may prevent signaling overhead. In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may be indicated or configured by Cell A via DCI signaling, paging message, or RRC signaling with a preamble from the second set to perform UL WUS transmission. It should be noted that the indicated or configured preamble may prevent collision due to using the same preamble within the second set.

[0098] In some implementations, Cell A may be associated with one or more NES cells, where the NES-capable UE may obtain the association from Cell A based on an explicit method or an implicit method. For example, Cell A may provide a PCI list to a NES-capable UE via RRC signaling, where the PCI list may correspond to a set of NES cells. Thus, the NES-capable UE may identify a NES cell according to the provided PCI list. In some implementations, the PCI list may be included in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB1, and / or SIBx. For example, a NES-capable UE may identify a NES cell according to the redirecting information from the NES cell, where the NES-capable UE may detect SSB(s) associated with Cell A based on the redirecting information. More specifically, the NES-capable UE may detect SSB(s) associated with the cell based on the redirecting information; then, the NES-capable UE may identify whether the detected cell is Cell A or not based on PBCH payload, WUS configuration, SIBx, and / or Cell A’s SIB1.

[0099] In some implementations, if WUS configuration is applied to a specific NES cell associated with Cell A, the NES-capable UE receiving WUS configuration may perform UL WUS transmission to a specific NES cell based on WUS configuration, SIBx, and / or Cell A’s SIB1. For example, the PCI corresponding to the specific NES cell may be included in WUS configuration, SIBx, and / or Cell A’s SIB1. Thus, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the specific NES cell based on the PCI.

[0100] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may use the stored information to perform UL WUS transmission to the specific NES cell. For example, the NES-capable UE may detect SSB(s) associated with a NES cell and store the related information on its own device (e.g., MIB, L1-RSRP, and / or time-frequency information of SSB), before detecting SSB(s) associated with Cell A. Thus, if the NES-capable UE obtains WUS configuration from Cell A, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the specific NES cell based on the stored information.

[0101] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may obtain the information of SSB(s) associated with the specific NES cell based on WUS configuration, SIBx, and / or Cell A’s SIB1. For example, the NES-capable UE may obtain the PCI and / or time-frequency information of SSB(s) associated with the specific NES cell based on WUS configuration, SIBx, and / or Cell A’s SIB1, before detecting SSB associated with the NES cell. Thus, if the NES-capable UE obtains WUS configuration, the NES-capable UE may try to detect SSB associated with the specific NES cell based on the information. If the NES-capable UE successfully detects SSB associated with the specific NES cell, then the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the specific NES cell. In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE obtains WUS configuration and fails to detect SSB associated with the specific NES cell based on the information, the NES-capable UE may request to update WUS configuration / SIBx, or perform a cell reselection procedure. For example, if the WUS configuration is included in SIBx, the NES-capable UE may send SystemInformationRequest to Cell A to acquire an updated SIBx, where the NES-capable UE may successfully detect SSB associated with the specific NES cell based on WUS configuration in the updated SIBx.

[0102] In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE camps on Cell A and obtains the WUS configuration and PCI list (of NES Cells) from Cell A via RRC signalling, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to a specific NES cell based on the WUS configuration, where the PCI of the specific NES cell may be a PCI from the PCI list. In some implementations, the PCI of the specific NES cell may be determined by the NES-capable UE based on the measurement results of the NES cell(s) included in the PCI list within a duration configured by the NES-capable UE. For example, the determined PCI may correspond to the specific NES cell with the strongest L1-RSRP in the stored information. For example, the determined PCI may be selected randomly by the NES-capable UE from the PCIs associated with the stored information. For example, the determined PCI may be selected randomly by the NES-capable UE from the PCIs associated with the stored information, which meet a criterion (e.g., L1-RSRP / L3-RSRP threshold, cell selection criterion S and / or criteria R referred to 3GPP TS 38.304 V15.8.0). It should be noted that the PCI set associated with the stored information may be a subset of the PCI list. Moreover, the complement of the PCI set associated with the stored information may refer to the PCI set corresponding to the NES cell(s) which may not or cannot be detected by the NES-capable UE.

[0103] In some implementations, the PCI of the specific NES cell may be configured or indicated by Cell A to the NES-capable UE via RRC signaling / DCI signaling. For example, Cell A may configure the NES-capable UE with a Paging Message including the PCI of the specific NES cell (e.g., a field indicating the PCI value applicable to a NES-capable UE, the value of the PCI order in the PCI list). More specifically, a field nonCriticalExtension may be associated with a first IE including the indicated PCI value, where the first IE is specific to the NES-capable UE. In some implementations, Cell A may notify the Paging Message to one or more NES-capable UEs via a paging IE, where the paging IE may include a list associated with the ID of the NES-capable UEs (e.g., the field ue-Identity). More specifically, a NES-capable UE may identify that the Paging Message is applicable to itself. For example, Cell A may indicate to the NES-capable UE with Short Messages the PCI of the specific NES cell (e.g., the reserved bits are used to represent the value of the PCI order in the PCI list), where the Short Messages may be transmitted on PDCCH using P-RNTI with or without associated Paging Message using Short Message field in DCI format 1_0. In some implementations, the indicated PCI of the specified NES cell included in the Short Message may only be decoded by a NES-capable UE (e.g., the indication field is only applicable for a NES-capable UE).

[0104] A NES-capable UE may obtain WUS configuration from Cell A. The NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to a NES cell based on the WUS configuration, and the NES-capable UE may receive on-demand SIB1 from the NES cell.

[0105] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may obtain WUS configuration from Cell A when the NES-capable UE is camping on Cell A and is barring due to UAC barring. Moreover, the NES-capable UE may or may not send a request to acquire WUS configuration from Cell A.

[0106] Triggering Condition(s) to Perform UL WUS Transmission

[0107] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell in response to receiving WUS configuration from Cell A, where the NES-capable UE may be barred by Cell A due to UAC barring before receiving the WUS configuration from Cell A.

[0108] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell in response to receiving an indication or configuration associated with the PCI of the specific NES cell from Cell A, where the NES-capable UE may receive WUS configuration before receiving the indication or configuration from Cell A. Moreover, once the NES-capable UE has received an indication or configuration associated with the PCI of the specific NES cell from Cell A, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell associated with that PCI.

[0109] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell when the NES-capable UE is able to search the NES cell. For example, the NES-capable UE may determine, be indicated, or be configured with the specific PCI. Then, the NES-capable UE may attempt to search the NES cell with the specific PCI. If applicable, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell.

[0110] In some implementations, the value of L1-RSRP / L3-RSRP of the searched NES cell may need to fulfill a criterion or a set of criteria (e.g., a configured threshold, cell selection criteria S). If not, the searched NES cell may be ignored. In some implementations, the required parameters (e.g., q-RxLevMin, q-RxLevMinOffset, q-RxLevMinSUL, q-QualMin, and / or q-QualMinOffset) used to check the criteria may be provided in the WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB1, and / or SIBx. In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE receives a specific PCI for the NES cell in the WUS configuration and detects an SSB with the specific PCI, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell. In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE receives a specific PCI for the NES cell in the WUS configuration and the UE detects an SSB with the specific PCI, and the L1-RSRP / L3-RSRP of the SSB fulfills a criterion or a set of criteria (e.g., a configured threshold, cell selection criteria S), the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell.

[0111] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the best NES cell determined by the NES-capable UE. For example, the NES-capable UE may rank NES cells within the PCI list based on the corresponding measurement results (e.g., L1-RSRP / L3-RSRP). Then, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell with the best rank. In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may obtain the GSCN of SSB(s) of each of the NES cells within the PCI list, where this information may be provided in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB1, and / or SIBx. More specifically, the NES-capable UE may measure each NES cell based on the related GSCN. However, the NES-capable UE may not be able to measure a NES cell if the NES-capable UE is out of coverage for the NES cell.

[0112] In some implementations, the NES cell with the PCI in the obtained PCI list may be considered as a candidate for ranking if the corresponding measurement results fulfill a first criteria (e.g., cell selection criteria S, a configured threshold). The required parameters (e.g., q-RxLevMin-NES, q-RxLevMinOffset-NES, q-RxLevMinSUL-NES, q-QualMin-NES, and / or q-QualMinOffset-NES) used to check the first criteria may be provided in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB1, and / or SIBx. Moreover, the required parameters may be common for all NES cells with the PCIs in the obtained PCI list. In some implementations, the field q-RxLevMin-NES, q-RxLevMinOffset-NES, q-RxLevMinSUL-NES, q-QualMin-NES, and / or q-QualMinOffset-NES may reuse the field q-RxLevMin, q-RxLevMinOffset, q-RxLevMinSUL, q-QualMin, and / or q-QualMinOffset in Cell A’s SIB1, respectively. In some implementations, the candidate NES cells at the same frequency may be ranked by the NES-capable UE based on a cell-ranking criterion (e.g., the cell-ranking criterion in TS 38.304 V15.8.0). Moreover, the required parameters used to rank the candidate NES cells may be provided in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB (e.g., SIB1, SIB2), and / or other SIBx. In some implementations, if the UE detects more than one NES cell (with PCIs listed in the PCI list in the WUS configuration), the UE may transmit UL WUS to one of the multiple NES cells which has the best SSB measurement result (e.g., with the highest L1-RSRP, L1-RSRQ, L1-SINR, and / or L3-RSRP).

[0113] In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may perform a measurement on a NR frequency, where the priority of the NR frequency may be higher than the priority of the current frequency. Then, the NES-capable UE may rank the NES cell(s) belonging to the NR frequency based on the cell-ranking criterion. Moreover, the required parameters used to rank the candidate NES cells and the NR frequency priorities may be provided in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB (e.g., SIB1, SIB2), and / or other SIBx.

[0114] UE Behaviors After Performing UL WUS Transmission

[0115] In some implementations, if a NES-capable UE performs UL WUS transmission to a specific NES cell, the NES-capable UE may monitor the SSB(s) associated with the specific NES cell for a duration, where the duration may be a fixed value or provided via RRC signalling (e.g., WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB (e.g., SIB1, SIB2), or other SIBx). For example, a timer with the duration may be started when the NES-capable UE performs UL WUS transmission to the specific NES cell. Then, the timer with the duration may be stopped when the NES-capable UE receives a response to UL WUS (or a RAR) from the specific NES cell or the timer’s time exceeds the duration. More specifically, the response may refer to ACK / NACK or a change in the PBCH payload.

[0116] In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE receives ACK, the NES-capable UE may expect to receive on-demand SIB1 after the PBCH payload is changed by the specific NES cell. In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE monitors the change in the PBCH payload, the NES-capable UE may expect to receive on-demand SIB1 based on the updated PBCH payload. The NES-capable UE may determine a CORESET and a search space for Type0-PDCCH based on the updated PBCH payload. Then, the NES-capable UE may monitor the DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_0) with CRC scrambled by SI-RNTI based on the CORESET and the search space for Type0-PDCCH. Then, the NES-capable UE may be expected to decode on-demand SIB1 from PDSCH indicated by the DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_0).

[0117] In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE receives NACK, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission again and the timer may be restarted. In some implementations, if the timer expires, the NES-capable UE may not expect to camp on the specific NES cell. In some implementations, if the timer expires, the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission again and the timer may be restarted, where the timer can be restarted N times. More specifically, if the timer is restarted N times and the NES-capable UE fails to obtain on-demand SIB1, the NES-capable UE may not expect to camp on the specific NES cell. More specifically, the value N may be provided in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB1, and / or SIBx. Otherwise, the value N may be a fixed value. In some implementations, the NES-capable UE may be configured with one timer (e.g., the duration, the value N) per frequency (e.g., band, FR1, FR2) from Cell A. Thus, the NW may more flexibly control the loading for each cell.

[0118] In some implementations, if a NES-capable UE performs UL WUS transmission to a specific NES cell and does not expect to camp on the specific NES cell (e.g., does not or cannot obtain on-demand SIB1, or does not receive a response from Cell A), the NES-capable UE may perform UL WUS transmission to the NES cell which has a lower rank than the specific NES cell and has the highest rank within the remaining candidate NES cell(s).

[0119] In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE does not expect to camp on all of the ranking NES cell(s), the NES-capable UE may try to check UAC barring by Cell A and / or send a request to acquire the updated WUS configuration and / or perform a cell reselection procedure. In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE obtains WUS configuration from Cell A, the NES-capable UE may first perform UL WUS transmission to acquire on-demand SIB1 rather than performing a cell reselection procedure.

[0120] In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may camp on Cell A based on the result of a cell (re)selection procedure, where the NES-capable UE may obtain information (e.g., WUS configuration, SIBx) from Cell A that is used to camp on a NES cell.

[0121] Change of Camping Target from Cell A to NES Cell

[0122] In some implementations, if a NES-capable UE obtains on-demand SIB1 from a NES cell, the NES-capable UE may be regarded as camping on the NES cell, where the NES-capable UE may evaluate the corresponding measurement result (e.g., cell selection criteria S) before obtaining on-demand SIB1 from the NES cell or before transmitting UL WUS to the NES cell.

[0123] In some implementations, if a NES-capable UE obtains on-demand SIB1 from a NES cell, the NES-capable UE may consider the NES cell as a candidate cell to perform a cell reselection procedure, where the NES-capable UE may evaluate cell selection criteria S based on the required parameters provided in WUS configuration, Cell A’s SIB1, and / or SIBx. In some implementations, the NES cell may have the highest rank within the candidate cells for the cell reselection procedure, where the NES-capable UE may or may not evaluate a cell-rank criterion for the NES cell.

[0124] In some implementations, if a NES-capable UE obtains on-demand SIB1 from a NES cell, the NES-capable UE may consider the NES cell as a candidate cell to perform a cell reselection procedure, where the NES-capable UE may evaluate cell selection criteria S based on the required parameters provided in the obtained on-demand SIB1. In some implementations, the NES cell may have the highest rank within the candidate cells for the cell reselection procedure, where the NES-capable UE may or may not evaluate a cell-rank criterion for the NES cell.

[0125] Cell Status Modification

[0126] In some implementations, the cell status of a NES cell may be considered as barred by a NES-capable UE due to being unable to acquire MIB or SIB1 when the NES-capable UE detects the SSB(s) associated with the NES cell. In other words, the SSB associated with the NES cell may be a Non-CD-SSB, which means the field cellBarred may be set to barred or no SIB1 is associated with the SSB. When the NES cell is considered that the cell status is barred by the NES-capable UE, the NES-capable UE may preclude the NES cell as a candidate for the cell (re)selection procedure for 300 seconds. For example, if the NES-capable UE precludes a NES cell as a candidate for the cell reselection procedure before transmitting UL WUS to the NES cell and camps on the NES cell based on the result of the cell reselection procedure, the NES-capable UE may need to modify the cell status of the NES cell to consider the NES cell as a candidate for the cell reselection procedure.

[0127] In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may remove a NES cell from the list including or recording the barred cells if the NES-capable UE receives on-demand SIB1 from the NES cell. More specifically, the NES cell may be regarded as a candidate for the cell (re)selection procedure. In other words, the cell status of the NES cell may be modified from barred to not barred.

[0128] In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may remove a cell from the list including or recording the barred cells if the NES-capable UE identifies that the cell is a NES cell. More specifically, each NES cell may not be excluded as a candidate for the cell (re)selection process by NES-capable UEs.

[0129] In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may remove a NES cell from the list including or recording the barred cells if the NES-capable UE performs UL WUS transmission to the NES cell. More specifically, the NES cell may be regarded as a candidate for the cell (re)selection procedure. In other words, the cell status of the NES cell may be modified from barred to not barred.

[0130] Re-selection Restriction

[0131] In some implementations, if the NES-capable UE considers or treats that a cell is barred, and the field intraFreqReselection in MIB is set to notAllowed, and the field cellBarred in MIB is set to notBarred, the NES-capable UE may not re-select for other cells within the intra-frequency. More specifically, the NES-capable UE may exclude such cell(s) as candidate(s) for the cell (re)selection procedure for 300 seconds. For example, if a NES-capable UE detects a NES cell having the setting like the cell before detecting Cell A, and Cell A is in intra-frequency with the NES cell, the NES-capable UE may not camp on Cell A.

[0132] In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may treat the field intraFreqReselection in the MIB of a detected cell as being set to allowed if the NES-capable UE identifies that the detected cell is a NES cell. It should be noted that the NES cell and the associated Cell A are in the intra-frequency. More specifically, cells in the intra-frequency as the NES cell may be considered as candidates for the cell (re)selection procedure. Then, the NES-capable UE may be allowed to camp on Cell A based on the result of the cell (re)selection procedure. Otherwise, the NES-capable UE may have no chance to camp on Cell A.

[0133] In some implementations, a NES-capable UE may consider a cell as a candidate for the cell (re)selection procedure if the NES-capable UE identifies that the cell is Cell A. In other words, the NES-capable UE may treat a cell as a candidate for the cell (re)selection procedure, irrespective of the status of the cell being barred or not barred, if the NES-capable UE identifies the cell is Cell A.

[0134] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method / process 100 performed by a UE for acquiring on-demand system information, according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0135] In the action 102, the process 100 may start by receiving, from a first cell, an UL WUS configuration, the UL WUS configuration may include at least one PCI value.

[0136] In some implementations, the first cell may be an anchor cell. In some implementations, the first cell may be a Cell A that periodically transmits at least the SIB1.

[0137] In some implementations, the UL WUS configuration may include a PCI list which includes at least one PCI value. In some implementations, in response to receiving the UL WUS configuration including at least one PCI value, the UE may determine at least one cell associated with the at least one PCI value to be not barred.

[0138] In some implementations, the UL WUS configuration may further include a parameter indicating a maximum number of WUS transmissions permitted before the WUS transmission is determined as failure by the UE. For example, in a case that the WUS transmission is repeated (e.g., the WUS is transmitted for) a certain number of times, and the certain number exceeds the maximum number indicated by the parameter, the UE may stop the repetition of the WUS transmission. For example, in a case that the WUS transmission is for requesting an OD-SIB1 from a second cell, the UE may not expect to obtain the OD-SIB1 from the second cell when the certain number exceeds the maximum number indicated by the parameter. For example, in a case that the WUS transmission is a preamble transmission for a RACH procedure, the UE may consider the RACH procedure to be failed when the certain number exceeds the maximum number indicated by the parameter.

[0139] In some implementations, the UE may receive, from the first cell, the UL WUS configuration in an idle mode (e.g., RRC_IDLE) or an inactive mode (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE).

[0140] In the action 104, the process 100 may receive, from a second cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, an SSB. Specifically, the UE may attempt to receive SSB(s) from a cell associated with each of the at least one PCI value. When an SSB is received, the UE may obtain / measure an L1-RSRP of the SSB received.

[0141] In some implementations, the second cell may be a non-anchor cell. In some implementations, the second cell may be an NES cell that transmits SIB1 in response to a (UL) WUS from a UE.

[0142] In the action 106, the process 100 may determine whether to perform a WUS transmission to the second cell based on an L1-RSRP of the SSB. Specifically, a cell may be determined only if an SSB received from the cell has an L1-RSRP that meets a (preset) criterion.

[0143] In some implementations, in a case that an SSB is received from a second cell in action 104, the UE may determine whether the L1-RSRP of the SSB meets a criterion. In response to a determination that the L1-RSRP of the SSB meets the criterion, the UE may determine to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell. It should be noted that performing a WUS transmission to the second cell may be referred to transmitting a WUS to the second cell, where the WUS may include, for example, a preamble. In some implementations, the criterion may include a criterion used for a cell (re)selection procedure, such as criterion S.

[0144] In some implementations, when SSBs are received from multiple cells with L1-RSRP values that meet the criterion, one of the cells may be selected and determined for WUS transmission.

[0145] In some implementations, in response to the UE determining to perform a WUS transmission to a second cell, the process may further include actions 108 to 112.

[0146] In the action 108, the process 100 may perform the WUS transmission to the second cell. In the action 110, the UE may monitor, on the second cell, a response to the WUS transmission. In the action 112, in response to a reception of the response, the UE may receive an OD-SIB1 from the second cell, and the process 100 may then end.

[0147] In some implementations, in a case that the response is not received in action 110 within a configured duration, the UE may perform the WUS transmission again. For example, the WUS may include a preamble and the response to the WUS may include an RAR.

[0148] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a node 200 for wireless communication in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a node 200 may include a transceiver 220, a processor 228, a memory 234, one or more presentation components 238, and at least one antenna 236. The node 200 may also include a radio frequency (RF) spectrum band module, a BS communications module, a network communications module, and a system communications management module, Input / Output (I / O) ports, I / O components, and a power supply (not illustrated in FIG. 2).

[0149] Each of the components may directly or indirectly communicate with each other over one or more buses 240. The node 200 may be a UE or a BS that performs various functions disclosed with reference to FIG. 1.

[0150] The transceiver 220 has a transmitter 222 (e.g., transmitting / transmission circuitry) and a receiver 224 (e.g., receiving / reception circuitry) and may be configured to transmit and / or receive time and / or frequency resource partitioning information. The transceiver 220 may be configured to transmit in different types of subframes and slots including, but not limited to, usable, non-usable, and flexibly usable subframes and slot formats. The transceiver 220 may be configured to receive data and control channels.

[0151] The node 200 may include a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media may be any available media that may be accessed by the node 200 and include volatile (and / or non-volatile) media and removable (and / or non-removable) media.

[0152] The computer-readable media may include computer-storage media and communication media. Computer-storage media may include both volatile (and / or non-volatile media), and removable (and / or non-removable) media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or data.

[0153] Computer-storage media may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory (or other memory technology), CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) (or other optical disk storage), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage (or other magnetic storage devices), etc. Computer-storage media may not include a propagated data signal. Communication media may typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanisms and include any information delivery media.

[0154] The term “modulated data signal” may mean a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Communication media may include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media, such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above listed components should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0155] The memory 234 may include computer-storage media in the form of volatile and / or non-volatile memory. The memory 234 may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Example memory may include solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the memory 234 may store a computer-readable and / or computer-executable instructions 232 (e.g., software codes) that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor 228 to perform various functions disclosed herein, for example, with reference to FIG. 1. Alternatively, the instructions 232 may not be directly executable by the processor 228 but may be configured to cause the node 200 (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform various functions disclosed herein.

[0156] The processor 228 (e.g., having processing circuitry) may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc. The processor 228 may include memory. The processor 228 may process the data 230 and the instructions 232 received from the memory 234, and information transmitted and received via the transceiver 220, the baseband communications module, and / or the network communications module. The processor 228 may also process information to send to the transceiver 220 for transmission via the antenna 236 to the network communications module for transmission to a CN.

[0157] One or more presentation components 238 may present data indications to a person or another device. Examples of presentation components 238 may include a display device, a speaker, a printing component, a vibrating component, etc.

[0158] In view of the present disclosure, it is obvious that various techniques may be used for implementing the disclosed concepts without departing from the scope of those concepts. Moreover, while the concepts have been disclosed with specific reference to certain implementations, a person of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of those concepts. As such, the disclosed implementations are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular implementations disclosed and many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A User Equipment (UE) for acquiring on-demand system information, the UE comprising: 　　　　at least one processor; and 　　　　at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to: 　　　　　　　　receive, from a first cell, an Uplink (UL) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration, the UL WUS configuration comprising at least one Physical Cell Identity (PCI) value; 　　　　　　　　receive, from a second cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and 　　　　　　　　determine whether to perform a WUS transmission to the second cell based on a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) of the SSB.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to: 　　　　in response to receiving the UL WUS configuration, determine at least one cell associated with the at least one PCI value to be not barred.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein determining whether to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell based on the L1-RSRP of the SSB comprises: 　　　　determining whether the L1-RSRP meets a criterion used for a cell (re)selection procedure; and 　　　　in response to a determination that the L1-RSRP meets the criterion, determining to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the criterion used for the cell (re)selection procedure comprises criterion S.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein in response to determining to perform the WUS transmission to the second cell, the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the UE to: 　　　　perform the WUS transmission to the second cell; 　　　　monitor, on the second cell, a response to the WUS transmission; and 　　　　receive, from the second cell, an On-Demand System Information Block 1 in response to a reception of the response.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UL WUS configuration further comprises a parameter indicating a maximum number of WUS transmissions permitted before the WUS transmission is determined as failure by the UE.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second cell comprises a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell.

8. A Base Station (BS) for providing configuration information to a User Equipment (UE) to facilitating on-demand system information acquisition, the BS comprising: 　　　　at least one processor; and 　　　　at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the BS to: 　　　　　　　　transmit, to the UE, an Uplink (UL) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration, the UL WUS configuration comprising at least one Physical Cell Identity (PCI) value, 　　　　wherein the UL WUS configuration causes the UE to: 　　　　　　　　receive, from a cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and 　　　　　　　　determine whether to perform a WUS transmission to the cell based on a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) of the SSB.

9. The BS of claim 8, wherein the UL WUS configuration further causes the UE to: 　　　　in response to receiving the UL WUS configuration, determine at least one cell associated with the at least one PCI value to be not barred.

10. The BS of claim 8, wherein determining whether to perform the WUS transmission to the cell based on the L1-RSRP of the SSB comprises: 　　　　determining whether the L1-RSRP meets a criterion used for a cell (re)selection procedure; and 　　　　in response to a determination that the L1-RSRP meets the criterion, determining to perform the WUS transmission to the cell.

11. The BS of claim 10, wherein wherein the criterion used for the cell (re)selection procedure comprises criterion S.

12. The BS of claim 8, wherein the UL WUS configuration further causes the UE to: 　　　　in response to determining to perform the WUS transmission to the cell, 　　　　　　　　perform the WUS transmission to the cell, 　　　　　　　　monitor, on the cell, a response to the WUS transmission, and 　　　　　　　　receive, from the cell, an On-Demand System Information Block 1 in response to a reception of the response.

13. The BS of claim 8, wherein the UL WUS configuration further comprises a parameter indicating a maximum number of WUS transmissions permitted before the WUS transmission is determined as failure by the UE.

14. The BS of claim 8, wherein the cell comprises a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell.

15. A method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for acquiring on-demand system information, the method comprising: 　　　　receiving, from a first cell, an Uplink (UL) Wake-Up Signal (WUS) configuration, the UL WUS configuration comprising at least one Physical Cell Identity (PCI) value; 　　　　receiving, from a second cell associated with one of the at least one PCI value, a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB); and 　　　　determining whether to perform a WUS transmission to the second cell based on a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) of the SSB.

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