Paging Beam Ordering for DRX Power Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
In non-terrestrial networks using New Radio (NR), user equipment (UE) needs to stay awake for an extended period to listen for potential paging messages across multiple beams, leading to unnecessary power consumption, as the existing technologies do not provide clear ordering of paging occasions across beams, causing UE to monitor all beams simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A network node determines and communicates the ordering of paging occasions across multiple communication beams to the UE, allowing it to wake up only during the specific beam's paging occasion, thereby optimizing power savings and reducing unnecessary listening time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If user equipment monitors all beams simultaneously for paging messages, then the probability of receiving paging messages is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the paging monitoring process by dividing beams into different groups and assigning different monitoring behaviors to different UEs. Instead of all UEs monitoring all beams, the system segments the monitoring task across multiple paging occasions and beam groups, allowing UEs to monitor only specific beams at specific times, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining reliable paging reception.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic paging occasions where different beam groups are monitored at different time intervals. UEs wake up periodically to monitor paging messages on specific beams according to their assigned paging occasion, rather than continuously monitoring all beams. This periodic action reduces power consumption by keeping UEs in sleep mode between monitoring intervals.
2Reliability
If user equipment stays awake for extended period to listen for paging messages across multiple beams, then paging message reception is ensured, but unnecessary power consumption occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring UEs with specific paging occasions and beam group assignments before the actual paging process. The network node determines in advance which beams will be used for paging and assigns UEs to specific monitoring schedules. This preliminary configuration allows UEs to sleep during non-monitoring periods and only wake up when needed, eliminating unnecessary power consumption while ensuring paging message reception.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic beam sweeping sequences where the network can adaptively adjust which beams are used for paging at different times. The system dynamically switches between different beam groups across multiple paging occasions, allowing UEs to monitor a smaller set of beams at any given time while the network sweeps through all necessary beams over the course of multiple occasions, reducing UE power consumption while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
3Reliability
If user equipment monitors all communication beams, then paging coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the set of all communication beams into multiple beam groups, where each UE is assigned to monitor only one or more specific beam groups at specific paging occasions. This segmentation reduces the monitoring complexity for each individual UE, as they only need to track a subset of beams rather than all beams simultaneously, while the network ensures comprehensive coverage by sweeping through all beam groups across multiple paging occasions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer of paging occasion scheduling that mediates between the network's beam sweeping requirements and UE monitoring capabilities. The network node acts as an intermediary by determining the beam sweeping sequence and assigning UEs to specific paging occasions, simplifying the UE's task to only monitor pre-assigned beams at pre-assigned times, while the network handles the complexity of coordinating all beams across all UEs.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method comprising: receiving from a network node, by a user equipment of a plurality of user equipment associated with more than one communication beam of a communication network, information comprising locations in time of the user equipment during paging occasions with at least one cell of the communication network associated over more than one communication beam, wherein the information identifies any provided order of the more than one communication beam covering the locations in time of the user equipment during the paging occasions; and based on the information, identifying by the user equipment at least one communication beam and timing of at least one paging occasion, of the paging occasions, for the user equipment.