Paging Early Indication and Subgrouping for UE Power Saving
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, UEs in idle or inactive states periodically wake up to monitor paging occasions (POs), leading to increased power consumption due to unnecessary decoding of physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH) intended for other UEs, resulting in false pages and reduced battery life.
Innovation Solution
Implementing paging early indication (PEI) and paging subgrouping to reduce power consumption by allowing UEs to determine if they need to stay awake and monitor a PO based on a PEI bit, and by dividing UEs into subgroups to minimize the number of UEs monitoring the same PO.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UEs periodically wake up to monitor paging occasions, then the network can deliver paging messages to idle/inactive UEs, but power consumption increases due to unnecessary decoding of PDSCH intended for other UEs
Solution Approach 1:
The network transmits a PEI (Paging Early Indication) signal before the actual paging occasion to indicate whether paging messages will be transmitted. UEs wake up earlier to monitor this brief PEI signal, and if it indicates no paging for their group, they can return to sleep without decoding the full PDSCH, thus avoiding unnecessary power consumption while maintaining reliable page delivery
Solution Approach 2:
UEs are divided into different paging subgroups, and the PEI signal includes multiple bits corresponding to different subgroups. Each UE only needs to monitor the specific bit corresponding to its subgroup, reducing the probability of false pages and allowing more precise power saving decisions without compromising overall paging reliability
2Loss of time
If UEs monitor paging occasions frequently, then paging messages can be delivered promptly, but battery life is reduced due to increased wake-up frequency
Solution Approach 1:
By transmitting PEI before the actual paging occasion, the system provides advance notice to UEs about whether they need to remain awake. This allows UEs to extend their sleep duration when not paged, reducing battery consumption over time, while maintaining the original paging delivery timing when pages are actually sent
Solution Approach 2:
The PEI is transmitted periodically at intervals before paging occasions, creating a rhythm where UEs wake up periodically to check the PEI bit. This periodic pattern reduces the frequency of full PDSCH decoding operations, extending battery life while maintaining timely page delivery through the structured periodic schedule
3Productivity
If multiple UEs monitor the same paging occasion, then network resources are efficiently utilized, but false pages increase leading to unnecessary wake-ups
Solution Approach 1:
UEs are divided into multiple paging subgroups, with each subgroup assigned a specific bit in the PEI signal. This segmentation allows the network to efficiently manage multiple UEs by using a compact PEI structure, while each UE only responds to its specific subgroup bit, dramatically reducing false pages and unnecessary wake-ups
Solution Approach 2:
Each paging subgroup is assigned a specific quality attribute (its corresponding PEI bit) that allows targeted monitoring. UEs in different subgroups have different local monitoring requirements, enabling the network to efficiently allocate resources while reducing false pages for each specific UE group through localized indication
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and apparatus for paging early indication (PEI) and paging subgrouping are described herein. One described user equipment (UE) includes a set of one or more transceivers and a processor. The processor is configured to transmit, via the set of one or more transceivers, UE assistance information including a preferred time offset between receipt of a PEI by the UE and receipt of a paging occasion (PO) by the UE; transition from a sleep state to an awake state prior to the PO; and monitor for the PEI via the set of one or more transceivers, after transitioning to the awake state.