WO2024227277A1

WO2024227277A1 - Low power wake-up signal and receiver for connected user equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2024227277A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/091945
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sigen Ye; Fangli Xu; Wei Zeng; Dawei Zhang; Dan Wu; Ankit Bhamri
Original assignee: Apple Inc
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2023-05-03
Filing date: 2023-05-03
Publication date: 2024-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-03
Also published as: CN121040115A

Abstract

Techniques for low power wake signal monitoring with a connected discontinuous reception cycle are provided. A method can include a UE processing configuration information that defines resources for low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) monitoring while in a radio resource control (RRC) CONNECTED mode. The UE can detect, while a first radio of the UE is in a sleep state, an LP WUS using a second radio of the UE to monitor the resources for the LP WUS monitoring. The UE can transition, based on said detecting the LP WUS, the first radio from the sleep state to an awake state for a connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) ON duration of a short discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle.

Description

LOW POWER WAKE-UP SIGNAL AND RECEIVER FOR CONNECTED USER EQUIPMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the field of wireless networks and, in particular, to a low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) for a user equipment (UE) in said networks.

BACKGROUND

Cellular communications can be defined in various standards to enable communications between a user equipment and a cellular network. For example, long-term evolution (LTE) and Fifth generation (5G) networks are defined by wireless standards that aim to improve upon data transmission speed, reliability, availability, and more.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is an illustration of a timeline of connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) cycles, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 2 is an illustration of user equipment (UE) power consumption, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Figure 3 is an illustration of power consumption in conjunction with low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) monitoring, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 4 is an illustration of LP WUS monitoring, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 5 is an illustration of LP WUS monitoring, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 6 is an illustration of a base station connected with a UE, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 7 is an illustration of LP WUS monitoring by a UE during a DRX ON duration, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 8 is a process flow for LP WUS monitoring with a CDRX cycle, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 9 is a process flow for LP WUS monitoring during CDRX ON duration, according to one or more embodiments..

Figure 10 is a process flow for LP WUS monitoring during a CDRX ON duration, according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 11 illustrates an example of receive components, in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 12 illustrates an example of a user equipment (UE) , in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 13 illustrates an example of a base station, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For the purposes of the present document, the phrase “A or B” means (A) , (B) , or (A and B) ; and the phrase “based on A” means “based at least in part on A, ” for example, it could be “based solely on A” or it could be “based in part on A. ”

The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

The term “circuitry” as used herein refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) , an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) , a programmable logic device (PLD) , a complex PLD (CPLD) , a high-capacity PLD (HCPLD) , a structured ASIC, or a programmable system-on-a-chip (SoC) ) , digital signal processors (DSPs) , etc., that are configured to provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionality. The term “circuitry” may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) with the program code used to carry out the functionality of that program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuitry.

The term “processor circuitry” as used herein refers to, is part of, or includes circuitry capable of sequentially and automatically carrying out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations, or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term “processor circuitry” may refer to an application processor, baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU) , a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes.

The term “interface circuitry” as used herein refers to, is part of, or includes circuitry that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term “interface circuitry” may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, for example, buses, I/O interfaces, peripheral component interfaces, network interface cards, or the like.

The term “user equipment” or “UE” as used herein refers to a device with radio communication capabilities and may describe a remote user of network resources in a communications network. The term “user equipment” or “UE” may be considered synonymous to, and may be referred to as, client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the term “user equipment” or “UE” may include any type of wireless/wired device or any computing device including a wireless communications interface.

The term “base station” as used herein refers to a device with radio communication capabilities, that is a network component of a communications network (or, more briefly, a network) , and that may be configured as an access node in the communications network. A UE’s access to the communications network may be managed at least in part by the base station, whereby the UE connects with the base station to access the communications network. Depending on the radio access technology (RAT) , the base station can be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB) , eNodeB (eNB) , access point, etc.

The term “network” as used herein reference to a communications network that includes a set of network nodes configured to provide communications functions to a plurality of user equipment via one or more base stations. For instance, the network can be a public land mobile network (PLMN) that implements one or more communication technologies including, for instance, 5G communications.

The term “computer system” as used herein refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term “computer system” or “system” may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled with one another. Furthermore, the term “computer system” or “system” may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled with one another and configured to share computing or networking resources.

The term “resource” as used herein refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component within a particular device, such as computer devices, mechanical devices, memory space, processor/CPU time, processor/CPU usage, processor and accelerator loads, hardware time or usage, electrical power, input/output operations, ports or network sockets, channel/link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, network, database and applications, workload units, or the like. A “hardware resource” may refer to compute, storage, or network resources provided by physical hardware element (s) . A “virtualized resource” may refer to compute, storage, or network resources provided by virtualization infrastructure to an application, device, system, etc. The term “network resource” or “communication resource” may refer to resources that are accessible by computer devices/systems via a communications network. The term “system resources” may refer to any kind of shared entities to provide services and may include computing or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects or services, accessible through a server where such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and are clearly identifiable.

The term “channel” as used herein refers to any transmission medium, either tangible or intangible, which is used to communicate data or a data stream. The term “channel” may be synonymous with or equivalent to “communications channel, ” “data communications channel, ” “transmission channel, ” “data transmission channel, ” “access channel, ” “data access channel, ” “link, ” “data link, ” “carrier, ” “radio-frequency carrier, ” or any other like term denoting a pathway or medium through which data is communicated. Additionally, the term “link” as used herein refers to a connection between two devices for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

The terms “instantiate, ” “instantiation, ” and the like as used herein refer to the creation of an instance. An “instance” also refers to a concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during execution of program code.

The term “connected” may mean that two or more elements, at a common communication protocol layer, have an established signaling relationship with one another over a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

The term “network element” as used herein refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term “network element” may be considered synonymous to or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, or the like.

The term “information element” refers to a structural element containing one or more fields. The term “field” refers to individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains content. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

The term “3GPP Access” refers to accesses (e.g., radio access technologies) that are specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM/GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, and/or 6G. In general, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

The term “Non-3GPP Access” refers any accesses (e.g., radio access technologies) that are not specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and/or fixed networks. Non-3GPP accesses may be split into two categories, "trusted" and "untrusted. " Trusted non-3GPP accesses can interact directly with an evolved packet core (EPC) and/or a 5G core (5GC) , whereas untrusted non-3GPP accesses interwork with the EPC/5GC via a network entity, such as an Evolved Packet Data Gateway and/or a 5G NR gateway. In general, non-3GPP access refers to various types on non-cellular access technologies.

Figure 1 is an illustration 100 of a timeline of connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) cycles, according to one or more embodiments. The timeline includes different intervals for different states that a user equipment (UE) can enter and exit. A first interval 102 can include the UE being in a radio resource control (RRC) CONNECTED mode and receiving a downlink (DL) transmission from a base station or transmitting an uplink (UL) transmission. The first interval 102 can describe a time interval in which a data transfer from a base station to the UE or from the UE to a base station completes. Following the completion of data transfer, the UE can start an inactivity timer which measures the duration of inactivity in terms of not receiving a subsequent DL transmission (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission) from the base station indicating a DL or UL transmission after the inactivity timer begins. The UE can perform one or more DL transmission monitoring intervals 104, in which the UE is monitoring for a DL transmission from the base station. The number of intervals can be based on the length of the inactivity timer. The length of the inactivity timer can be reported to the base station by the UE or the UE can be configured with the inactivity timer information by the base station.

If the inactivity timer expires and the UE does not receive a DL transmission during any of the DL transmission monitoring intervals, the UE in the RRC CONNECTED mode can enter a low-power state (e.g., a sleep state) to conserve energy, such as battery life. It should be appreciated that had the UE detected a DL transmission during one of the DL transmission monitoring intervals 104, the UE could receive the DL transmission and start a new inactivity timer once the DL transmission is complete.

The low power state can be described as connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) state. DRX can be a mechanism used by a UE in an RRC CONNECTED mode to define periodic time intervals in which the UE enters cycles of DRX ON duration and DRX OFF duration. In the DRX ON duration, a first radio (e.g., main radio) of the UE monitors for DL transmissions (e.g., awake state) . In the DRX OFF duration, a second radio (e.g., a wake up receiver (WUR) ) can monitor for a wake up signal (WUS) and the main radio suspends regular operations (e.g., sleep state) .

In some instances, the UE starts a short DRX timer for measuring a duration of inactivity in terms of being in an RRC CONNECTED mode and not receiving DL transmission (e.g., PDCCH transmission) . During the period that the short DRX timer is running, the UE can continue to rotate between a short DRX OFF duration 106 and a short DRX ON duration 108. The number of short DRX duration state cycles can be based on the length of the short DRX timer.

During the short DRX OFF duration state, the main radio of the UE can suspend regular operations to conserve battery life. The base station can provide the UE configuration information that defines resources for trigger monitoring (e.g., a low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) ) while in an RRC CONNECTED mode. The UE can monitor for one or more triggers (e.g., condition 1 110) to cause the UE to switch from the short DRX OFF duration to a short DRX ON duration. For example, a first trigger (e.g., condition 1 110) can be that the WUR receives a signal from the base station for switching from the short DRX OFF duration 106 to the short DRX ON duration 108.

In response to detecting the trigger, the UE can transition to a short DRX ON duration. During the short DRX ON duration 108, the UE can monitor for a PDCCH transmission. A DRX-slot offset 112 can be the time duration between the expected arrival time of a subframe at the UE and the time the UE wakes up from a sleep mode to monitor for the PDCCH transmission. The DRX-slot offset 112 can be described in terms of the number of subframes or slots that the UE delays waking up from the expected arrival time of the PDCCH. If the UE receives an incoming PDCCH, the UE can process the transmission. As illustrated, the UE does not receive an incoming PDCCH transmission and enters another short DRX cycle.

It can be seen that the UE starts a short DRX timer 114 at the beginning of the first short DRX cycle. The short DRX timer can measure a time interval that the UE is performing short DRX cycles. In the event that the timer expires and the UE has not received a DL transmission, the UE can transition to performing long DRX cycles. As illustrated, the UE does not receive a PDCCH transmission while performing short DRX cycles and upon expiration of the timer, the UE transitions to performing long DRX cycles. A long DRX cycle can extend for a longer time interval than a short DRX cycle. The long DRX cycle permits the UE to stay in a sleep state for a longer period of time than the sleep state of the short DRX cycle and thereby conserving more battery power.

Similar to the short DRX cycles, the UE can enter a long DRX OFF duration 116, where the main radio of the UE suspends regular operations. A WUR can monitor for a trigger for waking up, such as a condition 2 118. Condition 2 118 can be the same as condition 1 110, and based on detecting condition 2 118, the UE can transition from the long DRX OFF duration 116 to a long DRX ON duration and monitor for an incoming DL transmission (e.g., a PDCCH transmission) .

One example of a trigger that can be detected by the UE is a wake up signal (WUS) as described in 3GPP Technical Standard (TS) 38.213 V 16.0 (2019-12) . Additionally, a study item on an LP WUS and receiver for new radio (NR) (research proposal RP-213645) is approved for 3GPP Release 18 for the following objectives (1) identify evaluation methodology (including use cases) and key performance indicators (KPIs) . One use case includes an LP WUS/wakeup receiver (WUR) for power-sensitive, small form-factor devices including the Internet of Things (IoT) (2) study and evaluate LP WUR receiver architectures, (3) study and evaluate WUS signal designs to support WURs, (4) study and evaluate layer 1 (L1) procedures and higher layer protocol changes needed to support the WUSs, and (5) study potential UE power saving gains compared to 3GPP release 15/release 16 UE power savings mechanisms and their coverage ability, as well as latency impact. Additionally, studying and evaluating the system impact, such as network power consumption, co-existence with non-lower power-WUR UEs, and network coverage/capacity/resource overhead should be included in the study. Compared to the WUS specified in Rel-16, the LP WUS studied in Rel-18 is expected to enable LP WUR with a very low power consumption to detect the LP WUS. This reduces the power consumption for monitoring WUS, while allowing the main radio to potentially stay in deeper sleep state for longer duration. In contrast, with Rel-16 WUS, which is carried by PDCCH, the UE needs to wake up the main radio in every DRX cycle to monitor Rel-16 WUS.

An LP WUR can generally consume less power (e.g., at least one to two orders of magnitude lower) than the UE’s main radio that performs regular operations in a legacy system. The UE could conserve power by skipping PDCCH monitoring during a CDRX ON duration in instances where no PDCCH transmission is anticipated. To maximize UE power savings, the power consumed for LP WUS monitoring should be less than for monitoring for a PDCCH transmission and receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission.

A PDCCH monitoring adaption indication field was introduced in 3GPP TS 38.213 V 17.0 (2021-12) to support PDCCH skipping and search space set group (SSSG) switching. The base station can indicate PDCCH monitoring 0, 1, or 2 bits. The base station can indicate PDCCH monitoring to the UE using 1 or 2 bits, if searchSpaceGrouIDList-r17 is not configured and if PDCCHSkippingDurationList is configured. The base station can use 1 bit if the UE is configured with one duration by PDCCHSkippingDurationList. For example, the base station can use 2 bits, if the UE is configured with more than one duration by

PDCCHSkippingList.

Additionally, the base station can indicate PDCCH monitoring to the UE using 1 or 2 bits, if searchSpaceGrouIDList-r17 is configured and if PDCCHSkippingDurationList is not configured. For example, the base station can use 1 bit if the UE is configured by searchSpaceGrouIDList-r17 with search space set (s) with group index 0 and search space set(s) with group index 1, and if the UE is not configured by PDCCHSkippingDurationList with any search space set with group index 2. Additionally, the base station can use 2 bits, if the UE is configured by searchSpaceGrouIDList-r17 with search space set (s) with group index 0, search space set (s) with group index 1, and search space set (s) with group index 2.

Additionally, the base station can indicate PDCCH monitoring to the UE using 1 or 2 bits, if searchSpaceGrouIDList-r17 is configured and if PDCCHSkippingDurationList is configured. If any of the above three situations do not apply, the base station can indicate PDCCH monitoring to the UE using 0 bits.

For applications associated with a low traffic load on the UE, the UE can enter CDRX mode to save power. It should be appreciated that the UE still expends power in the CDRX mode as the UE uses power to monitor for PDCCH transmissions during CDRX ON durations.

A UE in an RRC CONNECTED mode can be configured to determine whether to enter a CDRX ON duration based on receiving a first LP WUS while in a CDRX OFF duration. If the UE in the RRC CONNECTED mode receives a wake up indication (e.g., a WUS) while in a CDRX OFF duration, then the UE can enter the CDRX ON duration. If the UE in the RRC CONNECTED mode does not receive a wake up indication, while in a CDRX OFF duration, then the UE can remain in the CDRX OFF duration and skip entering the CDRX ON duration until one or more conditions are met to enter the CDRX ON duration.

A base station can use downlink control information (DCI) to transmit a wake up indication to the UE. In particular, the base station can use DCI format 2_6 to provide the indication to wake up the UE. The DCI can further indicate that UE is to monitor a primary serving cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell group (SCG) serving cell (PSCell) . Under 3GPP TS 38.213, DCI 2_6 applies to long DRX duration cycles and not short DRX duration cycles.

A second LP WUS can be used to indicate PDCCH monitoring for a UE in an RRC CONNECTED mode. In particular, the base station can transmit the second LP WUS to indicate PDCCH monitoring in place of the 3GPP release-16 WUS for CDRX. It should be appreciated that a 3GPP release-16 WUS is configured for a long CDRX cycle, whereas the base station can use an LP WUS to indicate whether to monitor for a PDCCH transmission during the next short DRX cycle.

If the UE receives a wake up indication (e.g., receives a first LP WUS) , the UE can wake up and enter a CDRX ON duration. If the UE receives a second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration, the UE can monitor for a PDCCH during, for example, a DRX cycle such as a short DRX cycle. If the UE does not receive the wake up indication (e.g., does not receive the first LP WUS) , the UE can remain in the sleep state.

Figure 2 is an illustration 200 of UE power consumption, in accordance with one or more embodiments. A first graph 202 is an illustration of power consumption during a DRX ON duration and includes time on an x-axis and power consumption on a y-axis. The first graph 202 illustrates power consumed 204 by a UE during a DRX ON duration 206. As described above, during the DRX ON duration, the UE can be in an awake state and monitoring for potential DL transmissions. As further illustrated, the DRX ON duration is followed by a DRX OFF duration 208. It should be appreciated that although the UE can enter the DRX mode to conserve power, in many instances, the UE expends power, during the DRX ON duration, monitoring for the PDCCH transmission without an actual grant. Therefore, the UE can experience increased power savings, by skipping unnecessary PDCCH monitoring during a DRX ON duration and without increasing a delay.

The second graph 210 is an illustration of power consumption during WUS monitoring and also includes time on an x-axis and power consumption on a y-axis. Power consumption during a DRX on duration has been included as dashed lines for comparison. As illustrated, during WUS monitoring 212, the UE consumes less power than when the UE is monitoring during the DRX ON duration. To achieve maximum power savings gain, the power consumption for WUS monitoring should be lower than that for regular PDCCH monitoring.

Figure 3 is an illustration 300 of power consumption in conjunction with WUS monitoring, according to one or more embodiments. The graph 302 is an illustration of power consumption during a DRX ON duration and includes time on an x-axis and power consumption on a y-axis. A power consumption block 304 is illustrated to describe UE power consumption while WUS monitoring during a sleep state. Block 306 is an illustration of an amount of power consumed by the UE monitoring the PDCCH during a DRX ON duration in the instance that a WUS is received. The UE does not monitor the PDCCH in the DRX OFF duration, and therefore UE power is conserved . The UE can conserve power by skipping PDCCH monitoring for subsequent DRX ON durations until such time that a wake up trigger is detected.

One having ordinary skill in the art will recognize the differences between the concepts described herein and concepts described in 3GPP release 16. For example, in 3GPP release 16, a WUS is always used on top of CDRX, and the WUS indicates whether the UE needs to wake up in the next DRX ON duration. Additionally, in 3GPP, the WUS is transmitted using the PDCCH, while embodiments described herein include an LP WUS that can be a signal designed for a low-power receiver. In 3GPP release 16, a DCI format 2_6 was introduced for notifying power saving information outside DRX active time for one or more UEs. DCI format 2_6 can be used for the LP WUS. The UE can be configured for LP WUS monitoring in the primary cell (PCell) and primary and secondary cell (PSCell) . For an LP WUS concept described herein, if it is used in conjunction with CDRX, it can replace the WUS in 3GPP release 16 and the existing procedures can be reused. In the subsequent descriptions below, embodiments of an LP WUS with CDRX are described.

Figure 4 is an illustration 400 of LP WUS monitoring, according to one or more embodiments. A base station can configure a UE with time and frequency resources to monitor for an LP WUS during an LP WUS monitoring window 402. As illustrated in Figure 4, the base station has configured the UE for a single LP WUS monitoring occasion. The time interval of the single LP WUS monitoring occasion can correspond (e.g., be equal to) the time interval of the LP WUS monitoring window 402. The base station can configure the UE with configuration information to monitor resources to be used for entering a DRX ON duration. A minimum gap 404 may be required between the end of the LP WUS monitoring occasion and an indicated DRX ON duration 406. The minimum gap 404 may be pre-defined or reported by the UE to the base station. The base station can configure the UE with a gap that is greater than or equal to the minimum gap 404.

If the UE detects a trigger (e.g., receiving a first LP WUS) during the LP WUS monitoring occasion, the UE can wake up a UE main radio and enter the DRX ON duration 406. If the UE does not detect any trigger during the LP WUS monitoring occasion, the UE does not does not wake up the main radio and remains in a sleep state.

Figure 5 is an illustration 500 of LP WUS monitoring, according to one or more embodiments. A base station can configure a UE with configuration information to monitor resources to monitor for an LP WUS during an LP WUS monitoring window 502. As illustrated in Figure 5, the base station has configured the UE for multiple LP WUS monitoring occasions during the LP WUS monitoring window 502. The base station can configure the resources to be used for the LP WUS monitoring window greater than or equal to a minimum gap 504 between the end of the LP WUS monitoring window 502 and a DRX ON duration (including a CDRX ON duration) 506. The UE can report the minimum gap 504 to the base station or the base station can configure the UE with the minimum gap 504.

If the UE detects a trigger (e.g., receiving a first LP WUS) during any of the LP WUS monitoring occasions, the UE can wake up a UE main radio and enter the DRX ON duration 406. If the UE does not detect any trigger, the UE does not wake up the main radio and remains in a sleep state.

The minimum gap 404 504 between the end of the LP WUS monitoring occasion or window and the DRX ON duration 406 506 can be a time interval that is sufficient to permit the UE to wake up the main radio prior to the DRX ON duration 406 506. The base station can transmit the LP WUS in a UE-specific signal or message. The base station can also transmit the LP WUS in a group-common signal or message. For example, if the base station transmits the LP WUS as a sequence-based signal, the LP WUS can be a UE-specific signal or message. If, the base station transmits an LP WUS with a payload, the LP WUS can be a group-common signal or message, and different bit (s) in the LP WUS can correspond to different UEs.

As indicated above, the LP WUS can replace the 3GPP release 16 WUS. However, the 3GPP release 16 WUS is configured using with a long DRX ON duration and not for a short DRX ON duration. The LP WUS can be used for a long DRX ON duration and for a short DRX duration. Therefore, the UE can use the LP WUS monitoring occasion to determine whether to skip a short DRX ON duration and a long DRX ON duration.

Figure 6 is an illustration 600 of a base station connected with a UE, according to one or more embodiments. A base station 602 can transmit an LP WUS (e.g., a first LP WUS or a second LP WUS) to a UE 604. The first LP WUS can be a wake up indication which can be detected by the UE 604 with an LP WUR 606. The second LP WUS can be received in a CDRX ON duration and be an indication to start PDCCH monitoring. The LP WUR can detect an LP WUS when the main radio 608 has suspended regular operations (e.g., while in a sleep mode) . The LP WUR 606 can detect the first LP WUS and the UE 604 can awaken the main radio 608. Although as illustrated, the trigger for the UE 604 to transition the main radio from a sleep state to an awake state is the first LP WUS, it should be appreciated that other triggers as described below, can cause the UE 604 to transition from a sleep state to an awake state. There can also be other triggers for causing the UE 604 to perform PDCCH monitoring and transition the main radio from an awake state to a sleep state. The UE 604 can conserve power (e.g., power from battery 610) by staying in a sleep state until such time that a trigger is received. There can, however, be a delay introduced by waiting for the trigger (e.g., LP WUS) and waking up the main radio 608. As illustrated, the LP WUR 606 and the main radio 608 are separate blocks, in some embodiments, the LP WUR 606 and the main radio 608 are included in the same block.

Figure 7 is an illustration 700 of LP WUS monitoring by a UE during a DRX ON duration, according to one or more embodiments. At t₀ a UE 702 can enter a DRX ON duration while in an RRC CONNECTED mode with the base station 704. For example, the base station 704 can transmit a first LP WUS to indicate to the UE 702 to enter the CDRX ON duration.

Additionally, a minimum gap value may be required for the UE 702 to transition from monitoring for a first LP WUS monitoring to a CDRX ON duration. The minimum gap value can be equal to or larger than the minimum time required between receiving the first LP WUS and entering the CDRX ON duration after UE 702 wakes up. The base station 704 can configure the UE properly such that the gap is larger than or equal to the minimum gap based on pre-defined value (s) or the UE’s capability. The minimum gap value can be defined with reference to the start or the end of the first LP WUS. In other words, the minimum gap that is required between the start of the first LP WUS or the end of the LP WUS and entering the CDRX ON duration. In some instances, multiple minimum gap values can be supported in the standards, or the UE 702 has reported multiple minimum gap values. In these instances, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 using a minimum gap value based on, for example, the latency requirement of the data to be received via the PDCCH, a network load, another appropriate parameter.

Alternatively, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 using different minimum gap values based on different conditions. For example, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 with a different minimum gap value based on whether base station transmits a 3GPP release 16 WUS, or an LP WUS, whether the base station 704 transmits an LP WUS in advance of short DRX cycle, or whether the base station transmits an LP WUS during a CDRX ON duration.

At t₁ 708, the UE 702 can enter the CDRX ON duration while in an RRC CONNECTED mode. While in the DRX ON duration, the UE 702 can perform LP WUS monitoring in the CDRX ON duration and then based on detecting a trigger 710 (e.g., a second LP WUS) , the UE 702 can start PDCCH monitoring in the CDRX ON duration.

The UE 702 can further be configured by the base station 704 to monitor the PDCCH for a transmission during the DRX ON duration. In some instances, the PDCCH monitoring controlled by the second LP WUS can include various options. A first option can include the base station 704 indicating to the UE 702 to monitor a UE-specific search space (USS) only. A second option can include the base station 704 indicating to the UE 702 to monitor a USS and a Type-3 common search space. A third option can include the base station 704 indicating to the UE 702 to monitor all USSs and CSSs.

The base station 704 can configure the UE 702 with configuration information for LP WUS monitoring to the UE 702 in RRC CONNECTED mode. The PDCCH monitoring can be in various forms. For example, the PDCCH monitoring can be periodic, periodic with an offset, slot-based monitoring. The configuration information can include a carrier to be monitored with the LP WUS. For each identified carrier, the configuration information can further include a time domain resource. In some instances, the UE 702 can be configured to continuously monitor for the second LP WUS, meaning that the network may transmit the second LP WUS starting at any slot. In other words, the WUR can monitor each symbol in each slot during a CDRX ON duration. In this instance, the base station 704 does not need to configure the UE 702 with a time domain resource for LP WUS monitoring. In other instances, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to periodically monitor for the second LP WUS during the DRX ON duration. The base station 704 can configure the UE 702 with periodicity and offset, which determines when the UE should monitor LP WUS. For example, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to monitor for the second LP WUS in each slot, and the LP WUS may start at the slot boundary. In another example, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to monitor for the second LP WUS every X (e.g., 4) slots, if the data to be received by a subsequent PDCCH transmission is not delay sensitive.

The base station 704 can configure the UE 702 with a frequency domain resource for LP WUS monitoring. In some instances, the base station 704 can define a fixed bandwidth for the second LP WUS. In these instances, the base station 704 can indicate to the UE 702 that the frequency domain resource may be indicated as the starting position, or the center position, or the ending position of the bandwidth in the frequency domain.

Additionally, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 with an identifier (UE ID) or a group identifier for a group of UEs. The UE 702 can use the UE ID or group identifier to determine whether a detected second LP WUS is intended for the UE 702. For example, the UE 702 can determine whether the LP WUS is associated with a UE ID that is associated with the UE 702. If the LP WUS is associated with the UE ID, the UE can begin monitoring for a PDCCH transmission. If the LP WUS is not associated with the UE ID, the UE 702 does not begin monitoring for the PDCCH transmission. The base station 704 can implicitly embed the UE ID in the LP WUS (e.g., impacting what sequence or resource is used by LP WUS) or the UE ID can be directly carried in the LP WUS as part of the payload.

In some instances, the base station 704 can configure multiple sets of time domain and frequency domain resources for the UE 702 to perform LP WUS monitoring. In some other instances, the UE 702 can derive multiple sets of time domain and frequency domain resources based on the network’s configuration. In these instances, the base station 704 can choose one or more of the configured resources to transmit the LP WUS to the UE 702. In some instances, the multiple sets of time domain and frequency domain resources can have a different number of resources. The base station 704 can select the resources based on UE’s RF condition or expected reliability. This concept is similar to different aggregation levels for PDCCH. The LP WUS can carry or embed information as to which of the configured resources is to be used for LP WUS monitoring (e.g., at the beginning of the LP WUS) .

The base station 704 can provide finer granularity by associating the LP WUS configuration information with one or more search space set (s) on one or multiple carriers. In these instances, when the UE 702 monitors for the second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration, the UE 702 may not need to monitor the PDCCH associated with these search space set(s) . When the UE 4033 moves out of a first LP WUS monitoring state (e.g., awakens) , it can monitor the PDCCH associated with these search space set (s) .

The base station 704 can configure the WUS to be UE-specific, with multiple UEs configured with the same resource. If the base station 704 configures multiple UEs with the same group ID, a single WUS can wake up each of these multiple UEs simultaneously. This can provide a tradeoff between UE power saving and resource overhead.

The UE 702 can also start with PDCCH without first performing LP WUS monitoring. For example, the base station 704 can indicate to the UE 702 to enter the CDRX ON duration only in the event that the base station 704 has data to transmit to the UE 702. In this instance, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to start with PDCCH monitoring to reduce latency introduced by LP WUS monitoring. Additionally, the UE 702 can start with LP WUS monitoring. For example, if the base station 704 has data to transmit, the UE 702 can monitor for the LP WUS. After the UE 702 receives the LP WUS, the UE 702 can begin PDCCH monitoring and the base station 704 can start scheduling data to transmit to the UE 702. The base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to start with LP WUS monitoring or start with PDCCH monitoring without LP WUS monitoring. The base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to start with LP WUS monitoring or start with PDCCH monitoring without LP WUS monitoring based on traffic patterns and latency requirements. For example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) data without a predictable pattern or without stringent latency requirements, the base station 704 can indicate to the UE 702 to enter the CDRX ON duration only when the base station 704 has data to transmit. In another example, for periodic or pseudo-periodic traffic (e.g., largely periodic, but with jitter, such as in an extended reality (XR) transmission) , the base station 704 can indicate to the UE 702 to enter the CDRX ON duration even if the base station 704 has no data to transmit, but there will be data transmitted shortly. In this instance, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to start LP WUS monitoring in the CDRX ON duration.

The base station 704 can also dynamically configure the UE 702 to start with LP WUS monitoring or start with PDCCH monitoring without LP WUS monitoring when entering the CDRX ON duration. In these instances, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 for LP WUS monitoring or 3GPP release-16 WUS monitoring for indicating whether to enter the CDRX ON duration. Furthermore, in these instances, the base station 704 can indicate starting a CDRX ON duration with LP WUS/WUS monitoring or PDCCH monitoring using 1 bit or different sequences.

The UE 702 in a CDRX ON duration can be configured to determine whether to perform PDCCH monitoring based on the second LP WUS. In some embodiments, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 to continuously perform LP WUS monitoring while in the CDRX ON duration, and to perform PDCCH monitoring based on detecting the second LP WUS and other conditions. For example, one condition can be if the overall power consumption by the LP WUR is relatively low and the LP WUR does not consume much additional power for constant LP WUS monitoring. This configuration can assist with misalignment between the base station 704 and the UE 702 on the monitoring status as to LP WUS monitoring or PDCCH monitoring.

The UE 702 in a CDRX ON duration can also be configured to switch between performing PDCCH monitoring and performing LP WUS monitoring during the CDRX ON duration. In this configuration, the UE 702 can alternate between performing LP WUS monitoring and PDCCH monitoring. In other words, the UE does not continuously monitor for the second LP WUS while in the CDRX On duration. Rather, the UE can either monitor for the second LP WUS, or monitor for the PDCCH transmission based on detecting the second LPS WUS.

The trigger 710 to start PDCCH monitoring can assume various forms. The trigger 710 can be receipt of the second LP WUS. In this instance, the UE 702 can receive the second LP WUS from the base station 704. The trigger 710 can also be that the UE 702 has data to transmit to the base station 704. For example, the UE 702 can have a service request (SR) or a configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission to transmit. In this instance, the base station 704 can configure the UE as to whether to start PDCCH monitoring.

The trigger 710 can also be that the UE 702 needs to perform a semi-statically configured or a semi-persistently configured DL reception or measurement, or a UL transmission. The DL reception or measurement can include one or more of a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) , positioning reference signal (PRS) or a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission. The UL transmission can be one or more of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission for CSI reporting, a sounding reference signal (SRS) , or a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission. In either case, the base station 704 can pre-define or configure the UE 702 in terms of what types of semi-statically configured or semi-persistent reception, measurement or transmission would trigger the UE 702 to start PDCCH monitoring. For example, the base station 704 can define or configure the UE 702 that only SPS PDSCH or CG PUSCH (not any other types of semi-statically configured or semi-persistent DL reception/measurement and UL transmission) triggers the UE 702 to start PDCCH monitoring. For the instance, the UE switches between performing LP WUS monitoring and performing PDCCH monitoring, the trigger (s) 710 to start PDCCH monitoring can also be the trigger (s) 710 to stop LP WUS monitoring.

The base station 704 can transmit the LP WUS to the UE 702. In some instances, the LP WUS can be a signal that is not transmitted using the PDCCH. The LP WUS can be received by a low-power receiver (e.g., WUR) . The UE 702 can wake up the main radio of the UE 702. In response, the main radio can wake up and monitor for a DL transmission using the PDCCH. It should be appreciated that in instances that the base station 704 has configured the UE to start with PDCCH monitoring, the base station 704 does not need to transmit an LP WUS to the UE 702.

The base station 704 can also configure the UE to stop PDCCH monitoring based on receiving a trigger. The trigger to stop performing PDCCH monitoring may or may not be the same as the trigger 710 to start PDCCH monitoring.

The trigger to stop PDCCH monitoring can be an explicit indication in DCI. The DCI can be either a UE-specific DCI or a group-common DCI. For a UE-specific DCI or a scheduling DCI, the base station 704 can use one bit to indicate to the UE 702 to stop PDCCH monitoring. Alternatively, the base station 704 can use the field for “PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication” in DCI format 0_1, 0_2, 1_1, or 1_2, by defining one code point for the field as the indication to stop PDCCH monitoring. The other code points can still be used for the purpose of PDCCH skipping and/or SSSG (search space set group) switching as in 3GPP Release-17.

For group-common DCI or a non-scheduling DCI, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 with one or more of a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for the DCI monitoring, DCI size, and a bit location in the DCI. This base station 704 can use this bit to indicate to the UE 702 whether or not to stop PDCCH monitoring.

In other embodiments, the trigger to stop PDCCH monitoring can be based on a timer. The UE 702 can start a timer (e.g., at the beginning of the CDRX ON duration) and stop PDCCH monitoring after not receiving any DCIs for a time duration. The timer is reset whenever a PDCCH is received. The time duration can be configured by the base station 704 or pre-defined.

In yet other embodiments, for some triggering conditions, the UE may stop PDCCH monitoring immediately after the UP transmission or DL reception is completed. For example, in some instances, the UE 702 needs to perform a semi-statically configured or a semi-persistently configured DL reception or measurement, or a UL transmission. If the UE 702 starts to perform PDCCH monitoring for SSB measurement and/or CSI-RS and/or SPS PDSCH, the UE 702 may stop PDCCH monitoring immediately after the reception if no further action is needed.

In yet even other embodiments, if the UE 702 can continuously monitor for an LP WUS, the trigger to stop PDCCH monitoring can be carried as part of LP WUS. For example, the LP WUS can carry one bit or different sequences to indicate whether to start or stop PDCCH monitoring.

For the instance when the UE switches between performing LP WUS monitoring and performing PDCCH monitoring, the trigger (s) to stop PDCCH monitoring can also be the trigger (s) to start LP WUS monitoring.

At t₂ 712, the base station 704 can transmit a DL transmission to the UE 702 using the PDCCH. The DL transmission can be received by the main radio of the UE 702.

At t₃, the UE 702 can transition to CDRX OFF (e.g., no LP WUS or PDCCH monitoring) duration based on an indication or a condition, and may wake up again in the next CDRX cycle. Transitioning to CDRX OFF duration can save UE 702 power, if the power consumption of LP WUS is not negligible.

In addition to the existing procedures for a UE 702 to transition from a CDRX ON duration to a CDRX OFF duration based on the expiration of an inactivity timer, the UE 702 may also transition to CDRX OFF based on one or more of various indications or conditions.

In some embodiments, the UE 702 can transition from a CDRX ON duration to a CDRX OFF duration based on an explicit indication in DCI. The DCI can be either a UE-specific DCI or a group-common DCI. For a UE-specific DCI or a scheduling DCI, the base station 704 can use one bit to indicate to the UE 702 to transition to the CDRX OFF duration. Alternatively, the field “PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication” in DCI format 0_1, 0_2, 1_1, or 1_2 can be used, by defining one code point for the field as the indication to transition to the CDRX OFF duration.

For group-common DCI or a non-scheduling DCI, the base station 704 can configure the UE 702 may be configured with one or more of the RNTI for the DCI monitoring, DCI size, and a bit location in the DCI. This can be in the same DCI as the indication for stopping PDCCH monitoring. This bit indicates to the UE 702 whether to transition to the CDRX OFF duration.

In other embodiments, the trigger to transition from a CDRX ON duration to a CDRX OFF duration can be carried as part of LP WUS. For example, the base station 704 can use one bit or a separate sequence to indicate to the UE 702 to transition to the CDRX OFF duration.

In yet other embodiments, the trigger to transition from a CDRX ON duration to a CDRX OFF duration can be a timer-based trigger. If the UE 702 is monitoring for an LP WUS, the UE 702 can transition to the CDRX OFF duration if the UE 702 does not receive the LP WUS indication for a duration of time, which can be pre-defined or configured by the base station 704.

Figure 8 is a process flow 800 for LP WUS monitoring with a CDRX cycle, according to one or more embodiments. At 802, the method can include a UE processing configuration information that defines resources for LP WUS monitoring while in an RRC CONNECTED mode. The UE can be configured to detect a first LP WUS that indicates the UE to enter the CDRX ON duration.

At 804, the method can include the UE detecting, while a first radio of the UE is in a sleep state, an LP WUS using a second radio of the UE to monitor the resources for the LP WUS monitoring.

At 806, the method can include the UE transitioning, based on said detecting the LP WUS, the first radio from the sleep state to an awake state for a connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) ON duration of a short discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. For example, a WUR can receive the first LP WUS and the UE can wake up the main radio.

Figure 9 is a process flow 900 for LP WUS monitoring during CDRX ON duration, according to one or more embodiments. At 902, the method can include the UE process configuration information that defines resources for LP WUS monitoring, wherein the resources are within a CDRX ON duration. The LP WUS can be a second LP WUS indicating to the UE to start PDCCH monitoring.

At 904, the method can include the UE monitoring the resources to detect an LP WUS, the LP WUS associated with one or more search spaces. The search spaces can include one or more USSs, one or more USSs and one or more Type-3 CSSs, or all USSs and CSSs.

At 906, the method can include the UE monitoring the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission during the CDRX ON duration based on detecting the LP WUS.

Figure 10 is a process flow 1000 for LP WUS monitoring during a CDRX ON duration, according to one or more embodiments. At 1002, the method can include the UE processing configuration information that defines resources for LP WUS monitoring wherein the resources are within a CDRX ON duration. The UE can be configured to receive a second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration. The second LP WUS can indicate to the UE to start PDCCH monitoring.

At 1004, the method can include the UE monitor the resources to detect an LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration, the LP WUS associated with one or more search spaces. The search spaces can include one or more USSs, one or more USSs and one or more Type-3 CSSs, or all USSs and CSSs.

Figure 11 illustrates receive components 1100 of the UE 1106, in accordance with some embodiments. The receive components 1100 may include an antenna panel 1104 that includes a number of antenna elements. The panel 1104 is shown with four antenna elements, but other embodiments may include other numbers.

The antenna panel 1104 may be coupled to analog beamforming (BF) components that include a number of phase shifters 1108 (1) –1108 (4) . The phase shifters 1108 (1) –1108 (4) may be coupled with a radio-frequency (RF) chain 1112. The RF chain 1112 may amplify a receive analog RF signal, downconvert the RF signal to baseband, and convert the analog baseband signal to a digital baseband signal that may be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

In various embodiments, control circuitry, which may reside in a baseband processor, may provide BF weights (e.g., W1 –W4) , which may represent phase shift values, to the phase shifters 1108 (1) –1108 (4) to provide a receive beam at the antenna panel 1104. These BF weights may be determined based on the channel-based beamforming.

Figure 12 illustrates a UE 1200, in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 1200 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with UE 1106 of Figure 11.

Similar to that described above with respect to UE 1200, the UE 1200 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, mobile phones, computers, tablets, industrial wireless sensors (for example, microphones, carbon dioxide sensors, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, laser scanners, fluid level sensors, inventory sensors, electric voltage/current meters, actuators, etc. ) , video surveillance/monitoring devices (for example, cameras, video cameras, etc. ) , wearable devices, or relaxed-IoT devices. In some embodiments, the UE may be a reduced capacity UE or NR-Light UE.

The UE 1200 may include processors 1204, RF interface circuitry 1208, memory/storage 1212, user interface 1216, sensors 1220, driver circuitry 1222, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1224, and battery 1228. The components of the UE 1200 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs) , portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of Figure 12 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 1200. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

The components of the UE 1200 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 1232, which may represent any type of interface, input/output, bus (local, system, or expansion) , transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that allows various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

The processors 1204 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 1204A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 1204B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 1204C. The processors 1204 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory/storage 1212 to cause the UE 1200 to perform operations as described herein.

In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuitry 1204A may access a communication protocol stack 1236 in the memory/storage 1212 to communicate over a 3GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuitry 1204A may access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and a non-access stratum “NAS” layer. In some embodiments, the PHY layer operations may additionally/alternatively be performed by the components of the RF interface circuitry 1208.

The baseband processor circuitry 1204A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in 3GPP-compatible networks. In some embodiments, the waveforms for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

The memory/storage 1212 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 1200. In some embodiments, some of the memory/storage 1212 may be located on the processors 1204 themselves (for example, L1 and L2 cache) , while other memory/storage 1212 is external to the processors 1204 but accessible thereto via a memory interface. The memory/storage 1212 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) , static random access memory (SRAM) , erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) , electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) , Flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

The RF interface circuitry 1208 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front module (RFEM) that allows the UE 1200 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 1208 may include various elements arranged in transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

In the receive path, the RFEM may receive a radiated signal from an air interface via an antenna 1224 and proceed to filter and amplify (with a low-noise amplifier) the signal. The signal may be provided to a receiver of the transceiver that down-converts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processors 1204.

In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier prior to the signal being radiated across the air interface via the antenna 1224.

In various embodiments, the RF interface circuitry 1208 may be configured to transmit/receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

The antenna 1224 may include a number of antenna elements that each convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. The antenna 1224 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple input, multiple output communications. The antenna 1224 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna 1224 may have one or more panels designed for specific frequency bands including bands in FR1 or FR2.

The user interface circuitry 1216 includes various input/output (I/O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 1200. The user interface 1216 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting an input including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (for example, a reset button) , a physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset, or the like. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator position (s) , or other like information. Output device circuitry may include any number or combinations of audio or visual display, including, inter alia, one or more simple visual outputs/indicators (for example, binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (for example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) , LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc. ) , with the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation of the UE 1200.

The sensors 1220 may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and send the information (sensor data) about the detected events to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia, inertia measurement units comprising accelerometers; gyroscopes; or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems comprising 3-axis accelerometers; 3-axis gyroscopes; or magnetometers; level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (for example, thermistors) ; pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (for example; cameras or lensless apertures) ; light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (for example, infrared radiation detector and the like) ; depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other like audio capture devices; etc.

The driver circuitry 1222 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices that are embedded in the UE 1200, attached to the UE 1200, or otherwise communicatively coupled with the UE 1200. The driver circuitry 1222 may include individual drivers allowing other components to interact with or control various input/output (I/O) devices that may be present within, or connected to, the UE 1200. For example, driver circuitry 1222 may include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings of sensor circuitry 1220 and control and allow access to sensor circuitry 1220, drivers to obtain actuator positions of electro-mechanic components or control and allow access to the electro-mechanic components, a camera driver to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

The PMIC 1224 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 1200. In particular, with respect to the processors 1204, the PMIC 1224 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.

In some embodiments, the PMIC 1224 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the UE 1200. For example, if the platform UE is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the UE 1200 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the UE 1200 may transition off to an RRC_Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The UE 1200 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The UE 1200 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, it must transition back to RRC_Connected state. An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours) . During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

A battery 1228 may power the UE 1200, although in some examples the UE 1200 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and may have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 1228 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery, such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, and the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 1228 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

Figure 13 illustrates a gNB 1300 , in accordance with some embodiments. The gNB node 1300 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the base stations 134, 136 of Figure 1.

The gNB 1300 may include processors 1304, RF interface circuitry 1308, core network (CN) interface circuitry 1312, and memory/storage circuitry 1316.

The components of the gNB 1300 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 1328.

The processors 1304, RF interface circuitry 1308, memory/storage circuitry 1316 (including communication protocol stack 1310) , antenna 1324, and interconnects 1328 may be similar to like-named elements shown and described with respect to Figure 11.

The CN interface circuitry 1312 may provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 4th Generation Core network (5GC) using a 4GC-compatible network interface protocol such as carrier Ethernet protocols, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to/from the gNB 1300 via a fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1312 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1312 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.

Examples

In the following sections, further example embodiments are provided.

Example 1 includes a method performed by a UE, the method comprising: processing configuration information that defines resources for LP WUS monitoring while in a RRC CONNECTED mode; detecting, while a first radio of the UE is in a sleep state, an LP WUS using a second radio of the UE to monitor the resources for the LP WUS monitoring; and transitioning, based on said detecting the LP WUS, the first radio from the sleep state to an awake state for a CDRX ON duration of a short DRX cycle.

Example 2 includes the method of example 1, wherein the method further includes using the first radio to monitor for a PDCCH transmission from a base station during the CDRX ON duration.

Example 3 includes the method of any of examples 1 or 2, wherein the configuration information defines the resources as a single WUS monitoring occasion in advance of each CDRX ON duration of the short DRX cycle.

Example 4 includes the method of any of examples 1-3, wherein the configuration information defines the resources as a plurality of WUS monitoring occasions within a time window in advance of each CDRX ON duration of the short DRX cycle.

Example 5 includes the method of any of examples 1-4, wherein the resources are a gap value in advance of the CDRX ON duration that is larger than or equal to a minimum gap, and the minimum gap value is based on a sleep state of the first radio.

Example 6 includes the method of any of examples 1-5, wherein the resources are a gap value in advance of the CDRX ON duration that is larger than or equal to a minimum gap and the method further comprises: reporting the minimum gap value to a base station.

Example 7 includes the method of any of examples 1-6, wherein the LP WUS is received via a UE-specific message or via a group-common message.

Example 8 includes a user equipment comprising means to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to examples 1-7.

Example 9 includes a non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause a network, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the network, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-7.

Example 10 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment (UE) to: process configuration information that defines resources for LP WUS monitoring, wherein the resources are within a CDRX ON duration; monitor the resources to detect an LP WUS, the LP WUS associated with one or more search spaces; and monitor the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission during the CDRX ON duration based on detecting the LP WUS.

Example 11 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of example 10, wherein the one or more search spaces comprise: one or more USSs, one or more USSs and one or more Type-3 CSSs, or all USSs and CSSs.

Example 12 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10 or 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: monitor the resources to detect the LP WUS prior to monitoring the one or more search spaces for the PDCCH transmission.

Example 13 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-12, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: detect an indication that the UE is to monitor the resources to detect the LP WUS prior to monitoring the one or more search spaces for the PDCCH transmission within the CDRX ON duration.

Example 14 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-13, wherein the LP WUS is a second LP WUS, and wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: detect a first LP WUS indicating that the UE is to enter the CDRX ON duration.

Example 15 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-14, wherein the CDRX ON duration is a first CDRX ON duration; wherein the LP WUS is a first LP WUS; wherein the PDCCH transmission during the first CDRX ON duration is a first PDCCH transmission; and wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: detect a second LP WUS indicating that the UE is to enter a second CDRX ON duration, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a second PDCCH transmission during the second CDRX ON duration.

Example 16 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-15, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: receive, from a base station, a first indication to start LP WUS monitoring upon first entering subsequent CDRX ON durations or a second indication to start PDCCH monitoring upon first entering subsequent CDRX ON durations.

Example 17 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-16, wherein the LP WUS is a second LP WUS, and wherein a first LP WUS is received by a first radio of the UE that is to monitor the resources to detect the first LP WUS.

Example 18 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-17, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: detect a trigger to stop PDCCH monitoring over the one or more search spaces; and discontinue the PDCCH monitoring over the one or more search spaces based on detecting the trigger.

Example 19 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the trigger is included in UE-specific DCI or scheduling DCI.

Example 20 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the trigger is included in a DCI PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field.

Example 21 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the trigger is included in a group-common DCI or a non-scheduling DCI.

Example 22 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the trigger is configured with a RNTI for DCI monitoring, DCI size, or a DCI bit location.

Example 23 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the trigger is based on a timer, wherein the UE is configured to start the timer upon reception of a first DCI message and to detect the trigger based on not receiving a second DCI message prior to expiration of the timer.

Example 24 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the trigger is completion of processing the PDCCH transmission.

Example 25 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-18, wherein the LP WUS is a first LP WUS, and wherein the trigger is receiving a second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration that indicates to the UE to stop PDCCH monitoring.

Example 26 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-25, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to: receive a trigger that indicates to the UE to transition from the CDRX ON duration to a CDRX OFF duration; and transition from the CDRX ON duration to the CDRX OFF duration based on the trigger.

Example 27 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-26, wherein the trigger is included in UE-specific DCI or scheduling DCI.

Example 28 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-26, wherein the trigger is included in a DCI PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field.

Example 28 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-26, wherein the trigger is included in a group-common DCI or a non-scheduling DCI.

Example 29 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-26, wherein the trigger is configured with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for DCI monitoring, DCI size, or a DCI bit location.

Example 30 includes the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any of examples 10-26, wherein the LP WUS is a first LP WUS and wherein the trigger is receiving a second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration that indicates to the UE to transition to the CDRX OFF duration.

Example 31 includes a user equipment comprising means to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to examples 10-30

Example 32 includes for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 10-30.

Example 33 includes a UE, comprising: memory; processing circuitry, coupled with the memory, to: process configuration information that defines resources for LP (WUS) monitoring wherein the resources are within a CDRX ON duration; and monitor the resources to detect an LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration, the LP WUS associated with one or more search spaces.

Example 34 includes the UE of example 33, wherein the UE continuously monitors the resources to detect the LP WUS over the CDRX ON duration.

Example 35 includes the UE of any of examples 33 or 34, wherein the UE either monitors the resources to detect the LP WUS or monitors the one or more search spaces for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission over the CDRX ON duration.

Example 36 includes the UE of any of examples 33-35, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission based on detecting the LP WUS or having data to be transmitted to a base station.

Example 37 includes the UE of any of examples 33-36, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission based on performance of either a semi-statically configured reception, measurement, or transmission.

Example 38 includes the UE of any of examples 33-36, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission based on performance of either a semi-persistent reception, measurement, or transmission.

Example 39 includes the UE of any of examples 33-36, wherein the UE is configured to start a timer upon entering the CDRX ON duration and transition to a CDRX OFF duration based on not receiving the LP WUS upon expiration of the timer.

Example 40 includes for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 33-39.

Example 41 includes a non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause a network, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the network, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 33-39.

Any of the above-described examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples) , unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) , the method comprising:

processing configuration information that defines resources for low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) monitoring while in a radio resource control (RRC) CONNECTED mode;

detecting, while a first radio of the UE is in a sleep state, an LP WUS using a second radio of the UE to monitor the resources for the LP WUS monitoring; and

transitioning, based on said detecting the LP WUS, the first radio from the sleep state to an awake state for a connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) ON duration of a short discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle.
The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes using the first radio to monitor for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission from a base station during the CDRX ON duration.
The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the configuration information defines the resources as a single WUS monitoring occasion in advance of each CDRX ON duration of the short DRX cycle.
The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the configuration information defines the resources as a plurality of WUS monitoring occasions within a time window in advance of each CDRX ON duration of the short DRX cycle.
The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the resources are a gap value in advance of the CDRX ON duration that is larger than or equal to a minimum gap, and the minimum gap value is based on a sleep state of the first radio.
The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the resources are a gap value in advance of the CDRX ON duration that is larger than or equal to a minimum gap and the method further comprises: reporting the minimum gap value to a base station.
The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the LP WUS is received via a UE-specific message or via a group-common message.
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media including stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment (UE) to:

process configuration information that defines resources for low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) monitoring, wherein the resources are within a connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) ON duration;

monitor the resources to detect an LP WUS, the LP WUS associated with one or more search spaces; and

monitor the one or more search spaces for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission during the CDRX ON duration based on detecting the LP WUS.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the one or more search spaces comprise: one or more UE-specific search spaces (USSs) , one or more USSs and one or more Type-3 common search space (CSSs) , or all USSs and CSSs.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

monitor the resources to detect the LP WUS prior to monitoring the one or more search spaces for the PDCCH transmission.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

detect an indication that the UE is to monitor the resources to detect the LP WUS prior to monitoring the one or more search spaces for the PDCCH transmission within the CDRX ON duration.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the LP WUS is a second LP WUS, and wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

detect a first LP WUS indicating that the UE is to enter the CDRX ON duration.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the CDRX ON duration is a first CDRX ON duration; wherein the LP WUS is a first LP WUS; wherein the PDCCH transmission during the first CDRX ON duration is a first PDCCH transmission; and wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

detect a second LP WUS indicating that the UE is to enter a second CDRX ON duration, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a second PDCCH transmission during the second CDRX ON duration.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

receive, from a base station, a first indication to start LP WUS monitoring upon first entering subsequent CDRX ON durations or a second indication to start PDCCH monitoring upon first entering subsequent CDRX ON durations.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the LP WUS is a second LP WUS, and wherein a first LP WUS is received by a first radio of the UE that is to monitor the resources to detect the first LP WUS.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

detect a trigger to stop PDCCH monitoring over the one or more search spaces; and

discontinue the PDCCH monitoring over the one or more search spaces based on detecting the trigger.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the trigger is included in UE-specific downlink control information (DCI) or scheduling DCI.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the trigger is included in a DCI PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the trigger is included in a group-common DCI or a non-scheduling DCI.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the trigger is configured with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for DCI monitoring, DCI size, or a DCI bit location.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the trigger is based on a timer, wherein the UE is configured to start the timer upon reception of a first DCI message and to detect the trigger based on not receiving a second DCI message prior to expiration of the timer.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the trigger is completion of processing the PDCCH transmission.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the LP WUS is a first LP WUS, and wherein the trigger is receiving a second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration that indicates to the UE to stop PDCCH monitoring.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the UE to:

receive a trigger that indicates to the UE to transition from the CDRX ON duration to a CDRX OFF duration; and

transition from the CDRX ON duration to the CDRX OFF duration based on the trigger.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the trigger is included in UE-specific downlink control information (DCI) or scheduling DCI.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 25, wherein the trigger is included in a DCI PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the trigger is included in a group-common DCI or a non-scheduling DCI.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the trigger is configured with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for DCI monitoring, DCI size, or a DCI bit location.
The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the LP WUS is a first LP WUS and wherein the trigger is receiving a second LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration that indicates to the UE to transition to the CDRX OFF duration.
A user equipment (UE) , comprising:

memory;

processing circuitry, coupled with the memory, to:

process configuration information that defines resources for low power (LP) wake up signal (WUS) monitoring wherein the resources are within a connected discontinuous reception (CDRX) ON duration; and

monitor the resources to detect an LP WUS during the CDRX ON duration, the LP WUS associated with one or more search spaces.
The UE of claim 30, wherein the UE continuously monitors the resources to detect the LP WUS over the CDRX ON duration.
The UE of any one of claims 30-31, wherein the UE either monitors the resources to detect the LP WUS or monitors the one or more search spaces for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission over the CDRX ON duration.
The UE of any one of claims 30-31, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission based on detecting the LP WUS or having data to be transmitted to a base station.
The UE of any one of claims 30-31, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission based on performance of either a semi-statically configured reception, measurement, or transmission.
The UE of any one of claims 30-31, wherein the UE monitors the one or more search spaces for a PDCCH transmission based on performance of either a semi-persistent reception, measurement, or transmission.
The UE of any one of claims 30-31, wherein the UE is configured to start a timer upon entering the CDRX ON duration and transition to a CDRX OFF duration based on not receiving the LP WUS upon expiration of the timer.