EP4620243A1

EP4620243A1 - Devices and methods of communication

Info

Publication number: EP4620243A1
Application number: EP23884183.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ran YUE; Lianhai WU; Yi Zhang; Bingchao LIU
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2023-06-13
Filing date: 2023-06-13
Publication date: 2025-09-24
Also published as: WO2024093244A1; CN120530687A; GB2641166A; GB202509630D0

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices and methods of communication. In one aspect, upon reception of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology from a network device, a terminal device determines whether a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the configuration is satisfied. If the set of conditions is satisfied, the terminal device transmits, to the network device, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In this way, unavailability of a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be reported to the network. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may be achieved.

Description

DEVICES AND METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication, and in particular to devices and methods of communication for network energy saving.

BACKGROUND

For network energy saving, it has been proposed to specify enhancements on restricting paging in a limited area, and it has been agreed to introduce a recommended paging synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) list to user equipment (UE) . However, a paging SSB may become too weak for the UE to decode during an inactive or idle period of the UE.

SUMMARY

In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, devices and computer readable media for network energy saving.
In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive, from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, transmit, to the network device via the transceiver, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
In a second aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive, from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, update the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In a third aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: transmit, to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and receive, from the terminal device via the transceiver, information indicating unavailability of the first configuration.
In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: transmit, to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, update the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method of communication. The method comprises: receiving, at a terminal device and from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, transmitting, to the network device via the transceiver, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
In a sixth aspect, there is provided a method of communication. The method comprises: receiving, at a terminal device and from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, updating the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In a seventh aspect, there is provided a method of communication. The method comprises: transmitting, at a network device and to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and receiving, from the terminal device via the transceiver, information indicating unavailability of the first configuration.
In an eighth aspect, there is provided a method of communication. The method comprises: transmitting, at a network device and to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, updating the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any of the fifth to eighth aspects of the present disclosure.
It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;
Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram illustrating a process of communication according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram illustrating another process of communication according to embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of communication implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of another example method of communication implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of communication implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of another example method of communication implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and
Fig. 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.
Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below. In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.
References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “some embodiments, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment (s) described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment (s) . Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” or the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could also be termed as a second element, and similarly, a second element could also be termed as a first element, without departing from the scope of embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms. In some examples, values, procedures, or apparatuses are referred to as “best, ” “lowest, ” “highest, ” “minimum, ” “maximum, ” or the like. It will be appreciated that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection among many used functional alternatives can be made, and such selections need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferable to other selections.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a, ” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises, ” “comprising, ” “has, ” “having, ” “includes” and/or “including, ” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, components and/or the like, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof. For example, the term “includes” and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean “includes, but is not limited to. ” The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on. ” The term “one embodiment” and “an embodiment” are to be read as “at least one embodiment. ” The term “another embodiment” is to be read as “at least one other embodiment. ” The use of an expression such as “A and/or B” can mean either “only A” or “only B” or “both A and B. ” Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.
As used herein, the term “communication environment” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as, 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) , and so on. Further, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication environment may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) , the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will also be future type communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned systems.
As used herein, the term “network device” generally refers to a node in a communication environment via which a terminal device can access the communication environment and receive services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , an infrastructure device for a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, a transmission and reception point (TRP) , a reception point (RP) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto BS, a pico BS, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.
As used herein, the term “terminal device” generally refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communications. By way of example rather than a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE) , an end user device, a subscriber station (SS) , an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) , a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) , or an access terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a gaming terminal device, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , a USB dongle, a smart device, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device (for example, a remote surgery device) , an industrial device (for example, a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms: “terminal device, ” “communication device, ” “terminal, ” “user equipment” and “UE, ” may be used interchangeably.
In the context of the present disclosure, an SSB may be associated with a beam, and an SSB index may be associated with a paging occasion. The term “SSB” may be described with a beam index, an SSB index, an RS index or an RS identity (ID) . The term “SSB” may be interchangeably used with “beam” or “reference signal (RS) ” .
In the context of the present disclosure, the term “a connected state” may be interchangeably used with “a RRC_CONNECTED state” , the term “an idle state” may be interchangeably used with “a RRC_IDLE state” , and the term “an inactive state” may be interchangeably used with “a RRC_INACTIVE state” .
In some scenarios, a network may setup a connection when UE performs RAN-based notification area update. As mentioned above, a paging SSB may become too weak for the UE to decode during an inactive or idle period of the UE. In this case, a paging message may not be received for a long duration.
In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution of communication. In the solution, upon reception of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology from a network device, a terminal device determines whether a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the configuration is satisfied. If the set of conditions is satisfied, the terminal device transmits, to the network device, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In this way, unavailability of a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be reported to the network. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may be achieved.
In some scenarios, UE may fail to indicate unavailability of a configuration to the network or the UE cannot support such indication. If the network only waits until the UE initiates an uplink transmission, a long latency for downlink traffic may be caused. If the network updates the configuration based on a payload, the network may have to send a paging message to the UE and update the configuration after resuming a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the UE. In this case, signaling overhead may be caused.
In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide another solution of communication. In the solution, upon reception of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology from a network device, a terminal device determines whether a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the configuration is satisfied. If the set of conditions is satisfied, the terminal device updates the configuration with another configuration associated with the network energy saving technology. In this way, a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be autonomously updated. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may also be achieved.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for a terminal device in an inactive or idle state. It is to be understood that the solutions according to embodiments of the present disclosure may also apply to any other suitable network energy saving technologies such as a cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) /discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanism, an SSB-less operation for a serving cell, an inter-node beam activation, etc..
Principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.
Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication environment 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication environment 100 may include terminal device 110 and a network device 120. In the example of Fig. 1, the terminal device 110 is located in a serving cell (not shown) provided by the network device 120 and is served by the network device 120.
As shown in Fig. 1, the terminal device 110 may support a plurality of beams (e.g., beams 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 and 116) for communication, and the network device 120 may support a plurality of beams (e.g., beams 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126) for communication. These beams may serve as Tx beams or receiving (Rx) beams in downlink or uplink transmission. For convenience, it is assumed that the beams 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 and 116 and the beams 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126 form a beam pair respectively for communication.
It is to be understood that the number of devices or beams in Fig. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations to the present disclosure. The communication environment 100 may involve any suitable number of network devices and/or terminal devices and/or beams adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.
The communications in the communication environment 100 may conform to any suitable standards including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) , LTE, LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) , Machine Type Communication (MTC) and the like. Furthermore, the communications may be performed according to any generation communication protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of the communication protocols include, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) , 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or the sixth generation (6G) network communication protocols.
In some scenarios where the terminal device 110 is in an idle state, the terminal device 110 may monitor paging channels for core network (CN) -initiated paging. In some scenarios where the terminal device 110 is in an inactive state, the terminal device 110 may monitor paging channels for RAN-initiated paging and CN-initiated paging.
With reference to Fig. 1, the network device 120 may transmit paging messages for the terminal device 110 via the beams 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126. The paging messages may be a CN-initiated paging or RAN-initiated paging messages. In some embodiments, the same paging message may be repeated in all transmitted beams, e.g., the beams 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126. The terminal device 110 may receive the paging messages via the beams 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 and 116 accordingly.
As a network energy saving technology, paging may be restricted in a limited area. For example, the network device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, a configuration for paging restriction comprising a recommended SSB list (e.g., indicating the beams 121, 123 and 125) . The terminal device 110 may perform paging monitoring only on the beams 111, 113 and 115 corresponding to the beams 121, 123 and 125. The network device 120 may only transmit paging messages via the beams 121, 123 and 125. In this way, energy saving at the network is achieved.
However, the beam 121, 123 or 125 agreed on the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 for paging may become too weak for the terminal device 110 to decode during an inactive or idle period of the terminal device 110. In this case, it is unclear how to update the configuration for paging restriction.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions of communication for solving the above and other potential issues. In one solution, a terminal device may detect unavailability of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology and report the unavailability of the configuration to a network. In another solution, upon detection of unavailability of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology, a terminal device may update the configuration autonomously. These solutions will be described in connection with Figs. 2 and 3 below.
Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram illustrating a process 200 of communication according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The process 200 may involve the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 as illustrated in Fig. 1. It is to be understood that the steps and the order of the steps in Fig. 2 are merely for illustration, and not for limitation.
As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 110 may receive 210, from the network device 120, a configuration (for convenience, also referred to as a first configuration herein) associated with a network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for the terminal device 110 in an inactive or idle state.
In some embodiments, the first configuration may comprise a set of SSBs (e.g., the beams 121, 123 and 125) that is configured for a paging for the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the first configuration may comprise a set of SSBs (e.g., the beams 122, 124 and 126) that is not configured for a paging. It is to be understood that the first configuration may adopt any other suitable forms of paging restriction.
It is also to be understood that the network energy saving technology is not limited to paging restriction, and any other suitable network energy saving technologies may also be feasible.
In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive the first configuration in a connected state. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive the first configuration when the terminal device is released to a non-connected state, e.g., an inactive state or an idle state. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the first configuration.
Continuing to refer to Fig. 2, the terminal device 110 may determine 220 whether a set of conditions is satisfied. The set of conditions is used for determining unavailability of the first configuration. In other words, if the set of conditions is satisfied, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first configuration is unavailable or unsuitable. If the set of conditions is unsatisfied, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first configuration is available or suitable.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may be based on SSB measurements. In some embodiments where the network energy saving technology comprises a paging restriction for the terminal device 110 in an inactive or idle state, the set of conditions may comprise that signal quality of a set of SSBs (for convenience, also referred to as a first set of SSBs herein) configured for a paging is below (i.e., lower than or equal to) a first threshold. In some embodiments, SSBs in the first set of SSBs may comprise all the SSBs configured for a paging. That is, if signal quality of all the SSBs is below the first threshold, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, SSBs in the first set of SSBs may comprise a predetermined number of SSBs in the SSBs configured for a paging. That is, if signal quality of the predetermined number of SSBs is below the first threshold, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied.
In some embodiments, the network device 120 may configure the first threshold to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the first threshold may be configured separately from the first configuration or along with the first configuration. In some embodiments, the first threshold may be predefined. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the first threshold.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that signal quality of another set of SSBs (for convenience, also referred to as a second set of SSBs herein) is above (i.e., higher than or equal to) a second threshold. That is, if signal quality of other SSBs above the second threshold is found, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the second set of SSBs may comprise one or more SSBs not configured for a paging. That is, if signal quality of one or more SSBs not configured for a paging is above the second threshold, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied.
In some embodiments, the network device 120 may configure the second threshold to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the second threshold may be configured separately from the first configuration or along with the first configuration. In some embodiments, the second threshold may be predefined. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the second threshold. In some embodiments, the second threshold may be different from the first threshold. In some embodiments, the second threshold may be the same as the first threshold.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that signal quality of another set of SSBs (for convenience, also referred to as a third set of SSBs herein) is above (i.e., higher than or equal to) the signal quality of the first set of SSBs. That is, if signal quality of SSBs not configured for a paging is above signal quality of SSBs configured for a paging, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the third set of SSBs may comprise one or more SSBs not configured for a paging. In some embodiments, if signal quality of one or more SSBs not configured for a paging is above signal quality of the best SSB in the SSBs configured for a paging, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, if signal quality of one or more SSBs not configured for a paging is above signal quality of a predetermined number of SSBs in the SSBs configured for a paging, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that signal quality of another set of SSBs is above (i.e., higher than or equal to) the signal quality of the first set of SSBs by a third threshold. In this way, a better SSB for paging may be determined. In some embodiments, the third threshold may be differential signal quality between an SSB configured for a paging and an SSB not configured for a paging. For example, if one SSB not configured for a paging is better than the best SSB configured for a paging above the third threshold, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is unsatisfied.
In some embodiments, signal quality of a SSB may be represented by reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) , signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) (e.g., layer 1 (L1) -SINR) , channel quality indication (CQI) or any other suitable metrics. It is to be understood that signal quality is merely an example, and other measurements such as signal strength may also be applied in similar way. For example, signal strength of a SSB may be represented by reference signal receiving power (RSRP) such as L1-RSRP or layer 3 (L3) filtered RSRP, received signal strength indicator (RSSI) , transmission power or any other suitable metrics.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may be based on mobility of the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that the terminal device 110 has high mobility, i.e., the terminal device 110 is not stationary or has low mobility. In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 has high mobility, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 has low mobility, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is unsatisfied. In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 is stationary, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is unsatisfied.
In some embodiments, the mobility of the terminal device 110 may be evaluated based on a signal strength change level. In some embodiments, if a signal strength change of the terminal device 110 is below (i.e., lower than or equal to) a threshold level, the terminal device 110 may be determined to be stationary. In some embodiments, if a signal strength change of the terminal device 110 is below (i.e., lower than or equal to) another threshold level, the terminal device 110 may be determined to be low mobility. In some embodiments, the threshold levels may be configured. In some embodiments, the threshold levels may be predefined. In some embodiments, if the signal strength change of the terminal device 110 is below (i.e., lower than or equal to) the threshold level for a period of time, the terminal device 110 may be determined to be stationary. In some embodiments, if the signal strength change of the terminal device 110 is below (i.e., lower than or equal to) another threshold level for a period of time, the terminal device 110 may be determined to be low mobility. In some embodiments, the period of time may be configured. In some embodiments, the period of time may be predefined.
In some embodiments, the signal strength change of the terminal device 110 may be determined based on a comparison between reference signal strength and measured signal strength (e.g., a signal strength measured currently or at a predetermined timing) . In some embodiments, signal strength of the terminal device 110 when the terminal device 110 is configured or updated with the first configuration may be set as the reference signal strength. In some embodiments, signal strength of the terminal device 110 when the terminal device 110 is changed to a new cell (e.g., upon cell selection or cell reselection) may be set as the reference signal strength. In some embodiments, signal strength of the terminal device 110 when the terminal device 110 is determined as not stationary may be set as the reference signal strength. It is to be understood that the reference signal strength may also be determined by any other suitable ways.
In some embodiments, the mobility of the terminal device 110 may be evaluated based on a relaxed measurement criterion existing or to be developed in future. In some embodiments, if the relaxed measurement criterion is fulfilled for a period of time, the terminal device 110 may be determined to be stationary. In some embodiments, the period of time may be configured. In some embodiments, the period of time may be predefined.
In some embodiments, reference signal strength in the relaxed measurement criterion may be set as signal strength of the terminal device 110 when the terminal device 110 is configured or updated with the first configuration. In some embodiments, reference signal strength in the relaxed measurement criterion may be set as signal strength of the terminal device 110 at a predetermined time point. It is to be understood that the reference signal strength may also be determined by any other suitable ways.
It is to be understood that the mobility of the terminal device 110 may be evaluated by any suitable ways existing or to be developed in future, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect. It is also to be understood that the signal strength may be represented by RSRP such as L1-RSRP or L3 filtered RSRP, RSSI, transmission power or any other suitable metrics. Signal strength is merely an example, and other measurements such as signal quality (e.g., RSRQ, SINR (e.g., L1-SINR) , CQI or any other suitable metrics) may also be applied in similar way.
Continuing to refer to Fig. 2, upon determination that the set of conditions for determining unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, the terminal device 110 may transmit 230, to the network device 120, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In this way, unavailability of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology may be reported to the network.
In some embodiments, the information may indicate that the set of conditions is satisfied. For example, the information may indicate that signal quality of a set of SSBs (i.e., the first set of SSBs) configured for a paging is below a threshold (i.e., the first threshold) , i.e., currently configured paging SSB is worse than the threshold. In another example, the information may indicate that signal quality of another set of SSBs (i.e., the second set of SSBs) is above a threshold (i.e., the second threshold) , i.e., better paging SSB is found. In another example, the information may indicate that signal quality of another set of SSBs (i.e., the third set of SSBs) is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs, i.e., currently configured paging SSB is worse than other SSBs. In another example, the information may indicate that the terminal device 110 has high stationary.
In some embodiments, the information may indicate information associated with the set of conditions. For example, the information may indicate that SSB measurement results, e.g., the measured quality of SSBs. In another example, the information may indicate that one or more paging beams are weak. In another example, the information may indicate a request for a same paging message repeated in all beams. In another example, the information may indicate that the terminal device 110 is not stationary.
In some embodiments where the terminal device 110 is not configured with small data transmission (SDT) , the terminal device 110 may transmit 231 an RRC message comprising the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. It is to be understood that any suitable RRC messages existing or to be developed in future may also be feasible. As an example, the terminal device 110 may transmit an RRC resume message with a cause indicating the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In other words, the set of conditions may be used as a trigger condition for an RRC resume procedure. One or more cause values may be included in the RRC resume message to indicate that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, a lower layer (e.g., physical layer and/or medium access control (MAC) layer) of the terminal device 110 may indicate, to a higher layer (e.g., RRC layer) , the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments where the terminal device 110 is not configured with SDT, the terminal device 110 may transmit a MAC control element (CE) comprising the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
In some embodiments where the terminal device 110 is configured with SDT, the terminal device 110 may initiate 232 an SDT procedure for transmission of the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In other words, the set of conditions may be used as a trigger condition for SDT (e.g., mobile originated (MO) -SDT) .
Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments where the terminal device 110 is configured with SDT, if the set of conditions is satisfied, an RRC message or a MAC CE may be triggered for transmission of the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In some embodiments, the RRC message or the MAC CE may be included in an uplink SDT. In some embodiments, if a paging for mobile terminated (MT) -SDT is received, the RRC message or the MAC CE may be included in an uplink SDT as a response to the paging for MT-SDT. Alternatively, the RRC message or the MAC CE may be included in an uplink SDT during the MT-SDT. In some embodiments, a lower layer (e.g., physical layer and/or MAC layer) of the terminal device 110 may indicate, to a higher layer (e.g., RRC layer) , the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate 233 a random access (RA) procedure or an SDT (e.g., MO-SDT) procedure indicating the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In other words, if the set of conditions is satisfied, the terminal device 110 may initiate an RRC resume or RRC setup request procedure, e.g., via the RA procedure or MO-SDT. In this case, the terminal device 110 may select configured grant (CG) -SDT or RA-SDT or RA resources for the RA procedure or MO-SDT. SSBs associated with the selected resources may be not close to the SSBs configured for a paging. Thus, based on the SSB associated with the selected resources, the network device 120 may deduce that the configured paging restriction needs to be updated. In this way, unavailability of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology may be reported to the network with less impact on the third generation partnership project (3GPP) specification.
In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit 234 a measurement report comprising the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In other words, the set of conditions may be defined as an event. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be configured with the event before or when the terminal device 110 is released to the inactive or idle state. If an entry condition applicable for the event is fulfilled, the terminal device 110 may initiate a measurement reporting procedure for transmitting the measurement report. In some embodiments, the measurement report may be transmitted during SDT. In some embodiments, the measurement report may be transmitted during an RRC resume procedure. In some embodiments, the measurement report may be transmitted after the terminal device 110 transits to a connected state.
Continuing to refer to Fig. 2, upon reception of the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration, the network device 120 may transmit 240, to the terminal device 110, another configuration (for convenience, also referred to as a second configuration herein) associated with the network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the second configuration may comprise another set of SSBs that is configured for a paging for the terminal device 110. With reference to Fig. 2, the terminal device 110 may update 250 the first configuration with the second configuration.
In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration may be a subset of the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may comprise all the SSBs configured for a paging. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may be partially overlapped with the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may have no overlap with the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may be completely overlapped with the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration.
With reference to Fig. 2, in some alternative embodiments, upon reception of the information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration, the network device 120 may instruct 240’ the terminal device 110 to enter a connected state.
With the process 200, unavailability of a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be reported to the network. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may be achieved. It is to be understood that operations in the process 200 may be carried out in any suitable combination or order and are not limited to the above examples.
Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram illustrating another process 300 of communication according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The process 300 may involve the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 as illustrated in Fig. 1. It is to be understood that the steps and the order of the steps in Fig. 3 are merely for illustration, and not for limitation.
As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal device 110 may receive 310, from the network device 120, a configuration (i.e., the first configuration) associated with a network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for the terminal device 110 in an inactive or idle state. The operation of step 310 is similar to that described in step 210 in Fig. 2, and thus other details are omitted here for conciseness.
Continuing to refer to Fig. 3, the terminal device 110 may also receive 310’, from the network device 120, a second configuration associated with a network energy saving technology for updating the first configuration. In some embodiments, the second configuration may be configured along with the first configuration. In some embodiments, the second configuration may be configured separately from the first configuration.
In some embodiments, a set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration may be a subset of a set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may comprise all the SSBs configured for a paging. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may be partially overlapped with the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may have no overlap with the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration. In some embodiments, the set of SSBs comprised in the second configuration may be completely overlapped with the set of SSBs comprised in the first configuration.
Continuing to refer to Fig. 3, the terminal device 110 may determine 320 whether a set of conditions is satisfied. The set of conditions is used for determining whether to update the first configuration.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that a timer configured for the updating expires. That is, if the timer expires, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive a configuration of the timer from the network device 120.
In some embodiments, a length of the timer may be one or more arrival periods of potential downlink traffic of the terminal device 110. For example, the length of the timer may be the longest period of multiple arrival periods of the downlink traffic. It is to be understood that the length of the timer may be determined in any suitable ways.
In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may start or restart the timer if the terminal device 110 receives a downlink message from the network device 120. In some embodiments, the downlink message may comprise a paging message for the terminal device 110. For example, the paging message may be a paging message dedicated for the terminal device 110. In another example, the paging message may be a paging message for a group of terminal devices including the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the downlink message may comprise a response to an uplink transmission. For example, the downlink message may comprise an RRC release message during CG-SDT. In another example, the downlink message may comprise MsgB or Msg4 during RA-SDT or RA.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that an indication of the updating is received from the network device 120. That is, if the indication of the updating is received from the network device 120, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may indicate that the paging restriction is lifted. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may indicate that the paging restriction is cancelled. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may indicate that the paging restriction is updated. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may indicate that a paging message is transmitted via all of the SSBs.
In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit the indication of the updating in system information, e.g., master information block (MIB) or system information block (SIB) . In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit the indication of the updating in a paging message for the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit the indication of the updating in a paging message for a group of terminal devices comprising the terminal device 110.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise that the terminal device 110 transits from an inactive state to an idle state. That is, if the terminal device 110 transits from the inactive state to the idle state, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of conditions is satisfied.
Continuing to refer to Fig. 3, if the set of conditions is satisfied, the terminal device 110 may update 330 the first configuration with the second configuration. In other words, the terminal device 110 may fall back to the second configuration.
In some embodiments, if the timer configured for the updating expires, the terminal device 110 may update the first configuration with the second configuration. In some embodiments, if the indication of the updating is received from the network device 120, the terminal device 110 may update the first configuration with the second configuration. In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 transits from the inactive state to the idle state, the terminal device 110 may update the first configuration with the second configuration.
In some embodiments for the updating, the paging restriction may be fallback to all-SSBs transmission for a paging message. In some embodiments for the updating, the paging restriction may be fallback to another configuration of paging restriction, e.g., paging for the terminal device 110 may be restricted to another limited number of beams within a cell or an area (e.g. including several cells) .
With reference to Fig. 3, the network device 120 may accordingly determine 340 whether the set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following: the timer configured for the updating expires; the indication of the updating is transmitted from the network device 120; or the terminal device 110 transits from an inactive state to an idle state. Other details are similar to that described in step 320 and thus are omitted here for conciseness.
If the set of conditions is satisfied, the network device 120 may also update 350 the first configuration with the second configuration.
With the process 300, a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be autonomously updated. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may also be achieved. It is to be understood that operations in the process 300 may be carried out in any suitable combination or order and are not limited to the above examples. It is also to be understood that the processes 200 and 300 may be performed separately or in any suitable combination.
Corresponding to the above processes, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods of communication implemented at a terminal device and at a network device. These methods will be described below with reference to Figs. 4 to 7.
Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 of communication implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 400 may be performed at the terminal device 110 as shown in Fig. 1. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, the method 400 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. It is to be understood that the method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.
At block 410, the terminal device 110 receives, from the network device 120, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
At block 420, the terminal device 110 determines that a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied. In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise at least one of the following: signal quality of a first set of SSBs configured for a paging is below a first threshold; signal quality of a second set of SSBs is above a second threshold; signal quality of a third set of SSBs is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs; or the terminal device has high mobility.
At block 430, the terminal device 110 transmits, to the network device 120, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit an RRC message comprising the information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit an RRC resume message with a cause indicating the information.
In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit a MAC CE comprising the information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate an SDT procedure for transmission of the information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate an RA procedure indicating the information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate an SDT procedure indicating the information. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit a measurement report comprising the information. It is to be understood that any combination of the above operations may also be feasible.
In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device 120, a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology, and update the first configuration with the second configuration.
With the method 400, unavailability of a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be reported to the network. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may be achieved.
Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of another example method 500 of communication implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 500 may be performed at the terminal device 110 as shown in Fig. 1. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, the method 500 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. It is to be understood that the method 500 may include additional blocks not shown and/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.
At block 510, the terminal device 110 receives, from the network device 120, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
At block 520, the terminal device 110 determines that a set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following: a timer configured for the updating expires, the timer being started in accordance with a determination that a downlink message is received from the network device 120; an indication of the updating is received from the network device 120; or the terminal device 110 transits from an inactive state to an idle state.
In some embodiments, the downlink message may comprise at least one of the following: a paging message, or a response to an uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive a configuration of the timer from the network device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device 120, the indication of the updating in at least one of the following: system information, a paging message for the terminal device 110, or a paging message for a group of terminal devices comprising the terminal device 110.
At block 530, the terminal device 110 updates the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
With the method 500, a configuration for a network energy saving technology may be autonomously updated. Thus, enhancement on a network energy saving technology may also be achieved.
Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 of communication implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 600 may be performed at the network device 120 as shown in Fig. 1. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, the method 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. It is to be understood that the method 600 may include additional blocks not shown and/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.
At block 610, the network device 120 transmits, to the terminal device 110, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
At block 620, the network device 120 receives, from the terminal device 110, information indicating unavailability of the first configuration. In some embodiments, the information may indicate that a set of conditions for determining the unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied. In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise at least one of the following: signal quality of a first set of SSBs configured for a paging is below a first threshold; signal quality of a second set of SSBs is above a second threshold; signal quality of a third set of SSBs is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs; or the terminal device has high mobility. In some embodiments, the information may indicate information associated with a set of conditions, e.g., SSB measurement results.
In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive an RRC message comprising the information. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive an RRC resume message with a cause indicating the information. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a MAC CE comprising the information. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the information in an SDT procedure. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the information based on a resource used for an RA procedure. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the information based on a resource used for an SDT procedure. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a measurement report comprising the information.
In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
With the method 600, a network device may be aware of unavailability of a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology.
Fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of another example method 700 of communication implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 700 may be performed at the network device 120 as shown in Fig. 1. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, the method 700 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. It is to be understood that the method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.
At block 710, the network device 120 transmits, to the terminal device 110, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology. In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology may comprise a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
At block 720, the network device 120 determines that a set of conditions is satisfied. In some embodiments, the set of conditions may comprise at least one of the following: a timer configured for the updating expires, the timer being started in accordance with a determination that a downlink message is transmitted from the network device 120; an indication of the updating is transmitted from the network device 120; or the terminal device 110 transits from an inactive state to an idle state. In some embodiments, the downlink message may comprise at least one of the following: a paging message, or a response to an uplink transmission.
In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit a configuration of the timer to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, the indication of the updating in at least one of the following: system information, a paging message for the terminal device 110, or a paging message for a group of terminal devices comprising the terminal device 110.
At block 730, the network device 120 updates the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
With the method 700, a network device may autonomously update a configuration associated with a network energy saving technology.
It is to be understood that operations of the methods 400 to 700 correspond to that described in connection with Figs. 2 and 3, and thus other details are not repeated here for conciseness.
Fig. 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 can be considered as a further example implementation of the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 as shown in Fig. 1. Accordingly, the device 800 can be implemented at or as at least a part of the terminal device 110 or the network device 120.
As shown, the device 800 includes a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) (e.g., a transceiver) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX/RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least a part of a program 830. The TX/RX 840 is for bidirectional communications. The TX/RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, though in practice an Access Node mentioned in this application may have several ones. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements, such as X2/Xn interface for bidirectional communications between eNBs/gNBs, S1/NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) /Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) /SGW/UPF and the eNB/gNB, Un interface for communication between the eNB/gNB and a relay node (RN) , or Uu interface for communication between the eNB/gNB and a terminal device.
The program 830 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 810, enable the device 800 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 810 and memory 820 may form processing means 850 adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.
The memory 820 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. While only one memory 820 is shown in the device 800, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in the device 800. The processor 810 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 800 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.
In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following solutions.
In one solution, a terminal device comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, transmit, to the network device via the transceiver, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: receive, from the network device via the transceiver, a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology; and update the first configuration with the second configuration.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following: signal quality of a first set of SSBs configured for a paging is below a first threshold; signal quality of a second set of SSBs is above a second threshold; signal quality of a third set of SSBs is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs; or the terminal device has high mobility.
In some embodiments, the processor is configured to transmit the information by at least one of the following: transmitting a radio resource control message comprising the information; transmitting a medium access control control element comprising the information; initiating a small data transmission procedure for transmission of the information; initiating a random access procedure indicating the information; initiating a small data transmission procedure indicating the information; or transmitting a measurement report comprising the information.
In some embodiments, the processor is configured to transmit the radio resource control message by: transmitting a radio resource control resume message with a cause indicating the information.
In another solution, a terminal device comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, update the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following: a timer configured for the updating expires, the timer being started in accordance with a determination that a downlink message is received from the network device; an indication of the updating is received from the network device; or the terminal device transits from an inactive state to an idle state.
In some embodiments, the downlink message comprises at least one of the following: a paging message, or a response to an uplink transmission.
In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: receive a configuration of the timer from the network device via the transceiver; or receive, from the network device via the transceiver, the indication of the updating in at least one of the following: system information, a paging message for the terminal device, or a paging message for a group of terminal devices comprising the terminal device.
In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology comprises a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
In another solution, a network device comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: transmit, to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and receive, from the terminal device via the transceiver, information indicating unavailability of the first configuration.
In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: transmit, to the terminal device via the transceiver, a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In some embodiments, the information indicates a set of conditions for determining the unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, the set of conditions comprising at least one of the following: signal quality of a first set of SSBs configured for a paging is below a first threshold; signal quality of a second set of SSBs is above a second threshold; signal quality of a third set of SSBs is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs; or the terminal device has high mobility.
In some embodiments, the processor is configured to receive the information by at least one of the following: receiving a radio resource control message comprising the information; receiving a medium access control control element comprising the information; receiving the information in a small data transmission procedure; determining the information based on a resource used for a random access procedure; determining the information based on a resource used for a small data transmission procedure; or receiving a measurement report comprising the information.
In some embodiments, the processor is configured to receive the radio resource control message by: receiving a radio resource control resume message with a cause indicating the information.
In another solution, a network device comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: transmit, to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, update the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
In some embodiments, the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following: a timer configured for the updating expires, the timer being started in accordance with a determination that a downlink message is transmitted from the network device; an indication of the updating is transmitted from the network device; or the terminal device transits from an inactive state to an idle state.
In some embodiments, the downlink message comprises at least one of the following: a paging message, or a response to an uplink transmission.
In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: transmit a configuration of the timer to the terminal device via the transceiver; or transmit, to the terminal device via the transceiver, the indication of the updating in at least one of the following: system information, a paging message for the terminal device, or a paging message for a group of terminal devices comprising the terminal device.
In some embodiments, the network energy saving technology comprises a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.
The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the process or method as described above with reference to Figs. 2 to 7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.
Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.
The above program code may be embodied on a machine readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine readable medium may be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. A machine readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A terminal device comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and

in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions for determining unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, transmit, to the network device via the transceiver, information indicating the unavailability of the first configuration.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from the network device via the transceiver, a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology; and

update the first configuration with the second configuration.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following:

signal quality of a first set of synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel blocks, SSBs, configured for a paging is below a first threshold;

signal quality of a second set of SSBs is above a second threshold;

signal quality of a third set of SSBs is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs; or

the terminal device has high mobility.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the information by at least one of the following:

transmitting a radio resource control message comprising the information;

transmitting a medium access control control element comprising the information;

initiating a small data transmission procedure for transmission of the information;

initiating a random access procedure indicating the information;

initiating a small data transmission procedure indicating the information; or

transmitting a measurement report comprising the information.
The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the radio resource control message by:

transmitting a radio resource control resume message with a cause indicating the information.
A terminal device comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from a network device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and

in accordance with a determination that a set of conditions is satisfied, update the first configuration with a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
The terminal device of claim 6, wherein the set of conditions comprises at least one of the following:

a timer configured for the updating expires, the timer being started in accordance with a determination that a downlink message is received from the network device;

an indication of the updating is received from the network device; or

the terminal device transits from an inactive state to an idle state.
The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the downlink message comprises at least one of the following:

a paging message, or

a response to an uplink transmission.
The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a configuration of the timer from the network device via the transceiver; or

receive, from the network device via the transceiver, the indication of the updating in at least one of the following:

system information,

a paging message for the terminal device, or

a paging message for a group of terminal devices comprising the terminal device.
The terminal device of claim 1 or 6, wherein the network energy saving technology comprises a paging restriction for the terminal device in an inactive or idle state.
A network device comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

transmit, to a terminal device via the transceiver, a first configuration associated with a network energy saving technology; and

receive, from the terminal device via the transceiver, information indicating unavailability of the first configuration.
The network device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit, to the terminal device via the transceiver, a second configuration associated with the network energy saving technology.
The network device of claim 11, wherein the information indicates a set of conditions for determining the unavailability of the first configuration is satisfied, the set of conditions comprising at least one of the following:

signal quality of a first set of synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel blocks, SSBs, configured for a paging is below a first threshold;

signal quality of a second set of SSBs is above a second threshold;

signal quality of a third set of SSBs is above the signal quality of the first set of SSBs; or

the terminal device has high mobility.
The network device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive the information by at least one of the following:

receiving a radio resource control message comprising the information;

receiving a medium access control control element comprising the information;

receiving the information in a small data transmission procedure;

determining the information based on a resource used for a random access procedure;

determining the information based on a resource used for a small data transmission procedure; or

receiving a measurement report comprising the information.
The network device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to receive the radio resource control message by:

receiving a radio resource control resume message with a cause indicating the information.