TW202332310A - User equipment (ue) operation with base station energy-saving configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments include methods for a user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless network. Such methods include receiving, from a base station of the wireless network, an indication that the base station will switch, or has switched, from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration. Such methods include, in response to the indication, performing one or more operations based on a UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration. Other embodiments include complementary methods for a base station, as well as UEs and base stations configured to perform such methods.

Description

User Equipment (UE) Operation with Base Station Energy Saving Configuration

The present invention relates generally to wireless networks, and more particularly to methods for use in a serving base station of a user equipment (UE) when the serving base station applies a power saving configuration affecting communications with the UE. technology for predictable and/or correct operation.

Currently, fifth generation ("5G") cellular systems, also known as New Radio (NR), are being standardized within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR was developed for maximum flexibility to support various use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine-type communications (MTC), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), sidelink device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases. Although this disclosure is primarily related to 5G/NR, the following description of the fourth generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology is provided to introduce various terms, concepts, architectures, etc. that are also used in 5G/NR.

LTE is an umbrella term for the radio access technology developed within 3GPP and initially standardized in Release 8 (Rel-8) and Release 9 (Rel-9), also known as Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) . LTE targets various licensed frequency bands with improvements to non-radio aspects commonly referred to as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), including Evolved Packet Core (EPC) networks. LTE continues to evolve through subsequent releases.

An overall exemplary architecture of a network including LTE and SAE is shown in FIG. 1 . E-UTRAN 100 includes one or more evolved Node Bs (eNBs) (such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115) and one or more user equipments (UEs) (such as UE 120). As used within the 3GPP standards, "User Equipment" or "UE" means equipment capable of communicating with 3GPP standards compliant network equipment (including E-UTRAN and UTRAN and/or GERAN, since third generation ("3G") and A second generation ("2G") 3GPP RAN is generally known as any wireless communication device (eg, a smartphone or computing device) that communicates.

As specified by 3GPP, E-UTRAN 100 is responsible for all radio-related functions in the network, including radio bearer control, radio admission control, radio action control, Scheduling and dynamic allocation of resources to the UE in the DL (ie, network to UE) and security of communication with the UE. These functions reside in eNBs, such as eNBs 105, 110 and 115. Each of the eNBs may serve a geographic coverage area comprising one or more cells, including cells 106, 111 and 115 served by eNBs 105, 110 and 115, respectively.

The eNBs in E-UTRAN communicate with each other via the X2 interface, as shown in FIG. 1 . The eNB is also responsible for the E-UTRAN interface to the EPC 130, specifically the S1 interface to the Mobile Management Entity (MME) and Serving Gateway (SGW) (not shown in FIG. 1 ) in the EPC 130 . In general, the MME/S-GW handles both the overall control of the UE and the data flow between the UE and the rest of the EPC. More specifically, the MME handles the signaling (eg, control plane) agreements between the UE and the EPC, which are referred to as Non-Access Stratum (NAS) agreements. The S-GW handles all Internet Protocol (IP) data packets (e.g., data or user plane) between the UE and the EPC, and serves as Area Mobility Anchor for Data Carriers.

5G/NR was initially standardized by 3GPP in Rel-15 and has continued to evolve through subsequent releases. NR was developed for maximum flexibility to support multiple and substantially different use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine-type communications (MTC), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), sidelink device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases.

5G/NR technology shares many similarities with LTE. For example, NR uses CP-OFDM (Cyclic Preamble Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) in DL and uses both CP-OFDM and DFT Spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in UL. As another example, in the time domain, NR DL and UL physical resources are organized into 1-ms subframes of equal size. A subframe is further divided into time slots of equal duration, where each time slot contains a number of OFDM-based symbols. However, time-frequency resources can be configured more flexibly for an NR cell than for an LTE cell. For example, unlike a fixed 15-kHz OFDM subcarrier spacing (SCS) in LTE, the NR SCS can range from 15 kHz to 240 kHz, with future NR releases considering even larger SCSs.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary high-level view of a 5G network architecture, which consists of a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 299 and a 5G core (5GC) 298 . The NG-RAN 299 may comprise a set of gNodeBs (gNBs) connected to the 5GC via one or more NG interfaces, such as gNBs 200, 250 connected via interfaces 202, 252, respectively. Additionally, gNBs may be connected to each other via one or more Xn interfaces, such as Xn interface 240 between gNBs 200 and 250 . Regarding the NR interface to the UE, each of the gNBs may support Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), or a combination thereof.

NG-RAN 199 is layered into a Radio Network Layer (RNL) and a Transport Network Layer (TNL). The NG-RAN architecture (ie, NG-RAN logical nodes and the interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, F1), specify relevant TNL protocols and functionalities. TNL provides services for user plane transport and signaling transport.

The NG-RAN logical node shown in Figure 1 comprises a central (or centralized) unit (CU or gNB-CU) and one or more distributed (or decentralized) units (DU or gNB-DU). For example, gNB 100 includes gNB-CU 110 and gNB-DUs 120 and 130 . A CU is a logical node that hosts higher layer protocols and performs various gNB functions, such as controlling the operation of a DU. A DU is a logical node that hosts lower layer protocols and may contain various subsets of gNB functionality depending on the functional split. Thus, each of the CU and DU may include various circuitry required to perform their respective functions, including processing circuitry, transceiver and/or communication interface circuitry, power supply circuitry, and the like.

A gNB-CU is connected to the gNB-DU through respective F1 logical interfaces, such as interfaces 122 and 132 shown in FIG. 1 . The gNB-CU and the connected gNB-DU are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a gNB. In other words, the F1 interface is not visible outside the gNB-CU.

In addition to providing coverage via cells as in LTE, NR networks also provide coverage via "beams". In general, a downlink (DL, ie, network to UE) "beam" is a coverage area of a network transmission reference signal (RS) that can be measured or monitored by a UE. Examples of NR RS include Synchronization Signal/PBCH Block (SSB), Channel State Information RS (CSI-RS), Positioning RS (PRS), Demodulation RS (DM-RS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), etc. In general, SSB is available for all UEs regardless of RRC state, while other RSs (eg, CSI-RS, DM-RS, PTRS) are associated with specific UEs that have a network connection (ie, in RRC_CONNECTED state).

One of the goals of 3GPP Rel-18 is to improve and/or reduce network power consumption. One approach that has been discussed is to dynamically adapt the number of configured logic and physical antenna ports used by a base station (eg, eNB or gNB) to reduce the energy consumption of the base station.

However, dynamically reducing the number of transmit antenna ports used by a base station will affect the DL signal quality and signal strength experienced by UEs in the network and the DL coverage of the base station. Likewise, dynamically reducing the number of receive antenna ports used by a base station will affect the UL sensitivity and coverage of the base station, especially for UEs with limited transmit power. This can lead to various problems, problems and/or difficulties, such as inconsistent and/or unpredictable UE behavior.

Embodiments of the present invention provide improvements that facilitate predictable UE behavior during dynamic changes in base station antenna ports and other base station configurations, such as by providing solutions to the exemplary problems summarized above and described in more detail below.

Some embodiments include methods (eg, procedures) for a UE (eg, wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, etc.) configured to operate in a wireless network. These exemplary methods can include receiving from a base station of the wireless network an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration. The example methods can also include performing one or more operations based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration in response to the indication.

In some embodiments, the base station energy saving configuration includes a reduced number of one or more of the following: ● Active and/or configured receive (RX) physical antenna ports; ● active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; ● active and/or configured transmit (TX) physical antenna ports; and ● Active and/or configured TX logical antenna ports.

In some embodiments, the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration includes one or more of the following: ● one or more alternative cell selection criteria; and ● Alternative configurations for Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Radio Link Failure (RLF) detection and/or Radio Link Monitoring (RLM); and • An alternate target uplink (UL) signal strength.

In some embodiments, the alternative cell selection criteria includes one of the following: ● respective alternative thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality; or • Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with the first configuration (ie normal base station energy consumption).

In some embodiments, the alternate configuration for BFD, RLF detection, and/or RLM includes one or more of the following: ● An alternative DL signal quality threshold for indicating out-of-sync; ● An alternate number of out-of-sync indications needed to detect beam failure or RLF; and ● An alternative to loose measurement configurations.

In some embodiments, the exemplary methods may also include receiving from the base station at least a portion of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration.

In some embodiments, the one or more operations based on the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration may include any of the following: ● performing cell selection based on one or more alternative cell selection criteria; ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternative configuration or based on a configuration used by the UE before receiving the indication; ● continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternate lenient measurement configuration or based on a non-relaxed or normal measurement configuration; ● continue to use BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM measurements based on an alternative relaxed measurement configuration; ● Restart filtering of DL signal strength measurements for UL transmit power control; • Control UL transmit power based on an alternative target UL signal strength.

For example, this restart filtering of DL signal strength measurements may be performed as Layer 3 (L3) filtering or as RRC layer filtering, such as discussed above.

In some of these embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the configuration in use; or • Continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration.

In other of these embodiments, when the alternate configuration is not received from the base station prior to receiving the indication, restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the configuration in use is performed.

In some of these embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration; ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the non-loose or normal measurement configuration; or ● Continue to use the measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate loose measurement configuration.

In some embodiments, the indication includes a single bit or bit field whose presence or value indicates that the UE should apply the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. In other embodiments, the indication comprises a plurality of bits or bit fields, the respective presence or values of which indicate that the UE should apply respective portions of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration.

In some embodiments, the indication is received from the base station as broadcast or multicast physical layer downlink control information (DCI). In other embodiments, the indication is received from the base station as a unicast RRC signaling.

Other embodiments include methods (eg, procedures) for a base station (eg, RAN node, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc., or components thereof) configured to operate in a wireless network. These exemplary methods may include sending to one or more UEs an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to an energy saving configuration to one or more UEs. These exemplary methods can also be involved in operation in the power saving configuration of the base station.

In some embodiments, operating in the base station energy saving configuration includes one or more of the following operations: ● relative to the first configuration, receiving UL signals using a reduced number of one or more of: active and/or configured RX physical antenna ports; and active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; and • Relative to the first configuration, transmit DL signals using a reduced number of one or more of: active and/or configured TX physical antenna ports; and active and/or configured TX logical antenna ports.

In some embodiments, the exemplary methods may also include sending at least a portion of a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration to the one or more UEs. As outlined above with respect to UE embodiments, the UE may perform one or more operations based on the UE configuration.

In some embodiments, the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration may include one or more of the following: ● one or more alternative cell selection criteria; and ● Alternative configurations for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM; and • An alternate target UL signal strength.

In some of these embodiments, the alternative cell selection criteria includes one of the following: ● respective alternative thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality; or • Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with the first configuration (ie normal base station energy consumption).

In some of these embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on a configuration used by the UE before receiving the indication; • Continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration.

In some of these embodiments, the alternate configuration for BFD, RLF detection, and/or RLM includes one or more of the following: ● An alternative DL signal quality threshold for indicating out-of-sync; ● An alternate number of out-of-sync indications needed to detect beam failure or RLF; and ● An alternative to loose measurement configurations.

In some variations of these embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration; ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on a non-loose or normal measurement configuration; or ● Continue to use measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternative loose measurement configurations.

In some embodiments, the indication includes a bit or bit field whose presence or value indicates that the UE should apply the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. In other embodiments, a plurality of bits or bit fields, their respective presence or values indicate that the UE should apply respective portions of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration.

In some embodiments, the indication is sent by the base station as broadcast or multicast physical layer DCI. In other embodiments, the indication is sent by the base station as unicast RRC signaling.

Other embodiments include a user UE (e.g., a component of a wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, or the like, such as a modem) configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods described herein. ) and base stations (eg, RAN nodes, eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs, etc., or components thereof). Other embodiments include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, configure such UEs or base stations to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods described herein.

These and other embodiments described herein can provide novel, flexible and efficient signaling and procedures to support dynamic adaptation of the number of configured antenna ports in a base station. These techniques facilitate predictable and/or correct UE behavior when a base station dynamically adapts the number of configured antenna ports to reduce base station energy consumption. Accordingly, embodiments facilitate improved energy efficiency of wireless networks while maintaining predictable and/or correct UE behavior.

These and other objects, features, benefits and advantages of embodiments of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in light of the drawings briefly described below.

The embodiments outlined above will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to incorporate the subject matter The category of things is communicated to those skilled in the art.

Generally speaking, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their ordinary meanings in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is explicitly given and/or implied from the context in which they are used. All references to a/an/the element, means, component, member, step, etc. should be construed openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, means, component, means, step, etc., unless expressly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless one step is explicitly described as being after or before another step and/or it is implied that one step must be after or before another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment as appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments can be applied to any other embodiment and vice versa. Other objects, features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

Additionally, the following terms are used throughout the description given below: ● Radio Node: As used herein, a "radio node" may be a "radio access node" or a "wireless device". ● Radio Access Node: As used herein, a "radio access node" (or equivalently a "radio network node", "radio access network node", or "RAN node") may operate to wirelessly Any node in a radio access network (RAN) of a cellular communication network that transmits and/or receives signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., an NR base station (gNB) in a 3GPP NG-RAN or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP E-UTRAN) , components of a base station split architecture (eg, CU and DU), a high power or macro base station, a low power base station (eg, pico, pico, pico or femto base station or similar), an integrated access The bearer (IAB) node, a transmission point, a transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio unit (RRU or RRH) and a relay node. ● Core Network Node: As used herein, a "core network node" means any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, for example, a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Server Gateway (SGW), a Packet Gateway (P-GW), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF ), a session management function (SMF), a location management function (LMF), a user plane function (UPF), a network exposure function (NEF) or the like. ● Wireless Device: As used herein, a "wireless device" (or simply "WD") is capable, configured, configured, and/or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and/or other wireless devices any type of device. Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through the air. Unless otherwise mentioned, the term "wireless device" is used herein interchangeably with the term "user equipment" (or simply "UE"), where both terms have a different meaning from one of the terms "network node". meaning. ● Network node: As used herein, a "network node" is a radio access network (eg, a radio access node or equivalent as discussed above) or core network of a cellular communications network Any node that is part of a road (eg, one of the core network nodes discussed above). Functionally, a network node is capable, configured, configured and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or devices in a cellular communication network to achieve And/or equipment that provides radio access to wireless devices and/or performs other functions (eg, management) in a cellular communication network. ● Base Station: As used herein, a "base station" may include an entity or a logical node that transmits or controls the transmission of radio signals, for example, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, en-gNB, Centralized Unit (CU)/ Distributed unit (DU), transmission radio network node, transmission point (TP), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), distributed antenna system (DAS), repeater etc.

It should be noted that the description herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communication system and thus, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is often used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system. Furthermore, although the term "cell" is used herein, it should be understood (especially with respect to 5G NR) that beams may be used instead of cells and thus, the concepts described herein apply equally to both cells and beams.

In LTE and NR, the reference points used to transmit physical signals and channels are called "logical antenna ports". This is an abstract concept invented by 3GPP, and the 3GPP specification does not disclose how to map the physical signals and channels defined at the logical antenna ports to the physical antenna ports which are the inputs of the antenna radiating elements.

As briefly mentioned above, one of the goals of 3GPP Rel-18 is to improve and/or reduce network energy consumption. One approach that has been discussed is to dynamically adapt the number of configured logical and physical antenna ports used by a base station (eg, eNB or gNB) in order to reduce the energy consumption of the base station.

Figure 3 illustrates how a base station's logical and physical antenna ports can be muted to facilitate powering down the radio portion of the base station. A conventional configuration is shown on the left, where two signals (signal 1, 2) are input to two logical antenna ports of a base station, such as any of the logical antenna ports specified in the 3GPP specification. The base station applies a non-standardized, implementation-specific mapping of two logical antenna ports to one of two physical antenna ports, which are inputs to two antenna panels containing antenna elements. In the left case, a single UE (310) receives transmissions from two antenna panels, which contain mapped versions of signals 1 and 2.

The right side of Figure 3 shows a power saving configuration where the base station mutes the logical antenna port coupled to signal 2 and the corresponding physical antenna port coupled to the right antenna panel. This allows the base station to turn off the transmitter chain (including the power amplifier) and receiver chain coupled to the muted port, resulting in reduced energy consumption by the base station.

From the perspective of the UE, the signal path from the panel with the muted antenna port appears to be completely blocked by, for example, a building or other obstacle. As an alternative, the base station can map the second logical antenna port to the active physical antenna port of the right antenna panel. From the UE's perspective, signals 1 and 2 appear to travel on a pair of perfectly related radio channels. If the total transmit power available to each antenna panel is fixed, only half of the power is available for each signal when two logical antenna ports are mapped to the same physical antenna port.

Figure 4 illustrates how dynamically reducing the number of transmit antenna ports used by a base station can affect cell coverage. In this example, a UE (410) operates in the normal coverage area of a cell provided by a base station (420), e.g., using a non-power-saving configuration such as the left configuration in FIG. Mute. When the base station switches to a base station power saving configuration, such as the left configuration in FIG. 3 , where one or more antenna ports are muted, the coverage of the cell is reduced such that the UE is no longer within the cell coverage. In addition, even if the UE remains within the cell coverage of the base station's energy-saving configuration, the DL signal quality and signal strength of the UE will still be degraded. Likewise, the power-saving configuration will affect the UL sensitivity and coverage of the base station, especially for UEs with limited transmit power.

This can cause various problems, problems and/or difficulties, such as inconsistent and/or unpredictable UE behavior. For example, a sudden degradation of signal level and/or quality in a UE's serving cell may cause the UE to initiate an action (eg, handover, cell reselection, etc.) towards another cell. However, when the base station subsequently switches out of the power saving configuration, cell coverage will reappear, which may cause the UE to initiate a second course of action back to its previous serving cell. This "ping-pong" operation is undesirable for the UE and the network. Furthermore, even if the UE does not switch cells, the degraded signal level and/or quality in the serving cell can still reduce the data throughput of UE applications and degrade the user experience.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide novel, flexible and efficient signaling and procedures to support dynamic adaptation of the number of configured antenna ports in a base station. These techniques facilitate predictable and/or correct UE behavior when a base station dynamically adapts the number of configured antenna ports in order to reduce base station energy consumption. Accordingly, embodiments facilitate improved energy efficiency of wireless networks while maintaining predictable and/or correct UE behavior.

Some embodiments of the invention include signaling and/or procedures that facilitate predictable and/or correct UE behavior with respect to cell selection and/or reselection. A UE determines whether a cell is suitable for camping (i.e., in a non-connected state) based on a cell suitability criterion requiring that the signal strength and signal quality of the cell measured by the UE exceed respective threshold levels Q _rxlevmin and Q _qualmeas . These thresholds are described in more detail in 3GPP TS 38.304 (v16.0.0).

In some embodiments, the base station provides the UE with another set of cell suitability criteria to be applied when the base station enters an energy saving configuration, for example by reducing the number of active and/or configured RX and TX physical antenna ports (threshold values Q _{rxlevmin_EE} and Q _{qualmeas_EE} ). In other embodiments, when the base station enters an energy-saving configuration, the base station provides a pair of offset values to the UE for applying the thresholds Q _rxlevmin and Q _qualmeas . In either case, the base station may provide this information via unicast RRC signaling, broadcast signaling (eg, SIB), MAC Control Element (CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

When the base station subsequently changes or adapts its number of active and/or configured antenna ports, it may indicate this change in a broadcast message (eg, SIB). UEs receiving this information will apply the cell suitability criteria associated with the new configuration of the base station. For example, if the base station instructs it to enter an energy saving configuration in which it mutes the antenna ports, the UE may apply the threshold associated with the energy saving configuration.

Alternatively, the change indication can be provided through a physical layer (PHY) broadcast signal, eg, DCI broadcast to all UEs in the cell or multicast to a certain group of UEs. For example, DCI may include a one-bit field whose meaning is configured via higher layer (eg, RRC) signaling or pre-configured (eg, specified by 3GPP). The bits in the bits field may indicate which set of cell suitability criteria (eg, thresholds) the UE should use. For example, a bit value of "1" may indicate the use of thresholds _{Qrxlevmin_EE} and _{Qqualmeas_EE} associated with an energy-efficient configuration, while a bit value of "0" may indicate the use of thresholds associated with a nominal (or non-energy-efficient) configuration. Associated threshold values Q _rxlevmin and Q _qualmeas . In some variations, the UE may start using the indicated threshold at some delay after receiving the indication. The delay can be preconfigured, UE implementation specific, or configured via higher layer (eg, RRC) signaling.

By reducing the signal level/quality threshold from Q _rxlevmin /Q _qualmeas to Q _{rxlevmin_EE} / Q _{qualmeas_EE} , the DL signal level measured by the UE despite the power saving configuration of the base station using a reduced number of antenna ports / The quality is degraded, and the base station can still keep the UE within the coverage of the cell.

A UE determines signal level (or strength) and quality metrics based on Layer 3 (L3, eg, RRC) filtering of measurements input from the UE's PHY. In some embodiments, the UE restarts this L3 filtering after detecting that the base station has changed its number of active and/or configured antenna ports. L3 filtering is described in more detail in 3GPP TS 38.331 (v16.6.0).

Other embodiments of the invention include signaling and/or procedures that facilitate predictable and/or correct UE behavior with respect to detection of radio link failure (RLF) and beam failure. A UE in RRC_CONNECTED state monitors the DL signal quality of the serving cell. If the UE detects more than N310 out-of-sync indications, it declares RLF. An out-of-sync indication is declared when the DL signal quality is lower than a configured threshold (BLERout). Beam Fault Detection (BFD) employs a similar procedure, albeit with slightly different parameters and threshold(s). The procedure for RLF detection and BFD in NR is described in more detail in 3GPP TS 38.133 (v16.9.0). Although the following description is given in terms of RLF detection, given the similarities between the two procedures, the embodiments are equally applicable to BFD.

In some embodiments, when the base station enters an energy saving configuration, eg, by reducing the number of active and/or configured RX and TX physical antenna ports, the base station provides the UE with an alternative RLF monitoring configuration to apply. This additional configuration may include, for example, alternative N310 counters and BLERout thresholds, which allow the UE to maintain the radio link with the base station in degraded conditions.

The base station may provide alternative RLF monitoring configurations via unicast RRC signaling or via broadcast signaling (eg, SIB). Alternatively, the RLF monitoring configuration may be pre-configured and/or specified, eg, offset from one or more of the existing parameters and/or values used for RLM monitoring. When the UE detects (eg, based on an indication from the base station, discussed above) that the base station has entered the power saving configuration, the UE applies the alternative RLF monitoring configuration.

In other embodiments, after detecting (e.g., based on the received indication) that the serving base station has entered the energy saving configuration, the UE uses the same RLF monitoring configuration (i.e., instead of the one associated with the base station's energy saving configuration) configuration) restart the RLF program. For example, when the UE detects (e.g., based on the received indication) that the base station has entered a power saving configuration, e.g., by reducing the number of active and/or configured RX and TX physical antenna ports, the UE restarts the out-of-sync indication count.

In a variant of this method, the UE may restart the RLF procedure only if it has not received an alternative RLF monitoring configuration. In other words, the UE applies an alternate RLF monitoring configuration when it has received this alternate RLF configuration. In another variation of this method, the indication from the base station may indicate whether the UE should restart the RLF monitoring procedure, apply one of the alternative RLF monitoring configurations previously provided by the base station, or both (i.e. restart with the alternative RLF monitoring configuration) .

In some cases, the UE may be in a relaxed RLF/BFD or radio link monitoring (RLM) state, where it performs certain measurements less frequently than in a normal or non-relaxed state. For example, when the base station is operating with one of the nominal (or non-energy-efficient) configurations of the antenna ports, the UE may have entered a relaxed state to reduce UE energy consumption.

In some embodiments, when the UE detects (eg, based on the received indication) that the base station has entered the power saving configuration, the UE exits the relaxed state and enters the normal state. In other embodiments, the base station may provide an alternative relaxed measurement configuration to the UE, which the UE may apply after detecting that the base station has entered the energy-saving configuration. In some variations, the indication from the base station may indicate whether the UE should exit the relaxed state or apply an alternate relaxed state measurement configuration previously provided by the base station.

A UE evaluates the path loss to the base station as the difference between its L3 filtered PHY DL signal strength and the configured base station TX power. Then, the path loss estimate is used in the UE's UL power control algorithm to determine an appropriate UE transmit power. Reducing the number of physical TX antenna ports of the base station will affect the measured DL signal strength of the UE. In some embodiments, after detecting (e.g., based on received indications) that the base station has changed the number of configured and/or active physical TX antenna ports or has adjusted base station TX power to facilitate correct UE UL power control, UE restarts L3 filtering.

UL power control also takes into account the target UL signal strength. In some embodiments, when the base station enters a power saving configuration, for example by reducing the number of active and/or configured RX and TX physical antenna ports, the base station signals one of the Alternate target UL signal strength. This compensation is due to the reduced base station receiver sensitivity due to the reduced number of physical antenna ports. Like the other parameters and/or values discussed above, this parameter may be applied by the UE when it detects (eg, based on a received indication) that the serving base station has entered a power saving configuration.

As mentioned above, the UE may receive an indication that the base station is entering a power saving configuration, for example by reducing the number of active and/or configured RX and TX physical antenna ports. In response to this indication, the UE applies various configured (or pre-configured) parameters and values associated with the power saving configuration of the base station. In one variant, the indication may be a single bit (or bit field) that implicitly indicates that the UE should apply all configured parameters and/or values associated with the power saving configuration of the base station. In another variant, the indication may be a plurality of bits (or bit fields), where each bit indicates whether the UE should apply one of the configured parameters and/or values associated with the power saving configuration of the base station Subset. For example, a first bit (or bit field) may indicate whether the UE should apply cell selection parameters and/or values, and a second bit (or bit field) may indicate whether the UE should apply RLF related parameters and / or value etc.

The embodiments described above may be further illustrated with reference to FIGS. 5-6 , which show exemplary methods (eg, procedures) for a UE and a network node, respectively. In other words, various features of the operations described below correspond to the various embodiments described above. Furthermore, the exemplary methods shown in FIGS. 5-6 can be used in conjunction to provide various benefits, advantages, and/or solutions to problems, including those described herein. Although FIGS. 5-6 show certain blocks in a particular order, operations of the exemplary methods may be performed in an order different from that shown and may be combined and/or divided into blocks having functionality different than that shown. Optional blocks or actions are indicated by dotted lines.

In particular, FIG. 5 shows an exemplary method (e.g., procedure) for a UE configured to operate in a wireless network (E-UTRAN, NG-RAN) according to various embodiments of the invention One of the flowcharts. The exemplary method shown in FIG. 5 may be performed by a UE (eg, wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, modem, etc., or components thereof), such as described elsewhere herein.

The exemplary method may include the operations of block 520, wherein the UE may receive from a base station of the wireless network an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station power saving configuration . The exemplary method may also include the operations of block 530, wherein the UE may, in response to the indication, perform one or more operations based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration.

In some embodiments, the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration includes one or more of the following: ● one or more alternative cell selection criteria; and ● Alternative configurations for Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Radio Link Failure (RLF) detection and/or Radio Link Monitoring (RLM); and • An alternate target uplink (UL) signal strength.

In some embodiments, the alternative cell selection criteria includes one of the following: ● respective alternative thresholds for measured downlink (DL) signal strength and signal quality; or • Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with the first configuration (ie normal base station energy consumption).

In some embodiments, alternate configurations for BFD, RLF detection, and/or RLM include one or more of the following: ● An alternative DL signal quality threshold for indicating out-of-sync; ● An alternate number of out-of-sync indications needed to detect beam failure or RLF; and ● An alternative to loose measurement configurations.

In some embodiments, the exemplary method may also include the operation of block 510, wherein the UE may receive from the base station at least a portion of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. For example, the UE may receive this information via unicast RRC signaling, broadcast signaling (eg, SIB), MAC CE, DCI, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, one or more operations based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration (i.e., in block 530) may include any of the following listed with corresponding sub-block numbers: ● (531) performing cell selection based on one or more alternative cell selection criteria; ● (532) restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternative configuration or based on a configuration used by the UE before receiving the indication; • (533) continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternate configurations; • (534) Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternate lenient measurement configuration or based on a non-relaxed or normal measurement configuration; ● (535) continue to use measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternate relaxed measurement configuration; ● (536) Restart filtering of DL signal strength measurements for UL transmit power control; • (537) Control UL transmit power based on an alternative target UL signal strength.

For example, restart filtering of DL signal strength measurements (eg, in block 536) is performed as layer 3 (L3) filtering or as RRC layer filtering, such as discussed above.

In some such embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE (eg, in block 530): ● Restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternate configuration; ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the configuration in use; or • Continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternate configurations.

In still others of these embodiments, when no alternate configuration is received from the base station prior to receiving the indication in block 520, restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the configuration in use is performed.

In some such embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE (eg, in block 530): ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternate relaxed measurement configurations; ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on non-loose or normal measurement configurations; or ● Continue to use measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternative loose measurement configurations.

In some embodiments, the indication includes a single bit or bit field whose presence or value indicates that the UE should apply the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. In other embodiments, the indication comprises a plurality of bits or bit fields, the respective presence or values of which indicate that the UE should apply respective parts of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. In other words, the UE selectively applies different parts of the UE configuration based on the presence/absence or content of the respective bits or bit-fields.

In some embodiments, the base station energy saving configuration includes a reduced number of one or more of the following: ● Active and/or configured receive (RX) physical antenna ports; ● active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; ● active and/or configured transmit (TX) physical antenna ports; and ● Active and/or configured TX logical antenna ports.

In some embodiments, the indication is received from the base station as broadcast or multicast physical layer DCI. In other embodiments, the indication is received from the base station as a unicast RRC signaling.

Additionally, FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method (eg, procedure) for a base station configured to operate in a wireless network according to various embodiments of the invention. The exemplary method shown in FIG. 6 may be performed by a base station (eg, RAN node, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc., or components thereof), such as described elsewhere herein.

The exemplary method may include the operations of block 620, wherein the base station may send to one or more UEs an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to an energy saving configuration to one or more UEs. The exemplary method may also include the operations of block 630, wherein the base station may operate in a base station power saving configuration.

In some embodiments, the operation in an energy-saving configuration in block 630 includes one or more of the following operations labeled with corresponding sub-block numbers: ● (631) Relative to the first configuration, receive UL signals using a reduced number of one or more of: active and/or configured RX physical antenna ports; and active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports ;and ● (632) Relative to the first configuration, transmit DL signals using a reduced number of one or more of: active and/or configured TX physical antenna ports; and active and/or configured TX logical antenna ports .

In some embodiments, the exemplary method may also include the operation of block 610, wherein the base station may send at least a portion of a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration to one or more UEs. For example, the base station may send this information via unicast RRC signaling, broadcast signaling (eg, SIB), MAC CE, DCI, or a combination thereof. As described above with respect to FIG. 5, the UE may perform one or more operations based on this UE configuration.

In some embodiments, the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration may include one or more of the following: ● one or more alternative cell selection criteria; and ● Alternative configurations for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM; and • An alternate target UL signal strength.

In some of these embodiments, the alternative cell selection criteria comprises one of the following: ● respective alternative thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality; or • Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with the first configuration (ie normal base station energy consumption).

In some such embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: ● Restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternate configuration; ● restart BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on a configuration used by the UE before receiving the indication; • Continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternate configurations.

In some such embodiments, alternate configurations for BFD, RLF detection, and/or RLM include one or more of the following: ● An alternative DL signal quality threshold for indicating out-of-sync; ● An alternate number of out-of-sync indications needed to detect beam failure or RLF; and ● An alternative to loose measurement configurations.

In some variations of these embodiments, the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternate relaxed measurement configurations; ● Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on a non-loose or normal measurement configuration; or ● Continue to use measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on alternative loose measurement configurations.

In some embodiments, the indication includes a bit or bit field whose presence or value indicates that the UE should apply the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. In other embodiments, a plurality of bits or bit fields, their respective presence or values indicate that the UE should apply respective portions of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. In other words, the base station indicates to the UE to apply different parts of the UE configuration based on the presence/absence or content of respective bits or bit fields.

In some embodiments, the indication is sent by the base station as broadcast or multicast physical layer DCI. In other embodiments, the indication is sent by the base station as unicast RRC signaling.

Although various embodiments have been described above in terms of methods, devices, devices, computer-readable media, and receivers, those of ordinary skill will readily understand that these methods can be implemented by various systems, communication devices, computing devices, control devices, devices , non-transitory computer readable media, etc. in various combinations of hardware and software.

Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 according to some embodiments. In this example, communication system 700 includes a telecommunications network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706 that 706 includes one or more core network nodes 708 . The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a to 710b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node 710) or any other similar 3GPP access node or Non-3GPP access point. Network node 710 facilitates direct or indirect connection of UEs, such as by connecting UEs 712a-712d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE 712) to core network 706 through one or more wireless connections.

Examples of wireless communication over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for communicating information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Furthermore, in various embodiments, communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and/or any other devices that facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals, whether via wired or wireless connections. component or system. Communication system 700 may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, wireless network, and/or other similar types of systems.

UE 712 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices configured, configured, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 710 is configured, capable, configured and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 712 and/or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunications network 702 to enable and/or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and/or perform other functions (such as management in the telecommunications network 702).

In the depicted example, core network 706 connects network node 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716 . Such connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intervening networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. Core network 706 includes one or more core network nodes (eg, core network node 708 ) structured by hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that their descriptions generally apply to corresponding components of core network node 708 . Example core network nodes include a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobile Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobile Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Unhiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Secure Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF) and/or a User Plane Function (UPF) one or more functions.

Host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than one of the operators or providers of access network 704 and/or telecommunications network 702 and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Host 716 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services (such as capturing and compiling data under various ambient conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytics functionality, social media, Functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and monitoring center, or any other such function performed by a server.

In summary, the communication system 700 in FIG. 7 realizes the connection among UE, network node and host. In this sense, a communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE ), and/or other applicable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standards (eg, 6G); wireless area network (WLAN) standards such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi) and/or any other suitable wireless communication standard, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standard, Such as LoRa and Sigfox.

In some examples, telecommunications network 702 is a cellular network implementing one of the 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the telecommunications network 702 . For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and/or massive machine-type communication (mMTC)/massive Scale IoT services are provided to yet further UEs.

In some examples, UE 712 is configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the access network 704 . Additionally, a UE can be configured to operate in single-RAT or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate using any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN New Radio Dual connectivity (EN-DC).

In an example, hub 714 communicates with access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (eg, UE 712c and/or 712d ) and a network node (eg, network node 710b ). In some examples, hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analyzer, or any other communication device described herein with respect to UEs. For example, hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling UEs to access core network 706 . As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. Commands or instructions may be received from UE, network node 710 or via executable code, scripts, programs or other instructions in hub 714 . As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary store for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, hub 714 may be a source of content. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 714 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and then the hub 714 It is provided directly to the UE after performing home-side processing and/or after adding additional home-side content. In yet another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy or coordinator for the UEs, particularly if one or more of the UEs is a low energy IoT device.

Hub 714 may have a constant/permanent or intermittent connection to network node 710b. Hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or scheduling between hub 714 and UEs (eg, UE 712c and/or 712d ) and between hub 714 and core network 706 . In other examples, hub 714 is connected to core network 706 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Furthermore, the hub 714 can be configured to connect to an M2M service provider through the access network 704 and/or to connect to another UE through a direct connection. In some cases, the UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 710 while still being connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub, ie, a hub whose main function is to route communications from/from the UE to the network node 710b/from the network node 710b to the UE. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub, i.e., one that is operable to route communications between the UE and the network node 710b, but is otherwise operable as a communication origin and/or destination for certain data channels. a device.

Figure 8 shows a UE 800 according to one of some embodiments. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, cell phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless camera, game console or device , music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile desks, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, Wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including a Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and/or an Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing devices for sidelink communication, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) ) One of the 3GPP standards. In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of having and/or operating a human user of the associated device. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but which may not or may not initially be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller) . Alternatively, a UE may refer to a device not intended for sale to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart dynamometer).

UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input/output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and/or any other components or the like any combination of Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 8 . The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, and so on.

Processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data, and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in memory 810 as a machine-readable computer program. Processing circuitry 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.); firmware; one or more stored computer programs, a general purpose processor (such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP)), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

In examples, input/output interface 806 may be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and/or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any of these combination. An input device may allow a user to retrieve information into UE 800 . Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a Mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a track pad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, and the like. Presence sensitive displays may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. For example, a sensor can be an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor or any combination thereof. An output device can use the same type of port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide an input device and an output device.

In some embodiments, the power source 808 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources can be used, such as an external power source (eg, an electrical outlet), photovoltaic devices, or batteries. The power supply 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power supply 808 itself and/or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as a power cable. Delivering power may be used, for example, to charge power source 808 . The power supply circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification of the power from the power supply 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 being powered.

Memory 810 may include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) ), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash pen drives, etc. In one example, memory 810 includes one or more applications 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816 . The memory 810 can store any of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 800 .

Memory 810 can be configured to include several physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drives, external hard drives, thumb drives, Pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) drive, internal hard drive, Blu-ray drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) drive , external mini-DIMM, synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory such as in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) Tampering modules, including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and/or ISIM), other memories, or any combination thereof. The UICC can be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a "SIM card". Memory 810 may allow UE 800 to access commands, applications, and the like stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media to offload data or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be embodied as or in memory 810, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

Processing circuit 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using communication interface 812 . Communication interface 812 may include one or more communication subsystems, and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822 . Communication interface 812 may include one or more transceivers for communicating, such as via one or more transceivers with another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). communicate with a remote transceiver. Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and/or a receiver 820 suitable for providing network communications (eg, optical, electrical, frequency distribution, etc.). Furthermore, transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (eg, antenna 822), and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication (such as Bluetooth), near-field communication, location-based communication (such as using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and/or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS , WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Synchronous Optical Network Connection (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE can provide an output of data captured by its sensor via its communication interface 812 via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by a sensor of a UE can be sent via another UE via a wireless connection to a network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports a sensed temperature), random (e.g., balance the load of reports from several sensors), respond to a trigger event (e.g., when a sensor detects send an alert when moisture is reached), respond to a request (eg, a user-initiated request), or stream continuously (eg, a live video feed of a patient).

As another example, a UE includes an actuator, a motor, or a switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to received wireless input, the state of an actuator, motor or switch may change. For example, a UE may include a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a flying drone based on received input or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on received input.

When in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a UE may be a device used in one or more application areas including, but not limited to, urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an IoT device are as or embedded in one of the following: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, A home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electronic door lock, a connected doorbell, and an air conditioning system (such as a heat pump), an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, for augmented reality (AR) or virtual A head-mounted display for reality (VR), a wearable device for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or object tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal , an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and any kind of medical device, such as a heart rate monitor or a remote-controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an IoT device also includes circuitry and/or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device, in addition to other components as described with respect to UE 800 shown in FIG. 8 .

As yet another specific example, in an IoT case, a UE may represent to perform monitoring and/or measurements and transmit the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another UE and/or to one of the network nodes machines or other devices. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in a 3GPP context. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other cases, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as an automobile, a bus, a truck, a ship, and an aircraft, or other equipment capable of monitoring and/or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation .

In practice, any number of UEs may be used together for a single use case. For example, a first UE may be a drone or be integrated in a drone and provide the speed information of the drone (obtained by a speed sensor) to a second UE that operates the drone One of the remote controllers. As the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (eg, by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first and/or second UE may also comprise more than one of the above described functionalities. For example, a UE may include sensors and actuators and handle data communication for both the speed sensors and actuators.

Fig. 9 shows a network node 900 according to some embodiments. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (eg, radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (eg, radio base stations, Node Bs, eNBs, gNBs, etc.). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, their transmission power levels) and thus, depending on the amount of coverage provided, can be referred to as pico base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations or macro base stations . A base station may be a relay node controlling a relay or a relay donor node. A network node may also comprise one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as remote radio heads (RRHs) ). These remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna into an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

Other examples of network nodes include multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSC)), base transceiver station (BTS), transmission point, transmission node, multi-cell/multicast coordination entity (MCE), operation and maintenance (O&M) node, operation support system (OSS) node, self-organizing network ( SON) nodes, positioning nodes (eg, Evolved Servo Action Location Center (E-SMLC)), and/or Minimized Drive Test (MDT).

The network node 900 includes a processing circuit 902 , a memory 904 , a communication interface 906 and a power source 908 . The network node 900 may consist of multiple physically separate components (eg, a NodeB component and an RNC component or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain cases where network node 900 includes multiple individual components (eg, BTS and BSC components), one or more of the individual components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple NodeBs. In this case, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (eg, separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (eg, one same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include different wireless technologies for integration into the network node 900 (for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technology ) of multiple sets of various components shown. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 900 .

The processing circuit 902 may include one or a combination of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any Other suitable computing devices, resources, or combinations of hardware, software, and/or coded logic operable to provide network node 900 functionality alone or in combination with other network node 900 components, such as memory 904 .

In some embodiments, the processing circuit 902 includes a system-on-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 . In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same die or chipset, board or unit.

Memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory, including but not limited to persistent storage, solid state memory, remote mount memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory ( RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a compact disc (CD) or a digital video disc (DVD) )) and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and/or computer-executable memory device storing information, data and/or instructions usable by the processing circuit 902. Memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables) and/or executable by processing circuit 902 and controlled by Other instructions utilized by network node 900 (collectively denoted computer program product 904a). Memory 904 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 902 and/or any data received via communication interface 906 . In some embodiments, processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 are integrated.

The communication interface 906 is used for signaling and/or data wired or wireless communication between a network node, an access network and/or a UE. As shown, communication interface 906 includes port(s)/terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data to and from a network, eg, over a wired connection. Communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 , which may be coupled to antenna 910 or be part of antenna 810 in some embodiments. The radio front end circuit 918 includes a filter 920 and an amplifier 922 . The radio front end circuit 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and the processing circuit 902 . The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals passed between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902 . The radio front end circuit 918 can receive digital data to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may use a combination of filter 920 and/or amplifier 922 to convert the digital data into a radio signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. Radio signals may then be transmitted via the antenna 910 . Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 910 may collect radio signals, which are then converted to digital data by radio front-end circuitry 918 . The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 902 . In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and/or different combinations of components.

In some alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit 918 , instead the processing circuit 902 includes a radio front-end circuit and is connected to the antenna 910 . Similarly, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906 in some embodiments. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, radio front-end circuitry 918, and RF transceiver circuitry 912 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 is associated with the baseband processing circuitry 914 (which is part of a bit cell (not shown)) communicates.

Antenna 910 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals. Antenna 910 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, the antenna 910 can be separated from the network node 900 and can be connected to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

Antenna 910, communication interface 906, and/or processing circuit 902 may be configured to perform any receive operations and/or certain obtain operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 910, communication interface 906, and/or processing circuit 902 may be configured to perform any transmission operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and/or any other network device.

The power supply 908 provides power to the various components of the network node 900 in a form appropriate to the respective components (eg, at a voltage and current level required by each respective component). The power supply 908 may further include or be coupled to power management circuitry to supply power to components of the network node 900 to perform the functionality described herein. For example, network node 900 may be connected to an external power source (eg, grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of power source 908 . As a further example, the power source 908 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuit. The battery provides backup power if the external power source fails.

Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 9 for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functionality described herein and/or support Any functionality required for the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and output of information from the network node 900 . This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair and other management functions of the network node 900 .

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a host 1000 , which may be an embodiment of host 716 of FIG. 7 , according to various aspects described herein. As used herein, host 1000 can be or include various combinations of hardware and/or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-enabled server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or 1. Processing resources in the server farm. The host 1000 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

The host 1000 includes a processing circuit 1002 operatively coupled to an input/output interface 1006 , a network interface 1008 , a power source 1010 and a memory 1012 via a bus bar 1004 . Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to devices of previous figures, such as FIGS. 8 and 9 , such that their descriptions apply to corresponding components of host 1000 generally.

Memory 1012 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications 1014, and data 1016, which may include user data, such as data generated by a UE for host 1000 or by host 1000 for - Data generated by the UE. Embodiments of host 1000 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application 1014 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding ( AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g. FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including UEs (e.g. mobile phones, desktops, wearable display systems, head-up displays system) for multiple different classes, types or implementations of transcoding. Host application 1014 can also provide user authentication and authorization checks, and can periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in a core network or on the edge. Therefore, the host 1000 can select and/or instruct a different host for a UE's cloud service. The host application 1014 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 in which functions performed by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or device, which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and network connection resources. As used herein, virtualization may apply to any device or component thereof described herein, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more hardware nodes, such as A hardware computing device operating as a network node, UE, core network node or host. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (eg, a core network node or host), the node can be fully virtualized.

Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) run in a virtual environment Q400 to implement some features of some embodiments disclosed herein , features and/or benefits.

Hardware 1104 includes: processing circuitry; memory storing software and/or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry (collectively denoted computer program product 1104a); and/or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a Network interface, input/output interface, etc. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also known as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), providing VMs 1108a and 1108b (one or more of which may typically be referred to as VM 1108), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described with respect to some of the embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1106 may present to VM 1108 a virtual operating platform that appears to be network-attached hardware.

VM 1108 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface, and virtual storage, and can be executed by a corresponding virtualization layer 1106 . Different embodiments of an instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1108, and may be implemented in different ways. Virtualization of hardware is referred to in some contexts as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches and physical storage that can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

In the context of NFV, a VM 1108 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VM 1108 and the portion of the hardware 1104 executing the VM, whether hardware dedicated to the VM and/or hardware shared by the VM with other VMs, form a single virtual network element. Also in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more VMs 1108 on top of hardware 1104 and corresponding to applications 1102 .

Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a separate network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (eg, such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1110 , which In particular, overseeing the lifecycle management of the application 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radios each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, which may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio unit can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more suitable network interfaces and can be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided using a control system 1112 that may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

12 shows a communication diagram of a host 1202 communicating with a UE 1206 via a network node 1204 over a portion of a wireless connection, according to some embodiments. According to various embodiments, a UE (such as UE 712a of FIG. 7 and/or UE 800 of FIG. 8 ), a network node (such as network node 710a of FIG. 7 and/or Example implementations of network node 900 of FIG. 9 ) and a host, such as host 716 of FIG. 7 and/or host 1000 of FIG. 10 .

Like host 1000, embodiments of host 1202 include hardware, such as a communications interface, processing circuitry, and memory. Host 1202 also includes software that is stored in or accessible by host 1202 and that is executable by processing circuitry. The software includes a host application operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as UE 1206 connected via an over-the-cloud (OTT) connection 1250 extending between UE 1206 and host 1202 . In providing services to remote users, a host application may provide user data, which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1250 .

Network node 1204 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with host 1202 and UE 1206 . Connection 1260 may be direct or through a core network (such as core network 706 of FIG. 7 ) and/or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

UE 1206 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE 1206 and that is executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific "application," operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1206 with the support of host 1202. In the host 1202, an executing host application can communicate with an executing client application via an OTT connection 1250 terminated at the UE 1206 and the host 1202. In providing services to a user, a client application of the UE may receive request data from a host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1250 can transmit both request data and user data. The UE's client application can interact with the user to generate user data that it provides to the host application over the OTT connection 1250 .

The OTT connection 1250 can be extended to provide connectivity between the host 1202 and the UE 1206 via a connection 1260 between the host 1202 and the network node 1204 and via a wireless connection 1270 between the network node 1204 and the UE 1206 . Connection 1260 and wireless connection 1270 (through which OTT connection 1250 may be provided) have been drawn abstractly to illustrate communication between host 1202 and UE 1206 via network node 1204, without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and via such Precise message routing for devices.

As an example of transferring data over the OTT connection 1250, in step 1208 the host 1202 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user profile is associated with a specific human user with which the UE 1206 interacts. In other embodiments, the user profile is associated with one of the UEs 1206 that shares profile with the host 1202 without explicit human interaction. In step 1210 , the host 1202 initiates transmission of the user data bearer towards one of the UEs 1206 . Host 1202 may initiate a transmission in response to a request transmitted by UE 1206 . The request may result from human interaction with UE 1206 or from the operation of a client application executing on UE 1206 . Transmissions may pass through network node 1204 in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Thus, in step 1212 the network node 1204 transmits to the UE 1206 the user data carried in the host 1202 initiated transmission according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present invention. In step 1214, UE 1206 receives user data carried in transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on UE 1206 associated with a host application executed by host 1202.

In some examples, UE 1206 executes a client application that provides user data to host 1202 . User data may be provided in response to or in response to data received from host 1202 . Accordingly, in step 1216, UE 1206 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing a client application. When providing user information, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input/output interface of the UE 1206 . Regardless of how the user data is provided, UE 1206 initiates the transmission of user data towards host 1202 via network node 1204 in step 1218 . In step 1220 , network node 1204 receives user data from UE 1206 and initiates transmission of the received user data toward host 1202 in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1222, the host 1202 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1206.

One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1206 using OTT connection 1250 (with wireless connection 1270 forming the last segment). More precisely, embodiments described herein can provide novel, flexible and efficient signaling and procedures to support dynamic adaptation of the number of configured antenna ports in a base station. These techniques facilitate predictable and/or correct UE behavior when a base station dynamically adapts the number of configured antenna ports to reduce base station energy consumption. Accordingly, embodiments facilitate improved energy efficiency of wireless networks while maintaining predictable and/or correct UE behavior. When used to improve UEs and base stations comprising a wireless network, embodiments increase the value (ie, for end users and service providers) of OTT services delivered to UEs over wireless networks.

In an example case, plant status information can be collected and analyzed by the host computer 1202 . As another example, host 1202 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1202 can collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicular congestion (eg, controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1202 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, host 1202 may store or control access to media content, such as video, audio, VR or AR, that it may broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1202 can be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical electrical loads to balance generation demand, location services, presence services (such as compiling graphs based on data collected from remote devices, etc.), or collection, retrieval, storage , analyze and/or transmit data for any other function.

In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors that improve one or more embodiments. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1250 between the host 1202 and the UE 1206 in response to changes in measurement results. Measurement procedures and/or network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connections may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 1202 and/or UE 1206 . In some embodiments sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices through which the OTT connection 1250 passes; the sensors may provide values for the monitored quantities exemplified above or by The supply software can be used to calculate or estimate the value of other physical quantities of monitored quantities and participate in the measurement process. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1250 may include message format, retransmission settings, better routing, etc.; the reconfiguration does not need to directly change the operation of the network node 1204. Such procedures and functionality may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, measurements may involve dedicated UE signaling that facilitates host 1202 measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, and the like. Measurements may be implemented where the software causes messages (in particular, null or "dummy" messages) to be transmitted using the OTT connection 1250 while monitoring propagation time, errors, and the like.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise systems, configurations and procedures which, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the invention and thus can be implemented within the spirit and scope of the invention. Inside. The various embodiments can be used with each other and interchangeably, as those of ordinary skill will appreciate.

As used herein, the term unit may have a conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, functions for implementing respective tasks, programs, calculations, output and/or display functions, etc. (such as herein functions described in ), electrical and/or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions.

Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include several of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry (which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers) and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for implementing one or more telecommunications and/or data communication protocols and instructions for implementing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, processing circuitry is operable to cause respective functional units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the invention.

As described herein, a device and/or device may be represented by a semiconductor chip, a chip set, or a (hardware) module comprising such a chip or chip set; however, this does not preclude the functionality of a device or device from being Possibility of being implemented as a software module (such as a computer program or a computer program product comprising executable software code portions for execution or operation on a processor) rather than hardware. Furthermore, the functionality of a device or device may be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or device may also be viewed as an assembly of multiple devices and/or devices, whether functionally cooperating with each other or independent of each other. Furthermore, devices and devices may be implemented in a distributed fashion throughout a system as long as the functionality of the device or device is preserved. These and similar principles are considered to be known to those skilled in the art.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meanings in the context of this specification and related technologies and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless otherwise stated herein clearly so defined.

In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure (including examples in the specification, drawings, and the like) may be used synonymously in certain instances, including but not limited to, for example, data and information. It should be understood that while these words and/or other words that may be synonymous with each other may be used herein synonymously, there may be instances where these words are not intended to be used synonymously.

Illustrative embodiments of the techniques and devices described herein include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples: A1. A method for a user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving from a base station of the wireless network an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a configuration associated with normal energy consumption to an energy-saving configuration; and In response to the indication, one or more operations are performed based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. A2. The method according to embodiment A1, wherein the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration includes one or more of the following: one or more alternative cell selection criteria; and An alternate configuration for Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Radio Link Failure (RLF) detection and/or Radio Link Monitoring (RLM); and An alternate target uplink (UL) signal strength. A3. The method according to embodiment A2, wherein the alternative cell selection criteria include one of the following: Respective alternative thresholds for measured downlink (DL) signal strength and signal quality; or Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with a non-power saving configuration of the base station. A4. The method according to any one of embodiments A2 to A3, wherein the alternative configuration for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM comprises one or more of the following: One of the alternative downlink (DL) signal quality thresholds used to indicate out-of-sync; An alternate number of out-of-sync indications required to detect beam failure or RLF; and An alternative to loose measurement configurations. A5. The method according to any one of embodiments A1 to A4, further comprising receiving at least part of the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration from the base station. A6. The method according to any one of embodiments A1 to A5, wherein the one or more operations based on a UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration comprise any of the following: performing cell selection based on one or more alternative cell selection criteria; restarting beam failure detection (BFD), radio link failure (RLF) detection and/or radio link monitoring (RLM) based on an alternate configuration or based on the same configuration used before receiving the indication; continue BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; restarting measurements for BFD, RLF and/or RLM based on an alternate lenient measurement configuration or based on a non-relaxed or normal measurement configuration; Continue to use for BFD, RLF and/or RLM measurements based on an alternative relaxed measurement configuration; Restart filtering of downlink (DL) signal strength measurements for uplink (UL) transmit power control; UL transmit power is controlled based on an alternate target UL signal strength. A7. The method according to embodiment A6, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: Restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the same configuration; or BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM continue based on the alternate configuration. A8. The method according to embodiment A6, wherein when the alternative configuration is not received from the base station prior to the indication, performing restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the same configuration. A9. The method according to any one of embodiments A6 to A8, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: restarting measurements for BFD, RLF and/or RLM based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration; restarting measurements for BFD, RLF and/or RLM based on the non-relaxed or normal measurement configuration; or Measurements for BFD, RLF and/or RLM continue based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration. A10. The method according to any one of embodiments A1 to A9, wherein the instruction comprises one of the following: a single bit or bit field upon which the UE performs the one or more operations; or A plurality of bits or bit fields, where each bit or bit field is associated with a different operation or type of operation. A11. The method according to any one of embodiments A1 to A10, wherein the energy-saving configuration of the base station includes one or more of the following reduced numbers: active and/or configured receive (RX) physical antenna ports; Active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; active and/or configured transmit (TX) physical antenna ports; and Active and/or configured TX logical antenna port. B1. A method for a base station configured to operate in a wireless network, the method comprising: sending an indication that the base station has switched or has switched from a configuration associated with normal energy consumption to an energy-saving configuration to one or more user equipments (UEs); and Operate in this energy-saving configuration. B2. The method according to embodiment A1, further comprising sending at least part of a UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration to the one or more UEs. B3. The method according to embodiment B2, wherein the UE configuration associated with the energy saving configuration of the base station includes one or more of the following: one or more alternative cell selection criteria; and An alternate configuration for Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Radio Link Failure (RLF) detection and/or Radio Link Monitoring (RLM); and An alternate target uplink (UL) signal strength. B4. The method according to embodiment B3, wherein the alternative cell selection criteria include one of the following: Respective alternative thresholds for measured downlink (DL) signal strength and signal quality; or Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with a non-power saving configuration of the base station. B5. The method according to any one of embodiments B3 to B4, wherein the alternative configuration for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM comprises one or more of the following: One of the alternative downlink (DL) signal quality thresholds used to indicate out-of-sync; An alternate number of out-of-sync indications required to detect beam failure or RLF; and An alternative to loose measurement configurations. B6. The method according to any one of embodiments B2 to B5, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: restarting beam failure detection (BFD), radio link failure (RLF) detection and/or radio link monitoring (RLM) based on an alternate configuration; restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the same configuration used before receiving the indication; or BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM continue based on the alternate configuration. B7. The method according to any one of embodiments B2 to B6, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: restarting measurements for Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Radio Link Failure (RLF) detection and/or Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) based on an alternative relaxed measurement configuration; Restart measurements for BFD, RLF and/or RLM based on a non-relaxed or normal measurement configuration; or Measurements for BFD, RLF and/or RLM continue based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration. B8. The method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B7, wherein the instruction includes one of the following: a single bit or bit field upon which the UE performs one or more operations associated with the base station power saving configuration; or A plurality of bits or bit fields, wherein each bit or bit field is associated with a different operation or type of operation of the UE. B9. The method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B8, wherein the energy-saving configuration includes one or more of the following reduced numbers: active and/or configured receive (RX) physical antenna ports; Active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; active and/or configured transmit (TX) physical antenna ports; and Active and/or configured TX logical antenna port. C1. A user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless network, the UE comprising: communication interface circuitry configured to communicate with a base station of the wireless network; and A processing circuit operably coupled to the communication interface circuit, whereby the processing circuit and the communication interface circuit are configured to perform an operation corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments A1 to A11. C2. A user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless network, the UE being further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments A1 to A11. C3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless network The UE is configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments A1 to A11. C4. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless network, configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of Embodiments A1 to A11. D1. A base station configured to operate in a wireless network, the base station comprising: communication interface circuitry configured to communicate with one or more user equipment (UE); and A processing circuit operatively coupled to the communication interface circuit, whereby the processing circuit and the communication interface circuit are configured to perform an operation corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments B1 to B9. D2. A base station configured to operate in a wireless network, the base station being further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments B1 to B9. D3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a base station configured to operate in a wireless network, configure the base station to Operations corresponding to any of the methods as in Examples B1 to B9 were performed. D4. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a base station configured to operate in a wireless network, configure the base station to perform a function corresponding to Proceed as any of the methods of Examples B1 to B9.

100: Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN)/gNB 105: eNB 106: Community 110:eNB/gNB-Central Unit (CU) 111: Community 115: eNB 120: User Equipment (UE)/gNB-Distributed Unit (DU) 130: Evolved Packet Core (EPC)/gNB-Distributed Unit (DU) 200: gNB 202: interface 240: Xn interface 250: gNB 252: interface 298: 5G Core (5GC) 299:Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 310: User Equipment (UE) 410: User Equipment (UE) 420: base station 510: block 520: block 530: block 531: Sub-square 532: Sub-square 533: Sub-square 534: Sub-square 535: Sub-square 536: Sub-square 537: Sub-square 610: block 620: block 630: block 631: Sub-square 632: sub-square 700: Communication system 702: Telecommunications network 704: access network 706: core network 708: Core network node 710A: network node 710B: network node 712A to 712D: User Equipment (UE) 714: hub 716: host 800: User Equipment (UE) 802: processing circuit 804: Bus 806: Input/Output Interface 808: power supply 810: memory 812: communication interface 814: application 816: data 818:transmitter 820: Receiver 822:antenna 900: network node 902: processing circuit 904: Memory 904a: Computer program products 906: communication interface 908: Power 910:antenna 912: Radio Frequency (RF) Transceiver Circuit 914: Baseband processing circuit 916: port/terminal 918: Radio front-end circuit 920: filter 922: Amplifier 1000: Host 1002: processing circuit 1004: busbar 1006: input/output interface 1008: Network interface 1010: power supply 1012: memory 1014: host application 1016: Information 1100: Virtualization environment 1102:Application/Virtual Appliance 1104: hardware 1104a: Computer program products 1106: virtualization layer 1108A: Virtual Machine (VM) 1108B: Virtual Machine (VM) 1110: Management and orchestration 1112: control system 1202: Host 1204: network node 1206: User Equipment (UE) 1208:step 1210: step 1212:step 1214:step 1216:step 1218:step 1220: step 1222:Step 1250: Over-the-cloud (OTT) connection 1260: connect 1270: wireless connection

FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of an exemplary LTE network architecture. FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of an exemplary 5G/NR network architecture. Figure 3 illustrates how a base station's logical and physical antenna ports can be muted to facilitate powering down the radio portion of the base station. Figure 4 illustrates how dynamically reducing the number of transmit antenna ports used by a base station can affect cell coverage. 5 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method (eg, procedure) for a UE (eg, wireless device) according to various embodiments of the invention. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method (eg, procedure) for a base station (eg, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.) according to various embodiments of the invention. Figure 7 shows a communication system according to various embodiments of the invention. Fig. 8 shows a UE according to various embodiments of the present invention. Figure 9 shows a network node according to various embodiments of the invention. Figure 10 shows a host computing system according to various embodiments of the invention. Figure 11 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present invention can be virtualized. 12 illustrates communications between a host computing system, a network node, and a UE via multiple connections, at least one of which is wireless, according to various embodiments of the invention.

510: block

520: block

530: block

531: Sub-square

532: Sub-square

533: Sub-square

534: Sub-square

535: Sub-square

536: Sub-square

537: Sub-square

Claims (35)

A method for a user equipment UE configured to operate in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving (520) from a base station of the wireless network an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration; and In response to the indication, one or more operations are performed (530) based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration includes one or more of the following: one or more alternative cell selection criteria; Alternate configurations for one or more of: beam failure detection BFD; radio link failure RLF detection; and radio link monitoring RLM; and An alternate target uplink UL signal strength. The method according to claim 2, wherein the alternative cell selection criterion includes one of the following: Respective alternative thresholds for measured downlink DL signal strength and signal quality; or Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with the first configuration. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the alternative configuration includes one or more of the following: One of the alternative downlink DL signal quality thresholds used to indicate out-of-sync; An alternate number of out-of-sync indications required to detect beam failure or RLF; and An alternative to loose measurement configurations. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising receiving (510) from the base station at least part of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein performing (530) one or more operations based on a UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration comprises one or more of the following: performing (531) cell selection based on one or more alternative cell selection criteria; restarting (532) beam failure detection BFD, radio link failure RLF detection and/or radio link monitoring RLM based on an alternative configuration or based on a configuration used by the UE before receiving the indication; Proceeding (533) with BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; Restarting (534) measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on an alternate lenient measurement configuration or based on a non-relaxed or normal measurement configuration; Continuing (535) measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration; restarting (536) filtering for downlink DL signal strength measurements for uplink UL transmit power control; and UL transmit power is controlled (537) based on an alternate target UL signal strength. The method of claim 6, wherein the restart filtering of DL signal strength measurements is performed as layer 3 L3 filtering or RRC layer filtering. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: Restarting (532) BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; restarting (532) BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the configuration in use; or BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM continue (533) based on the alternate configuration. The method of any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein when the alternative configuration is not received from the base station prior to receiving (520) the indication, performing restarting (532) BFD, RLF based on the configuration in use Detection and/or RLM. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: Restarting (534) measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration; restarting (534) measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the non-loose or normal measurement configuration; or Measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM are continued (535) based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the instruction includes one of the following: a bit or bit field whose presence or value indicates that the UE should apply the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration; or A plurality of bits or bit fields, the respective presence or value of which indicate that the UE should apply the respective portion of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein relative to the first configuration, the energy-saving configuration of the base station includes a reduced number of one or more of the following: active and/or configured receive RX physical antenna port; Active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; active and/or configured to transmit TX physical antenna ports; and Active and/or configured TX logical antenna port. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the indication is received from the base station as one of: broadcast or multicast physical layer downlink control information DCI; or Unicast radio resource control RRC signaling. A method for a base station configured to operate in a wireless network, the method comprising: sending (620) to one or more user equipment UEs an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration; and Operate (630) in the base station power saving configuration. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending (610) at least part of a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration to the one or more UEs. The method according to claim 15, wherein the UE configuration associated with the base station energy saving configuration includes one or more of the following: one or more alternative cell selection criteria; Alternate configurations for one or more of: beam failure detection BFD; radio link failure RLF detection; and radio link monitoring RLM; and An alternate target uplink UL signal strength. The method according to claim 16, wherein the alternative cell selection criteria include one of the following: Respective alternative thresholds for measured downlink DL signal strength and signal quality; or Respective offsets of thresholds for measured DL signal strength and signal quality associated with the first configuration. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: Restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate configuration; restarting BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on a configuration used by the UE prior to receiving the indication; or BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM continue based on the alternate configuration. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the alternative configuration includes one or more of the following: One of the alternative downlink (DL) signal quality thresholds used to indicate out-of-sync; An alternate number of out-of-sync indications required to detect beam failure or RLF; and An alternative to loose measurement configurations. The method of claim 19, wherein the indication indicates which of the following should be performed by the UE: Restarting measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration; Restart measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM based on a non-loose or normal measurement configuration; or Measurements for BFD, RLF detection and/or RLM continue based on the alternate relaxed measurement configuration. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the instruction includes one of the following: a bit or bit field whose presence or value indicates that the UE should apply the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration; or A plurality of bits or bit fields, the respective presence or value of which indicate that the UE should apply the respective portion of the UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the indication is sent by the base station as one of the following: broadcast or multicast physical layer downlink control information DCI; or Unicast radio resource control RRC signaling. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the operation in the energy-saving configuration of the base station includes one or more of the following: Relative to the first configuration, uplink (UL) signals are received using a reduced number of one or more of: active and/or configured receive (RX) physical antenna ports, and active and/or configured RX logical antenna ports; and Relative to the first configuration, downlink (DL) signals are transmitted using a reduced number of one or more of the following: active and/or configured transmit (TX) physical antenna ports, and Active and/or configured TX logical antenna port. A user equipment UE (120, 310, 410, 712, 800, 1206) configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704), the UE comprising: communication interface circuitry (812) configured to communicate with a base station (105, 110, 115, 200, 250, 420, 710, 900, 1102, 1204) of the wireless network; and processing circuitry (802) operatively coupled to the communication interface circuitry, whereby the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are configured to: receiving from the base station an indication that the base station will switch or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration; and In response to the indication, one or more operations are performed based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. The UE of claim 24, wherein the processing circuit and the communication interface circuit are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 2-13. A user equipment UE (120, 310, 410, 712, 800, 1206) configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704), the UE further configured to: Receiving from a base station (105, 110, 115, 200, 250, 420, 710, 900, 1102, 1204) of the wireless network that the base station will or has received from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption an indication of switching to a base station energy-saving configuration; and In response to the indication, one or more operations are performed based on a UE configuration associated with the base station power saving configuration. The UE of claim 26, which is further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 2-13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (810) storing computer-executable instructions for use by a user device configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704) The processing circuit ( 802 ) of the UE ( 120 , 310 , 410 , 712 , 800 , 1206 ) configures the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods as claimed in claims 1 to 13 when executed. A computer program product (814) comprising computer-executable instructions for executing a user equipment UE (120, 120, The processing circuit (802) of 310, 410, 712, 800, 1206) configures the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods as claimed in claims 1 to 13 when executed. A base station (105, 110, 115, 200, 250, 420, 710, 900, 1102, 1204) configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704), the base station comprising: communication interface circuitry (906, 1104) configured to communicate with one or more user equipment UEs (120, 310, 410, 712, 800, 1206); and processing circuitry (902, 1104) operatively coupled to the communication interface circuitry, whereby the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are configured to: sending an indication to the one or more UEs that the base station is switching or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration; and Operate in this base station energy saving configuration. The base station of claim 30, wherein the processing circuit and the communication interface circuit are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 15-23. A base station (105, 110, 115, 200, 250, 420, 710, 900, 1102, 1204) configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704), the base station further configured to : sending an indication that the base station has switched or has switched from a first configuration associated with normal base station energy consumption to a base station energy saving configuration to one or more user equipment UEs (120, 310, 410, 712, 800, 1206); and Operate in this base station energy saving configuration. The base station of claim 32, which is further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 15-23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (904, 1104) storing computer-executable instructions for use by a base station configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704) The processing circuit (902, 1104) of (105, 110, 115, 200, 250, 420, 710, 900, 1102, 1204) configures the base station to perform any of the methods corresponding to claims 14 to 23 when executed operation. A computer program product (904a, 1104a) comprising computer-executable instructions that are activated by a base station (105, 110) configured to operate in a wireless network (100, 299, 704) , 115, 200, 250, 420, 710, 900, 1102, 1204) the processing circuit (902, 1104) configures the base station to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods as claimed in claims 14 to 23 when executed.