WO2022205448A1

WO2022205448A1 - Mechanism for paging enhancement

Info

Publication number: WO2022205448A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/085381
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jing He; Benoist Pierre Sebire; Jarkko Tuomo Koskela; Naizheng ZHENG
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd.; Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2021-04-02
Filing date: 2021-04-02
Publication date: 2022-10-06
Also published as: CN117121581A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to paging enhancement. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a first device receives one or more group paging messages from a second device. The one or more group paging messages indicate delaying a response for one of the one or more group paging messages. The first device transmits a delayed response for the one group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages. In this way, it avoids a congestion in accessing the channel.

Description

MECHANISM FOR PAGING ENHANCEMENT

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for paging enhancement.

BACKGROUND

Recently, several solutions have been proposed to provide efficient and reliable solutions for communication. A technology named “Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) ” has been proposed to make it possible for efficient use of radio and network resources while transmitting audio and video content to a large group of end users. In a scenario of the MBS, both point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multi point (PTM) are supported when a base station transmits MBS data packets in downlink. The term “PTP mode” means that packets are sent in downlink using unicast to a specific terminal device with a Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identity (C-RNTI) . The term “PTM mode” means that the packets are sent in downlink using multicast to a group of terminal devices sharing a common Group-Radio Network Temporary Identity (G-RNTI) . Solutions on improving performances of MBS need to be further studied.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for paging enhancement.

In a first aspect, there is provided a first device. The first device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes; the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages; and transmit , to the second device, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.

In a second aspect, there is provided a second device. The second device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes; the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to transmit to a first device one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for the group paging message; and receive, from the first device, a delayed response for one of the one or more group paging messages based at least on part of the one or more group paging messages.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises receiving, at a first device and from a second device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages; and transmitting, to the second device, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises transmitting, at a second device and to a first device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for the group paging message; and receiving, from the first device, a delayed response for one of the one or more group paging messages based at least on part of the one or more group paging messages.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprise means for receiving, at a first device and from a second device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages; and means for transmitting, to the second device, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises means for transmitting, at a second device and to a first device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for the group paging message; and means for receiving, from the first device, a delayed response for one of the one or more group paging messages based at least on part of the one or more group paging messages.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to any one of the above third and fourth aspects.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

Fig. 2 illustrates a signaling flow for paging according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of paging occasions according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second apparatus according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR) , Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, an Integrated and Access Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

As mentioned above, the MBS has been proposed. According to some conventional technologies, the New Radio (NR) support of MBS has been agreed. For example, it has been agreed to use conventional Next-Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) architecture to support NR MBS.

For the purpose of power saving, if no MBS service and no unicast service ongoing, a UE which is in a radio resource control (RRC) _CONNECTED state and has joined one MBS service should be sent back to a RRC_INACTIVE/IDLE state. When a MBS session is activated or started, an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) will perform group paging including the Group Paging Identity (TMGI) in the paging message and a NG-RAN node triggers group paging to wake up all UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE/IDLE state accordingly. If the AMF has connection management-idle (CM-IDLE) UEs that have joined the MB Session (i.e. any CM-IDLE UE with the specific TMGI of a MB Session in stored in the UE Context of the AMF) , the AMF performs group paging including the Group Paging Identity (TMGI) in the Paging message in the registration areas of the CM-IDLE UEs. The AMF determines the group paging area by combing the paging areas of the individual UE within the multicast group.

The MBS session may be stopped upon application function (AF) requests. When the MBS Session is stopped, the MBS Session context is kept in fifth generation core network (5GC) , but the AN resource with context and N3 tunnel for 5GC shared MBS delivery method are released. The multicast qualities of service (QoS) flow information can be removed from the MBS Session context stored at the UE and 5GC network function (NF) . UEs that have joined that multicast session can become CM-IDLE (RRC INACTIVE/Idle state) .

The MBS Session may be activated/started upon AF requests. When the MBS session needs to be activated or started, the network exposure function (NEF) or mobile black spot fund (MBSF) may send one or more messages to the multicast broadcast-session management function (MB-SMF) for establishing the transmission resources. The MB-SMF can obtain related multicast QoS flow information from policy control function (PCF) . When the MB-SMF restarts the MBS session, the MB-SMF notifies the session activation to NG-RANs via SMFs/AMFs serving UEs within the multicast session. UEs are notified by NG-RAN about the session activation.

Group paging mechanism can page all UEs who joined the same MBS service by one paging message in one cell, but all paged UEs will initiate a random access channel (RACH) access procedure simultaneously, which leads to contention based RACH access collision problem.

In order to solve at least part of the above and other potential problems, solutions on group paging have been proposed. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a first device receives one or more group paging messages from a second device. The one or more group paging messages indicate delaying a response for one of the one or more group paging messages. The first device transmits a delayed response for the one group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages. In this way, it avoids a congestion in accessing the channel.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication environment 100, which is a part of a communication network, further comprises a device 110-1, a device 110-2, ...., a device 110-N, which can be collectively referred to as “first device (s) 110. ” The communication environment 100 comprises a second device 120.

The communication environment 100 may comprise any suitable number of devices and cells. In the communication environment 100, the first device 110 and the second device 120 can communicate data and control information to each other. In the case that the first device 110 is the terminal device and the second device 120 is the network device, a link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL) , while a link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL) . The second device 120 and the first device 110 are interchangeable.

It is to be understood that the number of first devices and cells and their connections shown in Fig. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and networks adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol (s) , comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and on the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) , Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) , Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) , Time Division Duplex (TDD) , Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) , Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM) , Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and/or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference is now made to Fig. 2, which illustrates a signaling flow 200 for paging according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the signaling flow 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Only for the purpose of illustrations, the signaling flow 200 may involve the first device 110-1 and the second device 120.

In some example embodiments, the second device 120 can transmit 2005 first information indicating a plurality of delay windows to the first device 110-1. For example, the first information can be transmitted in a group Paging message. Alternatively, the first information can be transmitted in a system information block. Alternatively, the first information can be transmitted in a dedicated signaling, for example, a dedicated RRC signaling. The term “delay window” refers to a duration between a reception of the group paging message and the latest possible transmission of the response for the group paging message.

Alternatively or in addition, the second device 120 can transmit 2010 second information indicating a number of repetitions of the one or more group paging messages to the first device 110-1. In some example embodiments, the second information can be transmitted in a system information block. In other example embodiments, the second information can be transmitted in a dedicated signaling, for example, a dedicated RRC signaling. Alternatively, the second information may be transmitted in the one or more group paging messages.

The second device 120 transmits 2015 one or more group paging messages to the first device 110-1. In some embodiments, the one or more group paging messages can be different from each other. For example, the second device 120 can transmit a group paging message for one time. Alternatively, the one or more group paging messages can be the same. In this case, the second device 120 can transmitting the same group paging message for several times, for example, in different and successive paging occasions.

In some embodiments, the group paging message can comprise an identity of a paging UE. For example, the identity can be a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI) . Alternatively or in addition, the identity can be a system architecture evaluation (SAE) temporary mobile group identity (TIMGI) .

Alternatively or in addition, the group paging message can directly comprise a delay window. The value of the delay window can be any suitable value. In other example embodiments, the group paging message can comprise an index of a delay window. As mentioned above, the first information which comprises the plurality of delay windows can be transmitted to the first device 210-1. In this situation, the first device 210-1 can determine the value of the delay window based on the index of the delay window and the first information. Only as an example, if an overhead in paging can be limited, a pointer towards a fixed value could be transmitted. For instance, a SIB or a dedicated signaling (for example, a RRCRelease or a RRCReconfiguration message to command the first device 110-1 to RRC_INACTIVE/IDLE) , can signal different delay window values (for example, 10, 20, 40, 80ms) and the paging record can only send an index to signal which of these delay window values are used. For example, if the index “3” is transmitted, the delay window value should be 40ms. As another example embodiment, the group paging message can indicate the number of repetitions for the group paging message.

Alternatively, the delay window value may not be sent in the paging record, i.e., separately for each UE but commonly for all the UEs. After the first device 110-1 receives the group paging message, the first device 110-1 initiating accesses would be distributed as the first device 110-1 would initiate the timer with randomized value e.g. distributed from 0ms to the delay window value.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110-1 can generate 2020 a random delay value. The random delay value can be between a predetermined value and the value of the delay window. Only as an example, if the predetermined value is 0 and the value of the delay window is 10ms, the generated random delay value may be between 0 and 10. The maximum generated random delay value can be 10. In some example embodiments, if the first device 110-1 receives the paging message, the first device 110-1 which is in RRC_INACTIVE/IDLE state can select a random delay value according to a uniform distribution between 0 and the delay window. When the time indicated by the random delay value occurs, the first device 110-1 can perform a random access (RA) selection procedure. By way of example, if the delay window is 10 ms and the generated random delay value is 7, the RACH can be delayed by 7 ms. In some embodiments, the RACH resource may not be available precisely at the time indicated by the random delay value, the RACH can be initiated using the first available RACH resource after the time indicated by the random delay value. Table 1 below shows an example of the group paging message.

Table 1

In some example embodiments, the first device 110-1 may determine 2025 a paging occasion (PO) . In some example embodiments, as mentioned above, the second device 120 can transmit the same group paging message for a couple times in a cell and the number of repetitions of the same group paging message can be indicated in the second information. The first device 110-1 can determine a paging occasion based on at least one identity associated with the first device 110-1 and the number of repetitions. In some embodiments, the identity can be a G-RNTI. Alternatively or in addition, the identity can be a TMGI. The identity can also be a SAE-TMSI.

The first device 110-1 transmits 2030 a delayed response to the second device 120 based on a part of the one or more group paging messages. In some embodiments, as discussed above, the first device 110-1 can transmit the delayed response after a delay which corresponds to the generated random delay value. Only as an example, the value of the delay window is 10ms and the generated random delay value is 4 ms. In this case, the first device 110-1 can transmit the delayed response after 4ms. For example, the delayed response can be transmitted at 4ms or at any time point after 4ms (such as, 5ms, 6ms, 7ms, 8ms, 9ms or 10 ms) . It should be noted that the generated random delay value may not be limited to integer numbers. Only as an example, the generated random delay value can be 4.5 and then the delayed response can be transmitted at 4.5 ms or any time point after 4.5 ms, for example, 5 ms or 5.5 ms.

Alternatively, as discussed above, a paging occasion can be determined by the first device 110-1 based on one or more identities and the number of repetitions. If the group paging message is received in the determined paging occasion, the first device 110-1 can transmit the delayed response for the received group paging message. In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 can only respond to paging if the paging message comprises an identity associated with the first device 110-1. Only as an example, if two paging messages are used to distribute RA access load, the group paging message in the 1st paging occasion should be answered by the device with 5G-S-TMSI mod 2 equaling to 0 and the group paging in 2nd paging occasion should be answered by the device with 5G-S-TMSI mod 2 equaling to 1.

An another example, if four group paging messages are used to distribute RA access load, the group paging message in 1st PO should be answered by the device with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 0, the group paging message in 2nd PO should be answered by the device with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 1, the group paging message in 3rd PO should be answered by the device with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 2, and the group paging message in 4th PO should be answered by the device with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 3. It should be noted that any proper number of group paging messages can be used to distribute RA access load.

Fig. 3 illustrates the case where four group paging messages are used. Only as an example, if the first device 110-1 is with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 0, the first device 110-1 can transmit the response for the group paging message which is received in the PO 3010-1. If the first device 110-1 is with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 1, the first device 110-1 can transmit the response for the group paging message which is received in the PO 3010-2. If the first device 110-1 is with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 2, the first device 110-1 can transmit the response for the group paging message which is received in the PO 3010-3. If the first device 110-1 is with 5G-S-TMSI mod 4 equaling to 3, the first device 110-1 can transmit the response for the group paging message which is received in the PO 3010-4. It should be noted that the number of group paging messages shown in Fig. 3 is only an example, not limitations.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, it can avoid congestion for accessing the channel. Further, it has less impact to air interface signaling. It also adjust faster for the delayed response.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a first device 110 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the first device 110.

At block 410, the first device 110-1 receives one or more group paging messages from the second device. The one or more group paging messages can indicate delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages.

In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 can receive the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window. Alternatively or in addition, the first device 110-1 can receive the group paging message comprising an index of a delay window.

In example embodiments, the first device 110-1 can receive, from the second device 120, first information indicating a plurality of delay windows. The first device 110-1 can determine a value of the delay window based on the index and the plurality of delay windows.

In other embodiments, the first device 110-1 can receive the first information via one of: a system information block, or a dedicated radio resource control signaling.

In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 can generate a random delay value which is smaller than or equal to the value of the delay window. The first device 110-1 can transmit the delayed response after a delay corresponding to the generated random delay value.

Alternatively or in addition, the first device 110-1 can receive, from the second device 120, second information indicating a number of repetitions of the one or more group paging messages via one of: a system information block, a dedicated radio resource control signaling, or the one or more group paging messages.

In some embodiments, the first device 110-1 can determine a paging occasion based on at least one identity associated with the first device and the number of repetitions. In this case, the first device 110-1 can transmit the delayed response for the group paging message, if the group paging message in the one or more group paging messages is received in the paging occasion.

In other embodiments, the at least one identity comprises one or more of: a group radio network temporary identity, a temporary mobile group identity, or a SAE-temporary mobile subscriber identity.

At block 420, the first device 110-1 transmits, to the second device 120, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a second device 120 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the second device 120.

In some example embodiments, the second device 120 can transmit first information indicating a plurality of delay windows to the first device 110-1. For example, the first information can be transmitted in a system information block. Alternatively, the first information can be transmitted in a dedicated signaling, for example, a dedicated RRC signaling. The term “delay window” refers to a duration between a reception of the group paging message and a transmission of the response for the group paging message.

Alternatively or in addition, the second device 120 can transmit second information indicating a number of repetitions of the one or more group paging messages to the first device 110-1. In some example embodiments, the second information can be transmitted in a system information block. In other example embodiments, the second information can be transmitted in a dedicated signaling, for example, a dedicated RRC signaling. Alternatively, the second information may be transmitted in the one or more group paging messages.

At block 510, the second device 120 transmits one or more group paging messages to the first device 110-1. In some embodiments, the one or more group paging messages can be different from each other. For example, the second device 120 can transmit a group paging message for one time. Alternatively, the one or more group paging messages can be the same. In this case, the second device 120 can transmit the same group paging message for several times.

In some embodiments, the group paging message can comprise an identity of a paging UE. For example, the identity can be a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI) . Alternatively or in addition, the identity can be a SAE temporary mobile group identity (TIMGI) .

Alternatively or in addition, the group paging message can directly comprise a delay window. The value of the delay window can be any suitable value. In other example embodiments, the group paging message can comprise an index of a delay window. As mentioned above, the first information which comprises the plurality of delay windows can be transmitted to the first device 210-1. In this situation, the first device 210-1 can determine the value of the delay window based on the index of the delay window and the first information. Only as an example, if an overhead in paging is limited, a pointer towards a fixed value could be transmitted. For instance, a SIB or a dedicated signaling (for example, a RRCRelease message to command the first device 110-1 to RRC_INACTIVE/IDLE) , can signal different delay window values (for example, 10, 20, 40, 80ms) and the paging record can only send an index to signal which of these delay window values are used. For example, if the index “3” is transmitted, the delay window value should be 40ms. As another example embodiment, the group paging message can indicate the number of repetitions for the group paging message.

At block 520, the second device 120 receives a delayed response from the first device 110-1 based on a part of the one or more group paging messages. In some embodiments, the second device 120 can receive the delayed response for the group paging message if the group paging message in the one or more paging occasions is received in the paging occasion.

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing any of the method 400 (for example, the first device 110-1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the first device 110-1. In some example embodiments, the means may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause performance of the apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for receiving, at a first device and from a second device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages; and means for transmitting, to the second device, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.

In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the one or more group paging messages comprises: means for receiving the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window.

In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the one or more group paging messages comprises: means for receiving the group paging message comprising an index of a delay window.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving, from the second device, first information indicating a plurality of delay windows; and means for determining a value of the delay window based on the index and the plurality of delay windows.

In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the first information comprises means for receiving the first information via one of: a system information block, or a dedicated radio resource control signaling.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for generating a random delay value which is smaller than or equal to the value of the delay window; and the means for transmitting the delayed response comprises means for transmitting the delayed response after a delay corresponding to the generated random delay value.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for receiving, from the second device, second information indicating a number of repetitions of the one or more group paging messages via one of: a system information block, a dedicated radio resource control signaling, or the one or more group paging messages.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for determining a paging occasion based on at least one identity associated with the first device and the number of repetitions; and the means for transmitting the delayed response comprises: in accordance with a determination that the group paging message in the one or more group paging messages is received in the paging occasion, transmitting the delayed response for the group paging message.

In some example embodiments, the at least one identity comprises one or more of: a group radio network temporary identity, a temporary mobile group identity, or a SAE-temporary mobile subscriber identity.

In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing any of the method 500 (for example, the second device 120) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the means may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause performance of the apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for transmitting, at a second device and to a first device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for the group paging message; and means for receiving, from the first device, a delayed response for one of the one or more group paging messages based at least on part of the one or more group paging messages.

In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprises: means for transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window.

In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprises: means for transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprising an index of a delay window.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to the first device, information indicating a plurality of delay windows and index via a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to the first device, information indicating a number of repetitions of the group paging message via a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.

In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the delayed response comprises: means for in accordance with a determination that the group paging message in the one or more paging occasions is received in the paging occasion, receiving the delayed response for the group paging message.

Fig. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the first device 110 or the second device 120 as shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processor 610.

The communication module 640 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 624, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The program 630 may be stored in the memory, e.g., ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 630 so that the device 600 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 622 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Fig. 8 shows an example of the computer readable medium 800 in form of an optical storage disk. The computer readable medium has the program 630 stored thereon.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above with reference to Figs. 3 to 8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A first device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program codes;

the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to

receive, and from a second device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages; and

transmit, to the second device, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive the one or more group paging messages by:

receiving the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive the one or more group paging messages by:

receiving the group paging message comprising an index of a delay window.
The first device of claim 3, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

receive, from the second device, first information indicating a plurality of delay windows; and

determine a value of the delay window based on the index and the plurality of delay windows.
The first device of claim 4, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: receive the first information by:

receiving the first information via one of:

a system information block, or

a dedicated radio resource control signaling.
The first device of any one of claims 2-5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

generate a random delay value which is smaller than or equal to the value of the delay window; and

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to transmit the delayed response by:

transmit the delayed response after a delay corresponding to the generated random delay value.
The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

receive, from the second device, second information indicating a number of repetitions of the one or more group paging messages via one of:

a system information block,

a dedicated radio resource control signaling, or

the one or more group paging messages.
The first device of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

determine a paging occasion based on at least one identity associated with the first device and the number of repetitions; and

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to transmit the delayed response by:

in accordance with a determination that the group paging message in the one or more group paging messages is received in the paging occasion, transmitting the delayed response for the group paging message.
The first device of claim 8, wherein the at least one identity comprises one or more of:

a group radio network temporary identity,

a temporary mobile group identity, or

a SAE-temporary mobile subscriber identity.
The first device of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.
A second device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program codes;

the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to

transmit, to a first device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for the group paging message; and

receive, from the first device, a delayed response for one of the one or more group paging messages based at least on part of the one or more group paging messages.
The second device of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to transmit the one or more group paging messages by:

transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window.
The second device of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to transmit the one or more group paging messages by:

transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprising an index of a delay window.
The second device of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the second device to:

transmit, to the first device, information indicating a plurality of delay windows and index via a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.
The second device of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the second device to:

transmit, to the first device, information indicating a number of repetitions of the group paging message via a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.
The second device of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to receive the delayed response by:

in accordance with a determination that the group paging message in the one or more paging occasions is received in the paging occasion, receiving the delayed response for the group paging message.
The second device of any one of claims 11-16, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.
A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first device and from a second device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for a group paging message in the one or more group paging messages; and

transmitting, to the second device, a delayed response for the group paging message based on a part of the one or more group paging messages.
The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the one or more group paging messages comprises:

receiving the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window.
The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the one or more group paging messages comprises:

receiving the group paging message comprising an index of a delay window.
The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device, first information indicating a plurality of delay windows; and

determining a value of the delay window based on the index and the plurality of delay windows.
The method of claim 21, wherein receiving the first information comprises:

receiving the first information via one of:

a system information block, or

a dedicated radio resource control signaling.
The method of any one of claims 19-22, further comprising:

generating a random delay value which is smaller than or equal to the value of the delay window; and wherein transmitting the delayed response comprises:

transmitting the delayed response after a delay corresponding to the generated random delay value.
The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device, second information indicating a number of repetitions of the one or more group paging messages via one of:

a system information block,

a dedicated radio resource control signaling, or

the one or more group paging messages.
The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining a paging occasion based on at least one identity associated with the first device and the number of repetitions; and

wherein transmitting the delayed response comprises:

in accordance with a determination that the group paging message in the one or more group paging messages is received in the paging occasion, transmitting the delayed response for the group paging message.
The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one identity comprises one or more of:

a group radio network temporary identity,

a temporary mobile group identity, or

a SAE-temporary mobile subscriber identity.
The method of any one of claims 18-26, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.
A method, comprising:

transmitting, at a second device and to a first device, one or more group paging messages indicating delaying a response for the group paging message; and

receiving, from the first device, a delayed response for one of the one or more group paging messages based at least on part of the one or more group paging messages.
The method of claim 28, wherein transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprises:

transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprising a delay window.
The method of claim 28, wherein transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprises:

transmitting the one or more group paging messages comprising an index of a delay window.
The method of claim 30, further comprising:

transmitting, to the first device, information indicating a plurality of delay windows and index via a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.
The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting, to the first device, information indicating a number of repetitions of the group paging message via a system information block or dedicated radio resource control signaling.
The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the delayed response comprises:

in accordance with a determination that the group paging message in the one or more paging occasions is received in the paging occasion, receiving the delayed response for the group paging message.
The method of any one of claims 28-33, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.
An apparatus comprising:

means for performing at least the method of any of claims 18-27 or the method of any of claims 28-34.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 18-27 or the method of any one of claims 28-34.