WO2023226677A1

WO2023226677A1 - Even further enhancements in drx operation for xr and cloud gaming in mobile communications

Info

Publication number: WO2023226677A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/091276
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mehmet KUNT; Pradeep Jose; Abdellatif Salah
Original assignee: Mediatek Singapore Pte. Ltd.; Mediatek Inc.
Priority date: 2022-05-23
Filing date: 2023-04-27
Publication date: 2023-11-30
Also published as: TW202350011A

Abstract

Techniques and solutions pertaining to even further enhancements in discontinuous reception (DRX) operation for extended reality (XR) and cloud gaming in mobile communications are described. An apparatus (e.g., user equipment (UE) ) enters a DRX mode in wireless communications. The apparatus receives an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission. In response, the apparatus controls either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion.

Description

EVEN FURTHER ENHANCEMENTS IN DRX OPERATION FOR XR AND CLOUD GAMING IN MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION (S)

The present disclosure is part of a non-provisional application claiming the priority benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/344,646, filed 23 May 2022, the content of which herein being incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to mobile communications and, more particularly, to even further enhancements in discontinuous reception (DRX) operation for extended reality (XR) and cloud gaming in mobile communications.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section.

In wireless communications, such as mobile communications under the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification (s) for 5^th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) , applications and services with strict latency and high bandwidth requirements, such as XR applications and cloud gaming, are emerging and becoming more prevalent. However, there remain some issues that need to be addressed. One issue pertains to the DRX cycle mismatch with a quasi-periodic XR traffic. This is because legacy DRX cycle values do not match the periodicity (or quasi-periodicity) of typical XR traffic. Over time, the difference could build up and the DRX on-duration (herein interchangeably referred to as “On-Duration” ) could be completely outside of (e.g., out of synchronization with) a jitter period. Another issue pertains to jitter for XR traffic/cloud gaming as the jitter can be large (e.g., [-4, +4] milliseconds) for XR and cloud gaming traffic. Even assuming the DRX cycle mismatch issue is resolved, covering the entire jitter period with On-Duration could have a large impact on the power consumption of a user equipment (UE) . On the other hand, in case that the On-Duration is smaller than the jitter, some downlink (DL) data might be delayed until a next on-duration. Therefore, there is a need for a solution of even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications.

SUMMARY

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations are further described below in the detailed description. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

An objective of the present disclosure is to propose solutions or schemes that address the issue (s) described herein. More specifically, various schemes proposed in the present disclosure are believed to provide solutions involving even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications. It is believed that, under the various proposed schemes, aforementioned issues related to DRX cycle mismatch and jitter for XR traffic/cloud gaming may be avoided, reduced or otherwise alleviated.

In one aspect, a method may involve a UE entering a DRX mode in wireless communications. The method may also involve the UE receiving an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission. The method may further involve the UE controlling either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion responsive to the receiving.

In another aspect, an apparatus implementable in a UE may include a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may enter the UE into a DRX mode in wireless communications. The processor may also receive an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission. The processor may further control either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion responsive to the receiving.

It is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as 5G/NR mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes and any variation (s) /derivative (s) thereof may be implemented in, for and by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as, for example and without limitation, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet-of-Things (IoT) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) , Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) , vehicle-to-everything (V2X) , and non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is appreciable that the drawings are not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be out of proportion than the size in actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concept of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example network environment in which various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example scenario under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example scenario under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example scenario under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example communication system in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATIONS

Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matters are disclosed herein. However, it shall be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matters which may be embodied in various forms. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that description of the present disclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description below, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

Overview

Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining to even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications in mobile communications. According to the present disclosure, a number of possible solutions may be implemented separately or jointly. That is, although these possible solutions may be described below separately, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment 100 in which various solutions and schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented. FIG. 2 ～ FIG. 6 illustrate examples of implementation of various proposed schemes in network environment 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. The following description of various proposed schemes is provided with reference to FIG. 1 ～ FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 1, network environment 100 may involve a UE 110 in wireless communication with a RAN 120 (e.g., a 5G NR mobile network or another type of network such as an NTN) . UE 110 may be in wireless communication with RAN 120 via a base station or network node 125 (e.g., an eNB, gNB or transmit-receive point (TRP) ) . RAN 120 may be a part of a network 130. In network environment 100, UE 110 and network 130 (via network node 125 of RAN 120) may implement various schemes pertaining to even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications, as described below. It is noteworthy that, although various proposed schemes, options and approaches may be described individually below, in actual applications these proposed schemes, options and approaches may be implemented separately or jointly. That is, in some cases, each of one or more of the proposed schemes, options and approaches may be implemented individually or separately. In other cases, some or all of the proposed schemes, options and approaches may be implemented jointly.

Under a first proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, one or more operations may be executed or otherwise carried out with respect to a respective value of each of DRX timers such as an on-duration timer (herein interchangeably referred to as “OnDurationTimer” and “ODT” ) , an inactivity timer (herein interchangeably referred to as “drx-InactivityTimer” , “InactivityTimer” and “IAT” ) , a secondary on-duration timer (herein interchangeably referred to as “SecondaryOnDurationTimer” or “SODT” ) , and a retransmission timer (herein interchangeably referred to as “RetransmissionTimerDL/UL” and “RT” ) . For instance, the respective value of each of the ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may be indicated by a downlink control information (DCI) signaling in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) , which may be a scheduling DCI or a separate DCI. Alternatively, or additionally, the respective value of each of the ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may be indicated by a DL medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) . Alternatively, or additionally, the respective value of each of the ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may be selected from a set of values from a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

Alternatively, or additionally, there may be separate DL and uplink (UL) values of each the ODT, IAT, SODT and RT for DL and UL transmissions. For instance, when a PDCCH indicates a (new) DL transmission, the respective DL values of ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may be applied. Similarly, when the PDCCH indicates a (new) UL transmission, the respective UL values of ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may be applied. Alternatively, or additionally, the respective value of each of the ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may be set to 0, for both DL and UL or separately. For instance, a network may indicate that IAT only applies to DL or UL transmissions. Alternatively, or additionally, an extra bit-field in DCI for DL or UL transmissions may indicate whether the respective value of each of the ODT, IAT, SODT and RT may apply to DL or UL transmissions.

Alternatively, or additionally, when multiple (active) DRX configurations are used, updates to the DRX configuration such as ODT/IAT/SODT/RT may apply to the DRX configuration (index) for a current OnDuration (e.g., the OnDuration where a PDCCH is received) or the currently active DRX configuration (s) . Alternatively, or additionally, updates to the DRX configuration such as ODT/IAT/SODT/RT may apply to other DRX configurations. In such cases, an index of the DRX configuration (s) to apply the update may be signaled in a DCI and/or a MAC CE. The index may be the same as the one signaled in the RRC configuration that was used to configure the DRX.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example scenario 200 under the first proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, a DRX on-duration timer (ODT) may be stopped when any of a number of conditions is met. Such conditions may include, for example and without limitation: (1) a PDCCH is received and indicates a new UL or DL transmission; (2) a new DL transmission (on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ) is received or a new UL transmission (on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) ) is performed; and (3) every time a DRX inactivity timer (IAT) is started. Moreover, a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) may be started only for the first PDCCH/data arriving during the OnDuration but, unlike the InactivityTimer, the SODT is not restarted for subsequent arrival of data. Furthermore, UE 110 may be in Active Time (e.g., monitoring the PDCCH) when the SODT is running. It is noteworthy that the conditions for UL transmission may be used to cover the case where network 130 is sending unsolicited dynamic grants (DGs) to UE 110. The UL grants may indicate to UE 110 to stop monitoring the PDCCH for a current On-Duration.

Under a second proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, in cases where groups of on-durations are defined and UE stops the ODT and/or skips the OnDuration occasions in a current group (e.g., when a PDCCH indicates a new UL or DL transmission is received) , another timer (e.g., SODT) may be started after stopping the ODT. For instance, the SODT may be started only for the first PDCCH/data arriving during the current OnDuration group (but not restarted for subsequent data, unlike IAT) . Moreover, the same conditions as those described above with respect to the first proposed scheme may apply to the parameters (e.g., values of ODT/IAT/SODT/RT) for OnDuration groups (e.g., they may be indicated by DCI or a DL MAC CE, selected from a set of values from RRC configuration, and may include separate values for UL and DL, or set to 0) .

FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario 300 under the second proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, groups of DRX on-durations may be defined in a new way. For instance, UE 110 may skip the OnDuration occasions in a current group and/or the ODT may be stopped. Moreover, the SODT may be started after stopping the ODT. The SODT may be started when the first PDCCH/data arrives during the current OnDuration group (not restarted for subsequent data) .

Under a third proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, when a new timer (e.g., SODT) is started after stopping the ODT, the running duration of the SODT may be limited to the end of the original ODT (e.g., the SODT is stopped at a time when the original ODT expires) . Additionally, the duration of the SODT may depend on the timing of the arrival of the first data or first PDCCH (e.g., if the first data/PDCCH is received before time T0, apply value SODT_0, otherwise apply value SODT_1 different from SODT_0) . It is believed that this proposed scheme may improve power saving for UEs for which scheduling is delayed towards the end of the original ODT.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example scenario 400 under the third proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, an original ODT may be stopped when a PDCCH is received and indicates a new UL or DL transmission. Additionally, a SODT may be started (and, optionally, an IAT may be started or restarted) . The SODT may be stopped at the expiry time of the original ODT timer for the current OnDuration during which the PDCCH is received.

Under a fourth proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, the behavior according to the proposed schemes described above may depend on one or more conditions. Under the proposed scheme, when a PDCCH is received that indicates a new UL transmission (e.g., UL grant) , the behavior according to the proposed schemes described above may depend on logical channel (s) (LCH (s) ) that can be or are transmitted using the UL grant or multiplexed in a transport block (TB) (e.g., based on LCH restriction (s) ) . For instance, in case that data from a subset of LCHs can be transmitted using the UL grant, an IAT may be started or not started. Additionally, in case that data is only available on specific LCH (s) , the IAT may not be started. Moreover, in case that data is available on any LCH with a specific setting, the IAT may be started. Furthermore, the IAT may not be started for pose and/or control information, but may be started for other data (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and/or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) traffic) . Under the proposed scheme, the behavior according to the proposed schemes described above may depend on some indication within or the nature of the PDCCH or DCI. For instance, the indication may include a PUSCH or PDSCH duration in DCI or DCI format. It is noteworthy that aforementioned conditions/options are not mutually exclusive.

In view of the above, under various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure, a method may involve indicating a respective value of each of one or more of ODT, IAT, SODT and RT via a DCI and/or a MAC CE. Additionally, or alternatively, these values may be set separately (e.g., values of IAT and/or SODT) for DRX timers for UL and DL transmissions (e.g., set to 0) . Additionally, or alternatively, the ODT may be stopped and other OnDuration occasions may be optionally skipped within the same OnDuration group, while a new timer (e.g., SODT) may be started when a PDCCH indicating a new DL/UL transmission is received, and the PDCCH may be monitored when the SODT is running. Additionally, or alternatively, the expiry time of SODT may be limited to the expiry time of the original ODT or the value of SODT may be set based on when the PDCCH for the new DL/UL transmission is received. Additionally, or alternatively, the respective value of each of one or more DRX timers (e.g., ODT, IAT, SODT and RT) , and/or the behavior of the DRX timers, may be determined based on LCH (s) that can be transmitted or that are multiplexed in a TB.

Illustrative Implementations

FIG. 5 illustrates an example communication system 500 having at least an example apparatus 510 and an example apparatus 520 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may perform various functions to implement schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining to even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications in mobile communications, including the various schemes described above with respect to various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above, including network environment 100, as well as processes described below.

Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a network apparatus or a UE (e.g., UE 110) , such as a portable or mobile apparatus, a wearable apparatus, a vehicular device or a vehicle, a wireless communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, an electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, a digital camera, or a computing equipment such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a notebook computer. Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may also be a part of a machine type apparatus, which may be an IoT apparatus such as an immobile or a stationary apparatus, a home apparatus, a roadside unit (RSU) , a wire communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart fridge, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker or a home control center. When implemented in or as a network apparatus, apparatus 510 and/or apparatus 520 may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced or LTE-Advanced Pro network or in a gNB or TRP in a 5G network, an NR network or an IoT network.

In some implementations, each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chips such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors, or one or more reduced-instruction-set-computing (RISC) processors. In the various schemes described above, each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be implemented in or as a network apparatus or a UE. Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may include at least some of those components shown in FIG. 5 such as a processor 512 and a processor 522, respectively, for example. Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device) , and, thus, such component (s) of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 are neither shown in FIG. 5 nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity.

In one aspect, each of processor 512 and processor 522 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC or RISC processors. That is, even though a singular term “aprocessor” is used herein to refer to processor 512 and processor 522, each of processor 512 and processor 522 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations in accordance with the present disclosure. In another aspect, each of processor 512 and processor 522 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware) with electronic components including, for example and without limitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and/or one or more varactors that are configured and arranged to achieve specific purposes in accordance with the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor 512 and processor 522 is a special-purpose machine specifically designed, arranged and configured to perform specific tasks including those pertaining to even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications in accordance with various implementations of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, apparatus 510 may also include a transceiver 516 coupled to processor 512. Transceiver 516 may be capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, transceiver 516 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with different types of wireless networks of different radio access technologies (RATs) . In some implementations, transceiver 516 may be equipped with a plurality of antenna ports (not shown) such as, for example, four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communications. In some implementations, apparatus 520 may also include a transceiver 526 coupled to processor 522. Transceiver 526 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, transceiver 526 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with different types of UEs/wireless networks of different RATs. In some implementations, transceiver 526 may be equipped with a plurality of antenna ports (not shown) such as, for example, four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 526 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communications.

In some implementations, apparatus 510 may further include a memory 514 coupled to processor 512 and capable of being accessed by processor 512 and storing data therein. In some implementations, apparatus 520 may further include a memory 524 coupled to processor 522 and capable of being accessed by processor 522 and storing data therein. Each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a type of random-access memory (RAM) such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) , static RAM (SRAM) , thyristor RAM (T-RAM) and/or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM) . Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a type of read-only memory (ROM) such as mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM) , erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) and/or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) . Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a type of non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) , magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and/or phase-change memory.

Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, a description of capabilities of apparatus 510, as a UE (e.g., UE 110) , and apparatus 520, as a network node (e.g., network node 125 or another network node implementing one or more network-side functionalities described above) of an application server side network (e.g., network 130 as a 5G/NR mobile network) , is provided below.

Under various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure pertaining to even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications, processor 512 of apparatus 510, implemented in or as a UE (e.g., UE 110) may enter a DRX mode in wireless communications. Moreover, processor 512 may receive, via transceiver 516, an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission. Furthermore, processor 512 may control, via transceiver 516, either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion responsive to the receiving.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, processor 512 may receive an indication regarding a respective value of each of one or more of an ODT, IAT, SODT and RT.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, processor 512 may receive the indication in a DCI or a MAC CE.

In some implementations, in controlling the at least one DRX timer, processor 512 may set a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately regarding either or both of an UL transmission and a DL transmission. In some implementations, the one or more DRX timers may include one or more of an ODT, an IAT, a SODT and a RT.

In some implementations, in controlling the at least one DRX timer, processor 512 may set a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately to 0.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, processor 512 may receive a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, processor 512 may, responsive to receiving the PDCCH: (i) stop an ODT; and (ii) start a SODT after the ODT is stopped. In some implementations, processor 512 may monitor the PDCCH when the SODT is running. Alternatively, or additionally, processor 512 may also skip one or more on-duration occasions within a current on-duration group of multiple on-duration occasions during which the PDCCH is received.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, processor 512 may receive a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, processor 512 may, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, limit an expiry time of a SODT to an expiry time of an ODT.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, processor 512 may receive a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, processor 512 may, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, set an expiry time of a SODT based on when the PDCCH is received.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, processor 512 may receive a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, processor 512 may, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, determine a respective value or control a respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers based on one or more LCHs that can be transmitted or multiplexed in a TB.

In some implementations, the PDCCH may indicate an UL grant. In such cases, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, processor 512 may start an IAT in an event that data from a subset of the one or more LCHs can be transmitted using the UL grant.

In some implementations, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, processor 512 may not start an IAT in an event that data is available on one or more specific LCHs but not at least one other LCH of the one or more LCHs.

In some implementations, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, processor 512 may start an IAT in an event that data is available on any LCH of the one or more LCHs with a specific setting.

In some implementations, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, processor 512 may not start an IAT for a traffic of either or both of pose information and control information but may start the IAT for another traffic of different data.

Illustrative Processes

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process 600 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. Process 600 may represent an aspect of implementing various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods described above, whether partially or entirely, including those pertaining to those described above. More specifically, process 600 may represent an aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes pertaining to even further enhancements in DRX operation for XR and cloud gaming in mobile communications in mobile communications. Process 600 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 610, 620 and 630. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process 600 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Moreover, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 600 may be executed in the order shown in FIG. 6 or, alternatively in a different order. Furthermore, one or more of the blocks/sub-blocks of process 600 may be executed iteratively. Process 600 may be implemented by or in apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 as well as any variations thereof. Solely for illustrative purposes and without limiting the scope, process 600 is described below in the context of apparatus 510 as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and apparatus 520 as a communication entity such as a network node or base station (e.g., network node 125 or another network node implementing one or more network-side functionalities described above) of an application server side network (e.g., network 130) . Process 600 may begin at block 610.

At 610, process 600 may involve processor 512 of apparatus 510, implemented in or as a UE (e.g., UE 110) entering a DRX mode in wireless communications. Process 600 may proceed from 610 to 620.

At 620, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving, via transceiver 516, an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission. Process 600 may proceed from 620 to 630.

At 630, process 600 may involve processor 512 controlling, via transceiver 516, either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion responsive to the receiving.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving an indication regarding a respective value of each of one or more of an ODT, IAT, SODT and RT.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving the indication in a DCI or a MAC CE.

In some implementations, in controlling the at least one DRX timer, process 600 may involve processor 512 setting a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately regarding either or both of an UL transmission and a DL transmission. In some implementations, the one or more DRX timers may include one or more of an ODT, an IAT, a SODT and a RT.

In some implementations, in controlling the at least one DRX timer, process 600 may involve processor 512 setting a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately to 0.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, process 600 may involve processor 512, responsive to receiving the PDCCH: (i) stopping an ODT; and (ii) starting a SODT after the ODT is stopped. In some implementations, process 600 may also involve processor 512 monitoring the PDCCH when the SODT is running. Alternatively, or additionally, process 600 may also involve processor 512 skipping one or more on-duration occasions within a current on-duration group of multiple on-duration occasions during which the PDCCH is received.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, process 600 may involve processor 512, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, limiting an expiry time of a SODT to an expiry time of an ODT.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, process 600 may involve processor 512, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, setting an expiry time of a SODT based on when the PDCCH is received.

In some implementations, in receiving the indication, process 600 may involve processor 512 receiving a PDCCH indicating a new DL transmission or a new UL transmission. In such cases, in controlling either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion, process 600 may involve processor 512, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, determining a respective value or controlling a respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers based on one or more LCHs that can be transmitted or multiplexed in a TB.

In some implementations, the PDCCH may indicate an UL grant. In such cases, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, process 600 may involve processor 512 starting an IAT in an event that data from a subset of the one or more LCHs can be transmitted using the UL grant.

In some implementations, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, process 600 may involve processor 512 not starting an IAT in an event that data is available on one or more specific LCHs but not at least one other LCH of the one or more LCHs.

In some implementations, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, process 600 may involve processor 512 starting an IAT in an event that data is available on any LCH of the one or more LCHs with a specific setting.

In some implementations, in controlling the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers, process 600 may involve processor 512 not starting an IAT for a traffic of either or both of pose information and control information but starting the IAT for another traffic of different data.

Additional Notes

The herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected" , or "operably coupled" , to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable" , to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.

Further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g., bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms, e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to, ” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least, ” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to, ” etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an, " e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more; ” the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations, " without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc. ” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc. ” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B. ”

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementations of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

A method, comprising:

entering a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode in wireless communications;

receiving an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission; and

controlling either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion responsive to the receiving.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving an indication regarding a respective value of each of one or more of an on-duration timer (ODT) , an inactivity timer (IAT) , a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) and a retransmission timer (RT) .
The method of Claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving the indication in a downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) .
The method of Claim 1, wherein the controlling of the at least one DRX timer comprises setting a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately regarding either or both of an uplink (UL) transmission and a downlink (DL) transmission.
The method of Claim 4, wherein the one or more DRX timers comprise one or more of an on-duration timer (ODT) , an inactivity timer (IAT) , a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) and a retransmission timer (RT) .
The method of Claim 1, wherein the controlling of the at least one DRX timer comprises setting a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately to 0.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicating a new downlink (DL) transmission or a new uplink (UL) transmission, and wherein the controlling of either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion comprises, responsive to receiving the PDCCH:

stopping an on-duration timer (ODT) ; and

starting a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) after the ODT is stopped.
The method of Claim 7, wherein the controlling of either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion further comprises monitoring the PDCCH when the SODT is running.
The method of Claim 7, wherein the controlling of either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion further comprises skipping one or more on-duration occasions within a current on-duration group of multiple on-duration occasions during which the PDCCH is received.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicating a new downlink (DL) transmission or a new uplink (UL) transmission, and wherein the controlling of either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion comprises, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, limiting an expiry time of a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) to an expiry time of an on-duration timer (ODT) .
The method of Claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicating a new downlink (DL) transmission or a new uplink (UL) transmission, and wherein the controlling of either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion comprises, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, setting an expiry time of a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) based on when the PDCCH is received.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indicating a new downlink (DL) transmission or a new uplink (UL) transmission, and wherein the controlling of either or both of the at least one DRX timer and the at least one on-duration occasion comprises, responsive to receiving the PDCCH, determining a respective value or controlling a respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers based on one or more logical channels (LCHs) that can be transmitted or multiplexed in a transport block (TB) .
The method of Claim 12, wherein the PDCCH indicates an UL grant, and wherein the controlling of the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers comprises starting an inactivity timer (IAT) in an event that data from a subset of the one or more LCHs can be transmitted using the UL grant.
The method of Claim 12, wherein the controlling of the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers comprises not starting an inactivity timer (IAT) in an event that data is available on one or more specific LCHs but not at least one other LCH of the one or more LCHs.
The method of Claim 12, wherein the controlling of the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers comprises starting an inactivity timer (IAT) in an event that data is available on any LCH of the one or more LCHs with a specific setting.
The method of Claim 12, wherein the controlling of the respective behavior of each of one or more DRX timers comprises not starting an inactivity timer (IAT) for a traffic of either or both of pose information and control information but starting the IAT for another traffic of different data.
An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform, via the transceiver, operations comprising:

entering a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode in wireless communications;

receiving an indication regarding a value of at least one DRX timer or a transmission; and

controlling either or both of at least one DRX timer and at least one on-duration occasion responsive to the receiving.
The apparatus of Claim 17, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving an indication regarding a respective value of each of one or more of an on-duration timer (ODT) , an inactivity timer (IAT) , a secondary on-duration timer (SODT) and a retransmission timer (RT) .
The apparatus of Claim 17, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving the indication in a downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) .
The apparatus of Claim 17, wherein the controlling of the at least one DRX timer comprises setting a respective value of each of one or more DRX timers separately regarding either or both of an uplink (UL) transmission and a downlink (DL) transmission.