Patent Description:
The wake-up signal (WUS) is transmitted at a predetermined time before the different transmissions, e.g. paging occasions (PO) to the UE to indicate to the UE that it should monitor the different transmissions for the control channel. The UE wakes up from sleep before the WUS transmission time and if it detects the WUS, it monitors the control channel transmission at the PO. If it does not detect the WUS, it goes back to sleep. Since the UE consumes less power in monitoring the WUS than in decoding the control channel, power savings are realized. <CIT> discloses systems and methods of reducing power consumption associated with paging or cDRX. A wake-up receiver wakes up from an idle mode or cDRX state. Whether a wake-up signal has been received is determined. The wake-up signal is a low complexity signal that is less complicated and is repeated multiple times at resource elements indicated in a configuration from an eNB. If received, a baseband transceiver wakes up for reception. Many embodiments are disclosed which describe the configuration and content of the wake-up signals. For a UE group, predefined mapping can be used to associate the UE group to a sequence used within the wake-up signal and UEs can be assigned to a particular group based on their individual identifier. <CIT> discloses a method for gaining access in which a station gains access to a medium in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of sensing a carrier wave for a medium so as to transmit a set frame and, if the medium is busy, executing a random back-off procedure, wherein the start point of the random back-off procedure is indicated by a second parameter randomly selected from within a range in accordance with a first parameter. <CIT> discloses a method and apparatus for accessing channels in a wireless LAN system. The method of accessing channels in a station of the wireless communication system comprises the steps of transmitting a first frame of a channel access request to an access point and receiving from the access point a second frame related to whether access to the channel is allowed in response to the first frame, wherein the second frame can include a value for a channel access start offset with respect to the station. In order to simplify message structure with large number of stations, the station identifiers may be related to an association identifier which may be divided into several groups to efficiently perform data transmission with a specific group identifier being assigned to each group.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product example embodiments provide a wake-up radio design for an access node, e.g. a wireless base station (eNB), broadcasting a set of user equipment grouping parameters to a plurality of wireless user equipment (UEs), which determines how the plurality of UEs are to be organized into groups associated with different wake-up signals (WUS) to be transmitted at predetermined intervals before different transmissions, e.g. paging occasions (PO), to the UEs in each group, to indicate to the UEs when to wake-up prior to monitoring different transmissions from the access node.

According to aspects there are provided methods, user equipment and an access node as set out in claims <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>.

The resulting invention enables the distribution of UEs to be altered among different groups based on certain network-configured criteria.

The assignment of wireless user equipment devices (UEs) to different groups is determined by the access node, for example wireless base station (eNB), based on agreed criteria. Both the eNB and the UE must have a common understanding of how each UE is assigned a group index.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the invention, the eNB can influence how UEs are associated with different groups through additional parameters. The invention enables the UEs to use these parameters. If the configured method and the parameters are known to the UEs, each UE can uniquely determine its group index.

<FIG> illustrates an example conceptual drawing depicting a wake-up radio design for an access node, for example wireless base station (eNB), accessing identification information (ID) from an example plurality of wireless user equipment devices (UEs) to use in constructing a set of user equipment grouping parameters.

<FIG> illustrates an example conceptual drawing of the wake-up radio design of <FIG>, wherein the access node broadcasts a set of user equipment grouping parameters to the plurality of UEs, assigning how the plurality of UEs are to be organized into groups associated with different assigned wake-up signals to be transmitted by the access node. A separate wake-up signal is assigned to each group. User equipment grouping parameters may comprise a respective/relative number of UEs per group, and based on that, the UEs may determine to which group they belong, based on a formula, for example a function specifying distribution among the different groups. User equipment grouping parameters may also be based on the UE ID, in addition to or instead of the number of UEs. The user equipment grouping parameters may comprise a relative number of wireless devices separately for each group. The user equipment grouping parameters may comprise a distribution of wireless user equipment devices among the groups. The user equipment grouping parameters determine how the plurality of UEs are to be organized into groups associated with different wake-up signals (WUS). The wake-up signals (WUS) are to be transmitted at predetermined intervals before different transmissions, e.g. paging occasions (PO), for the UEs in each group. Receipt of the wake-up signal (WUS) triggers the UEs in the group to wake up prior to monitoring for the different transmissions from the access node.

In one example embodiment of the invention, the access node or eNB broadcasts a set of parameters in system information that determine how UEs are assigned to each group, where each group is associated with a different WUS.

One or more parameters may be broadcast for each group, where the number of groups is also configured in system information.

The broadcast parameters are used by the UE based on the method for grouping:.

In another embodiment of the invention, the index of the group to which each UE is assigned may be determined as a function of the UE ID and an N-bit parameter value for each group.

Let vi be a parameter value for group i. A relative distribution of the wireless user equipment devices among K groups is proportional to the user equipment grouping parameters, and a group index for the wireless user equipment devices is determined as <MAT> where <MAT> and <MAT>.

The user equipment grouping parameters vi may be any real values that indicate the relative number of UEs assigned to each group.

The assignment of wireless user equipment devices to each group may also be based on other grouping criteria.

<FIG> illustrates an example conceptual drawing of the wake-up radio design of <FIG>, wherein the access node transmits wake-up signals to cause wireless user equipment devices in an assigned group to monitor a control channel in response to receiving the wake-up signal, based on the grouping of the wireless user equipment devices to one of the groups associated with the wake-up signal. Receipt of the wake-up signal (WUS) triggers the UEs in the group to monitor for the different transmissions from the access node.

<FIG> illustrates an example conceptual drawing of the wake-up radio design of <FIG>, wherein the access node broadcasts the different transmissions a group that has been awaked by previously received wake-up signal (WUS) that has triggered the UEs in the group to monitor for the different transmissions from the access node.

The key advantages of this method include -.

In the first example embodiment of the invention, the eNB configures three UE groups for WUS. The eNB broadcasts the following parameters for the three groups in system information:.

This indicates that UE IDs in the range I<NUM> ≤ UE ID < I<NUM> are assigned to group <NUM>, UE IDs in the range I<NUM> ≤ UE ID < I<NUM> are assigned to group <NUM> and UE IDs in the range I<NUM> ≤ UE ID are assigned to group <NUM>. Each of the three UE groups is associated with one of the multiplexed WUSs. The association of the UE group with a particular WUS may either be fixed or indicated as part of the WUS configuration.

In the second example embodiment of the invention, the N bits signalled in system information for each UE group represent one of <NUM>N values possible parameter values for non-uniform UE distribution among groups. For example, N may be fixed to <NUM> and the user equipment grouping parameters may be fixed as in the following table.

Thus, one of the above four values is indicated for each group. Consider a case with <NUM> UE groups. The eNB may configure the parameters as follows.

These parameter values indicate that for every two UEs in groups <NUM> and <NUM> should be three UEs in groups <NUM> and <NUM>.

With the above configuration, the target is to realize the following fractions of UEs in the different groups.

The user equipment grouping parameters in Table <NUM> enable the following ratios between the number of UEs in any two groups: {<NUM>:<NUM>}, {<NUM>:<NUM>}, {<NUM>:<NUM>}, {<NUM>:<NUM>}, {<NUM>:<NUM>}, {<NUM>:<NUM> }. If other ratios or a wider range of ratios are desirable, then the table may be suitably modified or expanded for more bits.

Consider another example where the eNB configures four UE groups for WUS. The eNB broadcasts the following parameters for the four UE groups in system information:.

In this case, <MAT> Assignment of group index to UEs would be as shown in the following table:.

Thus, out of every <NUM> UEs, UE group indices <NUM> and <NUM> are assigned to <NUM> UE each whereas UE group indices <NUM> and <NUM> are assigned to <NUM> UEs each.

<FIG> illustrates an example wireless network showing a functional block diagram of a wake-up radio design for an access node broadcasting a set of user equipment grouping parameters to a plurality of wireless user equipment (UEs). Assignment of UEs to groups is based on user equipment grouping parameters. The access node may be an access point, a base station, or an Evolved Node B (eNB) base station. The wireless user equipment device may be a wireless terminal or a station (STA).

Both the access node <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may include a processor <NUM> that may include at least one of the following: a dual or multi-core central processing unit CPU <NUM> and <NUM>, a RAM memory <NUM>, a ROM memory <NUM>, an interface for a keypad, display, and other input/output devices, and a protocol stack <NUM> for communication over the network. The device includes a transceiver <NUM> and an application program <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the example wireless network of <FIG>, showing transmission by the access node of different wake-up signals (WUS) to be transmitted at predetermined intervals before different transmissions for the UEs in each group.

<FIG> illustrates an example flow diagram <NUM> of operational steps in the access node broadcasting a set of user equipment grouping parameters to a plurality of wireless user equipment (UEs), for determining to which group each UE belongs, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. The steps of the flow diagram represent computer code instructions stored in the device's RAM and/or ROM memory, which when executed by the device's central processing units, carry out the functions of the example embodiments of the invention. The steps may be carried out in another order than shown and individual steps may be combined or separated into component steps. In some embodiments, one or more steps may be optional. The flow diagram has the following steps:.

<FIG> illustrates an example flow diagram <NUM> of operational steps in the receiving by the UEs of different wake-up signals (WUS) to be received at predetermined intervals before different transmissions for the UEs in each group, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. The steps of the flow diagram represent computer code instructions stored in the device's RAM and/or ROM memory, which when executed by the device's central processing units, carry out the functions of the example embodiments of the invention. The steps may be carried out in another order than shown and individual steps may be combined or separated into component steps. In some embodiments, one or more steps may be optional. The flow diagram has the following steps:.

<FIG> illustrates an example embodiment of the invention, wherein examples of removable storage media <NUM> are shown, based on magnetic, electronic and/or optical technologies, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, semiconductor memory circuit devices and micro-SD memory cards (SD refers to the Secure Digital standard) for storing data and/or computer program code as an example computer program product, in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communication, comprising:
receiving (<NUM>), by a wireless user equipment device (<NUM>) that is one of a plurality of wireless user equipment devices, user equipment grouping parameters (105A-D) for group assignment, which configure how the plurality of wireless user equipment devices are to be organized into groups (103A-D) associated with different wake-up signals to be received from an access node (<NUM>) at predetermined intervals before different transmissions are received from the access node, to indicate to the wireless user equipment device when to monitor a control channel in response to receiving a wake-up signal, prior to monitoring the different transmissions received from the access node;
wherein the assignment of wireless user equipment devices to each group is based on the user equipment grouping parameters; and
monitoring (<NUM>), by the wireless user equipment device, a control channel in response to receiving the wake-up signal, based on the grouping of the wireless user equipment device to one of the groups associated with the wake-up signal;
wherein the user equipment grouping parameters comprise a relative number of wireless devices per each group, wherein vi is a parameter value for group i, a relative distribution of the wireless user equipment devices among K groups is proportional to the user equipment grouping parameters, and a group index for the wireless user equipment devices is determined as <MAT> where <MAT> and <MAT>