Patent Description:
The following abbreviations are herewith defined, at least some of which are referred to within the following description: Third Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP"), Positive-Acknowledgment ("ACK"), Binary Phase Shift Keying ("BPSK"), Clear Channel Assessment ("CCA"), Cyclic Prefix ("CP"), Channel State Information ("CSI"), Common Search Space ("CSS"), Discrete Fourier Transform Spread ("DFTS"), Downlink Control Information ("DCI"), Downlink ("DL"), Downlink Pilot Time Slot ("DwPTS"), Enhanced Clear Channel Assessment ("eCCA"), Enhanced Mobile Broadband ("eMBB"), Evolved Node B ("eNB"), European Telecommunications Standards Institute ("ETSI"), Frame Based Equipment ("FBE"), Frequency Division Duplex ("FDD"), Frequency Division Multiple Access ("FDMA"), Guard Period ("GP"), Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request ("HARQ"), Internet-of-Things ("IoT"), Licensed Assisted Access ("LAA"), Load Based Equipment ("LBE"), Listen-Before-Talk ("LBT"), Long Term Evolution ("LTE"), Multiple Access ("MA"), Modulation Coding Scheme ("MCS"), Machine Type Communication ("MTC"), Multiple Input Multiple Output ("MIMO"), Multi User Shared Access ("MUSA"), Narrowband ("NB"), Negative-Acknowledgment ("NACK") or ("NAK"), Next Generation Node B ("gNB"), Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access ("NOMA"), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing ("OFDM"), Primary Cell ("PCell"), Physical Broadcast Channel ("PBCH"), Physical Downlink Control Channel ("PDCCH"), Physical Downlink Shared Channel ("PDSCH"), Pattern Division Multiple Access ("PDMA"), Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel ("PHICH"), Physical Random Access Channel ("PRACH"), Physical Resource Block ("PRB"), Physical Uplink Control Channel ("PUCCH"), Physical Uplink Shared Channel ("PUSCH"), Quality of Service ("QoS"), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying ("QPSK"), Radio Resource Control ("RRC"), Random Access Procedure ("RACH"), Random Access Response ("RAR"), Reference Signal ("RS"), Resource Spread Multiple Access ("RSMA"), Round Trip Time ("RTT"), Receive ("RX"), Sparse Code Multiple Access ("SCMA"), Scheduling Request ("SR"), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access ("SC-FDMA"), Secondary Cell ("SCell"), Shared Channel ("SCH"), Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio ("SINR"), System Information Block ("SIB"), Transport Block ("TB"), Transport Block Size ("TBS"), Time-Division Duplex ("TDD"), Time Division Multiplex ("TDM"), Transmission Time Interval ("TTI"), Transmit ("TX"), Uplink Control Information ("UCI"), User Entity/Equipment (Mobile Terminal) ("UE"), Uplink ("UL"), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ("UMTS"), Uplink Pilot Time Slot ("UpPTS"), Ultra-reliability and Low-latency Communications ("URLLC"), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ("WiMAX"). As used herein, "HARQ-ACK" may represent collectively the Positive Acknowledge ("ACK") and the Negative Acknowledge ("NAK"). ACK means that a TB is correctly received while NAK means a TB is erroneously received.

In certain wireless communications networks, some system information may be transmitted and/or received more often than is necessary. In certain configurations, to reduce the signaling load for providing system information, a minimum amount of system information may be used. The minimum system information ("SI") may contain basic information for initial access to the cell (e.g., subframe number, list of public land mobile networks ("PLMNs"), cell camping parameters, RACH parameters) that is broadcast periodically in a cell. In some configurations, the other non-minimum SI doesn't necessarily need to be periodically broadcast (e.g., it may be a network decision). In various configurations, the other SI may be provided on-demand to UEs (e.g., a UE may request it). Delivery of other SI may be done in a broadcast or unicast manner. In some configurations, the minimum SI may indicate whether a specific SIB is periodically broadcasted or provided on-demand. To obtain the one or more SIBs which are not periodically broadcasted and are provided on-demand, a UE may initiate an on-demand SI acquisition procedure (e.g., SI request). For an SI used by the UE, the UE may determine whether it is available in the cell and whether it is broadcast or not before it sends a request for it. The scheduling information for other SI may be provided by the minimum SI (e.g., an SIB type, validity information, periodicity, SI-window information, etc.).

In various configurations, system information may be received inefficiently while a UE is in an inactive state. The inefficiency may be that the UE uses different resources and/or that receiving the system information takes too long.

<CIT> describes a terminal transitioning from an idle state to a connected state.

<FIG> depicts an embodiment of a wireless communication system <NUM> for determining to transition to a connected state. In one embodiment, the wireless communication system <NUM> includes remote units <NUM> and base units <NUM>. Even though a specific number of remote units <NUM> and base units <NUM> are depicted in <FIG>, one of skill in the art will recognize that any number of remote units <NUM> and base units <NUM> may be included in the wireless communication system <NUM>.

The base units <NUM> may be distributed over a geographic region. In certain embodiments, a base unit <NUM> may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a base station, a Node-B, an eNB, a gNB, a Home Node-B, a relay node, a device, or by any other terminology used in the art. The base units <NUM> are generally part of a radio access network that includes one or more controllers communicably coupled to one or more corresponding base units <NUM>.

In one implementation, the wireless communication system <NUM> is compliant with the LTE protocols standardized in 3GPP, wherein the base unit <NUM> transmits using an OFDM modulation scheme on the DL and the remote units <NUM> transmit on the UL using a SC-FDMA scheme or an OFDM scheme. More generally, however, the wireless communication system <NUM> may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocol, for example, WiMAX, among other protocols.

In one embodiment, a remote unit <NUM> may determine whether to transition to a connected state for receiving system information based on a parameter associated with the system information. In various embodiments, the remote unit <NUM> may transmit information that initiates a transition to the connected state in response to determining to transition to the connected state. Accordingly, a remote unit <NUM> may be used for determining to transition to a connected state.

In another embodiment, a remote unit <NUM> may determine a time to wait to receive system information. In some embodiments, the remote unit <NUM> determines whether to transition to a connected state based on the time. In various embodiments, the remote unit <NUM> transmits information that initiates a transition to the connected state in response to determining to transition to the connected state. Accordingly, a remote unit <NUM> may be used for determining to transition to a connected state.

<FIG> depicts one embodiment of an apparatus <NUM> that may be used for determining to transition to a connected state. The apparatus <NUM> includes one embodiment of the remote unit <NUM>. Furthermore, the remote unit <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, a display <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, and a receiver <NUM>. In some embodiments, the input device <NUM> and the display <NUM> are combined into a single device, such as a touchscreen. In certain embodiments, the remote unit <NUM> may not include any input device <NUM> and/or display <NUM>. In various embodiments, the remote unit <NUM> may include one or more of the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM>, and the receiver <NUM>, and may not include the input device <NUM> and/or the display <NUM>.

In various embodiments, the processor <NUM> determines whether to transition to a connected state for receiving system information based on a parameter associated with the system information. In certain embodiments, the processor <NUM> determines a time to wait to receive system information and determines whether to transition to a connected state based on the time.

In some embodiments, the memory <NUM> stores data relating to system information.

The transmitter <NUM> is used to provide UL communication signals to the base unit <NUM> and the receiver <NUM> is used to receive DL communication signals from the base unit <NUM>. In various embodiments, the transmitter <NUM> may be used to transmit information that initiates a transition to the connected state in response to determining to transition to the connected state.

<FIG> depicts one embodiment of an apparatus <NUM> that may be used for transmitting system information. The apparatus <NUM> includes one embodiment of the base unit <NUM>. Furthermore, the base unit <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, a display <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, and a receiver <NUM>. As may be appreciated, the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the input device <NUM>, the display <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM>, and the receiver <NUM> may be substantially similar to the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the input device <NUM>, the display <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM>, and the receiver <NUM> of the remote unit <NUM>, respectively.

In some embodiments, the transmitter <NUM> may be used to transmit system information. Although only one transmitter <NUM> and one receiver <NUM> are illustrated, the base unit <NUM> may have any suitable number of transmitters <NUM> and receivers <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method <NUM> for determining to transition to a connected state. In some embodiments, the method <NUM> is performed by an apparatus, such as the remote unit <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the method <NUM> may be performed by a processor executing program code, for example, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, a FPGA, or the like.

The method <NUM> includes determining <NUM> whether to transition to a connected state for receiving system information based on a parameter associated with the system information. In various embodiments, the method <NUM> includes transmitting <NUM> information that initiates a transition to the connected state in response to determining to transition to the connected state.

In one embodiment, the parameter associated with the system information includes a radio characteristic, a volume of system information, particular system information, or some combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the system information includes pathloss or other measurements over one or more downlink reference signals. In various embodiments, a remote unit <NUM> may determine based on its radio characteristics (e.g., like pathloss and other radio measurements) whether the remote unit <NUM> is to stay in an inactive state and request desired SIBs that are not regularly broadcast (e.g., provided on-demand) while in the inactive state, or whether the remote unit <NUM> is to transition to a connected state (e.g., RRC connected) and request the desired SIBs that are not regularly broadcast (e.g., provided on-demand) while in the connected state. As used herein, an inactive state may refer to RRC idle and/or RRC inactive.

In various embodiments, the method <NUM> may include determining to transition to the connected state in response to the radio characteristic being below a predetermined threshold and to remain in an inactive state in response to the radio characteristic being above the predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold is configured by minimum system information. In certain embodiments, the method <NUM> may include determining to transition to the connected state in response to the radio characteristic being above a predetermined threshold and to remain in an inactive state in response to the radio characteristic being below the predetermined threshold.

In some embodiments, the determination based on the radio characteristics (e.g., pathloss and/or other radio measurements) may be facilitated and/or controlled by the base unit <NUM> using the predetermined threshold. For example, if the pathloss is below a certain pathloss threshold then the remote unit <NUM> may initiate transition to a connected state. In various embodiments, thresholds for other measurement parameters may also be used. In some embodiments, the thresholds may be configured by the base unit <NUM> using, for example, minimum system information which may be regularly broadcasted.

In certain embodiments, the method <NUM> may include determining to transition to the connected state in response to the volume of system information being above a predetermined threshold and to remain in an inactive state in response to the volume of system information being below the predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, the volume of system information corresponds to a number of system information blocks, a number of system information messages, or some combination thereof.

In some embodiments, a remote unit <NUM> transitions to a connected state if a volume of required SIBs is greater than a predetermined threshold. The volume may be estimated using a number of required SIBs and/or a number of SIs containing required SIBs. The volume may be greater than the predetermined threshold if the number of required SIBs is greater than a threshold and/or if the number of SIs containing required SIBs is greater than a threshold.

In various embodiments, the method <NUM> may include determining to transition to the connected state in response to the particular system information indicating system information blocks that are to be delivered in the connected state. In certain embodiments, a base unit <NUM> may indicate that some specific SIBs are only to be delivered in a dedicated manner to a remote unit <NUM> that is in the connected state. In some embodiments, the base unit <NUM> may determine that SIBs are to be delivered in the dedicated manner to a remote unit <NUM> in the connected state if the base unit <NUM> wants to check to know how many remote units <NUM> use an SIB or if an SIB is too big to be broadcast.

<FIG> is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating another embodiment of a method <NUM> for determining to transition to a connected state. In some embodiments, the method <NUM> is performed by an apparatus, such as the remote unit <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the method <NUM> may be performed by a processor executing program code, for example, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, a FPGA, or the like.

The method <NUM> may include determining <NUM> a time to wait to receive system information. In some embodiments, the method <NUM> includes determining <NUM> whether to transition to a connected state based on the time. In various embodiments, the method <NUM> includes transmitting <NUM> information that initiates a transition to the connected state in response to determining to transition to the connected state.

In one embodiment, the method <NUM> may include determining to transition to the connected state in response to the time being greater than a predetermined time. In a further embodiment, the method <NUM> may include determining to remain in an inactive state in response to the time being less than a predetermined time.

In certain embodiments, a base unit <NUM> may broadcast certain SIBs with higher periodicities to preserve its DL resources. In various embodiments, certain remote units <NUM> may desire to receive one or more such SIBs urgently (e.g., the remote unit <NUM> cannot wait until the scheduled broadcast opportunity for the one or more SIBs. In some embodiments, examples of such SIBs may be public safety specific SIBs, vehicular communication specific SIBs, emergency specific SIBs (e.g., earthquake and tsunami warning system "ETWS", commercial mobile alert system "CMAS", etc.), and so forth. In certain embodiments, a remote unit <NUM> may initiate transition to a connected state (e.g., RRC connection establishment) and request the required SIBs upon successful transition to the connected state. In various embodiments, the remote unit <NUM> may request desired SIBs as part of initiation to transition to the connected state (e.g., using a new establishment cause, PRACH resource, etc.).

In some embodiments, the determination of whether a remote unit <NUM> should initiate transition to a connected state or remain in an inactive state and wait to acquire an SIB may depend on a "wait time" (e.g., time to wait). One embodiment of a wait time is illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of communications <NUM> including a wait time. Specifically, a time <NUM> is illustrated, and an SIB <NUM> is illustrated as being transmitted over certain time periods with a periodicity <NUM> being a time from the start of a first transmission of the SIB <NUM> to the start of a second transmission of the SIB <NUM>. A remote unit <NUM> may desire to obtain the SIB <NUM> at a time <NUM> that is between the first and second transmissions of the SIB <NUM>. In one embodiment, a wait time <NUM> is a time between the time <NUM> at which the remote unit <NUM> desires to obtain the SIB <NUM> and a time at which the next transmission of the SIB <NUM> occurs. In another embodiment, the wait time may be the periodicity <NUM> time or may have a maximum of the periodicity <NUM> time. In various embodiments, the wait time may be determined by determining a time from the time <NUM> until the start of a next periodicity <NUM> for the SIB. In other embodiments, the wait time may be determined by determining a time from the time <NUM> until the end of a next periodicity <NUM> for the SIB and a time from the time <NUM> until the end of a next periodicity <NUM> for the SIB. In certain embodiments, the wait time may be determined by determining a number of repetitions that the remote unit <NUM> may need to obtain the SIB. For example, certain remote units <NUM> may need multiple repetitions of the same SIB to be able to successfully receive the SIB. In such embodiments, the wait time may be determined based on the number of repetitions and the periodicity <NUM>.

In some embodiments, if the wait time <NUM> is longer than a predetermined wait time, then the remote unit <NUM> may initiate transition to a connected state. In various embodiments, the predetermined wait time may be approximately the time it takes to transition to the connected state.

Claim 1:
An apparatus (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a processor (<NUM>) configured to determine, based on a parameter associated with system information, whether to transition the apparatus from an inactive state to a connected state to receive the system information;
a transmitter (<NUM>) configured to transmit information that initiates a transition of the apparatus from the inactive state to the connected state in response to determining to transition the apparatus from the inactive state to the connected state; and
a receiver (<NUM>) configured to receive the system information while the apparatus is in the connected state.