Patent Description:
Mobile communication has advanced remarkably in the past two decades: emerging from early voice systems and transforming into today's highly sophisticated integrated communication platforms. The next generation wireless communication system, <NUM>, or new radio (NR) is going to provide ubiquitous connectivity and access to information, as well as ability to share data, around the globe. NR is expected to be a unified framework that will target to meet versatile and sometimes, conflicting performance criteria and provide services to vastly heterogeneous application domains ranging from Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) to massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), to name a few. In general, NR will evolve based on third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE)-Advanced technology with additional enhanced radio access technologies (RATs) to enable seamless and faster wireless connectivity solutions.

One major enhancement for LTE in Rel-<NUM> had been to enable the operation of cellular networks in the unlicensed spectrum, via Licensed-Assisted-Access (LAA). Ever since, exploiting the access of unlicensed spectrum has been considered by 3GPP as one of the promising solutions to cope with the ever increasing growth of wireless data traffic. One of the important considerations for LTE to operate in unlicensed spectrum is to ensure fair co-existence with incumbent systems like wireless local area networks (WLANs), which has been the primary focus of LAA standardization effort since Rel.

Following the trend of LTE enhancements, study on NR based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-unlicensed) is ongoing starting with 3GPP Release (Rel)-<NUM>. The channel access mechanism aspect is one of the fundamental building blocks for NR-unlicensed for deployment options. The adoption of Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) in LTE based LAA system was crucial in achieving fair coexistence with the neighboring systems sharing the unlicensed spectrum in addition to fulfilling the regulatory requirements. In order to provide a global solution of unified framework, NR-based unlicensed access will also use LBT based channel access mechanisms. Because wideband operation is one of the key building blocks for enabling NR-unlicensed operation, it is essential to support mechanisms that would facilitate wideband operation by utilizing dynamic bandwidth adaptation in an efficient manner.

3GPP document R1-<NUM> is a draft standard, <NUM> which defines procedures in the idle mode and RRC inactive state, including selection of one or step paging in response to DRX state. 3GPP DRAFT; R1-<NUM> and 3GPP DRAFT; R1-<NUM> dislcose the one-step and the two-step paging. Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; User Equipment (UE) procedures in Idle mode and RRC inactive state (Release <NUM>), 3GPP TS <NUM>, disclose the Idle mode sub-states. Patent Publication <CIT>, which is a document falling under Article <NUM>(<NUM>) EPC, discloses the UE receiving a short message, or a short message and a paging message depending on the Idle mode sub-state the UE is in.

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the illustrated structures and devices are not necessarily drawn to scale. As utilized herein, terms "component," "system," "interface," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller, or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet PC and/or a user equipment (e.g., mobile phone, etc.) with a processing device. By way of illustration, an application running on a server and the server can also be a component. One or more components can reside within a process, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. A set of elements or a set of other components can be described herein, in which the term "set" can be interpreted as "one or more.

Use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including", "includes", "having", "has", "with", or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising. " Additionally, in situations wherein one or more numbered items are discussed (e.g., a "first X", a "second X", etc.), in general the one or more numbered items may be distinct or they may be the same, although in some situations the context may indicate that they are distinct or that they are the same.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), or associated memory (shared, dedicated, or group) operably coupled to the circuitry that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality.

Embodiments described herein can be implemented into a system or network device using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. <FIG> illustrates architecture of a system <NUM> of a network in accordance with embodiments herein. The system <NUM> is shown to include a user equipment (UE) <NUM> and a UE <NUM>. As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can refer to a device with radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communications network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" can be considered synonymous to, and can be referred to as client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communications interface. In this example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but can also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronics devices, cellular phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablet computers, wearable computer devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handsets, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-car entertainment (ICE) devices, an Instrument Cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminals (MDTs), Electronic Engine Management System (EEMS), electronic/engine control units (ECUs), electronic/engine control modules (ECMs), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), networked or "smart" appliances, machine-type communications (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and/or the like.

In some embodiments, any of the UEs <NUM> and <NUM> can comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power loT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. An loT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or loT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data can be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An loT network describes interconnecting loT UEs, which can include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The loT UEs can execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the loT network.

The UEs <NUM> and <NUM> can be configured to connect, or communicatively couple with a radio access network (RAN) <NUM>. The RAN <NUM> can be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs <NUM> and <NUM> utilize connections (or channels) <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail infra). As used herein, the term "channel" can refer to any transmission medium, either tangible or intangible, which is used to communicate data or a data stream. The term "channel" can be synonymous with and/or equivalent to "communications channel," "data communications channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radiofrequency carrier," and/or any other like term denoting a pathway or medium through which data is communicated. Additionally, the term "link" can refer to a connection between two devices through a Radio Access Technology (RAT) for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information. In this example, the connections <NUM> and <NUM> are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (<NUM>) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

In this embodiment, the UEs <NUM> and <NUM> can further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface <NUM>. The ProSe interface <NUM> can alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH). In various implementations, the SL interface <NUM> can be used in vehicular applications and communications technologies, which are often referred to as V2X systems. V2X is a mode of communication where UEs (for example, UEs <NUM>, <NUM>) communicate with each other directly over the PC5/SL interface <NUM> and can take place when the UEs <NUM>, <NUM> are served by RAN nodes <NUM>, <NUM> or when one or more UEs are outside a coverage area of the RAN <NUM>. V2X can be classified into four different types: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P). These V2X applications can use "co-operative awareness" to provide more intelligent services for end-users. For example, vehicle UEs (vUEs) <NUM>, <NUM>, RAN nodes <NUM>, <NUM>, application servers <NUM>, and pedestrian UEs <NUM>, <NUM> can collect knowledge of their local environment (for example, information received from other vehicles or sensor equipment in proximity) to process and share that knowledge in order to provide more intelligent services, such as cooperative collision warning, autonomous driving, and the like. In these implementations, the UEs <NUM>, <NUM> can be implemented/employed as Vehicle Embedded Communications Systems (VECS) or vUEs.

The UE <NUM> is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP) <NUM> (also referred to as "WLAN node <NUM>", "WLAN <NUM>", "WLAN Termination <NUM>" or "WT <NUM>" or the like) via connection <NUM>. In various embodiments, the UE <NUM>, RAN <NUM>, and AP <NUM> can be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) operation and/or WLAN LTE/WLAN Radio Level Integration with IPsec Tunnel (LWIP) operation. The LWA operation can involve the UE <NUM> in RRC_CONNECTED being configured by a RAN node <NUM>, <NUM> to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation can involve the UE <NUM> using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection <NUM>) via Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol tunneling to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., internet protocol (IP) packets) sent over the connection <NUM>. IPsec tunneling can include encapsulating entirety of original IP packets and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packets.

As used herein, the terms "access node," "access point," or the like can describe equipment that provides the radio baseband functions for data and/or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as base stations (BS), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, Road Side Units (RSUs), and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The term "Road Side Unit" or "RSU" can refer to any transportation infrastructure entity implemented in or by a gNB/eNB/RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU. " The RAN <NUM> can include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node <NUM>, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node <NUM>.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs <NUM> and <NUM> can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any of the RAN nodes <NUM> and <NUM> over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

Each resource block comprises a collection of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this can represent the smallest quantity of resources that currently can be allocated.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) can carry user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs <NUM> and <NUM>. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) can carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It can also inform the UEs <NUM> and <NUM> about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE <NUM> within a cell) can be performed at any of the RAN nodes <NUM> and <NUM> based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs <NUM> and <NUM>. The downlink resource assignment information can be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs <NUM> and <NUM>.

The PDCCH can use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc.).

Some embodiments can use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For example, some embodiments can utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH can be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as an enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs in some situations.

The RAN <NUM> is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) <NUM> via an S1 interface <NUM>. In embodiments, the CN <NUM> can be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment the S1 interface <NUM> is split into two parts: the S1-U interface <NUM>, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes <NUM> and <NUM> and the serving gateway (S-GW) <NUM>, and the S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface <NUM>, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes <NUM> and <NUM> and MMEs <NUM>. The embodiments herein are also applicable to a <NUM> system architecture in a New Radio (NR) access network as referenced in TS <NUM> also.

The MMEs <NUM> can be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs <NUM> can manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS <NUM> can comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of communication sessions. The CN <NUM> can comprise one or several HSSs <NUM>, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS <NUM> can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc..

The S-GW <NUM> can terminate the S1 interface <NUM> towards the RAN <NUM>, and routes data packets between the RAN <NUM> and the CN <NUM>. In addition, the S-GW <NUM> can be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also can provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities can include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

The P-GW <NUM> can terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW <NUM> can route data packets between the EPC network <NUM> and external networks such as a network including the application server <NUM> (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface <NUM>. Generally, the application server <NUM> can be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.).

The P-GW <NUM> can further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) <NUM> is the policy and charging control element of the CN <NUM>. In a non-roaming scenario, there can be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there can be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within an HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF <NUM> can be communicatively coupled to the application server <NUM> via the P-GW <NUM>. The application server <NUM> can signal the PCRF <NUM> to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF <NUM> can provision this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging as specified by the application server <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, illustrated is a block diagram of a system / device <NUM> employable at a UE (e.g., UEs <NUM> / <NUM>) or other network device (e.g., gNB / eNB <NUM> / <NUM>) that facilitates one or more aspects / embodiments herein. System <NUM> can include one or more processors <NUM> (e.g., one or more baseband processors such as one or more of the baseband processors discussed in connection with the other FIGs. ) comprising processing circuitry and associated interface(s), transceiver circuitry <NUM> (e.g., comprising part or all of RF circuitry, which can comprise transmitter circuitry (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) and/or receiver circuitry (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains) that can employ common circuit elements, distinct circuit elements, or a combination thereof), and a memory <NUM> (which can comprise any of a variety of storage mediums and can store instructions and/or data associated with one or more of processor(s) <NUM> or transceiver circuitry <NUM>).

If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device <NUM> can transition off to an RRC_ldle state (also called idle mode), where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc., or alternatively to an RRC_INACTIVE state where it monitors for a paging message with a previously communication configuration stored if previously connected (RRC_CONNECTED). The UE can also monitor paging in RRC_INACTIVE state. A main different between IDLE and INACTIVE states is that the UE stores a previous configuration (and this is not necessarily primarily the paging configuration) and the RNA update procedure. The device <NUM> goes into a very low power state and it performs paging reception where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device <NUM> can not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it must transition back to RRC_Connected state.

The RRC_IDLE state and RRC_INACTIVE state tasks can be subdivided into three processes: PLMN selection; Cell selection and reselection; and Location registration and Radio Access Network (RAN)-based Notification Area (RNA) update. PLMN selection, cell reselection procedures, and location registration are common for both RRC_IDLE state and RRC_INACTIVE state. RNA update is only applicable for RRC_INACTIVE state. When UE <NUM>, for example, selects a new PLMN, the UE <NUM> transitions from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_IDLE.

When a UE is switched on, a public land mobile network (PLMN) is selected by the non-access stratum (NAS). For the selected PLMN, associated Radio Access Technology(ies) RAT(s) can be set as indicated at 3GPP TS <NUM>. The NAS provides a list of equivalent PLMNs, if available, that the access stratum AS uses for cell selection and cell reselection. With cell selection, the UE <NUM> searches for a suitable cell of the selected PLMN, chooses that cell to provide available services, and monitors its control channel. This procedure is referred to as, or defined as "camped / camping on the / a cell".

The UE <NUM> then can register its presence, by means of a NAS registration procedure, in the tracking area of the chosen cell. As an outcome of a successful Location Registration, the selected PLMN then becomes the registered PLMN according to 3GPP TS <NUM>.

If the UE <NUM> finds a more suitable cell, according to the cell reselection criteria, it reselects onto that cell and camps on it. If the new cell does not belong to at least one tracking area to which the UE is registered, location registration is performed. In RRC_INACTIVE state, if the new cell does not belong to the configured RNA, an RNA update procedure is performed.

The UE <NUM> can search for higher priority PLMNs at regular time intervals as described in 3GPP TS <NUM> and search for a suitable cell if another PLMN has been selected by NAS. Registration is not performed by UEs (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>) only capable of services that need no registration. Although UE <NUM> is used for discussion herein, any UE or UE <NUM> could also be referred to or applicable, and the embodiments / descriptive aspects herein are not limited necessarily to any one UE for example, or likewise any one base state, gNB or eNB (e.g., <NUM>).

The purpose of camping on a cell in RRC_IDLE state and RRC_INACTIVE state is fourfold: a) enable the UE to receive system information from the PLMN; b) when registered and if the UE wishes to establish an RRC connection or resume a suspended RRC connection, it can do this by initially accessing the network on the control channel of the cell on which it is camped; c) if the network needs to send a message or deliver data to the registered UE, it knows (in most cases) the set of tracking areas (in RRC_IDLE state) or RNA (in RRC_INACTIVE state) in which the UE <NUM> is camped (note: it can then send a "paging" message for the UE <NUM> on the control channels of all the cells in the corresponding set of areas, in which the UE then receives the paging message and can respond); and d) it enables the UE to receive ETWS and CMAS notifications.

The following three levels of services are provided while a UE <NUM> is in RRC_IDLE state: - Limited service (emergency calls, ETWS and CMAS on an acceptable cell); - normal service (for public use on a suitable cell); - operator service (for operators only on a reserved cell). The following two levels of services are provided while a UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state: - normal service (for public use on a suitable cell); - operator service (for operators only on a reserved cell).

On transition from RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_IDLE state or RRC_INACTIVE state, UE <NUM>, for example, attempts to camp on a suitable cell according to redirectedCarrierlnfo if included in the RRCRelease message used for this transition. If the UE <NUM> cannot find a suitable cell, the UE <NUM> can camp on any suitable cell of the indicated RAT. This can happen also at power on and not just on transition from Connected to IDLE/INACTIVE. If the RRCRelease message does not contain the redirectedCarrierlnfo, UE shall attempt to select a suitable cell on an NR carrier. If no suitable cell is found according to the above, the UE shall perform cell selection using stored information in order to find a suitable cell to camp on.

When returning to RRC_IDLE state after UE moved to RRC_CONNECTED state from camped on any cell state, UE shall attempt to camp on an acceptable cell according to redirectedCarrierlnfo, if included in the RRCRelease message. If the UE cannot find an acceptable cell, the UE is allowed to camp on any acceptable cell of the indicated radio access technology (RAT). If the RRCRelease message does not contain redirectedCarrierlnfo UE <NUM> can attempt to select an acceptable cell on an NR frequency. If no acceptable cell is found according to the above, the UE continues to search for an acceptable cell of any PLMN in state any cell selection.

When the UE in idle and inactive state receives a paging, it first receives the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) Downlink Control Information (DCI) for the radio resource allocation for radio resource control (RRC) paging message and then receives the RRC paging message in a physical data channel or the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) over the allocated radio resource. Power saving for the UE <NUM> in idle and inactive state is important to enhance power savings or reduce the power consumption in the paging reception, which is an aim of embodiments herein.

The UE behaviors in idle and inactive state (mode) are defined in 3GPP specification TS <NUM>. Idle state and inactive state are a kind of UE power saving state. UE's sub-state in idle state / mode and inactive state / mode can be defined as being as "camped normally state" or "camped on / in any cell state". INACTIVE is not in "camped on any cell state". A UE, for example, is camped on any cell state in an acceptable cell if it cannot find a suitable cell according to the UE's subscription -a cell of a PLMN in which it can successfully register. A suitable cell has to be also acceptable from an RF point of view. Additionally, in both cases (i.e. camped normally state and camped on any cell state), the UE <NUM>, for example, receives a paging as a paging reception comprising two steps (i.e. PDCCH DCI reception and the associated PDSCH reception over the allocated radio resource). However, according to embodiments herein, based on the sub-state the UE only has to perform a one-step reception or a two-step reception.

When camped normally (camped / camping normally state), the UE <NUM> performs the following tasks: - monitors the paging channel of the cell as specified in clause <NUM> according to information broadcast in system information block SIB1; - monitoring relevant System Information as specified TS <NUM>; - performs necessary measurements for the cell reselection evaluation procedure; - executes the cell reselection evaluation process on the following occasions/triggers: <NUM>) UE internal triggers, so as to meet performance as specified in TS <NUM>; <NUM>) when information on the broadcast control channel (BCCH) used for the cell reselection evaluation procedure has been modified.

The camped on any cell state is only applicable for RRC_IDLE state or idle mode. In this state, the UE performs the following tasks: - monitors the paging channel of the cell as specified in clause <NUM> according to information broadcast in SIB1. There are different reasons for monitoring the paging channel for the camped normally and in camped in any cell state - for incoming Paging messages for DL traffic (only for camped normally), and for indication of presence of warning messages and system information changes (for both). The UE also performs the following tasks: - monitors relevant System information as specified in TS <NUM>; -perform necessary measurements for the cell reselection evaluation procedure; - execute the cell reselection evaluation process on the following occasions/triggers: <NUM>) UE internal triggers, so as to meet performance as specified in TS <NUM>; <NUM>) When information on the BCCH used for the cell reselection evaluation procedure has been modified; - regularly attempt to find a suitable cell trying all frequencies of all RATs that are supported by the UE. If a suitable cell is found, UE <NUM> moves to the camped normally state.

In various embodiments herein, dependent on the UE's sub-state in idle and inactive mode(s), paging reception can be enhanced. A two-step paging reception (i.e. PDCCH DCI reception and the associated PDSCH reception over the allocated radio resource) is applied in the UE <NUM> when in camped normally state. A one step paging reception (i.e. PDCCH DCI reception only) is applied in the UE <NUM> when in camped on any cell state. By applying one step paging reception to the UE in camped on any cell state, the power consumed is less than for the case where two step paging reception is always applied in both sub-states.

Referring to <FIG>, illustrated is an example process flow <NUM> for paging reception in idle mode according to embodiments. At <NUM>, the UE <NUM> determines its sub-state in idle and inactive state. How to determine its sub-state is also shown in the <FIG>, which follows definition of suitable cell and acceptable cell as defined in TS <NUM>, in which the details of subclauses <NUM>. <NUM> and <NUM>. <NUM> can be referenced in 3GPP TS <NUM> at Release <NUM> or beyond.

At <NUM>, the UE <NUM> determines whether it is in camped normally state. If yes, the UE is, then it is able to receive calls and transition to a connected state, thus monitors for being contacted. If yes, the UE <NUM> receives / processes paging with two steps at <NUM> (i.e., first receives paging PDCCH DCI and then receives paging message in PDSCH over the resource allocated via PDCCH DCI). If the UE <NUM> is not in camped normally state sub-state, then the UE <NUM> determines at <NUM> whether it is in a camped on any cell state. If in the camped on any cell state, the UE <NUM> selects a cell irrespective of a public land mobile network (PLMN). This is the case where the UE <NUM> is not on a subscribed to network cell, but any cell is used by which is can received messages for early warning messages (e.g., ETWS message, CMAS message, or the like) or an indication of a system information change, for example. Thus, if the UE <NUM> is not in camped normally state sub-state and the UE <NUM> is in camped on any cell state, the UE <NUM> receives paging with one step (i.e. receives paging PDCCH DCI only) at <NUM>. Here, the UE <NUM> only monitors the PDCCH for at least one of: indication of the presence of an early warning system message or a system information change indication in the PDCCH.

If the UE is neither in camped normally state nor camped on any cell state, the UE <NUM> process flows to <NUM> where the UE follows the specified behaviors defined in 3GPP TS <NUM>. In order to enable one step paging reception for the UE <NUM> in camped on any cell state at <NUM>, the network (or eNB / gNB <NUM>, or other network component) can ensure there is no call-back to a UE <NUM> original emergency call while the UE <NUM> is in camped on any cell state and all other required information is all sent via paging PDCCH DCI only.

According to the UE's sub-state in idle and inactive, two step paging reception or one step paging reception can be performed. Two step paging reception can be done when the UE <NUM>, for example, is in camped normally state and one step paging reception can be done when the UE <NUM> is in camped on any cell state. Two step paging reception is done by reception of paging PDCCH DCI first and then reception of paging PDSCH over the allocated radio resource. One step paging reception is done by reception of paging PDCCH DCI only. In one-step reception, only one physical channel is monitored or evaluated. In two-step reception, two physical channels are monitored or evaluated at a reception of a communication message.

Similarly, the eNB or gNB <NUM> can split the information that would be in a paging message and provide it in the PDCCH or a DCI of the PDCCH. For example, the paging message can comprise a UE identifier, while the PDCCH include an indication of the presence of an early warning message (e.g., ETWS, CMAS, or the like) or a system information change indication. As such, the eNB or gNB <NUM> can generate the PDCCH DCI based on or for the UE in a camped on any cell state to monitor the PDCCH only, and not have to evaluate a paging message. The paging message can still include a UE identifier, but when in camped on any cell state the UE does not examine or process it, and only monitors the PDCCH.

Referring to <FIG>, illustrated is an example process flow <NUM> demonstrating sub-state transitions in idle and inactive states according to TS <NUM> Section <NUM>. <NUM> Release <NUM> or beyond.

The cells are categorized according to which services they offer: acceptable cell and suitable cell. An "acceptable cell" is a cell on which the UE may camp to obtain limited service (originate emergency calls and receive ETWS and CMAS notifications). Such a cell can fulfil the following requirements, which is the minimum set of requirements to initiate an emergency call and to receive ETWS and CMAS notification in an NR network: - the cell is not barred, see sub-clause <NUM>. <NUM> of TS <NUM>; - the cell selection criteria are fulfilled, see subclause <NUM>. <NUM> of TS <NUM>.

A cell is considered as "suitable" if the following conditions are fulfilled: a) the cell is part of either: - the selected PLMN, or: -the registered PLMN, or - a PLMN of the Equivalent PLMN list; b) - the cell selection criteria are fulfilled, see subclause <NUM>. <NUM> of TS <NUM>; according to the latest information provided by NAS: -the cell is not barred, see subclause <NUM>. <NUM> ; the cell is part of at least one tracking area (TA) that is not part of the list of "Forbidden Tracking Areas" as defined in TS <NUM>, which belongs to a PLMN that fulfils the first bullet above.

If a UE has an ongoing emergency call, all acceptable cells of that PLMN are treated as suitable for the duration of the emergency call as the result of sub-state determination. If the UE is in camped normally sub-state <NUM>, the UE101 receives paging with two steps (i.e. first receives paging PDCCH DCI and then receives paging message in PDSCH over the allocated resource via PDCCH DCI). Afterwards, the UE <NUM> in this state <NUM> can move from being idle / inactive to being in connected mode <NUM>. A cell is a barred cell if it is so indicated in the system information. A cell is a reserved cell if it is so indicated in system information.

If the UE <NUM> is not in camped normally state sub-state and the UE is in camped on any cell state <NUM>, the UE <NUM> receives paging with one step (i.e. receives paging PDCCH DCI only). If the UE <NUM> is neither in camped normally state nor camped on any cell state, the UE follows the specified behaviors defined in 3GPP TS <NUM>. Note in order to enable one step paging reception for the UE in camped on any cell state, the network should make sure there is no call-back to the UE original emergency call while the UE is in camped on any cell state and all other required information is all sent via paging PDCCH DCI only.

In situations where no suitable cell is found and no acceptable cell is found the UE state can move to any cell selection <NUM>. If the UE is in camped on any cell <NUM> it can leave idle when initiating an emergency call at <NUM>. If the UE <NUM> loses coverage of the registered PLMN, either a new PLMN is selected automatically (automatic mode), or an indication of available PLMNs is given to the user so that a manual selection can be performed (manual mode).

The following three levels of services are provided by the network to the UE while the UE is in RRC_IDLE state: Limited service (emergency calls, ETWS and CMAS on an acceptable cell); Normal service (for public use on a suitable cell); and Operator service (for operators only on a reserved cell).

The following two levels of services are provided by the network to the UE while the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state: Normal service (for public use on a suitable cell); and Operator service (for operators only on a reserved cell).

Cell selection is performed by one of the following two procedures: initial cell selection (no prior knowledge of which RF channels are NR carriers); and cell selection by leveraging stored information.

In the initial cell selection procedure (no prior knowledge of which RF channels are NR carriers), the UE is to scan all RF channels in the NR bands according to its capabilities to find a suitable cell. On each carrier frequency, the UE need only search for the strongest cell. Once a suitable cell is found, this cell is to be selected.

The cell selection by leveraging stored information requires stored information of carrier frequencies and optionally also information on cell parameters from previously received measurement control information elements or from previously detected cells. Once the UE has found a suitable cell, the UE is to select it. If no suitable cell is found, the initial cell selection procedure in a) is to be started.

The cell selection criterion S in normal coverage is fulfilled when Srxlev > <NUM> AND Squal > <NUM>, where Srxlev = Qrxlevmeas - (Qrxlevmin + Qrxlevminoffset )- Pcompensation - Qoffsettemp and Squal = Qqualmeas - (Qqualmin + Qqualminoffset) - Qoffsettemp.

The signaled values Qrxlevminoffset and Qqualminoffset are only applied when a cell is evaluated for cell selection as a result of a periodic search for a higher priority PLMN while camped normally in a VPLMN. During this periodic search for higher priority PLMN, the UE may check the S criteria of a cell using parameter values stored from a different cell of this higher priority PLMN.

There are two mechanisms which allow an operator to impose cell reservations or access restrictions. The first mechanism uses indication of cell status and special reservations for control of cell selection and reselection procedures. The second mechanism, referred to as Unified Access Control TS <NUM>, is to allow preventing UEs using selected access categories or access identities from sending initial access messages for load control reasons.

Cell status and cell reservations are indicated in the MasterlnformationBlock or SystemInformationBlockType1 (SIB1) message by means of three fields: i) cellBarred (IE type: "barred" or "not barred") indicated in MasterlnformationBlock message (in case of multiple PLMNs indicated in SIB1, this field is common for all PLMNs); cellReservedForOperatorUse (IE type: "reserved" or "not reserved") (indicated in SystemInformationBlockType1 message. In case of multiple PLMNs indicated in SIB1, this field is specified per PLMN); and cellReservedForOtherUse (IE type: "reserved" or "not reserved") indicated in SystemInformationBlockType1 message (in case of multiple PLMNs indicated in SIB1, this field is common for all PLMNs).

Referring to <FIG>, illustrated is an example process flow <NUM> for a network device (e.g., a user equipment (UE), a new radio NB (gNB), 5GC component / network device or the like) that can process, generate, or monitor new radio (NR) communication via a <NUM> network system (5GS) to perform operations for reducing power consumption in camped on any cell state.

At <NUM>, the process flow initiates with entering into an idle mode to enable decreased power consumption compared to just being in idle mode alone or compared to being in camped normally state.

At <NUM>, the process flow continues with performing a two-step paging reception or a one-step paging reception based on which sub-state of the idle mode processes are operating in.

In other embodiments, the process flow comprises performing the two-step paging reception in response to being in a camped normally state, as well as performing the one-step paging reception in response to being in a camped on any cell state. The process flow includes monitoring only a physical downlink control channel PDCCH in response to operating in a camped on any cell state of the idle mode. This includes processing information of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) as the one-step paging reception.

As it is employed in the subject specification, the term "processor" can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device including, but not limited to including, single-core processors; single-processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions and/or processes described herein. Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance performance of mobile devices. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

Moreover, various aspects or features described herein can be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card, stick, key drive, etc.). Additionally, various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" can include, without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s) and/or data. Additionally, a computer program product can include a computer readable medium having one or more instructions or codes operable to cause a computer to perform functions described herein.

Communications media embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transport media. The term "modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to processor, such that processor can read information from, and write information to, storage medium. In the alternative, storage medium can be integral to processor. Further, in some aspects, processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Additionally, ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, processor and storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the processes and/or actions of a method or algorithm can reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a machine-readable medium and/or computer readable medium, which can be incorporated into a computer program product.

Claim 1:
An apparatus configured to be employed in a User Equipment, UE, for a new radio, NR, communication comprising:
one or more processors (<NUM>) configured to cause the UE to:
enter into an idle mode (<NUM>) to enable a decreased power consumption of battery; and
perform a two-step paging reception (<NUM>) by processing a first reception of a paging PDCCH and processing a second reception of paging physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, based on an allocated radio resource of downlink control information, DCI, of a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH or a one-step paging reception (<NUM>) by only processing the DCI of the PDCCH at reception of the NR communication, based on which sub-state of the idle mode it is determined that communication operations processes are operating in, wherein the two-step paging reception is performed in response to being in a camped normally state (<NUM>) and the one-step paging reception is performed in response to being in the camped on any cell state (<NUM>); and
a radio frequency, RF, interface (<NUM>), configured to provide, to RF circuitry, data for a reception of the NR communication, according to the one-step paging or the two-step paging.