ENHANCING USER EXPERIENCE IN A BURSTY DATA ENVIRONMENT WITH WAKE UP SIGNAL ON FOR CARRIER AGGREGATION OR DUAL CONNECTIVITY

Smart overview of the Invention

A user equipment (UE) is designed to enhance user experience in bursty data environments by utilizing wake-up signals (WUS) with carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, and multi-SIM operations. The UE determines its configuration for simultaneous operation using multiple connections and checks for a WUS indicator corresponding to a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. If specific conditions are met, such as the absence of a WUS indicator and a false power-save wake-up (ps-WakeUp) parameter, the UE remains active during the DRX off-duration to optimize performance.

Technical Background

The techniques address latency and power consumption challenges in wireless communication systems, particularly in 5G New Radio (NR) environments. 5G NR supports diverse applications with stringent requirements, and connected mode DRX is a key technique for optimizing power consumption in such scenarios. Technologies like carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, and multi-SIM enhance data speeds and connectivity, offering greater flexibility and improved user experience.

Operational Mechanism

The UE's processor is configured to evaluate its ability to operate with multiple connections, determining the presence of a WUS indicator during a DRX cycle. If a wake-up trigger condition is met and the ps-WakeUp parameter is false, the UE remains active during the DRX off-duration. Conversely, if a WUS indicator is received for a second DRX cycle, the UE transitions to an active state during the on-duration. These configurations enable efficient energy use and maintain connectivity.

Connectivity and Efficiency

The UE can operate with carrier aggregation, where connections correspond to different bandwidth parts, or with dual connectivity involving separate base stations. Multi-SIM functionality allows the use of different SIMs for varied network access. Such configurations support efficient data handling, especially for low-rate data applications, and ensure the UE wakes up appropriately for real-time traffic or bandwidth part switching.

Energy-Saving Features

Energy efficiency is crucial in 5G NR deployments, and connected mode DRX plays a vital role in reducing UE power consumption. By leveraging idle periods, the UE can enter sleep states during DRX off-durations. The introduction of WUS in 3GPP release 16 further enhances energy savings by signaling the UE to remain asleep or wake up based on expected downlink data, thus optimizing power usage while maintaining performance.