Multicast/broadcast service for radio resource control idle/inactive user equipment on new radio Uu interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12543243-B2
Application number	US-202118249104-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2021
Priority date	Oct 15, 2020
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

Multicast/Broadcast Service (MBS) for user equipments (UE) in Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle/inactive modes via signally of MBS frequency ranges and/or switching between frequency ranges as required. Bandwidth Part (BWP) operation for MBS in RRC IDLE and RRC INACTIVE states may be implemented using a dedicated MBS BWP or by sharing a frequency range with other operations. An MBS frequency range may be wider or narrower than an initial BWP used by a UE, for example. MBS frequency range configure may be achieved in a number of ways, such as via Control Resource Set (CORESET), search space, and/or PDCCH monitoring occasions pattern settings for MBS in RRC idle/inactive. Downlink scheduling without dynamic grant for MBS in RRC idle/inactive may include configured scheduling and/or semi-persistent scheduling. Downlink repetition for MBS in RRC idle/inactive may include PDSCH repetition and/or PDCCH repetition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus comprising a processor, communications circuitry, a memory, and instructions stored in the memory which, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:
receive one or more system information blocks (SIBs) containing control information indicating a second frequency region to monitor for Multicast/Broadcast Service (MBS) communications, wherein the control information comprises a first physical resource block (PRB) and a total number of PRBs for the second frequency region; monitor, while the apparatus is operating in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or a RRC inactive state, a first frequency region, the first frequency region being an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP); and monitor, while the apparatus is operating in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, the second frequency region to receive an MBS communication, the second frequency region being an MBS frequency region and an extended first frequency region, wherein the first frequency region is contained within the second frequency region in a frequency domain.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to monitor the second frequency region during a monitoring occasion during an MBS transmission window, and wherein a location of the monitoring occasion is determined according to a number of SIBs of a beamsweeping configuration for transmitting the MBS communication, a number of monitoring occasions of the MBS transmission window, a number of repetitions of the number of SIBS of the beamsweeping configuration, or a combination thereof.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:
receive, while monitoring the first frequency region and during an MBS time unit (TU), an MBS communication.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to switch from monitoring the first frequency region to monitoring the second frequency region based on determining that the MBS TU at least partially overlaps with a TU of the initial BWP.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to switch from monitoring the second frequency region to monitoring the first frequency region based on determining that the TU of the initial BWP and the MBS TU have ended.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:
receive, while monitoring the first frequency region, downlink control information (DCI) indicative of a scheduled MBS communication; and switch from monitoring the first frequency region to monitoring the second frequency region based on the received DCI.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the DCI comprises a paging DCI, and wherein a Short Messages field or a Short Messages Indicator field of the paging DCI indicates the scheduled MBS communication.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to receive the one or more SIB while the apparatus is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second frequency region is associated with an identifier of an MBS service stored by the apparatus, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to monitor the second frequency region based on the apparatus subscribing to receive MBS communications of the MBS service.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the identifier comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identify (TMGI) or a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI).

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:
receive, while monitoring the first frequency region, a reference signal indicative of a scheduled MBS communication; and switch from monitoring the first frequency to monitoring the second frequency region based on the received reference signal.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the reference signal comprises a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) or a transmission reference signal (TRS).

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the reference signal comprises a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value, time domain offset, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) configuration, a DMRS sequence initializer, or a combination thereof, for the scheduled MBS communication.

14 . A method performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:
receiving one or more system information blocks (SIBs) containing control information indicating a second frequency region to monitor for Multicast/Broadcast Service (MBS) communications, wherein the control information comprises a first physical resource block (PRB) and a total number of PRBs for the second frequency region; monitoring, while the WTRU is operating in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or a RRC inactive state, a first frequency region, the first frequency region being an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP); and monitoring, while the WTRU is operating in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, the second frequency region to receive an MBS communication, the second frequency region being an MBS frequency region and an extended first frequency region, wherein the first frequency region is contained within the second frequency region in a frequency domain.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the monitoring the second frequency region occurs during a monitoring occasion during an MBS transmission window, and wherein a location of the monitoring occasion is determined according to a number of SIBs of a beamsweeping configuration for transmitting the MBS communication, a number of monitoring occasions of the MBS transmission window, a number of repetitions of the number of SIBs of the beamsweeping configuration, or a combination thereof.

16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, during the monitoring the first frequency region and during an MBS time unit (TU), an MBS communication.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
switching from monitoring the first frequency region to monitoring the second frequency region based on determining that the MBS TU at least partially overlaps with a TU of the initial BWP.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
switching from monitoring the second frequency region to monitoring the first frequency region based on determining that the TU of the initial BWP and the MBS TU have ended.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, during the monitoring the first frequency region, downlink control information (DCI) indicative of a scheduled MBS communication; and switching, from monitoring the first frequency region to monitoring the second frequency region based on the received DCI.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the DCI comprises a paging DCI, and wherein a Short Messages field or a Short Messages Indicator field of the paging DCI indicates the scheduled MBS communication.

Assignees

• Interdigital Patent Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Li Yifan
• Adjakple Pascal
• Svedman Patrick
• Awadin Mohamed
• Murray Joseph
• Pan Kyle
• Tsai Allan
• Vogedes Jerome
• Chen Zhuo
• Di Girolamo Rocco
• Zhang Guodong

Classifications

• H04W76/20

  Manipulation of established connections · CPC title

• H04W72/232

  the control data signalling from the physical layer, e.g. DCI signalling · CPC title

• H04W16/28

  using beam steering · CPC title

• H04W76/40 Primary

  for selective distribution or broadcast · CPC title

• H04W72/0453

  Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA · CPC title