User-equipment-coordination set for disengaged mode

1. A method for using a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set by a base station, the method comprising:

specifying, by the base station, a set of multiple user equipment to form the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, for joint transmission and reception of data intended for one or more of the multiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, each of the multiple user equipment being in a disengaged mode;

selecting one of the multiple user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to act as a coordinating user equipment for the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

transmitting a request message that directs the coordinating user equipment to coordinate the joint transmission and reception of the data intended for the one or more of the multiple user equipment; and

transmitting a downlink signal to each user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set effective to:

enable each user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to:

demodulate and sample the downlink signal, and

forward the samples to the coordinating user equipment; and

enable the coordinating user equipment to:

combine the samples from each user equipment, and

jointly process the combined samples to provide decoded data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting the downlink signal comprises:

transmitting a system information update, and the system information update directs each of the multiple user equipment to update system information it stores.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the base station, a page for a target user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and

wherein transmitting the downlink signal comprises:

transmitting a paging indication that includes an identifier of the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and a target user equipment identity.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the paging indication is transmitted as a layer-3 message.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

configuring, by the base station, discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and

wherein transmitting the downlink signal comprises:

transmitting the discontinuous reception parameters.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple user equipment comprises:

evaluating, by the base station, user equipment capability information for each of the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to determine a configuration of the discontinuous reception parameters that can be commonly applied to all the user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

configuring, by the base station, one or more cell reselection parameters for the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and

wherein transmitting the downlink signal comprises:

transmitting the one or more cell reselection parameters.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more cell reselection parameters include a threshold value for a reception metric.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the base station, a Tracking Area Update Request message from at least one user equipment of the multiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

forwarding the Tracking Area Update Request to a core network;

in response to the forwarding, receiving a Tracking Area Update Accept message from the core network;

transmitting the Tracking Area Update Accept message to the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and

receiving a Tracking Area Update Complete message from at least one user equipment of the multiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.

10. A method performed by a user equipment configured as a coordinating user equipment for a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

receiving, by the user equipment, an indication to transition to a disengaged mode;

receiving, by the user equipment, a request message from a base station directing the user equipment to join the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set comprising multiple user equipment in the disengaged mode;

transitioning, by the user equipment, to the disengaged mode;

receiving baseband samples from at least one of the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the baseband samples corresponding to data intended for one or more of the multiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and received by the at least one user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

aggregating the baseband samples to provide a combined baseband signal;

jointly processing the combined baseband signal to decode the data intended for the one or more of the multiple user equipment; and

forwarding the decoded data to the one or more of the multiple user equipment.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the decoded data comprises:

a system information update;

a paging indication that includes an identifier of the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and a target user equipment identity in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; or

one or more cell reselection parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the decoded data comprises the paging indication, the method further comprising:

forwarding, by the user equipment, the paging indication to the identified target user equipment, the forwarding being effective to direct the target user equipment to transition to an engaged mode.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the decoded data comprises the one or more cell reselection parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the method further comprising:

forwarding, by the user equipment, the one or more cell reselection parameters to the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the forwarding being effective to direct the multiple user equipment to jointly determine whether to perform cell reselection using the one or more cell reselection parameters.

14. A base station comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a processor; and

instructions for a base station manager application that are executable by the processor to configure the base station to:

specify a set of multiple user equipment to form a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, for joint transmission and reception of data intended for one or more of the multiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, each of the multiple user equipment being in a disengaged mode;

select one of the multiple user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to act as a coordinating user equipment for the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

transmit a request message that directs the coordinating user equipment to coordinate the joint transmission and reception of the data intended for the one or more of the multiple user equipment; and

transmit a downlink signal to each user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set effective to:

enable each user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to:

demodulate and sample the downlink signal, and

forward the samples to the coordinating user equipment; and

enable the coordinating user equipment to:

combine the samples from each user equipment, and

jointly process the combined samples to provide decoded data.

15. The base station of claim 14 , wherein the instructions to transmit the downlink signal are further executable to configure the base station to:

transmit a system information update, and the system information update directs each of the multiple user equipment to update system information it stores.

16. The base station of claim 14 , wherein the instructions for the base station manager application are further executable by the processor to configure the base station to:

receive a page for a target user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and

wherein transmission of the downlink signal comprises:

transmitting a paging indication as a layer-3 message that includes an identifier of the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and a target user equipment identity.

17. The base station of claim 14 , wherein the instructions for the base station manager application are further executable by the processor to configure the base station to:

configure discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and

wherein the transmission of the downlink signal comprises:

transmitting the discontinuous reception parameters.

18. A user equipment comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a local wireless network transceiver;

a processor; and

instructions for a communication manager application that are executable by the processor to configure the user equipment to:

receive an indication to transition to a disengaged mode;

receive a request message from a base station directing the user equipment to join a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set comprising multiple user equipment in the disengaged mode;

transition to the disengaged mode;

receive baseband samples from at least one of the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the baseband samples corresponding to data intended for one or more of the multiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and received by the at least one user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

aggregate the baseband samples to provide a combined baseband signal;

jointly process the combined baseband signal to decode the data intended for the one or more of the multiple user equipment; and

forward the decoded data to the one or more of the multiple user equipment.

19. The user equipment of claim 18 ,

wherein the decoded data comprises:

a system information update;

a paging indication that includes an identifier of the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and a target user equipment identity in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set;

discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; or

one or more cell reselection parameters for the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.

20. The user equipment of claim 19 , wherein the decoded data comprises the paging indication, the instructions executable to configure the user equipment to:

forward the paging indication to the identified target user equipment, the forwarding being effective to direct the target user equipment to transition to an engaged mode.