Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically, to wireless communication between a user equipment and a base station via a sidelink relay. Some embodiments relate to E2E (end-to-end) QoS with sidelink relay.
For data transmission a physical resource grid may be used. The physical resource grid may comprise a set of resource elements to which various physical channels and physical signals are mapped. For example, the physical channels may include the physical downlink, uplink and sidelink shared channels (PDSCH, PUSCH, PSSCH) carrying user specific data, also referred to as downlink, uplink and sidelink payload data, the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying for example a master information block (MIB), the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying for example a system information block (SIB), the physical downlink, uplink and sidelink control channels (PDCCH, PUCCH, PSSCH) carrying for example the downlink control information (DCI), the uplink control information (UCI) and the sidelink control information (SCI). For the uplink, the physical channels, or more precisely the transport channels according to 3GPP, may further include the physical random access channel (PRACH or RACH) used by UEs for accessing the network once a UE is synchronized and has obtained the MIB and SIB. The physical signals may comprise reference signals or symbols (RS), synchronization signals and the like. The resource grid may comprise a frame or radio frame having a certain duration in the time domain and having a given bandwidth in the frequency domain. The frame may have a certain number of subframes of a predefined length, e.g., 1 ms. Each subframe may include one or more slots of 12 or 14 OFDM symbols depending on the cyclic prefix (CP) length. All OFDM symbols may be used for DL or UL or only a subset, e.g., when utilizing shortened transmission time intervals (sTTI) or a mini-slot/non-slot-based frame structure comprising just a few OFDM symbols.
The wireless communication system may be any single-tone or multicarrier system using frequency-division multiplexing, like the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, the orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, or any other IFFT-based signal with or without CP, e.g., DFT-s-OFDM. Other waveforms, like non-orthogonal waveforms for multiple access, e.g., filter-bank multicarrier (FBMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) or universal filtered multi carrier (UFMC), may be used. The wireless communication system may operate, e.g., in accordance with the LTE-Advanced pro standard or the NR (5G), New Radio, standard.
The wireless network or communication system depicted in
In addition to the above described terrestrial wireless network also non-terrestrial wireless communication networks exist including spaceborne transceivers, like satellites, and/or airborne transceivers, like unmanned aircraft systems. The non-terrestrial wireless communication network or system may operate in a similar way as the terrestrial system described above with reference to
In mobile communication networks, for example in a network like that described above with reference to
When considering two UEs directly communicating with each other over the sidelink, both UEs may be served by the same base station so that the base station may provide sidelink resource allocation configuration or assistance for the UEs. For example, both UEs may be within the coverage area of a base station, like one of the base stations depicted in
When considering two UEs directly communicating with each other over the sidelink, e.g., using the PC5 interface, one of the UEs may also be connected with a BS, and may relay information from the BS to the other UE via the sidelink interface. The relaying may be performed in the same frequency band (in-band-relay) or another frequency band (out-of-band relay) may be used. In the first case, communication on the Uu and on the sidelink may be decoupled using different time slots as in time division duplex, TDD, systems.
Naturally, it is also possible that the first vehicle 202 is covered by the gNB, i.e. connected with Uu to the gNB, wherein the second vehicle 204 is not covered by the gNB and only connected via the PC5 interface to the first vehicle 202, or that the second vehicle is connected via the PC5 interface to the first vehicle 202 but via Uu to another gNB, as will become clear from the discussion of
In a wireless communication system as described above, a reduction of a latency of QoS (QOS=quality of service) management is crucial [1], especially when signals are relayed by a sidelink relay between a UE and a gNB.
Conventionally, QoS configurations are sent by the gNB to the remote UE and relaying UE, and the gNB should be informed in case of any dynamics in the network. This leads to a high latency in QoS management.
Therefore, there is the need of reducing the latency of QoS management.
It is noted that the information in the above section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form conventional technology and is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
An embodiment may have a transceiver of a wireless communication system, wherein the transceiver is configured to operate in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario, wherein the transceiver is configured to operate, in dependence on a QoS and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration.
Another embodiment may have a relaying transceiver of a wireless communication system, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to operate in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to relay signals between a transceiver and a base station or another transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to operate, in dependence on a QoS or/and QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration.
Another embodiment may have a base station of a wireless communication system, wherein the base station is configured to serve a plurality of transceivers, wherein the base station is configured to communicate with a transceiver via a relaying transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the base station is configured to provide a configuration or a set of configurations to the transceiver and/or relaying transceiver, or to update or reconfigure at least a part of configurations of the set of configurations in the transceiver or relaying transceiver, or to select and signal a configuration of the set of configurations to be used by the transceiver and/or relaying transceiver in dependence on a reported QoS requirement of the transceiver.
Another embodiment may have a wireless communication system, comprising: a transceiver, a relaying transceiver, and a base station according to the invention.
Another embodiment may have a method for operating a transceiver of a wireless communication system, wherein the method comprises: operating the transceiver in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario, operating the transceiver, in dependence on a QoS and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration.
Another embodiment may have a method for operating a relaying transceiver of a wireless communication system, wherein the method comprises: operating the relaying transceiver in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario, relaying signals between a transceiver and a base station or another transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the signals are relayed between the transceiver and the base station, in dependence on a QoS or/and QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration.
Another embodiment may have a method for operating a base station of a wireless communication system, the method comprising: communicating with a transceiver via a relaying transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the method further comprises providing a configuration or a set of configurations to the transceiver and/or to the relaying transceiver, or updating or reconfiguring at least a part of configurations of the set of configurations in the transceiver or in the relaying transceiver, or selecting and signaling a configuration of the set of configurations to be used by the transceiver and/or the relaying transceiver in dependence on a reported QoS requirement of the transceiver.
Another embodiment may have a non-transitory digital storage medium having a computer program stored thereon to perform the method for operating a transceiver of a wireless communication system, wherein the method comprises: operating the transceiver in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario, operating the transceiver, in dependence on a QoS and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration, when said computer program is run by a computer.
Embodiments of the present invention will be detailed subsequently referring to the appended drawings, in which:
Equal or equivalent elements or elements with equal or equivalent functionality are denoted in the following description by equal or equivalent reference numerals.
In the following description, a plurality of details are set forth to provide a more thorough explanation of embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form rather than in detail in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present invention. In addition, features of the different embodiments described hereinafter may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.
As indicated above, a reduction of a latency of QoS (QOS=quality of service) management is crucial [1], especially when signals are relayed by a sidelink relay between a UE and a gNB. The QoS management in L2 relay is described in [2]. Specifically, in [2] the general QoS handling for L2 UE-to-Network Relay is studied. The gNB implementation can handle the QoS breakdown over Uu and PC5 for end-to-end QoS enforcement, and this breakdown can be flexibly tailored to the AS conditions on sidelink and Uu. Details of handling in case PC5 RLC channels with different E2E QoS are mapped to the same Uu RLC channel. The end-to-end QoS enforcement can be supported. In case of OOC, Remote UE operates using the configuration provided in SIB or dedicated RRC signaling with overall better QoS performance than using pre-configuration. QoS can be enforced for each bearer as the gNB can decide whether an E2E bearer is admitted or not depending on the current congestion.
Moreover in [3], the QoS control with L2 relay is described. As shown in Annex A of [3], the NAS endpoints between a Remote UE and the network are as currently specified such that the operation via a UE-to-Network Relay UE should be transparent to the network NAS, with the exception of authorization/provisioning identified in clause 6.7.2.4. This means that the 5GS flow-based QoS concept in particular should be reused between the Remote UE and the network, with necessary adaptation over the radio interface, i.e. PC5 (for the Remote UE and UE-to-Network Relay UE) and Uu (for the UE-to-Network Relay UE). RAN performs QoS enforcement for PC5 interface and Uu interfaces when it gets QoS profile from the CN. For example, RAN performs QoS enforcement with AS layer configuration with necessary adaptation over PC5 interface and Uu interface. In other words, QoS flows established between the network and the Remote UE will be mapped to PC5 “radio bearers” seen by the Remote UE and to normal Uu radio bearers seen by the network, whereby the UE-to-Network Relay UE performs the necessary adaptation between Uu and PC5. Thereby, how to perform AS layer configuration for PC5 interface and Uu interface depends on RAN.
In [4], the QoS support by L2 UE-to-Network relay is described. Traffic of one or multiple evolved ProSe Remote UEs may be mapped to a single DRB of Uu interface of the evolved ProSe UE-to-Network Relay UE. Multiple Uu DRBs may be used to carry traffic of different QoS classes, for one or multiple evolved ProSe Remote UEs. It is also possible to multiplex traffic of evolved ProSe UE-to-Network Relay UE itself onto the Uu DRB, which is used to relay traffic to/from evolved ProSe Remote UEs. How the mapping of the traffic between sidelink bearers and Uu bearers is done is up to the eNB implementation and the mapping is configured in evolved ProSe UE-to-Network Relay UE by the eNB. An adaptation layer over Uu is supported to identify the evolved ProSe Remote UE/evolved ProSe UE-to-Network Relay UE and the corresponding bearer.
Embodiments described herein allow for reducing the latency of QoS management.
Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a wireless communication system or network as depicted in
Embodiments provide a transceiver [e.g., remote UE] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system, wherein the transceiver is configured to operate in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario [e.g., to operate in a NR sidelink mode 1 or mode 2]], wherein the transceiver is configured to operate [e.g., transmit and/or receive signals], in dependence on a [e.g., current or predicted] QoS [QoS=Quality of Service] and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration [e.g., QoS configuration].
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to receive the selected configuration from a relaying transceiver or a base station of the wireless communication network.
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to receive the selected configuration via a configuration message [e.g., RRC reconfiguration message].
In embodiments, the selected configuration complies with the QoS requirement of the transceiver.
In embodiments, the selected configuration includes a PC5 [channel] configuration and/or a Uu [channel] configuration.
In embodiments, the selected configuration defines a mapping between Uu and PC5 radio bearers.
In embodiments, the selected configuration is selected out of a set of configurations.
In embodiments, at least a proper subset of configurations of the set of configurations are associated with different QoS requirements of the transceiver.
In embodiments, at least a proper subset of configurations of the set of configurations are associated with different communication conditions [e.g., transceiver conditions, channel conditions, relaying transceiver conditions, base station conditions].
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to report the [e.g., current] QoS requirement to a relaying transceiver [e.g., relaying UE] or a base station of the wireless communication network.
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to report the QoS requirement
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to select a configuration out of the set of configurations itself in dependence on the [e.g., current] QoS requirement of the transceiver, to obtain the selected configuration,
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to predict a future QoS or/and QoS requirement and/or channel variation and to select the configuration out of the set of configurations itself in dependence on the predicted QoS and/or QoS requirement and/or channel variations and/or transceiver condition [e.g. traffic load], to obtain the selected configuration,
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to select a configuration out of the set of configuration indicated/signaled by a relaying transceiver or base station or another transceiver of the wireless communication system, to obtain the selected configuration.
In embodiments, each configuration [e.g., QoS configuration] of the set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations] defines a mapping between Uu and PC5 radio bearers.
In embodiments, the QoS requirement is at least one out of
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit and/or receive signals to and/or from a relaying transceiver or base station of the wireless communication system [e.g., via the relaying transceiver] using the selected configuration.
In embodiments, the set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations] are stored in a memory of the transceiver.
In embodiments, the set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations] are provided to the transceiver by a relaying transceiver [e.g., relaying UE] or base station [e.g., gNB] of the wireless communication network.
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to update and/or reconfigure one or more configurations of the set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations] responsive to a reception of a [e.g., QoS] update and or reconfiguration information.
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to report its operating status to a relaying transceiver or a base station of the wireless communication system.
In embodiments, the operating status includes at least one out of
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to report its operating status
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to perform a radio resource selection in dependence on a queuing information reported by a relaying transceiver of the wireless communication system.
In embodiments, the transceiver is configured to report a packet delay budget to a relaying transceiver of the wireless communication system.
Further embodiments provide a transceiver [e.g., remote UE] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system, wherein the transceiver is configured to operate in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario [e.g., to operate in a NR sidelink mode 1 or mode 2]], wherein the transceiver is configured to operate [e.g., transmit and/or receive signals], in dependence on a [e.g., current or predicted] QoS [QoS=Quality of Service] and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration [e.g., QoS configuration] out of a set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations].
Further embodiments provide a relaying transceiver [e.g., relaying UE] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to operate in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario [e.g., NR sidelink mode 1 or mode 2]], wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to relay signals between a transceiver and a base station or another transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to operate [e.g., transmit and/or receive signals], in dependence on a [e.g., current or predicted] QoS or/and QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration [e.g., QoS configuration].
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to receive the selected configuration from a base station of the wireless communication network.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to receive the selected configuration via a configuration message [e.g., RRC reconfiguration message].
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to relay the selected configuration to the transceiver.
In embodiments, the selected configuration complies with the QoS requirement of the transceiver.
In embodiments, the selected configuration includes a PC5 [channel] configuration and/or a Uu [channel] configuration.
In embodiments, the selected configuration defines a mapping between Uu and PC5 radio bearers.
In embodiments, the selected configuration is selected out of a set of configurations
In embodiments, the [e.g., current] QoS requirement is reported from the transceiver [e.g., remote UE] to the relaying transceiver.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to report the QoS requirement of the transceiver [e.g., remote UE] to the base station.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to report its own QoS requirement to the base station.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to combine the QoS requirement of the transceiver [e.g., remote UE] and its own QoS requirement, in order to obtain a combined QoS requirement, and to report the combined QoS requirement to the base station.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to select a configuration out of the set of configurations in dependence on the [e.g., current] QoS requirement of the transceiver, to obtain the selected configuration.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to predict a future QoS and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver and to select the configuration out of the set of configurations in dependence on the predicted QoS and/or QoS requirement, to obtain the selected configuration,
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to signal the selected configuration to the transceiver.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to relay signals between the transceiver and the base station using the selected configuration.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to provide the set of configurations to the transceiver.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to determine at least a part of the set of configurations itself, and/or wherein the set of configurations are provided to the relaying transceiver by the base station.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to update and/or reconfigure one or more configurations of the set of configurations in the transceiver.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to update and/or reconfigure one or more configurations of the set of configurations in the transceiver
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to receive an operating status report from the transceiver.
In embodiments, the operating status includes at least one out of
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to relay the operating status report of the transceiver to the base station.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to determine at least a part of the set of configurations or to update and/or reconfigure one or more configurations of the set of configurations based on the received operating status report.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to report its operating status to the base station of the wireless communication system.
In embodiments, the operating status includes at least one out of
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to report its operating status
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to report a queuing information to the transceiver.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured, when relaying, to prioritize signals of the transceiver in dependence on a delay budget reported by the transceiver.
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to reject a relaying of a signal itself when a relaying rejection criterion is fulfilled.
In embodiments, the relaying rejection criterion is at least one out of
In embodiments, the relaying transceiver is configured to receive a QoS parameter from the base station, the QoS parameter describing a headroom in the Uu capacity of the base station, wherein the relaying rejection criterion is fulfilled when the headroom in the Uu capacity is exhausted.
Further embodiments provide a relaying transceiver [e.g., relaying UE] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to operate in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario [e.g., NR sidelink mode 1 or mode 2]], wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to relay signals between a transceiver and a base station or another transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the relaying transceiver is configured to operate [e.g., transmit and/or receive signals], in dependence on a [e.g., current or predicted] QoS or/and QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration [e.g., QoS configuration] out of a set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations].
Further embodiments provide a base station [e.g., gNB] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system, wherein the base station is configured to serve a plurality of transceivers, wherein the base station is configured to communicate with a transceiver via a relaying transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the base station is configured
In embodiments, the base station is configured to update and/or reconfigure one or more configurations of the set of configurations in the transceiver or relaying transceiver
In embodiments, the base station is configured to predict a future QoS or/and QoS requirement of the transceiver and to select and signal the configuration out of the set of configurations to be used by the transceiver and/or relaying transceiver in dependence on the predicted QoS or/and QoS requirement.
In embodiments, the base station is configured to receive an operating status report from the transceiver and/or relaying transceiver.
In embodiments, the operating status includes at least one out of
In embodiments, the base station is configured to determine at least a part of the set of configurations or to update and/or reconfigure one or more configurations of the set of configurations based on the received operating status report.
In embodiments, the base station is configured to report a QoS parameter to the relaying transceiver, the QoS parameter describing a headroom in the Uu capacity of the base station.
Further embodiments provide a wireless communication system, comprising a transceiver according to one of the embodiments described herein, a relaying transceiver according to one of the embodiments described herein, and a base station according to one of the embodiments described herein.
Further embodiments provide a method for operating a transceiver [e.g., remote UE] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system. The method comprises a step of operating the transceiver in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario [e.g., to operate in a NR sidelink mode 1 or mode 2]]. Further, the method comprises a step of operating the transceiver, in dependence on a [e.g., current or predicted] QoS and/or QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration [e.g., QoS configuration] [e.g., out of a set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations]].
Further embodiments provide a method for operating a relaying transceiver [e.g., relaying UE] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system. The method comprises a step of operating the relaying transceiver in a sidelink in-coverage, out of coverage or partial coverage scenario [e.g., NR sidelink mode 1 or mode 2]]. Further, the method comprises a step of relaying signals between a transceiver and a base station or another transceiver of the wireless communication system, wherein the signals are relayed between the transceiver and the base station, in dependence on a [e.g., current or predicted] QoS or/and QoS requirement of the transceiver, using a selected configuration [e.g., QoS configuration] [e.g., out of a set of configurations [e.g., QoS configurations]].
Further embodiments provide a method for operating a base station [e.g., gNB] of a [e.g., new radio, NR/5G] wireless communication system. The method comprises a step of communicating [e.g., transmitting and/or receiving signals] with a transceiver via a relaying transceiver of the wireless communication system. Further, the method comprises a step of
Embodiments of the present invention enhance UE latency and reliability.
Subsequently, embodiment of the present invention are described in further detail.
In embodiments, in case of L2 UE-to-Network, the QoS configurations can be sent/transmitted by a gNB to a remote UE and/or L2 relay node. In embodiments, the configurations comply with the QoS requirements of the data flows in the remote UE. The mapping between Uu and PC5 radio bearers can be performed (or done) based on the configurations provided by the gNB or/and relay UE. The gNB needs to receive relevant information about the traffic flows, their requirements, channels condition, etc. to provide such configurations.
Specifically,
Alternatively, in case of UE-to-UE Relay, the configurations can be sent by a relay UE to one or multiple remote UEs.
As can be seen in
To overcome this challenge, according to the inventive approach described herein, one or more out of the following embodiments might apply. Thereby, note that in case of UE-to-UE relay, a relay UE can take over some or all tasks of the gNB).
In embodiments, a gNB or relay UE can provide a set of configurations to the remote UE and/or relay UE to cover all or part of possible scenarios (e.g., QoS requirements, channel conditions, node condition, etc.). In this case, the reaction of the remote UE and relay UE is faster to the network dynamics.
In embodiments, a gNB or relay UE may consider possible variations in the QoS requirements and channel conditions in its configurations (e.g., allocation of redundant resources, etc.).
In embodiments, the network (e.g., a gNB) or the remote UE might learn channel variations and QoS requirements of the traffic flow and predict the future QoS. The decision on QoS configuration in the remote and relay UE might be based on a predictive QoS.
In embodiments, a gNB or relay UE might periodically update the configurations in the remote UE and/or relay UE. A set of configurations/QoS profiles may be pre-configured in the relay UE and remote UE, which may be used in case no configurations are provided by the gNB or the network or to reduce configuration overhead (i.e., selection from pre-configured QoS profile triggered via gNB).
In embodiments, a gNB or relay UE might update the configurations in the remote UE and/or relay UE based on a triggering event (e.g., CBR threshold, geo-location, change in the speed, direction of mobility of UEs, etc.).
In embodiments, a gNB (e.g., could be based on reports received from remote UE, which may include SL information), a remote UE, or relay UE might trigger re-configuration of QoS in the gNB.
In embodiments, a request for re-configuration might be sent by a remote UE or a relay UE, e.g., through a message (e.g., via PC5-RRC or RRC).
In embodiments, a relay UE may use its own experienced (part or all) possible conditions/scenarios (e.g., QoS requirements, channel conditions, node condition, etc.), assuming that these conditions may match to the remote UE. This could apply during the initiation phase to setup a relay or to reduce the latency or to reduce the (number of) reports sent from the remote UE to the relay UE. Relay UEs using its own conditions also for the remote UE may especially apply, if the relay and remote UEs may experiencing similar environmental conditions, e.g., relay UE and remote UE are in proximity and/or outdoor on the same road heading in the same direction or indoor in close proximity in the same room.
A gNB or relay UE may initiate (e.g., after successful discovery) or demand an update (periodically and/or event driven) of the configurations of the remote and/or relay UE using one or more of the following options:
In embodiments, a gNB may provide one or a set of configurations to a relay UE, whenever a UE is setup/enabled/allowed to be used as a relay UE, i.e. once the network allows or enables a UE to function also as relay.
In embodiments, an alternative way for QoS pre-configuration is to assume the whole set of QoS characteristics or profiles, e.g., as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501. The selection of the most appropriate profile is then done with a well specified algorithm that is commonly known and used on all entities of the relay, i.e. gNB, relay and remote UE. If only one algorithm is specified not further action is needed. If a number of alternative algorithms is to be supported the gNB signals an identity or a small set of parameters of the algorithm instead of a set of configurations. In other words, the selection strategy for a configuration is provided rather than a set of configurations themselves. This can reduce signaling overhead, considerably.
To assist a gNB to fulfill the QoS requirements of data flows by its QoS configurations, a relay UE, and remote UE should provide necessary information to the gNB. The relevant information to be used in the gNB for an e2e QoS configuration can be one or more out of:
The above-mentioned reports and information can be sent from the relay or remote UE in one out of the following ways:
A history of the above-mentioned reports and information can help to determine a suitable range of QoS characteristics, e.g., designated by a set of corresponding 5QI values. The length of the history can be confined, i.e. with a forgetting factor, to a reasonable range to avoid that the set of QoS characteristics would end up including the complete set, e.g., as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501, table 5.7.4-1.
In Mode 2, the radio resources are prioritized by the physical layer based on the application layer requirements, whereby different UEs may have different delay packet budgets. This way, additional delay due to queuing in relay node or additional propagation delay causes some packets to get expired upon receiving at gNB. To avoid such a situation, in embodiments, two mechanisms at the relay or remote node are devised.
According to a first mechanism, a relay UE may indicate its queue information to remote UE and thus remote UE may consider this additional delay for radio resource selection procedure. For example, the remote UE may select the resource slots within the selection window considering a delay value indicated by the relay UE or select those resources taken into consideration a delay offset capturing the expected delay indicated by the relay UE.
According to a second mechanism, remote UE may indicate its packet delay budget to the relay UE and the relay UE may use this information to prioritize its relayed data transmission towards gNB.
Thereby, the delay packet budget at the remote UE or queueing information at the relay UE can be exchanged by RRC or MAC or broadcast information, e.g., SIB.
In the typical QoS setup a flow may be rejected by the RAN or core network when the desired QoS level cannot be achieved.
In the sidelink relay operation, also the relay may have reasons to reject the flow (or in other, the relay may reject the flow when a predefined condition/criterion is met), such as, for example:
In such cases, to save signaling and access time the relay itself shall be able to reject the flow immediately without the need to involve RAN or core network. In this way, as soon as the flow is rejected the remote UE will be able to retry with relaxed QoS conditions or search for a different relay.
The QoS request may be sent during PC5 connection establishment or after it.
In order to assist such local decision the gNB may provide a new QoS parameter to the relay, namely an EBR (Extension Bit rate). This refers to a headroom in Uu capacity for the relay. If the EBR is exhausted (e.g. 0), the relay may consider that the Uu link will not support any new flows and it will be able to reject a new flow even without relaying the message to the gNB. On the other hand, if the gNB provides an EBR value, the relay may signal to the remote UE a provisional acceptance of the requested QoS up to this data rate.
Various elements and features of the present invention may be implemented in hardware using analog and/or digital circuits, in software, through the execution of instructions by one or more general purpose or special-purpose processors, or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the environment of a computer system or another processing system.
The terms “computer program medium” and “computer readable medium” are used to generally refer to tangible storage media such as removable storage units or a hard disk installed in a hard disk drive. These computer program products are means for providing software to the computer system 500. The computer programs, also referred to as computer control logic, are stored in main memory 506 and/or secondary memory 508. Computer programs may also be received via the communications interface 510. The computer program, when executed, enables the computer system 500 to implement the present invention. In particular, the computer program, when executed, enables processor 502 to implement the processes of the present invention, such as any of the methods described herein. Accordingly, such a computer program may represent a controller of the computer system 500. Where the disclosure is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 500 using a removable storage drive, an interface, like communications interface 510.
The implementation in hardware or in software may be performed using a digital storage medium, for example cloud storage, a floppy disk, a DVD, a Blue-Ray, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM or a FLASH memory, having electronically readable control signals stored thereon, which cooperate (or are capable of cooperating) with a programmable computer system such that the respective method is performed. Therefore, the digital storage medium may be computer readable.
Some embodiments according to the invention comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals, which are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system, such that one of the methods described herein is performed.
Generally, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product with a program code, the program code being operative for performing one of the methods when the computer program product runs on a computer. The program code may for example be stored on a machine-readable carrier.
Other embodiments comprise the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein, stored on a machine-readable carrier. In other words, an embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a computer program having a program code for performing one of the methods described herein, when the computer program runs on a computer.
A further embodiment of the inventive methods is, therefore, a data carrier (or a digital storage medium, or a computer-readable medium) comprising, recorded thereon, the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. A further embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a data stream or a sequence of signals representing the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or the sequence of signals may for example be configured to be transferred via a data communication connection, for example via the Internet. A further embodiment comprises a processing means, for example a computer, or a programmable logic device, configured to or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein. A further embodiment comprises a computer having installed thereon the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein.
In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (for example a field programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functionalities of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor in order to perform one of the methods described herein. Generally, the methods are performed by any hardware apparatus.
The above described embodiments are merely illustrative for the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and the details described herein are apparent to others skilled in the art. It is the intent, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the impending patent claims and not by the specific details presented by way of description and explanation of the embodiments herein.
While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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21182910.6 | Jun 2021 | EP | regional |
This application is a continuation of copending International Application No. PCT/EP2022/067978, filed Jun. 29, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and additionally claims priority from European Application No. EP 21 182 910.6, filed Jun. 30, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP2022/067978 | Jun 2022 | WO |
Child | 18394597 | US |