Patent Application
20230397032
The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods providing enhancements for measurement triggering in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs).
Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8 specifies the Evolved Packet System (EPS). EPS is based on the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio network and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). It was originally intended to provide voice and mobile broadband (MBB) services, but it has continuously evolved to broaden its functionality. Since Release 13, Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) and LTE for machines (LTE-M) are part of the LTE specifications and provide connectivity to massive machine type communications (mMTC) services.
3GPP Release 15 specifies the first release of the 5G system (5GS). This new generation radio access technology intended to serve use cases such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC), and mMTC. The 5G specification includes the New Radio (NR) access stratum interface and the 5G Core Network (5GC). The NR physical and higher layers reuse parts of the LTE specification and add components as needed for the new use cases.
In Release 15, 3GPP also started the work to prepare NR for operation in a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN). The work was performed within the study item “NR to support Non-Terrestrial Networks” and resulted in 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 38.811. In Release 16, the work to prepare NR for operation in an NTN network continues with the study item “Solutions for NR to support Non-Terrestrial Network.” In parallel, the interest to adapt LTE for operation in NTN is growing. As a consequence, 3GPP is considering introducing support for NTN in both LTE and NR in Release 17.
A satellite radio access network usually includes the following components:
Depending on the orbit altitude, a satellite may be categorized as low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite.
Satellite systems tend to have significantly higher path loss than terrestrial networks due to their significant orbit height. Overcoming the path loss often requires the access and feeder links to be operated in line-of-sight conditions and the UE to be equipped with an antenna offering high beam directivity.
A communication satellite typically generates several beams over a given area. The “footprint” or “spotbeam” of a beam is usually in an elliptic shape, which has been traditionally considered as a cell. The spotbeam may move over the earth surface with the satellite movement (often referred to as the moving beam or moving cell case). Or, the spotbeam may be earth-fixed with some beam pointing mechanism used by the satellite to compensate for its motion (often referred to as the earth-fixed beam or earth-fixed cell case). The size of a spotbeam depends on the system design and may range from tens of kilometers to a few thousands of kilometers.
In comparison to the beams observed in a terrestrial network, the NTN beam may be very wide and may cover an area outside of the area defined by the served cell. A beam covering adjacent cells will overlap and cause significant levels of intercell interference. A typical approach for overcoming the large levels of interference in the NTN involves configuring different cells with different carrier frequencies and polarization modes.
In a LEO NTN, the satellites are moving with a very high velocity. This leads to a Doppler shift of the carrier frequency on the service link of up to 24 ppm for a LEO satellite at 600 km altitude. See, TR 38.821, Solutions for NR to support non-terrestrial networks. The Doppler shift is also time variant due to the satellite motion over the sky. The Doppler shift may vary with up to 0.27 ppm/s for a LEO 600 km satellite. The Doppler shift will impact, i.e., increase or decrease, the frequency received on the service link compared to the transmitted frequency. For GEO NTN, the satellites may move in an orbit inclined relative to the plane of the equator. The inclination introduces a periodic movement of the satellite relative earth which introduces a predictable, and daily periodically repeating Doppler shift of the carrier frequency as exemplified in the below figure.
In 3GPP TR 38.821, it has been captured that ephemeris data should be provided to the UE, for example, to assist with pointing a directional antenna (or an antenna beam) towards the satellite. See, RP-181370, Study on solutions evaluation for NR to support non-terrestrial Network. A UE knowing its own position such as, for example, thanks to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) support, may also use the ephemeris data to calculate correct Timing Advance (TA) and Doppler shift. The contents of the ephemeris data and the procedures on how to provide and update such data have not yet been studied in detail.
A satellite orbit can be fully described using six parameters. A user can choose exactly which set of parameters to use; many different representations are possible. For example, the set of parameters (a, ε, i, Ω, ω, t) is often used in astronomy. Here, the semi-major axis “a” and the eccentricity “ε” describe the shape and size of the orbit ellipse; the inclination “i,” the right ascension of the ascending node “Ω,” and the argument of periapsis “ω” of determine its position in space, and the epoch “t” determines a reference time (e.g., the time when the satellites moves through periapsis). This set of parameters is illustrated in
A two-line element set (TLE) is a data format encoding a list of orbital elements of an Earth-orbiting object for a given point in time, the epoch. As an example of a different parametrization, the TLEs may use mean motion “n” and mean anomaly “M” instead of a and t. A completely different set of parameters is the position and velocity vector (x, y, z, vx, vy, vz) of a satellite. These are sometimes called orbital state vectors. They can be derived from the orbital elements and vice versa, since the information they contain is equivalent. All these formulations (and many others) are possible choices for the format of ephemeris data to be used in NTN.
It is important that a UE can determine the position of a satellite with accuracy of at least a few meters. See, RP-181370, Study on solutions evaluation for NR to support non-terrestrial Network. However, several studies have shown that this might be hard to achieve when using the de-facto standard of TLEs. On the other hand, LEO satellites often have GNSS receivers and can determine their position with some meter level accuracy.
Another aspect discussed during the study item and captured in 3GPP TR 38.821 is the validity time of ephemeris data. Predictions of satellite positions in general degrade with increasing age of the ephemeris data used, due to atmospheric drag, maneuvering of the satellite, imperfections in the orbital models used, etc. Therefore, the publicly available TLE data are updated quite frequently, for example. The update frequency depends on the satellite and its orbit, for example, the update frequency may range from multiple times a day (e.g., for satellites on very low orbits which are exposed to strong atmospheric drag and need to perform correctional maneuvers often) to weekly (e.g., for satellites on relatively higher orbits or satellites that are exposed to less atmospheric drag).
So, while it seems possible to provide the satellite position with the required accuracy, care needs to be taken to meet these requirements such as, for example, when choosing the ephemeris data format or when choosing the orbital model to be used for the orbital propagation.
Ephemeris data consists of at least five parameters describing the shape and position in space of the satellite orbit. It also comes with a timestamp, which is the time when the other parameters describing the orbit ellipse were obtained. The position of the satellite at any given time in the nearer future can be predicted from this data using orbital mechanics. The accuracy of this prediction will however degrade as one projects further and further into the future. The validity time of a certain set of parameters depends on many factors like the type and altitude of the orbit, but also the desired accuracy, and ranges from the scale of a few days to a few years.
In connected state, i.e., RRC CONNECTED state, a UE has a connection established to the network. The aim of connected-state mobility is to ensure that the connectivity is retained with no interruption or noticeable degradation as the device moves within the network. The UE is required to do searches for new cells both on the current carrier frequency (intra-frequency) and different carrier frequencies (inter-frequency) that are informed by the network. The UE does not make any decisions on its own regarding when it is time to trigger a handover procedure to a different cell (except partly in the case of conditional handover). This is rather based on a variety of triggering conditions. In general, the UE reports the results of any configured measurements to the network so that the network can make a decision on whether or not it is time for handover to a new cell. However, when conditional handover is used, the network partly “delegates” the execution decision to the UE by instructing it to execute a handover when certain trigger conditions are fulfilled.
In 5G NR, handover is a special case of a procedure called “reconfiguration with sync”. In addition, a variety of handover mechanisms, such as Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS), conditional handover (CHO), and RACH-less HO (only for LTE), have been introduced in specifications to enhance the mobility robustness performance for challenging scenarios that require low-latency and high reliability performance. Typically, before the actual HO, network configures UEs with RRM measurements and makes HO decision based on measurement reports send by the UEs.
The following excerpt from TS 38.300 V16.2.0 (2020-07) details the measurement model (how the cell level and beam level layer 3 measurements are derived) in NR.
Layer 1 filtering introduces a certain level of measurement averaging. How and when the UE exactly performs the required measurements is implementation specific to the point that the output at B fulfils the performance requirements set in 3GPP TS 38.133. Layer 3 filtering for cell quality and related parameters used are specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 and do not introduce any delay in the sample availability between B and C. Measurement at point C, C1 is the input used in the event evaluation. L3 Beam filtering and related parameters used are specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 and do not introduce any delay in the sample availability between E and F.
The measurement procedures distinguish the following types of cells:
Herein, the NR detected cells and listed cells (which may be called neighbour cells, or non-serving cells) are the most relevant.
As defined above, NR listed cells are the cells listed within the measurement object(s), as shown below:
There are three kinds of listed cells. Cells with cell-specific offsets is one example. Cells with cell-specific offsets are configured within cellsToAddModList. They are used for event-triggered measurement reporting. Each element in the list contains a cell, indicated by a physical cell identity (PCI, field physCellId of IE PhysCellId) and cell-specific offsets for entering leaving conditions of events like A1-A6 (field cellIndividualOffset of IE Q-OffsetRangeList). The following shows fields and information elements (IEs) where the cell list is configured:
The following shows an example of an event, Event A3:
5.5.4.4 Event A3 (Neighbour becomes offset better than SpCell) The UE shall:
NOTE 1: The cell(s) that triggers the event has reference signals indicated in the measObjectNR associated to this event which may be different from the NR SpCell measObjectNR.
Mn+Ofn+Ocn−Hys>Mp+Ofp+Ocp+OffInequality A3-1 (Entering condition)
Mn+Ofn+Ocn+Hys<Mp+Ofp+Ocp+OffInequality A3-2 (Leaving condition)
The variables in the formula are defined as follows:
NOTE 2: The definition of Event A3 also applies to CondEvent A3.
5.5.4 Measurement Report Triggering
5.5.4.1 General
If AS security has been activated successfully, the UE shall:
As defined above, NR detected cells are the cells not listed within the measurement object(s) but are detected by the UE on the synchronization signal (SSB) frequency/frequencies and subcarrier spacing(s) indicated by the measurement object(s). In a normal case (i.e., in a network that is properly configured, without Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) collision), each detected cell in a given frequency (associated with a measurement object) has a unique PCI in that frequency.
In that sense, a detected cell is a cell in the configured frequency (i.e., configured measurement object—MO) with a given PCI associated to the detected SSBs (PCI being derived by detecting the synchronization sequences primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS), as defined in TS 38.211).
There currently exist certain challenge(s). The following can be considered as main challenges that need to be addressed when evolving NR to support NTN: moving cells, long propagation delays, and large Doppler shifts.
Another complicating property of a NTN with earth-fixed cells is that when the responsibility for covering a certain geographical cell area switches from one satellite to another, preferably with a short period of overlap (i.e., both the old and the new satellite cover the cell area simultaneously), this may be assumed to involve a cell change, e.g., change of PCI, which means that all the UEs connected in the old cell (to/via the old satellite) have to be handed over to the new cell (and the new satellite) in a short time (i.e., the period of overlap), which may cause a high load peak on the RACH resources, random access processing resources and processing resources for handover preparation associated with the new cell. If these resources are overloaded, the consequences may involve e.g., extended interruption times, handover failures and radio link failures.
In Rel-16, during the study item phase, RAN2 discussed the mobility procedures to find solutions to address problems that may occur due to the challenges mentioned above for NTN with the motivation to reduce service interruption during handover due to large propagation delay, high handover rates due to moving cells, to introduce mechanisms to improve handover robustness due to small signal strength variation in regions of beam overlap and to compensate for propagation delay differences in the UE measurement windows between cells/beams originating from different satellites. This is especially the case for LEO NTN. In the technical report, which was concluded during the SI phase in Rel-16, aspects related to additional triggering conditions for conditional handover mechanism, adaptation of measurement-based thresholds and events, mobility related configuration, measurement configuration/reporting, and service continuity for mobility between TN and NTN are captured.
In the technical report, the following enhancements to measurement configuration and reporting are captured:
A general NTN specific measurement report triggering issue is that the RSRP range of neighboring cells are very similar and events like A3 may not trigger in time. For load balancing reasons and country border reasons it is needed that measurement reports trigger timely.
Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, the present disclosure proposes solutions on the detailed aspects of the mechanisms related to measurement report triggering that are not only mentioned in the technical report where detailed design considerations are expected to be addressed in the related work item phase but also mechanisms to address problems that are discovered in addition to what has been captured in the technical report.
According to certain embodiments, a method by a wireless device includes determining whether one or more conditions for triggering measurement reporting have occurred and triggering the measurement reporting based on the occurrence of the one or more conditions. The one or more conditions for triggering the measurement reporting are based on at least one of: a timing advance value in a source cell; the wireless device being within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving the source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device; an expected time for the wireless device to be served in the source cell and/or in the candidate target cell; an elevation angle of the satellite node serving the source cell and/or the candidate target cell; a point in time configured by the network is reached; detection of an identifier associated with a specific cell.
According to certain embodiments, a wireless device is adapted to determine whether one or more conditions for triggering measurement reporting have occurred and triggering the measurement reporting based on the occurrence of the one or more conditions. The one or more conditions for triggering the measurement reporting are based on at least one of: a timing advance value in a source cell; the wireless device being within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving the source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device; an expected time for the wireless device to be served in the source cell and/or in the candidate target cell; an elevation angle of the satellite node serving the source cell and/or the candidate target cell; a point in time configured by the network is reached; detection of an identifier associated with a specific cell.
According to certain embodiments, a method by a network node includes indicating, to a wireless device, a measurement configuration and one or more conditions associated with the measurement configuration. The one or more conditions is for triggering measurement reporting based on at least one of: a timing advance value in a source cell; the wireless device being within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving the source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device; an expected time for the wireless device to be served in the source cell and/or in the candidate target cell; an elevation angle of the satellite node serving the source cell and/or the candidate target cell; a point in time configured by the network node is reached; and detection of an identifier associated with a specific cell.
According to certain embodiments, a network node is adapted to indicate, to a wireless device, a measurement configuration and one or more conditions associated with the measurement configuration. The one or more conditions is for triggering measurement reporting based on at least one of: a timing advance value in a source cell; the wireless device being within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving the source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device; an expected time for the wireless device to be served in the source cell and/or in the candidate target cell; an elevation angle of the satellite node serving the source cell and/or the candidate target cell; a point in time configured by the network node is reached; and detection of an identifier associated with a specific cell.
Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). As an example, an advantage of certain embodiments includes the adoption of measurement triggering conditions and event definitions to enhance proper measurement report triggering. Especially, since the RSRP ranges are similar between cells.
Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skill in the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of the recited advantages.
For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.
Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and/or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.
Note that unless explicitly stated otherwise, the methods proposed below concern both fixed and moving cells, service and feeder link switches. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the terms “cell” and “beam” are used interchangeably. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the terms “wireless terminal,” “User Equipment,” “UE,” “wireless device,” and “device” are used interchangeably in this document. The terms “source cell” or “target cell” do not refer to the global cell ID in this document assuming that a global cell ID is mapped to a geographical area in a tracking area, which is also defined with respect to a geographical area. Certain embodiments of the solution are described using NR terminology, e.g., using the term “gNB” instead of the more generic and RAT-independent term “radio base station,” but this should not be seen as a limitation, as the solution is applicable also to other RATs that may be used in NTNs, such as LTE. Unless it is explicitly stated otherwise, the examples described below concern the following handover mechanisms: “Reconfiguration with sync/Reconfiguration with mobilityInfo,” “5.2 Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) handover,” “5.3 Conditional handover (CHO),” and “RACH-less handover.”
According to certain embodiments, various methods and systems are provided for measurement report triggering that can enhance the measurement reporting for NTN systems. Aspects related to configuring a UE for measurement report triggering are also disclosed.
According to certain embodiments, a method in a device with the triggering of measurement reporting may be based on one or more of the following:
In a particular embodiment, the network may configure a UE with one or more measurement configuration(s) and an associated condition for when the measurement configuration(s) should be activated. Such a condition could be based on the UE's position, e.g., a condition that is fulfilled when the UE is in an area where HO to a neighbor cell may be relevant to consider, e.g., an area where the probability that a measurement report from the UE would trigger the gNB to initiate HO for the UE to a neighbor cell is non-negligible or significant. Typically, such an area would be an area in proximity with an assumed cell border. Such an area (in a broad sense) could be defined, for example, in terms of the UE's distance from the cell center (e.g., the satellite's nadir in the case of a moving cell, or a reference point which is defined to represent the cell center) or in terms of the UE's distance from the cell border (where the cell border could be defined in terms of geographical and/or geometrical parameters). Note that in a moving cell, a reference point, or a defined area, may be moving as the cell is moving, while the reference point, or area, maintains its position relative the cell's coverage area. A moving cell's trajectory is predictable based on the serving satellite's ephemeris data and, thus, based on this ephemeris data a UE can continuously keep track of and relate to a moving reference point or defined area. Conditions other than those based only on the UE's position are also conceivable for triggering measurement reporting. According to certain embodiments, the UE monitors the condition and, when it is fulfilled, the UE activates the associated measurement configuration and starts to perform measurements accordingly. If the configured measurements require measurement gaps (e.g., inter-frequency measurements), the UE may notify the network that the condition has been fulfilled so that the network should start to honor the measurement gaps (which preferably were configured in the measurement configuration that now has been activated). Until the gNB receives this notification from the UE, the gNB ignores the measurement gaps and does not refrain from scheduling the UE at times covered by the configured (but passive) measurement gaps. The notification from the UE can be in the form of a MAC CE or an RRC message. Optionally, the gNB can acknowledge the notification (and thus confirm that it will start to honor the configured (and now activated) measurement gaps. Such an acknowledgement should preferable be sent on the same protocol layer as the notification such as, for example, using a MAC CE to acknowledge a notification in a MAC CE or using an RRC message to acknowledge a notification sent in an RRC message.
In a particular embodiment, the network may configure a UE with one or more inactive measurement configuration(s). Such a measurement configuration would remain inactive until it is activated by the network. Such activation could be performed, for example, by sending a MAC CE to the UE (which the UE, as one option, may acknowledge with a MAC CE) or by sending an RRC message (which the UE, as one option, may acknowledge with an RRC message). To facilitate for the gNB to choose a suitable occasion for activation of an inactive measurement configuration in the UE, the UE may be configured to send reports to the gNB, indicating the UE's position. The UE may be configured to transmit such position reports periodically or when the position has changed a certain distance since the last report (or a combination of both such as, for example, sending a report when the position has changed significantly or a certain maximum time has elapsed since the last report was sent, whichever happens first). Other conditions for sending UE location reports that are not based only on the UE's position are also conceivable, e.g., the conditions listed above for triggering measurement reporting.
In a particular embodiment, the network may configure a UE to report its location to the network such as, for example, to the gNB, either periodically or when the UE's location has changed a certain distance since the last report (or a combination of a distance-based and a time-based condition, e.g., sending a location report when the location has changed significantly or a certain maximum time has elapsed since the last report was sent, whichever happens first). Yet another location reporting condition could be that the UE is configured to report its location when the UE has entered a certain area (in a broad sense). Such an area (in a broad sense) could be defined, for example, in terms of the UE's distance from the cell center (e.g., the satellite's nadir in the case of a moving cell, or a reference point which is defined to represent the cell center) or in terms of the UE's distance from the cell border (where the cell border could be defined in terms of geographical and/or geometrical parameters). Based on the reported UE location, the gNB creates a suitable measurement configuration such as, for example, based on the UE's current location, including measurements on neighbor cells that are relevant at the UE's current location, and sends the measurement configuration to the UE. The UE starts to act in accordance with the receive measurement configuration. With this approach, the measurement configuration could be streamlined in the sense that it could be limited to measurements on one or a small set of neighbor cell(s), which can be assumed to provide a sufficiently good channel quality at the UE's current location (or which may be assumed to have the potential to soon provide a sufficiently good channel quality for the UE, e.g., if the UE moves a small distance further in the direction of a concerned neighbor cell or, the case of moving cells, the concerned neighbor cell(s) has/have moved a small distance closer to the UE). In a particular embodiment, the network may adapt the regular procedures and/or configurations in various ways to address the potential issue that measurements performed on LEO satellites may quickly become irrelevant due to the fast movements of the satellites. For instance:
In a particular embodiment, the device may send a notification to the network such as, for example, in MAC layer, to indicate that measurement reports have been triggered and thus there is a need for gaps to be activated (assuming that measurement gaps have already been configured via RRC earlier). In another particular embodiment, this indication from the device may also trigger a need to provide the UE measurement configuration on the network side. Previously configured gaps can be used, and the measurement configuration can be activated immediately if provided earlier via dedicated signaling.
Throughout this disclosure, the terms “beam” and “cell” may be used interchangeably, unless explicitly noted otherwise. Although certain embodiments have been described with reference to NTN, the methods proposed apply to any wireless network (e.g., any wireless network dominated by line-of-sight conditions). Certain embodiments (or portions thereof) may be implemented in one or more standards, such as 3GPP release 17+, 3GPP TS 38.331, and/or NR TR 38.821 Rel-16.
Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in any appropriate type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to a wireless network, such as the example wireless network illustrated in
The wireless network may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.
Network 106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.
Network node 160 and WD 110 comprise various components described in more detail below. These components work together in order to provide network node and/or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.
In
Similarly, network node 160 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which network node 160 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB's. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 160 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device readable medium 180 for the different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 162 may be shared by the RATs). Network node 160 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 160, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 160.
Processing circuitry 170 is configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 170 may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 170 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
Processing circuitry 170 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 160 components, such as device readable medium 180, network node 160 functionality. For example, processing circuitry 170 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 180 or in memory within processing circuitry 170. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).
In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units
In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB or other such network device may be performed by processing circuitry 170 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 180 or memory within processing circuitry 170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 170 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 170 alone or to other components of network node 160, but are enjoyed by network node 160 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
Device readable medium 180 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 170. Device readable medium 180 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 170 and, utilized by network node 160. Device readable medium 180 may be used to store any calculations made by processing circuitry 170 and/or any data received via interface 190. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 and device readable medium 180 may be considered to be integrated.
Interface 190 is used in the wired or wireless communication of signalling and/or data between network node 160, network 106, and/or WDs 110. As illustrated, interface 190 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 194 to send and receive data, for example to and from network 106 over a wired connection. Interface 190 also includes radio front end circuitry 192 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, antenna 162. Radio front end circuitry 192 comprises filters 198 and amplifiers 196. Radio front end circuitry 192 may be connected to antenna 162 and processing circuitry 170. Radio front end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 162 and processing circuitry 170. Radio front end circuitry 192 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 192 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 198 and/or amplifiers 196. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 162 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 192. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 170. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
In certain alternative embodiments, network node 160 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 192, instead, processing circuitry 170 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 162 without separate radio front end circuitry 192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 172 may be considered a part of interface 190. In still other embodiments, interface 190 may include one or more ports or terminals 194, radio front end circuitry 192, and RF transceiver circuitry 172, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 190 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).
Antenna 162 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. Antenna 162 may be coupled to radio front end circuitry 192 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, antenna 162 may comprise one or more omni-directional, sector or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omni-directional antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, a sector antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals from devices within a particular area, and a panel antenna may be a line of sight antenna used to transmit/receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, antenna 162 may be separate from network node 160 and may be connectable to network node 160 through an interface or port.
Antenna 162, interface 190, and/or processing circuitry 170 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 162, interface 190, and/or processing circuitry 170 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment.
Power circuitry 187 may comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry and is configured to supply the components of network node 160 with power for performing the functionality described herein. Power circuitry 187 may receive power from power source 186. Power source 186 and/or power circuitry 187 may be configured to provide power to the various components of network node 160 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). Power source 186 may either be included in, or external to, power circuitry 187 and/or network node 160. For example, network node 160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry 187. As a further example, power source 186 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry 187. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.
Alternative embodiments of network node 160 may include additional components beyond those shown in
As illustrated, wireless device 110 includes antenna 111, interface 114, processing circuitry 120, device readable medium 130, user interface equipment 132, auxiliary equipment 134, power source 136 and power circuitry 137. WD 110 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by WD 110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within WD 110.
Antenna 111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 114. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 111 may be separate from WD 110 and be connectable to WD 110 through an interface or port. Antenna 111, interface 114, and/or processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuitry and/or antenna 111 may be considered an interface.
As illustrated, interface 114 comprises radio front end circuitry 112 and antenna 111. Radio front end circuitry 112 comprise one or more filters 118 and amplifiers 116. Radio front end circuitry 112 is connected to antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120, and is configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120. Radio front end circuitry 112 may be coupled to or a part of antenna 111. In some embodiments, WD 110 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 112; rather, processing circuitry 120 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be considered a part of interface 114. Radio front end circuitry 112 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 112 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 118 and/or amplifiers 116. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 111 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 112. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 120. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
Processing circuitry 120 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other WD 110 components, such as device readable medium 130, WD 110 functionality. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 120 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 130 or in memory within processing circuitry 120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.
As illustrated, processing circuitry 120 includes one or more of RF transceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry 126. In other embodiments, the processing circuitry may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments processing circuitry 120 of WD 110 may comprise a SOC. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry 126 may be on separate chips or sets of chips. In alternative embodiments, part or all of baseband processing circuitry 124 and application processing circuitry 126 may be combined into one chip or set of chips, and RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In still alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122 and baseband processing circuitry 124 may be on the same chip or set of chips, and application processing circuitry 126 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In yet other alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry 126 may be combined in the same chip or set of chips. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be a part of interface 114. RF transceiver circuitry 122 may condition RF signals for processing circuitry 120.
In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by a WD may be provided by processing circuitry 120 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 130, which in certain embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 120 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 120 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 120 alone or to other components of WD 110, but are enjoyed by WD 110 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
Processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by a WD. These operations, as performed by processing circuitry 120, may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 120 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by WD 110, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
Device readable medium 130 may be operable to store a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 120. Device readable medium 130 may include computer memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 120. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 120 and device readable medium 130 may be considered to be integrated.
User interface equipment 132 may provide components that allow for a human user to interact with WD 110. Such interaction may be of many forms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. User interface equipment 132 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to WD 110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 132 installed in WD 110. For example, if WD 110 is a smart phone, the interaction may be via a touch screen; if WD 110 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface equipment 132 may include input interfaces, devices and circuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. User interface equipment 132 is configured to allow input of information into WD 110, and is connected to processing circuitry 120 to allow processing circuitry 120 to process the input information. User interface equipment 132 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface equipment 132 is also configured to allow output of information from WD 110, and to allow processing circuitry 120 to output information from WD 110. User interface equipment 132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibrating circuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits, of user interface equipment 132, WD 110 may communicate with end users and/or the wireless network, and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.
Auxiliary equipment 134 is operable to provide more specific functionality which may not be generally performed by WDs. This may comprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary equipment 134 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.
Power source 136 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices or power cells, may also be used. WD 110 may further comprise power circuitry 137 for delivering power from power source 136 to the various parts of WD 110 which need power from power source 136 to carry out any functionality described or indicated herein. Power circuitry 137 may in certain embodiments comprise power management circuitry. Power circuitry 137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in which case WD 110 may be connectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power circuitry 137 may also in certain embodiments be operable to deliver power from an external power source to power source 136. This may be, for example, for the charging of power source 136. Power circuitry 137 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from power source 136 to make the power suitable for the respective components of WD 110 to which power is supplied.
In
In
In the depicted embodiment, input/output interface 205 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, output device, or input and output device. UE 200 may be configured to use an output device via input/output interface 205. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from UE 200. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. UE 200 may be configured to use an input device via input/output interface 205 to allow a user to capture information into UE 200. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another like sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.
In
RAM 217 may be configured to interface via bus 202 to processing circuitry 201 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as the operating system, application programs, and device drivers. ROM 219 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 201. For example, ROM 219 may be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basic input and output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory. Storage medium 221 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, or flash drives. In one example, storage medium 221 may be configured to include operating system 223, application program 225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine or another application, and data file 227. Storage medium 221 may store, for use by UE 200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
Storage medium 221 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppy disk drive, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM/RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 221 may allow UE 200 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs or the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied in storage medium 221, which may comprise a device readable medium.
In
In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of communication subsystem 231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, communication subsystem 231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. Network 243b may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network or any combination thereof. For example, network 243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and/or a near-field network. Power source 213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to components of UE 200.
The features, benefits and/or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 200 or partitioned across multiple components of UE 200. Further, the features, benefits, and/or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, processing circuitry 201 may be configured to communicate with any of such components over bus 202. In another example, any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that when executed by processing circuitry 201 perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any of such components may be partitioned between processing circuitry 201 and communication subsystem 231. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.
In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes 330. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may be entirely virtualized.
The functions may be implemented by one or more applications 320 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 320 are run in virtualization environment 300 which provides hardware 330 comprising processing circuitry 360 and memory 390. Memory 390 contains instructions 395 executable by processing circuitry 360 whereby application 320 is operative to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and/or functions disclosed herein.
Virtualization environment 300, comprises general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 330 comprising a set of one or more processors or processing circuitry 360, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors. Each hardware device may comprise memory 390-1 which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 395 or software executed by processing circuitry 360. Each hardware device may comprise one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 370, also known as network interface cards, which include physical network interface 380. Each hardware device may also include non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage media 390-2 having stored therein software 395 and/or instructions executable by processing circuitry 360. Software 395 may include any type of software including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 350 (also referred to as hypervisors), software to execute virtual machines 340 as well as software allowing it to execute functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.
Virtual machines 340, comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the instance of virtual appliance 320 may be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 340, and the implementations may be made in different ways.
During operation, processing circuitry 360 executes software 395 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 350 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to virtual machine 340.
As shown in
Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.
In the context of NFV, virtual machine 340 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of virtual machines 340, and that part of hardware 330 that executes that virtual machine, be it hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and/or hardware shared by that virtual machine with others of the virtual machines 340, forms a separate virtual network elements (VNE).
Still in the context of NFV, Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more virtual machines 340 on top of hardware networking infrastructure 330 and corresponds to application 320 in
In some embodiments, one or more radio units 3200 that each include one or more transmitters 3220 and one or more receivers 3210 may be coupled to one or more antennas 3225. Radio units 3200 may communicate directly with hardware nodes 330 via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.
In some embodiments, some signalling can be effected with the use of control system 3230 which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes 330 and radio units 3200.
Telecommunication network 410 is itself connected to host computer 430, which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or as processing resources in a server farm. Host computer 430 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 421 and 422 between telecommunication network 410 and host computer 430 may extend directly from core network 414 to host computer 430 or may go via an optional intermediate network 420. Intermediate network 420 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private or hosted network; intermediate network 420, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 420 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).
The communication system of
Communication system 500 further includes base station 520 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 525 enabling it to communicate with host computer 510 and with UE 530. Hardware 525 may include communication interface 526 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 500, as well as radio interface 527 for setting up and maintaining at least wireless connection 570 with UE 530 located in a coverage area (not shown in
Communication system 500 further includes UE 530 already referred to. Its hardware 535 may include radio interface 537 configured to set up and maintain wireless connection 570 with a base station serving a coverage area in which UE 530 is currently located. Hardware 535 of UE 530 further includes processing circuitry 538, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. UE 530 further comprises software 531, which is stored in or accessible by UE 530 and executable by processing circuitry 538. Software 531 includes client application 532. Client application 532 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 530, with the support of host computer 510. In host computer 510, an executing host application 512 may communicate with the executing client application 532 via OTT connection 550 terminating at UE 530 and host computer 510. In providing the service to the user, client application 532 may receive request data from host application 512 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 550 may transfer both the request data and the user data. Client application 532 may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.
It is noted that host computer 510, base station 520 and UE 530 illustrated in
In
Wireless connection 570 between UE 530 and base station 520 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 530 using OTT connection 550, in which wireless connection 570 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as extended battery lifetime.
A measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 550 between host computer 510 and UE 530, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 550 may be implemented in software 511 and hardware 515 of host computer 510 or in software 531 and hardware 535 of UE 530, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which OTT connection 550 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software 511, 531 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of OTT connection 550 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect base station 520, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to base station 520. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating host computer 510's measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like. The measurements may be implemented in that software 511 and 531 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using OTT connection 550 while it monitors propagation times, errors etc.
Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
Virtual Apparatus 1100 may comprise processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause configuration unit 1102 and measurement reporting unit 1104, and any other suitable units of apparatus 1100 to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in
At step 1204, the wireless devices triggers the measurement reporting based on the occurrence of the one or more conditions.
In a particular embodiment, the triggering of the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that a channel quality exceeds a threshold.
In a particular embodiment, the triggering of the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that an estimated pathloss is below a threshold.
In a particular embodiment, the triggering of the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that the wireless device 110 is located within a geographically outlined area.
In a particular embodiment, the triggering of the measurement reporting is based at least in part on detecting the occurrence of the one or more conditions with respect to at least a minimum number of cells.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 receives, from the network node 160, information indicating a measurement configuration and at least one associated condition for when the wireless device 110 should activate the measurement configuration. The wireless device 110 activates the measurement configuration based on determining that the at least one associated condition has been met.
Ina particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 receives, from the network node, information indicating an inactive measurement configuration and abstains from triggering the inactive measurement configuration until it is activated by a network.
In a further particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 receives, from the network node 160, an indication to activate the inactive measurement configuration. In response to receiving the indication, the wireless device 110 activates the inactive measurement configuration.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 sends, to the network node 160, an indication that the measurement reporting has been triggered.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 receives a location reporting configuration from the network node 160 and reports a location of the wireless device 110 to the network node 160 according to the location reporting configuration.
Virtual Apparatus 1300 may comprise processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause determining unit 1302, triggering unit 1304, and any other suitable units of virtual apparatus 1300 to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
According to certain embodiments, determining unit 1302 may perform certain of the determining functions of the virtual apparatus 1300. For example, determining unit 1302 may determine whether one or more conditions for triggering measurement reporting have occurred. The one or more conditions for triggering the measurement reporting are based on at least one of: a timing advance value in a source cell; the wireless device being within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving the source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device; an expected time for the wireless device to be served in the source cell and/or in the candidate target cell; an elevation angle of the satellite node serving the source cell and/or the candidate target cell; a point in time configured by the network is reached; and detection of an identifier associated with a specific cell.
According to certain embodiments, triggering unit 1304 may perform certain of the triggering functions of the virtual apparatus 1300. For example, triggering unit 1304 may trigger the measurement reporting based on the occurrence of the one or more conditions.
In a particular embodiment, the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device 110 determining that a channel quality exceeds a threshold.
In a particular embodiment, the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device 110 determining that an estimated pathloss is below a threshold.
In a particular embodiment, the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device 110 determining that the wireless device is located within a geographically outlined area.
In a particular embodiment, the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on detecting an occurrence of the one or more conditions with respect to at least a minimum number of cells.
In a particular embodiment, the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device 110 detecting an identifier associated with a specific cell.
In a particular embodiment, the network node 160 receives, from the wireless device 110, one or more measurements based on the measurement configuration and performs an operation of the network node 160 based on the one or more measurements.
In a particular embodiment, the network node 160 receives an indication that the measurement reporting has been triggered by the wireless device and, in response to receiving the indication that the measurement reporting has been triggered, activates measurement gaps.
In a particular embodiment, the network node 160 determines a location reporting configuration to be applied by the wireless device 110, sends the location reporting configuration to the wireless device 110, and receives location reporting information from the wireless device 110 based on the location reporting configuration.
Virtual Apparatus 1500 may comprise processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause indicating unit 1502 and any other suitable units of virtual apparatus 1500 to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
According to certain embodiments, indicating unit 1502 may perform certain of the indicating functions of the virtual apparatus 1500. For example, indicating unit 1502 may indicate, to a wireless device 110, a measurement configuration and one or more conditions associated with the measurement configuration. The one or more conditions for triggering measurement reporting are based on at least one of: a timing advance value in a source cell; the wireless device 110 being within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving the source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device 110; an expected time for the wireless device 110 to be served in the source cell and/or in the candidate target cell; an elevation angle of the satellite node serving the source cell and/or the candidate target cell; a point in time configured by the network is reached; and detection of an identifier associated with a specific cell.
As used herein, the term unit may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.
In some embodiments a computer program, computer program product or computer readable storage medium comprises instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the embodiments disclosed herein. In further examples the instructions are carried on a signal or carrier and which are executable on a computer wherein when executed perform any of the embodiments disclosed herein.
Example Embodiment 1. A method performed by a wireless device, the method comprising: determining whether one or more conditions for triggering measurement reporting have occurred; and triggering the measurement reporting based on the occurrence of the one or more conditions.
Example Embodiment 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that a channel quality exceeds a threshold.
Example Embodiment 3. The method of any of embodiments 1-2, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that an estimated pathloss is below a threshold.
Example Embodiment 4. The method of any of embodiments 1-3, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that the wireless device is located within a geographically outlined area.
Example Embodiment 5. The method of any of embodiments 1-4, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on determining that the wireless device is within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving a source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device.
Example Embodiment 6. The method of any of embodiments 1-5, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on an expected time for the wireless device to be served in a source cell and/or in a candidate target cell.
Example Embodiment 7. The method of any of embodiments 1-6, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on elevation angle of the satellite serving a source cell and/or a candidate target cell.
Example Embodiment 8. The method of any of embodiments 1-7, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on expiry of a timer configured by the network.
Example Embodiment 9. The method of any of embodiments 1-8, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on detecting the occurrence of the one or more conditions with respect to at least a minimum number of cells.
Example Embodiment 10. The method of any of embodiments 1-9, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on detecting an identifier associated with a specific cell.
Example Embodiment 11. The method of any of embodiments 1-10, wherein triggering the measurement reporting is based at least in part on a timing advance value in a source cell and/or in a candidate target cell.
Example Embodiment 12. The method of any of embodiments 1-11, further comprising: receiving information from the network node indicating a measurement configuration and at least one associated condition for when the wireless device should activate the measurement configuration; and activating the measurement configuration based on determining that the associated condition(s) have been met.
Example Embodiment 13. The method of any of embodiments 1-12, further comprising: receiving information from the network node indicating an inactive measurement configuration; and abstaining from triggering the inactive measurement configuration until it is activated by the network.
Example Embodiment 14. The method of embodiment 13, further comprising: receiving an indication to activate the inactive measurement configuration from a network node and, in response, activating the inactive measurement configuration.
Example Embodiment 15. The method of any of embodiments 1-14, further comprising sending the network node an indication that the measurement reporting has been triggered.
Example Embodiment 16. The method of any of embodiments 1-15, further comprising: receiving a location reporting configuration from the network node; and reporting a location of the wireless device to the network node according to the location reporting configuration.
Example Embodiment 17. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the base station.
Example Embodiment 18. A method performed by a base station, the method comprising: indicating a measurement configuration and one or more conditions associated with the measurement configuration to a wireless device, the one or more conditions indicating when the wireless device should activate the measurement configuration.
Example Embodiment 19. The method of embodiment 18, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device determining that a channel quality exceeds a threshold.
Example Embodiment 20. The method of any of embodiments 18-19, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device determining that an estimated pathloss is below a threshold.
Example Embodiment 21. The method of any of embodiments 18-20, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device determining that the wireless device is located within a geographically outlined area.
Example Embodiment 22. The method of any of embodiments 18-21, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device determining that the wireless device is within a pre-determined distance of a satellite node serving a source cell and/or a candidate target cell of the wireless device.
Example Embodiment 23. The method of any of embodiments 18-22, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on an expected time for the wireless device to be served in a source cell and/or in a candidate target cell.
Example Embodiment 24. The method of any of embodiments 18-23, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on elevation angle of the satellite serving a source cell and/or a candidate target cell.
Example Embodiment 25. The method of any of embodiments 18-24, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on expiry of a timer configured by the network.
Example Embodiment 26. The method of any of embodiments 18-25, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on detecting the occurrence of the one or more conditions with respect to at least a minimum number of cells.
Example Embodiment 27. The method of any of embodiments 18-26, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on the wireless device detecting an identifier associated with a specific cell.
Example Embodiment 28. The method of any of embodiments 18-27, wherein the one or more conditions indicate to trigger the measurement reporting based at least in part on a timing advance value in a source cell and/or in a candidate target cell.
Example Embodiment 29. The method of any of embodiments 18-28, further comprising: receiving one or more measurements from the wireless device based on the measurement configuration; and performing an operation of the network node based on the one or more measurements.
Example Embodiment 30. The method of any of embodiments 18-29, further comprising determining the measurement configuration and the one or more associated conditions to indicate to the wireless device prior to sending the indication of embodiment 18.
Example Embodiment 31. The method of any of embodiments 18-30, further comprising receiving an indication that the measurement reporting has been triggered by the wireless device and, in response, activating measurement gaps.
Example Embodiment 32. The method of any of embodiments 18-31, further comprising: determining a location reporting configuration to be applied by the wireless device; sending the location reporting configuration to the wireless device; receiving location reporting information from the wireless device based on the location reporting configuration.
Example Embodiment 33. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device.
Example Embodiment 34. A wireless device, the wireless device comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device.
Example Embodiment 35. A base station, the base station comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the base station.
Example Embodiment 36. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.
Example Embodiment 37. A computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 38. A computer program product comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 39. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or carrier comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 40. A computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.
Example Embodiment 41. A computer program product comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.
Example Embodiment 42. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or carrier comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.
Example Embodiment 43. A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the cellular network comprises a base station having a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.
Example Embodiment 44. The communication system of the pervious embodiment further including the base station.
Example Embodiment 45. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.
Example Embodiment 46. The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.
Example Embodiment 47. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the base station performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.
Example Embodiment 48. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the base station, transmitting the user data.
Example Embodiment 49. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising, at the UE, executing a client application associated with the host application.
Example Embodiment 50. A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station, the UE comprising a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to performs the of the previous 3 embodiments.
Example Embodiment 51. A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the UE's components configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 52. The communication system of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a base station configured to communicate with the UE.
Example Embodiment 53. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.
Example Embodiment 54. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 55. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the UE, receiving the user data from the base station.
Example Embodiment 56. A communication system including a host computer comprising: communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a user equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the UE comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the UE's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 57. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further including the UE.
Example Embodiment 58. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface configured to communicate with the UE and a communication interface configured to forward to the host computer the user data carried by a transmission from the UE to the base station.
Example Embodiment 59. The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and the UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data.
Example Embodiment 60. The communication system of the previous 4 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing request data; and the UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data in response to the request data.
Example Embodiment 61. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving user data transmitted to the base station from the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.
Example Embodiment 62. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the UE, providing the user data to the base station.
Example Embodiment 63. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application, thereby providing the user data to be transmitted; and at the host computer, executing a host application associated with the client application.
Example Embodiment 64. The method of the previous 3 embodiments, further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application; and at the UE, receiving input data to the client application, the input data being provided at the host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application, wherein the user data to be transmitted is provided by the client application in response to the input data.
Example Embodiment 65. A communication system including a host computer comprising a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a user equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.
Example Embodiment 66. The communication system of the previous embodiment further including the base station.
Example Embodiment 67. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.
Example Embodiment 68. The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data to be received by the host computer.
Example Embodiment 69. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving, from the base station, user data originating from a transmission which the base station has received from the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the base station, receiving the user data from the UE.
Example Embodiment 70. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising at the base station, initiating a transmission of the received user data to the host computer.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2021/059785 | 10/22/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63104324 | Oct 2020 | US |
