Patent Application
20230379961
The present disclosure relates to reporting Channel State Information.
NR uses CP-OFDM (Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) in both downlink (DL) (i.e., from a network node, gNB, or base station, to a user equipment or UE) and uplink (UL) (i.e., from UE to gNB). Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM is also supported in the uplink. In the time domain, NR downlink and uplink are organized into equally sized subframes of 1 ms each. A subframe is further divided into multiple slots of equal duration. The slot length depends on subcarrier spacing. For subcarrier spacing of Δƒ=15 kHz, there is only one slot per subframe, and each slot consists of 14 OFDM symbols.
Data scheduling in NR is typically in slot basis, an example is shown in
Different subcarrier spacing values are supported in NR. The supported subcarrier spacing values (also referred to as different numerologies) are given by Δƒ=(15×2μ) kHz where μ∈{0,1,2,3,4}. Δƒ=15 kHz is the basic subcarrier spacing. The slot durations at different subcarrier spacings is given by
In the frequency domain, a system bandwidth is divided into resource blocks (RBs), each corresponds to 12 contiguous subcarriers. The RBs are numbered starting with 0 from one end of the system bandwidth. The basic NR physical time-frequency resource grid is illustrated in
Downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) data transmissions can be either dynamically or semi-persistently scheduled by a gNB. In case of dynamic scheduling, the gNB may transmit in a downlink slot downlink control information (DCI) to a UE on PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) about data carried on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to the UE and/or data on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to be transmitted by the UE. In case of semi-persistent scheduling, periodic data transmission in certain slots can be configured and activated/deactivated.
For each transport block data transmitted over PDSCH, a HARQ ACK is sent in a UL Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) on whether it is decoded successfully or not. An ACK is sent if it is decoded successfully and a NACK is sent otherwise.
PUCCH can also carry other UL control information (UCI) such as scheduling request (SR) and DL Channel State Information (CSI).
There are three DCI formats defined for scheduling PDSCH in NR, i.e., DCI format 1_0 and DCI format 1_1 which were introduced in NR Rel-15, and DCI format 1_2 which was introduced in NR Rel-16. DCI format 1_0 has a smaller size than DCI 1_1 and can be used when a UE is not fully connected to the network while DCI format 1_1 can be used for scheduling MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) transmissions with multiple MIMO layers.
In NR Rel-16, DCI format 1_2 was introduced for downlink scheduling. One of the main motivations for having the new DCI format is to be able to configure a very small DCI size which can provide some reliability improvement without losing much flexibility. The main design target of the new DCI format is thus to have DCI with configurable sizes for some fields with a minimum DCI size targeting a reduction of 10-16 bits relative to Rel-15 DCI format 1_0.
NR HARQ ACK/NACK feedback over PUCCH
When receiving a PDSCH in the downlink from a serving gNB at slot n, a UE feeds back a HARQ ACK at slot n+k over a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) resource in the uplink to the gNB if the PDSCH is decoded successfully, otherwise, the UE sends a HARQ ACK/NACK at slot n+k to the gNB to indicate that the PDSCH is not decoded successfully. If two transport blocks (TBs) are carried by the PDSCH, then a HARQ ACK/NACK is reported for each TB.
For DCI format 1_0, k is indicated by a 3-bit PDSCH-to-HARQ-timing-indicator field. For DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2, k is indicated either by a 0-3 bit PDSCH-to-HARQ-timing-indicator field, if present, or by higher layer configuration through Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Separate RRC configuration of PDSCH to HARQ-Ack timing are used for DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2.
For DCI format 1_1, if code block group (CBG) transmission is configured, a HARQ ACK/NACK for each CBG in a TB is reported instead.
In case of carrier aggregation (CA) with multiple carriers and/or TDD operation, multiple aggregated HARQ ACK/NACK bits need to be sent in a single PUCCH.
In NR, up to four PUCCH resource sets can be configured to a UE. A PUCCH resource set with pucch-ResourceSetId=0 can have up to 32 PUCCH resources while for PUCCH resource sets with pucch-ResourceSetId=1 to 3, each set can have up to 8 PUCCH resources. A UE determines the PUCCH resource set in a slot based on the number of aggregated UCI (Uplink Control Information) bits to be sent in the slot. The UCI bits consists of HARQ ACK/NACK, scheduling request (SR), and channel state information (CSI) bits.
A 3 bits PUCCH resource indicator (PRI) field in DCI maps to a PUCCH resource in a set of PUCCH resources with a maximum of eight PUCCH resources. For the first set of PUCCH resources with pucch-ResourceSetId =0 and when the number of PUCCH resources, RPUCCH, in the set is larger than eight, the UE determines a PUCCH resource with index rPUCCH, 0≤rPUCCH≤RPUCCH−1, for carrying HARQ-ACK information in response to detecting a last DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1 in a PDCCH reception, among DCI formats 1_0 or DCI formats 1_1 the UE received with a value of the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator field indicating a same slot for the PUCCH transmission, as
where NCCB,p is a number of CCEs in CORESETp of the PDCCH reception for the DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1 as described in Subclause 10.1 of 3GPP TS38.213 v15.4.0, nCCE,p is the index of a first CCE for the PDCCH reception, and ΔPRI is a value of the PUCCH resource indicator field in the DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1.
PUCCH Formats: Five PUCCH formats are defined in NR, i.e., PUCCH formats 0 to 4. UE transmits UCI in a PUCCH using
PUCCH formats 0 and 2 use one or two OFDM symbols while PUCCH formats 1,3 and 4 can span from 4 to 14 symbols. Thus, PUCCH format 0 and 2 are referred to as short PUCCH while PUCCH formats 1, 3, and 4 as long PUCCH.
Short PUCCH formats: A PUCCH format 0 resource can be one or two OFDM symbols within a slot in time domain and one RB in frequency domain. UCI is used to select a cyclic shift of a computer-generated length 12 base sequence which is mapped to the RB. The starting symbol and the starting RB are configured by RRC. In case of two symbols are configured, the UCI bits are repeated in 2 consecutive symbols.
A PUCCH format 2 resource can be one or two OFDM symbols within a slot in time domain and one or more RB in frequency domain. UCI in PUCCH Format 2 is encoded with RM (Reed-Muller) codes (≤11bits UCI+CRC) or Polar codes (>11 bit UCI+CRC) and scrambled. In case of two symbols are configured, UCI is encoded and mapped across two consecutive symbols.
Intra-slot frequency hopping (FH) may be enabled in case of two symbols are configured for PUCCH formats 0 and 2. If FH is enabled, the starting PRB in the second symbol is configured by RRC. Cyclic shift hopping is used when two symbols are configured such that different cyclic shifts are used in the two symbols.
Long PUCCH formats: A PUCCH format 1 resource is 4-14 symbols long and 1 PRB wide per hop. A computer-generated length 12 base sequence is modulated with UCI and weighted with time-domain OCC code. Frequency-hopping with one hop within the active UL BWP for the UE is supported and can be enabled/disabled by RRC. Base sequence hopping across hops is enabled in case of FH and across slots in case of no FH.
A PUCCH Format 3 resource is four—fourteen symbols long and one or multiple PRB wide per hop. UCI in PUCCH Format 3 is encoded with RM (Reed-Muller) codes (11 bit UCI+CRC) or Polar codes (>11 bit UCI+CRC) and scrambled.
A PUCCH Format 4 resource is also four—fourteen symbols long but one PRB wide per hop. It has a similar structure as PUCCH format 3 but can be used for multi-UE multiplexing.
For PUCCH formats 1, 3, or 4, a UE can be configured a number of slots, NrepeatPUCCH, for repetitions of a PUCCH transmission by respective nrofSlots. For NrepeatPUCCH >1,
Sub-slot based PUCCH transmission: In NR Rel-16, sub-slot based PUCCH transmission was introduced so that HARQ-Ack associated with different type of traffic can be multiplexed in a same UL slot, each transmitted in a different sub-slot. The sub-slot size can be higher layer configured to either two symbols or seven symbols. In case of sub-slot configuration each with two symbols, there are 7 sub-slots in a slot. In case of sub-slot with seven symbols, there are two sub-slots in a slot.
HARQ A/N enhancement for URLLC in NR Rel-16: In NR Rel 16, a higher priority may be assigned to PDSCHs carrying URLLC (Ultra-reliable Low latency) traffic and indicated in DCIs scheduling the PDSCHs. HARQ Ack/Nack information for PDSCHs with higher priority is transmitted separately from HARQ A/N information for other PDSCHs. This allows HARQ A/N for URLLC traffic be transmitted early in different PUCCH resources and more reliably.
Furthermore, in NR Rel-16, it has been agreed that at least one sub-slot configuration for PUCCH can be UE-specifically configured and that multiple HARQ Ack/Nack transmissions per slot are possible. The sub-slot configuration supports periodicities of two symbols (i.e., seven 2-symbol PUCCH occasions per slot) and seven symbols (i.e., two 7-symbol PUCCH occasions per slot). One of the reasons for introducing these sub-slot configurations in NR Rel-16 is to enable the possibility for multiple opportunities of HARQ Ack/Nack transmissions within a slot without needing to configure several PUCCH resources. For example, in Rel-16, a UE running URLLC service may be configured with a possibility of receiving PDCCH in every second OFDM symbol e.g., symbol 0, 2, 4, . . . , 12 and be configured with a PUCCH resource with sub-slot configuration seven 2-symbol sub-slots within a slot for HARQ-ACK transmission also in every second symbol, e.g., 1, 3, . . . , 13. For a Rel-16 UE configured with sub-slots slots for PUCCH transmission, the PDSCH-to-HARQ feedback timing indicator field in DCI indicates the timing offset in terms of sub-slots instead of slots.
CSI framework in NR: In NR, a UE can be configured with multiple CSI reporting settings (each represented by a higher layer parameter CSI-ReportConfig with an associated identity ReportConfiglD) and multiple CSI resource settings (each represented by a higher layer parameter CSI-ResourceConfig with an associated identity CSI-ResourceConfigld). Each CSI resource setting can contain multiple CSI resource sets (each represented by a higher layer parameter NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet with an associated identity NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSetld for channel measurement or by a higher layer parameter CSI-IM-ResourceSet with an associated identity CSI-IM-ResourceSetld for interference measurement), and each NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurement can contain up to eight NZP CSI-RS resources. For each CSI reporting setting, a UE feeds back a set of CSIs, which may include one or more of a CRI (CSI-RS resource indicator), a RI, a PMI and a CQI per CW, depending on the configured report quantity.
Each Reporting Setting CSI-ReportConfig is associated with a single downlink BWP (indicated by higher layer parameter BWP-Id) given in the associated CSI-ResourceConfig for channel measurement and contains the parameter(s) for one CSI reporting band.
In each CSI reporting setting, it contains at least the following information:
For periodic and semi-static CSI reporting, only one NZP CSI-RS resource set can be configured for channel measurement and one CSI-IM resource set for interference measurement. For aperiodic CSI reporting, a CSI resource setting for channel measurement can contain more than one NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurement. If the CSI resource setting for channel measurement contains multiple NZP CSI-RS resource sets for aperiodic CSI report, only one NZP CSI-RS resource set can be selected and indicated to a UE. For aperiodic CSI reporting, a list of trigger states is configured (given by the higher layer parameters CSI-AperiodicTriggerStateList). Each trigger state in CSI-AperiodicTriggerStateListcontains a list of associated CSI-ReportConfigs indicating the Resource Set IDs for channel and optionally for interference. For a UE configured with the higher layer parameter CSI-AperiodicTriggerStateList, if a Resource Setting linked to a CSI-ReportConfig has multiple aperiodic resource sets, only one of the aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets from the Resource Setting is associated with the trigger state, and the UE is higher layer configured per trigger state per Resource Setting to select the one NZP CSI-RS resource set from the Resource Setting.
When more than one NZP CSI-RS resources are contained in the selected NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurement, a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) is reported by the UE to indicate to the gNB about the one selected NZP CSI-RS resource in the resource set, together with RI, PMI and CQI associated with the selected NZP CSI-RS resource. This type of CSI assumes that a PDSCH is transmitted from a single transmission point (TRP) and the CSI is also referred to as single TRP CSI.
Aperiodic CSI feedback on PUCCH: In current NR specifications, aperiodic CSI feedback can only be carried via PUSCH. Furthermore, in current NR specifications, the aperiodic CSI feedback can only be trigged via uplink related DCI (i.e., DCI formats 0_1 and 0_2). However, this is not flexible in a scenario that is downlink heavy where the gNB would schedule the UE with PDSCH via downlink related DCI (i.e., DCI formats 1_1 and 1_2) more often than scheduling the UE with PUSCH via uplink related DCI. To improve network scheduling flexibility, it is beneficial to support triggering of aperiodic CSI via downlink related DCI. In this case, the aperiodic CSI will be carried on PUCCH.
In U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/0295903 “PUCCH RESOURCE INDICATION FOR CSI AND HARQ FEEDBACK” (hereinafter referred to as [1]), a solution is proposed where a CSI request field is introduced in downlink related DCI which would be used to trigger aperiodic CSI reports on PUCCH. Furthermore, the solution in [1] proposes to reuse the existing PUCCH resource indication field in downlink related DCI to indicate the PUCCH resource for aperiodic CSI feedback. Depending on if the downlink related DCI carries a downlink grant for PDSCH and/or a CSI request, the PUCCH resource indication field can be interpreted differently according to the solution in [1].
In [1], one solution is proposed where the Aperiodic CSI and the HARQ-ACK corresponding to the PDSCH being scheduled by the downlink related DCI are multiplexed and sent on the same PUCCH resource. To address the cases where the PDSCH processing time and the processing time for aperiodic CSI are different, another solution is proposed in [1] where the Aperiodic CSI and HARQ-ACK corresponding to the PDSCH being scheduled by the downlink related DCI are transmitted in different slots.
If Aperiodic CSI reporting on PUCCH is introduced in NR, then how to handle collisions (i.e., overlaps) with other types of UCI need to be defined. Then, how to handle collisions is an open problem which needs to be solved.
Systems and methods for priority handling for Aperiodic-Channel State Information (A-CSI) on Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) are provided. In some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device for priority level handling includes one or more of: determining a first priority level of a first Uplink Control Information (UCI) where the first UCI is an A-CSI on PUCCH triggered by a downlink related Downlink Control Information (DCI); determining a second priority level of a second UCI; and performing a priority level handling action based on a comparison of the first priority level and the second priority level. In some embodiments, the second UCI includes: one or more Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) ACK/NACKs; a Scheduling Request (SR); an aperiodic CSI report to be carried on Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); a semi-persistent CSI report to be carried on PUCCH; a periodic CSI report to be carried on PUCCH; and/or a second A-CSI report to be carried on PUCCH. In some embodiments, performing the priority level handling action includes: multiplexing the first UCI and the second UCI and transmitting them together in one uplink resource; transmitting the first UCI and the second UCI separately in different uplink resources; and dropping one of the first UCI or the second UCI and transmitting only one of the UCIs in one uplink resource. In this way, proper priority levels can be determined for A-CSI on PUCCH when it collides with other types of UCI. Depending on the priority levels, A-CSI on PUCCH can be multiplexed with other UCI, prioritized over other UCI, or deprioritized (i.e., dropped) when compared to other UCI. In some embodiments, the uplink resource above is a PUCCH resource. In some other embodiments, the uplink resource is an allocated PUSCH resource.
In this disclosure, priority handling of aperiodic CSI reporting on PUCCH when it collides with other types of UCI. Rules for how to determine the priority level of aperiodic CSI reporting on PUCCH are defined. Furthermore, actions such as multiplexing the aperiodic CSI report with other CSI on PUCCH, dropping/prioritizing the aperiodic CSI reporting on PUCCH based on priority level comparisons is defined.
With the proposed solution proper priority levels can be determined for A-CSI on PUCCH when it collides with other types of UCI. Depending on the priority levels, A-CSI on PUCCH can be multiplexed with other UCI, prioritized over other UCI, or deprioritized (i.e., dropped) when compared to other UCI.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.
Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” is either a radio access node or a wireless communication device.
Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” or “radio network node” or “radio access network node” is any node in a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and/or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), a high-power or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), a relay node, a network node that implements part of the functionality of a base station or a network node that implements a gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU)) or a network node that implements part of the functionality of some other type of radio access node.
Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network or any node that implements a core network function. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), or the like. Some other examples of a core network node include a node implementing a Access and Mobility Function (AMF), a User Plane Function (UPF), a Session Management Function (SMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), a Network Exposure Function (NEF), a Network Function (NF) Repository Function (NRF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), a Unified Data Management (UDM), or the like.
Communication Device: As used herein, a “communication device” is any type of device that has access to an access network. Some examples of a communication device include, but are not limited to: mobile phone, smart phone, sensor device, meter, vehicle, household appliance, medical appliance, media player, camera, or any type of consumer electronic, for instance, but not limited to, a television, radio, lighting arrangement, tablet computer, laptop, or Personal Computer (PC). The communication device may be a portable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile device, enabled to communicate voice and/or data via a wireless or wireline connection.
Wireless Communication Device: One type of communication device is a wireless communication device, which may be any type of wireless device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a wireless network (e.g., a cellular network). Some examples of a wireless communication device include, but are not limited to: a User αEquipment device (UE) in a 3GPP network, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, and an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Such wireless communication devices may be, or may be integrated into, a mobile phone, smart phone, sensor device, meter, vehicle, household appliance, medical appliance, media player, camera, or any type of consumer electronic, for instance, but not limited to, a television, radio, lighting arrangement, tablet computer, laptop, or PC. The wireless communication device may be a portable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile device, enabled to communicate voice and/or data via a wireless connection.
Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the RAN or the core network of a cellular communications network/system.
Transmission/Reception Point (TRP): In some embodiments, a TRP may be either a network node, a radio head, a spatial relation, or a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state. A TRP may be represented by a spatial relation or a TCI state in some embodiments. In some embodiments, a TRP may be using multiple TCI states.
Note that the description given herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system.
Note that, in the description herein, reference may be made to the term “cell”; however, particularly with respect to 5G NR concepts, beams may be used instead of cells and, as such, it is important to note that the concepts described herein are equally applicable to both cells and beams.
The base stations 702 and the low power nodes 706 provide service to wireless communication devices 712-1 through 712-5 in the corresponding cells 704 and 708. The wireless communication devices 712-1 through 712-5 are generally referred to herein collectively as wireless communication devices 712 and individually as wireless communication device 712. In the following description, the wireless communication devices 712 are oftentimes UEs, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
If Aperiodic-Channel State Information (A-CSI) reporting on Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is introduced in NR, then how to handle collisions (i.e., overlaps) with other types of UCI need to be defined. Then, how to handle collisions is an open problem which needs to be solved.
Systems and methods for priority handling for A-CSI on PUCCH are provided.
Priority Handling of triggered A-CSI on PUCCH
In NR Rel-16, UCI (SR, HARQ-ACK, CSI) are assigned priority levels before transmission, where the priority level can be ‘0’ for low priority, or ‘1’ for high priority. For A-CSI triggered by DL DCI, there is also a need to determine its priority level to prepare for transmission.
In one embodiment, priority level of the triggered A-CSI on PUCCH is determined by the priority indicator field in the DCI (i.e., DL DCI with formats 1_1 or 1_2) if the priority indicator field is present in the DCI. Otherwise, if the priority indicator field is absent from the DCI, then the A-CSI takes the default priority level of ‘0’. In this case, the triggered A-CSI has the same priority level as the HARQ-ACK which is associated with the same DCI or another DL DCI.
In another embodiment, the triggered A-CSI on PUCCH is assigned a fixed priority level. For example, such A-CSI is always assigned ‘1’ for high priority. Alternatively, such A-CSI is always assigned ‘0’ for low priority. In this case, the triggered A-CSI may have the same, or different, priority level from that of the HARQ-ACK which is associated with the same DCI or another DL DCI.
If the A-CSI to be transmitted on PUCCH and HARQ-ACK associated with the same DCI may overlap in time, their priority levels need to be taken into account when processing them for transmission.
In one embodiment, the overlapping A-CSI and HARQ-ACK are multiplexed for transmission on a same PUCCH. Preferably, the A-CSI and HARQ-ACK share the same unit (slot vs sub-slot) for transmission, and have the same start and end time if repetition is applied. This is illustrated in
In another embodiment, prioritization can be applied to the overlapping A-CSI and HARQ-ACK, where the higher-priority UCI (either A-CSI or HARQ-ACK) is kept while the lower-priority UCI (either HARQ-ACK or A-CSI) is dropped. This is illustrated in
In NR, priority is also defined among different CSI reports. A CSI report is associated with a priority value PriiCSI (y, k, c, s)=2·Ncells·Ms·y+Ncells·Ms·k+Ms·c+s where
A first CSI report is said to have priority over second CSI report if the associated PriiCSI (y, k, c, s) value is lower for the first report than for the second report.
When A-CSI on PUCCH is introduced, a priority can be similarly defined. In one embodiment, A-CSI on PUCCH is treated the same as A-CSI on PUSCH, i.e., y=0. In another embodiment, a different scaling factor y may be assigned to A-CSI on PUCCH, e.g., y=1.5, i.e., lower than A-CSI on PUSCH but higher than others.
In a further embodiment, A-CSI on PUCCH has a higher priority than A-CSI on PUSCH, e.g., y<0.
For example, when a UE is configured to transmit a first and a second CSI report with y=a and y=b (a≠b), respectively, on a same carrier frequency (i.e., serving cell) and the two CSI reports overlap in time, the CSI report with higher PriiCSI (y, k, c, s) value shall not be sent by the UE. Otherwise if a=b , the two CSI reports are either multiplexed or one of them is dropped based on the priority values, as described in Clause 9.2.5.2 in 3GPP TS 38.213.
As used herein, a “virtualized” radio access node is an implementation of the radio access node 1200 in which at least a portion of the functionality of the radio access node 1200 is implemented as a virtual component(s) (e.g., via a virtual machine(s) executing on a physical processing node(s) in a network(s)). As illustrated, in this example, the radio access node 1200 may include the control system 1202 and/or the one or more radio units 1210, as described above. The control system 1202 may be connected to the radio unit(s) 1210 via, for example, an optical cable or the like. The radio access node 1200 includes one or more processing nodes 1300 coupled to or included as part of a network(s) 1302. If present, the control system 1202 or the radio unit(s) are connected to the processing node(s) 1300 via the network 1302. Each processing node 1300 includes one or more processors 1304 (e.g., CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and/or the like), memory 1306, and a network interface 1308.
In this example, functions 1310 of the radio access node 1200 described herein are implemented at the one or more processing nodes 1300 or distributed across the one or more processing nodes 1300 and the control system 1202 and/or the radio unit(s) 1210 in any desired manner. In some particular embodiments, some or all of the functions 1310 of the radio access node 1200 described herein are implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in a virtual environment(s) hosted by the processing node(s) 1300. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, additional signaling or communication between the processing node(s) 1300 and the control system 1202 is used in order to carry out at least some of the desired functions 1310. Notably, in some embodiments, the control system 1202 may not be included, in which case the radio unit(s) 1210 communicate directly with the processing node(s) 1300 via an appropriate network interface(s).
In some embodiments, a computer program including instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to carry out the functionality of radio access node 1200 or a node (e.g., a processing node 1300) implementing one or more of the functions 1310 of the radio access node 1200 in a virtual environment according to any of the embodiments described herein is provided. In some embodiments, a carrier comprising the aforementioned computer program product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium such as memory).
In some embodiments, a computer program including instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to carry out the functionality of the wireless communication device 1500 according to any of the embodiments described herein is provided. In some embodiments, a carrier comprising the aforementioned computer program product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium such as memory).
With reference to
The telecommunication network 1700 is itself connected to a host computer 1716, 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. The host computer 1716 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 1718 and 1720 between the telecommunication network 1700 and the host computer 1716 may extend directly from the core network 1704 to the host computer 1716 or may go via an optional intermediate network 1722. The intermediate network 1722 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private, or hosted network; the intermediate network 1722, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1722 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).
The communication system of
Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to
The communication system 1800 further includes a base station 1818 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 1820 enabling it to communicate with the host computer 1802 and with the UE 1814. The hardware 1820 may include a communication interface 1822 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system 1800, as well as a radio interface 1824 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 1826 with the UE 1814 located in a coverage area (not shown in
The communication system 1800 further includes the UE 1814 already referred to. The UE's 1814 hardware 1834 may include a radio interface 1836 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 1826 with a base station serving a coverage area in which the UE 1814 is currently located. The hardware 1834 of the UE 1814 further includes processing circuitry 1838, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 1814 further comprises software 1840, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1814 and executable by the processing circuitry 1838. The software 1840 includes a client application 1842. The client application 1842 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via the UE 1814, with the support of the host computer 1802. In the host computer 1802, the executing host application 1812 may communicate with the executing client application 1842 via the OTT connection 1816 terminating at the UE 1814 and the host computer 1802. In providing the service to the user, the client application 1842 may receive request data from the host application 1812 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1816 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The client application 1842 may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.
It is noted that the host computer 1802, the base station 1818, and the UE 1814 illustrated in
In
The wireless connection 1826 between the UE 1814 and the base station 1818 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 the UE 1814 using the OTT connection 1816, in which the wireless connection 1826 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the e.g., data rate, latency, power consumption, etc. and thereby provide benefits such as e.g., reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on file size, better responsiveness, extended battery lifetime, etc.
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 the OTT connection 1816 between the host computer 1802 and the UE 1814, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1816 may be implemented in the software 1810 and the hardware 1804 of the host computer 1802 or in the software 1840 and the hardware 1834 of the UE 1814, or both. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which the OTT connection 1816 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 the software 1810, 1840 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1816 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect the base station 1818, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 1818. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating the host computer's 1802 measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency, and the like. The measurements may be implemented in that the software 1810 and 1840 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1816 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.
While processes in the figures may show a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that such order is exemplary (e.g., alternative embodiments may perform the operations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.).
At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure. If there is an inconsistency between abbreviations, preference should be given to how it is used above. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should be preferred over any subsequent listing(s).
Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2020/120311 | Oct 2020 | WO | international |
This application claims the benefit of PCT patent application Ser. No. PCT/CN2020/120311, filed Oct. 12, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2021/059364 | 10/12/2021 | WO |
