Patent Application
20210392659
The present invention generally relates to wireless communication networks, and particularly relates to improvements in operation of very-low-power devices in a wireless communication network.
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.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is an umbrella term for so-called fourth generation (4G) radio access technologies developed within the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and initially standardized in Release 8 (Rel-8) and Release 9 (Rel-9), also known as Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). LTE is targeted at various licensed frequency bands and is accompanied by improvements to non-radio aspects commonly referred to as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), which includes Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. LTE continues to evolve through subsequent releases. One of the features of Release 11 is an enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (ePDCCH), which has the goals of increasing capacity and improving spatial reuse of control channel resources, improving inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC), and supporting antenna beamforming and/or transmit diversity for control channel.
An overall exemplary architecture of a network comprising LTE and SAE is shown in
As specified by 3GPP, E-UTRAN 100 is responsible for all radio-related functions in the network, including radio bearer control, radio admission control, radio mobility control, scheduling, and dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in uplink (UL) and downlink (DL), as well as security of the communications with the UE. These functions reside in the eNBs, such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115, which communicate with each other via an X1 interface. The eNBs also are responsible for the E-UTRAN interface to EPC 130, specifically the S1 interface to the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and the Serving Gateway (SGW), shown collectively as MME/S-GWs 134 and 138 in
In general, the MME/S-GW handles both the overall control of the UE and data flow between UEs (such as UE 120) and the rest of the EPC. More specifically, the MME processes the signaling (e.g., control plane, CP) protocols between UEs and EPC 130, which are known as the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocols. The S-GW handles all Internet Protocol (IP) data packets (e.g., user plane, UP) between UEs and EPC 130, and serves as the local mobility anchor for the data bearers when a UE moves between eNBs, such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115.
EPC 130 can also include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 131, which manages user- and subscriber-related information. HSS 131 can also provide support functions in mobility management, call and session setup, user authentication and access authorization. The functions of HSS 131 can be related to the functions of legacy Home Location Register (HLR) and Authentication Centre (AuC) functions or operations.
In some embodiments, HSS 131 can communicate with a user data repository (UDR)—labelled EPC-UDR 135 in
Generally speaking, a physical channel corresponds a set of resource elements carrying information that originates from higher layers. Downlink (i.e., eNB to UE) physical channels provided by the LTE PHY include Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Relay Physical Downlink Control Channel (R-PDCCH), Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), and Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH). In addition, the LTE PHY downlink includes various reference signals, synchronization signals, and discovery signals.
PDSCH is the main physical channel used for unicast downlink data transmission, but also for transmission of RAR (random access response), certain system information blocks, and paging information. PBCH carries the basic system information, required by the UE to access the network. PDCCH is used for transmitting downlink control information (DCI) that carries scheduling information for DL messages on PDSCH, and grants for UL transmission on PUSCH.
Uplink (i.e., UE to eNB) physical channels provided by the LTE PHY include Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). In addition, the LTE PHY uplink includes various reference signals including demodulation reference signals (DM-RS), which are transmitted to aid the eNB in the reception of an associated PUCCH or PUSCH; and sounding reference signals (SRS), which are not associated with any uplink channel.
PUSCH is the uplink counterpart to the PDSCH. PUCCH is used by UEs to transmit uplink control information, including HARQ acknowledgements, channel state information reports, etc. PRACH is used for random access preamble transmission.
The multiple access scheme for the LTE PHY is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) in the downlink, and on Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) with a cyclic prefix in the uplink. To support transmission in paired and unpaired spectrum, the LTE PHY supports both Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) (including both full- and half-duplex operation) and
Time Division Duplexing (TDD).
As shown in
One exemplary characteristic of PRBs is that consecutively numbered PRBs (e.g., PRBi and PRBi+1) comprise consecutive blocks of subcarriers. For example, with a normal CP and 15-KHz sub-carrier bandwidth, PRB0 comprises sub-carrier 0 through 11 while PRB1 comprises sub-carriers 12 through 23. The LTE PHY resource also can be defined in terms of virtual resource blocks (VRBs), which are the same size as PRBs but may be of either a localized or a distributed type. Localized VRBs can be mapped directly to PRBs such that VRB nvRB corresponds to PRB npRB=nvRB. On the other hand, distributed VRBs may be mapped to non-consecutive PRBs according to various rules, as described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 36.213 or otherwise known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. However, the term “PRB” shall be used in this disclosure to refer to both physical and virtual resource blocks. Moreover, the term “PRB” will be used henceforth to refer to a resource block for the duration of a subframe, i.e., a PRB pair, unless otherwise specified.
As discussed above, the LTE PHY maps the various DL and UL physical channels to the resources shown in
In LTE, DL transmissions are dynamically scheduled, i.e., in each subframe the base station transmits control information indicating the UE to which data is transmitted and upon which resource blocks the data is transmitted, in the current downlink subframe. This control signaling is typically transmitted in the first n OFDM symbols in each subframe and the number n (=1, 2, 3 or 4) is known as the Control Format Indicator (CFI) indicated by the PCFICH transmitted in the first symbol of the control region.
Recently, there has been a significant amount of 3GPP standardization activity toward specifying LTE enhancements to cover Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and/or Internet of Things (IoT) related use cases. 3GPP Releases 13 (Rel-13) and 14 (Rel-14) include enhancements to support Machine-Type Communications (MTC) with new UE categories (e.g., Cat-M1, Cat-M2), supporting reduced bandwidth of six physical resource blocks (PRBs) (or up to 24 PRBs for Cat-M2), and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) UEs having a new NB radio interface with corresponding new UE categories (e.g., Cat-NB1 and Cat-NB2). In the following discussion, the term “eMTC” is used to distinguish MTC-related LTE enhancements introduced in 3GPP Releases 13-15 from NB-IoT-specific features.
In 3GPP Rel-16, an important objective is improving the transmission efficiency and/or power consumption for UE UL transmissions, which is especially important for NB-IoT UEs and MTC/eMTC UEs. One mechanism for these desired improvements is UE transmission in preconfigured UL resources (PUR) while the UE is in RRC_IDLE and/or RRC_CONNECTED state. When using PUR, the UE does not need to obtain a resource allocation for each transmission, thereby reducing energy consumption. after failure of initial transmission of data using PUR. Because wireless transmission of data is often subject to errors and packet losses, mechanisms for retransmission of data are needed. However, there are no existing mechanisms to facilitate UE retransmission of UL data when using PUR.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide specific improvements to communication between user equipment (UE) and network nodes in a wireless communication network, such as by facilitating solutions to overcome the exemplary problems described above.
Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure include methods (e.g., procedures) for transmitting uplink (UL) data using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) in a radio access network (RAN). These exemplary methods can be performed by a user equipment (e.g., UE, wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, modem, etc. or component thereof) in communication with a network node (e.g., base station, eNB, gNB, etc., or components thereof) serving a cell in the RAN.
These exemplary methods can include receiving, from a network node in the RAN, a first PUR configuration. These exemplary methods can also include transmitting, based on the first PUR configuration, a first UL data message to the network node. These exemplary methods can also include receiving, from the network node, a first acknowledgement (PUR ACK) of the first UL data message. The first PUR ACK can indicate whether the first UL data message was correctly or incorrectly received by the network node and can include information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR.
In some embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include transmitting a second UL data message, to the network node, based on the information related to subsequent UL transmissions included in the first PUR ACK. For example, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was correctly received, the second UL data message can be different than the first UL data message. Likewise, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the second UL data message can be a re-transmission of the first UL data message.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include at least one of the following:
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include a second PUR configuration, and the second UL data message is transmitted (based on the second PUR configuration. In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include one or more physical-layer (PHY) parameters, e.g., in addition to or instead of the parameters comprising the second PUR configuration. In such embodiments, the second UL data message can be transmitted based on the one or more PHY parameters.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be one of the following: dedicated PUR configurations, contention-free shared (CFS) PUR configurations, or contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In some embodiments, the second PUR configuration can be the same as the first PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In such embodiments, the second PUR configuration can identify a first portion of one or more transmission time windows that is available for initial transmission of UL data messages, and a second portion of the one or more transmission time windows that is reserved for re-transmissions of UL data messages. An example of such embodiments is shown in
In some embodiments, transmitting the second UL data message can be according to a fallback procedure if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received by the network node. In other embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include transmitting a third UL data message according to a fallback procedure if a second PUR ACK is not received within a predetermined time after transmitting the second UL data message.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include an indication that the UE should use the fallback procedure for transmitting one or more subsequent UL data messages (e.g., the second UL data message or the third UL data message). In some embodiments, the indication further indicates that the UE should use the fallback procedure for transmitting all subsequent UL data messages. In some embodiments, the fallback procedure comprises a legacy random-access procedure or an early data transmission (EDT) procedure (e.g., such as standardized in 3GPP Rel-15).
In some embodiments, a first value of a transmission parameter can be used when transmitting the first UL data message, and a second value of the transmission parameter is used when transmitting a subsequent UL data message according to the fallback procedure. The subsequent UL data message can be the second UL data message or the third UL data message, discussed above.
In some embodiments, transmitting the first UL data message can include determining the first value of the transmission parameter based on one or more first criteria. Likewise, transmitting the subsequent UL data message can include determining the second value of the transmission parameter based on one or more second criteria. In some embodiments, the second criteria are based on the first criteria and respective predetermined offsets. In some embodiments, the second criteria include one or more criteria not included in the first criteria. In some embodiments, the transmission parameter evaluated according to the first criteria and the second criteria can be a timing advance (TA) for transmission timing alignment or a transmission power level.
In some embodiments, the first PUR ACK can be received as one of the following: DCI; hybrid ARQ (HARQ) acknowledgement message; or radio link control (RLC) acknowledgement message. In some embodiments, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions (e.g., included with the first PUR ACK) includes an allocation of dedicated resources for retransmission of the first UL data message.
In some embodiments, the first UL data message can include a request for resources to transmit a buffer status report (BSR) or a scheduling request (SR). In such embodiments, the first PUR ACK includes an allocation of dedicated resources for transmission of the BSR or the SR.
Other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure include methods (e.g., procedures) for receiving uplink (UL) data transmitted by one or more user equipment (UEs) using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) in a radio access network (RAN). These exemplary methods can be performed by a network node (e.g., base station, eNB, gNB, etc., or component thereof) in communication with one or more user equipment (UEs, e.g., wireless devices, MTC devices, NB-IoT devices, modems, etc. or component thereof) via a cell in the RAN.
These exemplary methods can include transmitting, to a UE, a first PUR configuration. These exemplary methods can also include receiving, based on the first PUR configuration, a first UL data message from the UE. These exemplary methods can also include transmitting, to the UE, a first acknowledgement (PUR ACK) of the first UL data message. The first PUR ACK can indicate whether the first UL data message was correctly or incorrectly received by the network node and can include information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR.
In some embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include receiving a second UL data message, from the UE, based on the information related to subsequent UL transmissions included in the first PUR ACK. For example, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was correctly received, the second UL data message can be different than the first UL data message. Likewise, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the second UL data message can be a re-transmission of the first UL data message.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR includes at least one of the following:
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions includes a second PUR configuration, and the second UL data message can be received based on the second PUR configuration. In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include one or more physical-layer (PHY) parameters, e.g., in addition to or instead of the parameters comprising the second PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be one of the following: dedicated PUR configurations, contention-free shared (CFS) PUR configurations, or contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In some embodiments, the second PUR configuration can be the same as the first PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In such embodiments, the second PUR configuration can identify a first portion of one or more transmission time windows that is available for initial transmission of UL data messages, and a second portion of the one or more transmission time windows that is reserved for re-transmissions of UL data messages. An example of such embodiments is shown in
In some embodiments, the first PUR ACK can be transmitted as one of the following: DCI; HARQ acknowledgement message; or RLC acknowledgement message. In some embodiments, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions (e.g., included with the first PUR ACK) can include one of the following: an indication of a fallback procedure for the UE, or an allocation of dedicated resources for retransmission of the first UL data message. In some embodiments, the fallback procedure can be a legacy random-access procedure or an EDT procedure (e.g., such as standardized in 3GPP Rel-15).
In some embodiments, the first UL data message can include a request for resources to transmit a buffer status report (BSR) or a scheduling request (SR). In such embodiments, the first PUR ACK can include an allocation of dedicated resources for transmission of the BSR or the SR.
Other exemplary embodiments include user equipment (UEs, e.g., wireless devices, MTC devices, NB-IoT devices, or components thereof, such as a modem) or network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, MMEs, AMFs, SMFs, etc. or components thereof) configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods and/or procedures described herein. Other exemplary embodiments include non-transitory, computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, configure such UEs or network nodes to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods and/or procedures described herein.
These and other objects, features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following Detailed Description in view of the Drawings briefly described below.
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. Furthermore, the following terms are used throughout the description given below:
Communicating wirelessly can involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. Unless otherwise noted, the term “wireless device” is used interchangeably herein with “user equipment” (or “UE” for short). Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), mobile-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc.
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. Furthermore, although the term “cell” is used herein, it should be understood that (particularly with respect to 5G NR) beams may be used instead of cells and, as such, concepts described herein apply equally to both cells and beams.
As briefly mentioned above, there are no existing mechanisms for retransmission of data when using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR), e.g., after failure of initial transmission of data using PUR. Because wireless transmission of data is often subject to errors and packet losses, there is a need for a retransmission scheme even with use of PUR. This is discussed in more detail below.
There are various differences between “legacy” LTE and the procedures and channels defined for eMTC and for NB-IoT. These differences include newly defined physical channels, such as a new physical downlink control channels (called MPDCCH in eMTC and NPDCCH in NB-IoT) and a new physical random-access channel for NB-IoT (called NPRACH). These differences also include coverage level enhancements. By applying repetitions to the transmitted signals and channels, both eMTC and NB-IoT facilitate UE operation at a much lower signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR, also referred to as Es/Iot) compared to LTE. For example, eMTC and NB-IoT have an operating point of Es/Iot≥−15 dB while “legacy” LTE UEs can only operate down to −6 dB Es/IoT—a significant, 9-dB enhancement.
As briefly mentioned above, in 3GPP Rel-16, an important objective is improving the transmission efficiency and/or power consumption for UE UL transmissions. For example, with respect to eMTC, an approved work item (WI) proposes to study and, if found beneficial, specify support for UL transmission in preconfigured resources in idle and/or connected mode based on an SC-FDMA waveform for UEs with a valid timing advance (TA). This preconfigured uplink resource (PUR) assigned to the UE can include the time-frequency resources, time duration, periodicity, UE-specific DMRS sequence, etc. The PUR can be assigned to the UE, for example, by RRC signaling from the network.
Some current agreements in relation to PUR in LTE-M include the following:
Note that UE power consumption should be taken into account for the FFS attributes
Likewise, some current agreements in relation to PUR in NB-IoT include:
Furthermore, for both for LTE-M and NB-IoT, there is an agreement regarding the following terminology:
MTC traffic is typically very infrequent. In concept, given PUR for UL transmission, the UE can use such PUR for sending MTC UL data after confirming it is still in possession of a valid Timing Advance (TA). This reduces and/or eliminates the conventional signaling overhead for acquiring a new TA, and consequently reduces UE power consumption and improves transmission efficiency since fewer radio resources are used. The PUR resource can be similar to PUSCH in the sense that the UE can wake up and immediately transmit user-plane (UP) data so long as it has a valid TA.
Accordingly, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide novel, flexible, and efficient techniques for retransmission of UL data when an initial transmission using PUR was received incorrectly (or not received at all), e.g., by an eNB. In general, after transmitting UL data using PUR, the UE must wait for an acknowledgement (e.g., a PUR ACK) from the eNB concerning the transmitted data. In various embodiments, the PUR ACK can be sent on (N/M)PDCCH, or a message on (N/M)PDCCH can be used to schedule resources for sending the PUR ACK on (N)PDSCH. In some embodiments, both options can be used. In general, however, the UE follows the principle of asynchronous adaptive HARQ, whereby the UE retains transmitted data in the UL buffer until it explicitly receives instructions from the eNB (e.g., via a DCI in (M/N)PDCCH), requesting either a retransmission of the data or a transmission of new data.
Note that unless otherwise specified, the terms “acknowledgement” and “PUR ACK” are used herein to refer to both positive acknowledgements of correct reception and negative acknowledgements of incorrect reception (i.e., NACK).
In operation 410, a particular UE (e.g., an MTC UE or a NB-IoT UE) connects to a particular eNB, which configures the UE with PUR (i.e., according to a first PUR configuration) for subsequent UL transmission of data, e.g., upon one of the infrequent occasions when the UE has data to transmit. In various embodiments, the first PUR configuration can be dedicated, contention-free shared (CFS), or contention-based shared (CBS). At some future time t1, in operation 420, the UE transmits first UL data using the PUR received in operation 410. Prior to performing the transmission in operation 420, however, the UE can verify that it has a valid TA. In operation 430, after receiving the first data transmitted in operation 420, the eNB transmits a first PUR ACK indicating that the data was correctly received.
In some embodiments, after the transmission of the first UL data using dedicated, CFS, or CBS PUR (e.g., operation 420), the UE waits for a corresponding first PUR ACK from the eNB. If no first PUR ACK is received after a certain time, the UE can determine a legacy (or “fallback”) access method supported by both the UE and eNB (e.g., Rel-13/14 random access procedures and/or Rel-15 EDT procedures) and use the determined fallback method to access the system. This fallback procedure can be triggered by expiration of a timer (e.g., a fallback timer started upon the PUR transmission), at which point the UE will conclude that the transmission was not successful and that a fallback procedure is needed. Alternatively, the UE can fall back to the legacy procedure if no PUR ACK has been received during N (M/N)PDCCH opportunities, where N is predetermined. Alternatively, in case the UE enters discontinuous reception (DRX) after the PUR transmission (e.g., operation 420), the fallback timer could be specified as a predetermined number (e.g., N) of DRX-on periods during which the UE monitors (M/N)PDCCH.
PUR ACKs (e.g., the first PUR ACK transmitted/received in operation 430) can take various forms. In some embodiments, PUR ACKs can be a legacy HARQ ACK or RLC ACK messages. In other embodiments, a new DCI format, message, and/or signal can be defined as including any of the information, fields, parameters, values, settings, etc. discussed below in relation to the PUR ACK.
In some embodiments, the UE waits for a PUR ACK from the eNB for both initial transmissions and re-transmissions of UL data using dedicated, CFS, or CBS PUR. In addition to an indication that a data (re-)transmission was (in)correctly received, a PUR ACK can include various information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR. For example, the first PUR ACK can include additional values of any of the following parameters related to the UE's subsequent UL transmissions using PUR:
After receiving this information, the UE adopts and applies it in subsequent PUR transmissions, including initial transmissions of data and/or re-transmissions of data. For dedicated PUR and CFS PUR, some or all of this received information can be considered a “second PUR configuration” that overrides the first PUR configuration. In some embodiments, this information can override a previous CBS PUR, which may be common with other UEs that share that particular CBS PUR. In addition, the information can include PHY-layer parameters not strictly associated with the PUR and/or not included in the first PUR configuration (e.g., RV, MCS, TBS, etc.). The UE can also adopt and apply these parameters to subsequent PUR transmissions.
In some embodiments, the UE waits for a PUR ACK from the eNB after an initial transmission of UL data using dedicated, CFS, or CBS PUR. If the acknowledgement is negative (“NACK”) or no acknowledgement is received (indicating, e.g., that the UL transmission was not received by the eNB), the UE re-evaluates the validity of its TA value. The UE's TA re-evaluation can be based on second criteria that are stricter than first criteria used to evaluate TA validity prior to the initial data transmission using the PUR. Various criteria can be used, including ones mentioned above. For example, the eNB can signal both the first and the second criteria in an RRC message. Alternately, the eNB can signal the first criteria and the UE can derive the second criteria from the first criteria and one or more offset values. For example, if the TA evaluation is based on serving cell reference signal received power (RSRP) changes, the first criteria can include an X dB change and the second criteria (e.g., if the first PUR attempt fails) can include an X-Δ dB change, where offset Δ>0 can be signaled by the network (e.g., via RRC) or explicitly predetermined. In some embodiments, different criteria (e.g., different A values) can be used for each successive retransmission attempt.
In some embodiments, the TA evaluation can utilize different methods for the initial evaluation (e.g., before initial transmission) and re-evaluation after a NACK or no acknowledgement. For example, the initial evaluation can be based on RSRP changes, while the re-evaluation can also be based on time-difference of arrival (TDOA) and reference signal received quality (RSRQ), including possibly signals from more than one cell.
In some embodiments, if the acknowledgement is negative (“NACK”) or no acknowledgement is received (indicating, e.g., that the UL transmission was not received by the eNB), the UE can also re-evaluate its UL transmission power. This can be especially important in the case when no acknowledgement is received. As such, the first and second criteria can include different transmission power values in the same manner as TA, discussed above.
In both dedicated and CFS PUR, the UE is assigned resources exclusive of the resources assigned to other UEs, such that there are no data losses due to contention with other UEs. As such, these two techniques can be generally referred to as “contention-free PUR.” For CFS PUR, this can often involve another resource dimension than time and frequency, such as spatial or code domains. Even so, initial contention-free PUR transmissions can be unsuccessful due to different reasons, such as insufficient UE UL power, signal fading, or too high code rate (e.g., insufficient redundancy). In some cases, the eNB simply cannot detect the UL signal, e.g., due to insufficient received power or too high interference. In some cases, the eNB can detect the UL signal, but cannot decode the message, e.g., due to too high code rate and/or wrong TA values. As such, these different scenarios require different error handling.
In some embodiments, the UE waits for a PUR ACK from the eNB after an initial transmission of UL data using dedicated or CFS PUR. In the PUR ACK, the eNB can indicate the initial message was incorrectly received, and that UE should use a different “fallback” procedure to access the system, preferably a procedure that both the UE and eNB support. For example, such fallback procedures can include Rel-13/Rel-14 (“legacy”) random access procedures and/or Rel-15 early data transmission (EDT) procedures.
In some embodiments, the UE waits for a PUR ACK from the eNB after an initial transmission of UL data using dedicated or CFS PUR. In the PUR ACK, the eNB can indicate that the UE is not allowed to use PUR transmission for some number of PUR transmission opportunities (“suspended PUR”) or can revoke the UE's PUR configuration (“deactivated PUR”).
In some embodiments, in dedicated or CFS PUR, different redundancy versions (RVs) can be used for an initial transmission of data and the re-transmission(s) of that data. The initial transmission can be configured explicitly or implicitly (e.g., during setup operations in 410) or can be predetermined (e.g., specified in the standards). After sending the initial message in the UL, the UE waits for an acknowledgement from the eNB. If the eNB detects the UL transmission, but cannot successfully decode the transmission, the eNB can allocate dedicated time-frequency UL resources for a retransmission in the PUR ACK. For example, the message carrying the PUR ACK can also include a DCI for the dynamical scheduling of the re-transmission. In some embodiments, the eNB can indicate a particular RV to use for the re-transmission.
Returning to the example in
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include fallback indicator 458, by which the eNB can indicate that the UE should use fallback procedure(s) to access the network, such as the legacy random access procedures and/or EDT procedures discussed above. Optionally, fallback indicator 458 can identify the fallback procedure(s).
In some embodiments, the UE's second UL data message sent in operation 440 can include a request for resources to transmit a buffer status report (BSR) and/or a scheduling request (SR). This is illustrated in
It should be noted that in case the UE did not receive the first PUR ACK 430, the second UL data message transmitted in operation 440 will be a retransmission of the first UL data message, sent in 420. In such cases, the UE can re-evaluate its transmission power and/or TA prior to transmission in operation 440, in the manner discussed above. Likewise, in case the first PUR ACK 430 was not received or indicated incorrect reception of the first UL data message by the eNB, the UE can retransmit the first UL data message in operation 440 according to a fallback procedure.
Subsequently, in operation 460 at some future time t3, the UE transmits further UL data using the first PUR configuration received in operation 410 or an updated PUR configuration according to the information received in operation 450. In case the transmission in 440 was correctly received as indicated by a positive PUR ACK in operation 450, the further UL data can be an initial transmission of third UL data. In case the transmission in 440 was not correctly received as indicated by a negative PUR ACK in operation 450 (as discussed above), the further UL data can be a re-transmission of the second UL data initially transmitted in operation 440. In operation 470, the eNB responds with a PUR ACK concerning the further UL data transmitted in operation 460. This PUR ACK can be a positive or a negative acknowledgement and can include any of the information discussed above in relation to the various embodiments.
With respect to contention-based shared (CBS) PUR, the UE and the eNB can generally operate in the same manner as discussed above with respect to contention-free PUR. For example, the eNB can include in the PUR ACK the parameter update 452, indicating any of the additional configuration settings, parameters, and/or values pertaining to the CBS PUR or the PHY layer. Even so, some embodiments specific to CBS PUR are discussed in more detail below.
In some embodiments, the UE waits for a PUR ACK from the eNB after an initial transmission of UL data using CBS PUR. In the PUR ACK, the eNB can indicate that the initial data transmission using the CBS PUR was incorrectly received (“NACK”), and that the UE(s) assigned to the CBS PUR should use a different CBS PUR configuration, e.g., corresponding to an enhanced coverage level. In some embodiments, the eNB can also indicate, together with the NACK, revocation of the particular UE's TA value, CBS PUR configuration, and/or PHY-layer parameters used for the initial transmission.
In some embodiments, the UE waits for a PUR ACK from the eNB after an initial transmission of UL data using CBS PUR. In the PUR ACK, the eNB can include an additional PUR configuration (e.g., further time and frequency resources) for any potential retransmission. This retransmission configuration can include a number of repeated PUR resources or PUR resources in a certain retransmission window.
Each contention-free PUR is configured according to a particular UE's expected traffic periodicity. In CBS PUR, however, the shared PURs are expected to be allocated much more frequently than any particular UE's expected traffic periodicity. In other words, several shared PURs in a transmission window can be available for each UE UL data transmission. In some embodiments, some number of CBS PURs in a transmission window can be allocated for initial data transmissions, and the remainder of CBS PURs in the transmission window can be reserved for re-transmission of data.
In some embodiments, the eNB can send to the UE a contention resolution identity that resolving the contention for a CBS PUR. In such embodiments, the UE can interpret this identity as a (positive) PUR ACK of the initial PUR transmission. This identity can be associated with the UE during configuring the PUR resources (e.g., operation 410), or it can be the same as or similar to identities used in legacy connections, e.g., C-RNTI, UE Contention Resolution Identity corresponding to a sent CCCH SDU as specified in 3GPP TS 36.321.
In some embodiments, a new type of contention-resolution message sent by eNB to UE can be defined to include any of the information discussed above as being included in PUR ACK. In some embodiments, such a message can also include the contention resolution identity.
Although embodiments have been described above in relation to communication between the UE and an eNB, other embodiments can involve communication between the UE and a different network node. For example, the UE can communicate with an MME for PUR using the CIoT CP-optimization and the configuration of PUR parameters.
As another example, for 5G networks, the UE can communicate with a gNB or components thereof, such as gNB-CU and/or gNB-DU, as well as other 5GC nodes such as access management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), etc.
Embodiments described above are also applicable to 5G networks. While LTE was primarily designed for user-to-user communications, 5G (also referred to as “NR”) networks are envisioned to support both high single-user data rates (e.g., 1 Gb/s) and large-scale, machine-to-machine communication involving short, bursty transmissions from many different devices that share the frequency bandwidth. The 5G radio standards (also referred to as “New Radio” or “NR”) are currently targeting a wide range of data services including eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broad Band), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication), and Machine-Type Communications (MTC). These services can have different requirements and objectives. For example, URLLC is intended to provide a data service with extremely strict error and latency requirements, e.g., error probabilities as low as 10−5 or lower and 1 ms end-to-end latency or lower. For eMBB, the requirements on latency and error probability can be less stringent whereas the required supported peak rate and/or spectral efficiency can be higher. In contrast, URLLC requires low latency and high reliability but with less strict data rate requirements.
One of the solutions for low latency data transmission is shorter transmission time intervals. For NR, in addition to transmission in a slot (such as for LTE, discussed above), a mini-slot transmission is also allowed to reduce latency. A mini-slot may consist of any number of one to 14 OFDM symbols. It should be noted that the concepts of slot and mini-slot are not specific to a specific service meaning that a mini-slot may be used for either eMBB, URLLC, or other services.
Each of the gNBs 610 can support the NR radio interface, including frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination thereof. Each of ng-eNBs 620 supports the LTE radio interface and connect to the 5GC via the NG interface, whereas conventional LTE eNBs connect to an EPC via the X2 interface (e.g., as illustrated in
Each of gNBs 610a,b shown in
These embodiments described above can be further illustrated with reference to
In particular,
Furthermore, the exemplary method shown in
The exemplary method can include the operations of block 710, where the UE can receive, from a network node (e.g., in the RAN), a first PUR configuration. The exemplary method can also include the operations of block 720, where the UE can transmit, based on the first PUR configuration, a first UL data message to the network node. The exemplary method can also include the operations of block 730, where the UE can receive, from the network node, a first acknowledgement (PUR ACK) of the first UL data message. The first PUR ACK can indicate whether the first UL data message was correctly or incorrectly received by the network node and can include information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR.
In some embodiments, the exemplary method can also include the operations of block 740, where the UE can transmit a second UL data message, to the network node, based on the information related to subsequent UL transmissions included in the first PUR ACK. For example, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was correctly received, the second UL data message can be different than the first UL data message. Likewise, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the second UL data message can be a re-transmission of the first UL data message.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR includes at least one of the following:
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions includes a second PUR configuration, and the second UL data message is transmitted (e.g., in block 740) based on the second PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include one or more physical-layer (PHY) parameters, e.g., in addition to or instead of the parameters comprising the second PUR configuration. In such embodiments, the second UL data message can be transmitted based on the one or more PHY parameters.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be one of the following: dedicated PUR configurations, contention-free shared (CFS) PUR configurations, or contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In some embodiments, the second PUR configuration can be the same as the first PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In such embodiments, the second PUR configuration can identify a first portion of one or more transmission time windows that is available for initial transmission of UL data messages, and a second portion of the one or more transmission time windows that is reserved for re-transmissions of UL data messages. An example of such embodiments is shown in
In some embodiments, the operations of block 740 can include the operations of sub-block 741, where the UE can transmit the second UL data message according to a fallback procedure if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received by the network node. In other embodiments, the exemplary method can also include the operations of block 750, where the UE can transmit a third UL data message according to a fallback procedure if a second PUR ACK is not received within a predetermined time after transmitting the second UL data message. However, skilled persons will recognize that if the first PUR ACK was not received in block 730 within the predetermined time after transmitting the first UL data message, the UE can transmit the second UL data message according to the fallback procedure, provided that the UE was previously configured (or pre-configured) with the fallback procedure.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions can include an indication that the UE should use the fallback procedure for transmitting one or more subsequent UL data messages (e.g., the second UL data message or the third UL data message). In some embodiments, the indication further indicates that the UE should use the fallback procedure for transmitting all subsequent UL data messages. In some embodiments, the fallback procedure comprises a legacy random-access procedure or an early data transmission (EDT) procedure (e.g., such as standardized in 3GPP Rel-15).
In some embodiments, a first value of a transmission parameter can be used when transmitting the first UL data message (e.g., in block 720), and a second value of the transmission parameter is used when transmitting a subsequent UL data message according to the fallback procedure. The subsequent UL data message can be the second UL data message transmitted in sub-block 741, or the third UL data message transmitted in block 750. In some embodiments, transmitting the first UL data message in block 720 can include determining the first value of the transmission parameter based on one or more first criteria (e.g., in sub-block 721). Likewise, transmitting the subsequent UL data message (e.g., in sub-block 741 or block 750) can include determining the second value of the transmission parameter based on one or more second criteria (e.g., in sub-block 741A or 751). In some embodiments, the second criteria are based on the first criteria and respective predetermined offsets (e.g., offset Δ discussed above). In some embodiments, the second criteria include one or more criteria not included in the first criteria (e.g., RSRP in first criteria, TDOA and RSRQ in second criteria, as discussed above). In some embodiments, the transmission parameter evaluated according to the first criteria and second criteria can be a timing advance (TA) for transmission timing alignment or a transmission power level
In some embodiments, the first PUR ACK can be received as one of the following: DCI; HARQ acknowledgement message; or RLC acknowledgement message. In some embodiments, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions (e.g., included with the first PUR ACK received in block 730) includes an allocation of dedicated resources for retransmission of the first UL data message (e.g., as illustrated by field 456 in
In some embodiments, the first UL data message can include a request for resources to transmit a buffer status report (BSR) or a scheduling request (SR) (e.g., as illustrated by field 442 in
In addition,
Furthermore, the exemplary method shown in
The exemplary method illustrated in
In some embodiments, the exemplary method can also include the operations of block 840, where the network node can receive a second UL data message, from the UE, based on the information related to subsequent UL transmissions included in the first PUR ACK. For example, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was correctly received, the second UL data message can be different than the first UL data message. Likewise, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the second UL data message can be a re-transmission of the first UL data message.
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions using PUR includes at least one of the following:
In some embodiments, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions includes a second PUR configuration, and the second UL data message is received (e.g., in block 840) based on the second PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be one of the following: dedicated PUR configurations, contention-free shared (CFS) PUR configurations, or contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In some embodiments, the second PUR configuration can be the same as the first PUR configuration.
In some embodiments, both the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration can be contention-based shared (CBS) PUR configurations. In such embodiments, the second PUR configuration can identify a first portion of one or more transmission time windows that is available for initial transmission of UL data messages, and a second portion of the one or more transmission time windows that is reserved for re-transmissions of UL data messages. An example of such embodiments is shown in
In some embodiments, the first PUR ACK can be transmitted as one of the following: DCI; HARQ acknowledgement message; or RLC acknowledgement message. In some embodiments, if the first PUR ACK indicates that the first UL data message was incorrectly received, the information related to subsequent UL transmissions (e.g., included with the first PUR ACK transmitted in block 830) can include one of the following: an indication of a fallback procedure for the UE (e.g., as illustrated by field 458 in
In some embodiments, the first UL data message can include a request for resources to transmit a buffer status report (BSR) or a scheduling request (SR) (e.g., as illustrated by field 442 in
Although various embodiments are described herein above in terms of methods, apparatus, devices, computer-readable medium and receivers, the person of ordinary skill will readily comprehend that such methods can be embodied by various combinations of hardware and software in various systems, communication devices, computing devices, control devices, apparatuses, non-transitory computer-readable media, etc.
UE 900 can include a processor 910 (also referred to as “processing circuitry”) that can be operably connected to a program memory 920 and/or a data memory 930 via a bus 970 that can comprise parallel address and data buses, serial ports, or other methods and/or structures known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Program memory 920 can store software code, programs, and/or instructions (collectively shown as computer program product 921 in
As another example, processor 910 can execute program code stored in program memory 920 that corresponds to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP (e.g., for NR and/or LTE). As a further example, processor 910 can execute program code stored in program memory 920 that, together with radio transceiver 940, implements corresponding PHY layer protocols, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). As another example, processor 910 can execute program code stored in program memory 920 that, together with radio transceiver 940, implements device-to-device (D2D) communications with other compatible devices and/or UEs.
Program memory 920 can also include software code executed by processor 910 to control the functions of UE 900, including configuring and controlling various components such as radio transceiver 940, user interface 950, and/or host interface 960. Program memory 920 can also comprise one or more application programs and/or modules comprising computer-executable instructions embodying any of the exemplary methods and/or procedures described herein. Such software code can be specified or written using any known or future developed programming language, such as e.g., Java, C++, C, Objective C, HTML, XHTML, machine code, and Assembler, as long as the desired functionality, e.g., as defined by the implemented method steps, is preserved. In addition, or as an alternative, program memory 920 can comprise an external storage arrangement (not shown) remote from UE 900, from which the instructions can be downloaded into program memory 920 located within or removably coupled to UE 900, so as to enable execution of such instructions.
Data memory 930 can include memory area for processor 910 to store variables used in protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of UE 900, including operations corresponding to, or comprising, any of the exemplary methods and/or procedures described herein. Moreover, program memory 920 and/or data memory 930 can include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), or a combination thereof. Furthermore, data memory 930 can comprise a memory slot by which removable memory cards in one or more formats (e.g., SD Card, Memory Stick, Compact Flash, etc.) can be inserted and removed.
Persons of ordinary skill will recognize that processor 910 can include multiple individual processors (including, e.g., multi-core processors), each of which implements a portion of the functionality described above. In such cases, multiple individual processors can be commonly connected to program memory 920 and data memory 930 or individually connected to multiple individual program memories and or data memories. More generally, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various protocols and other functions of UE 900 can be implemented in many different computer arrangements comprising different combinations of hardware and software including, but not limited to, application processors, signal processors, general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, fixed and/or programmable digital circuitry, analog baseband circuitry, radio-frequency circuitry, software, firmware, and middleware.
Radio transceiver 940 can include radio-frequency transmitter and/or receiver functionality that facilitates the UE 900 to communicate with other equipment supporting like wireless communication standards and/or protocols. In some exemplary embodiments, the radio transceiver 940 includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that enable UE 900 to communicate according to various protocols and/or methods proposed for standardization by 3GPP and/or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality can operate cooperatively with processor 910 to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and/or SC-FDMA technologies, such as described herein with respect to other figures.
In some exemplary embodiments, radio transceiver 940 includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can facilitate the UE 900 to communicate with various LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and/or NR networks according to standards promulgated by 3GPP. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio transceiver 940 includes circuitry, firmware, etc. necessary for the UE 900 to communicate with various NR, NR-U, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-LAA, UMTS, and/or GSM/EDGE networks, also according to 3GPP standards. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 940 can include circuitry supporting D2D communications between UE 900 and other compatible devices.
In some embodiments, radio transceiver 940 includes circuitry, firmware, etc. necessary for the UE 900 to communicate with various CDMA2000 networks, according to 3GPP2 standards. In some embodiments, the radio transceiver 940 can be capable of communicating using radio technologies that operate in unlicensed frequency bands, such as IEEE 802.11 WiFi that operates using frequencies in the regions of 2.4, 5.6, and/or 60 GHz. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 940 can include a transceiver that is capable of wired communication, such as by using IEEE 802.3 Ethernet technology. The functionality particular to each of these embodiments can be coupled with and/or controlled by other circuitry in the UE 900, such as the processor 910 executing program code stored in program memory 920 in conjunction with, and/or supported by, data memory 930.
User interface 950 can take various forms depending on the particular embodiment of UE 900, or can be absent from UE 900 entirely. In some embodiments, user interface 950 can comprise a microphone, a loudspeaker, slidable buttons, depressible buttons, a display, a touchscreen display, a mechanical or virtual keypad, a mechanical or virtual keyboard, and/or any other user-interface features commonly found on mobile phones. In other embodiments, the UE 900 can comprise a tablet computing device including a larger touchscreen display. In such embodiments, one or more of the mechanical features of the user interface 950 can be replaced by comparable or functionally equivalent virtual user interface features (e.g., virtual keypad, virtual buttons, etc.) implemented using the touchscreen display, as familiar to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In other embodiments, the UE 900 can be a digital computing device, such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, workstation, etc. that comprises a mechanical keyboard that can be integrated, detached, or detachable depending on the particular exemplary embodiment. Such a digital computing device can also comprise a touch screen display. Many exemplary embodiments of the UE 900 having a touch screen display are capable of receiving user inputs, such as inputs related to exemplary methods and/or procedures described herein or otherwise known to persons of ordinary skill in the art.
In some embodiments, UE 900 can include an orientation sensor, which can be used in various ways by features and functions of UE 900. For example, the UE 900 can use outputs of the orientation sensor to determine when a user has changed the physical orientation of the UE 900's touch screen display. An indication signal from the orientation sensor can be available to any application program executing on the UE 900, such that an application program can change the orientation of a screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape) automatically when the indication signal indicates an approximate 90-degree change in physical orientation of the device. In this exemplary manner, the application program can maintain the screen display in a manner that is readable by the user, regardless of the physical orientation of the device. In addition, the output of the orientation sensor can be used in conjunction with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
A control interface 960 of the UE 900 can take various forms depending on the particular exemplary embodiment of UE 900 and of the particular interface requirements of other devices that the UE 900 is intended to communicate with and/or control. For example, the control interface 960 can comprise an RS-232 interface, an RS-495 interface, a USB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE (“Firewire”) interface, an I2C interface, a PCMCIA interface, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, control interface 960 can comprise an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface such as described above. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface 960 can comprise analog interface circuitry including, for example, one or more digital-to-analog (D/A) and/or analog-to-digital (A/D) converters.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art can recognize the above list of features, interfaces, and radio-frequency communication standards is merely exemplary, and not limiting to the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the UE 900 can comprise more functionality than is shown in
Network node 1000 can include processor 1010 (also referred to as “processing circuitry”) that is operably connected to program memory 1020 and data memory 1030 via bus 1070, which can include parallel address and data buses, serial ports, or other methods and/or structures known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Program memory 1020 can store software code, programs, and/or instructions (collectively shown as computer program product 1021 in
Data memory 1030 can comprise memory area for processor 1010 to store variables used in protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of network node 1000. As such, program memory 1020 and data memory 1030 can comprise non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g., “cloud”) storage, or a combination thereof. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that processor 1010 can include multiple individual processors (not shown), each of which implements a portion of the functionality described above. In such case, multiple individual processors may be commonly connected to program memory 1020 and data memory 1030 or individually connected to multiple individual program memories and/or data memories. More generally, persons of ordinary skill will recognize that various protocols and other functions of network node 1000 may be implemented in many different combinations of hardware and software including, but not limited to, application processors, signal processors, general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, fixed digital circuitry, programmable digital circuitry, analog baseband circuitry, radio-frequency circuitry, software, firmware, and middleware.
Radio network interface 1040 can comprise transmitters, receivers, signal processors, ASICs, antennas, beamforming units, and other circuitry that enables network node 1000 to communicate with other equipment such as, in some embodiments, a plurality of compatible user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, interface 1040 can also enable network node 1000 to communicate with compatible satellites of a satellite communication network. In some exemplary embodiments, radio network interface 1040 can comprise various protocols or protocol layers, such as the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and/or RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, LTE-LAA, NR, NR-U, etc.; improvements thereto such as described herein above; or any other higher-layer protocols utilized in conjunction with radio network interface 1040. According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio network interface 1040 can comprise a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and/or SC-FDMA technologies. In some embodiments, the functionality of such a PHY layer can be provided cooperatively by radio network interface 1040 and processor 1010 (including program code in memory 1020).
Core network interface 1050 can comprise transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables network node 1000 to communicate with other equipment in a core network such as, in some embodiments, circuit-switched (CS) and/or packet-switched (PS) core networks. In some embodiments, core network interface 1050 can comprise the S1 interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, core network interface 1050 can comprise the NG interface standardized by 3GPP. In some exemplary embodiments, core network interface 1050 can comprise one or more interfaces to one or more AMFs, SMFs, SGWs, MMEs, SGSNs, GGSNs, and other physical devices that comprise functionality found in GERAN, UTRAN, EPC, 5GC, and CDMA2000 core networks that are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, these one or more interfaces may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, lower layers of core network interface 1050 can comprise one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP)-over-Ethernet, SDH over optical fiber, T1/E1/PDH over a copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
OA&M interface 1060 can comprise transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables network node 1000 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, and the like for purposes of operations, administration, and maintenance of network node 1000 or other network equipment operably connected thereto. Lower layers of OA&M interface 1060 can comprise one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP)-over-Ethernet, SDH over optical fiber, T1/E1/PDH over a copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more of radio network interface 1040, core network interface 1050, and OA&M interface 1060 may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface, such as the examples listed above.
RAN 1130 can include one or more terrestrial network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, controllers, etc.) operable in licensed spectrum bands, as well one or more network nodes operable in unlicensed spectrum (using, e.g., LAA or NR-U technology), such as a 2.4-GHz band and/or a 5-GHz band. In such cases, the network nodes comprising RAN 1130 can cooperatively operate using licensed and unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, RAN 1130 can include, or be capable of communication with, one or more satellites comprising a satellite access network. In various embodiments, RAN 1130 can be an E-UTRAN (e.g., as illustrated in
RAN 1130 can further communicate with core network 1140 according to various protocols and interfaces described above. For example, one or more apparatus (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, etc.) comprising RAN 1130 can communicate to core network 1140 via core network interface 1150 described above. In some exemplary embodiments, RAN 1130 and core network 1140 can be configured and/or arranged as shown in other figures discussed above. For example, eNBs comprising an E-UTRAN 1130 can communicate with an EPC 1140 via an S1 interface. As another example, gNBs comprising an NG-RAN 1130 can communicate with a 5GC 1130 via an NG interface.
Core network 1140 can further communicate with an external packet data network, illustrated in
For example, host computer 1160 can provide an over-the-top (OTT) packet data service to UE 1110 using facilities of core network 1140 and RAN 1130, which can be unaware of the routing of an outgoing/incoming communication to/from host computer 1160. Similarly, host computer 1160 can be unaware of routing of a transmission from the host computer to the UE, e.g., the routing of the transmission through RAN 1130. Various OTT services can be provided using the exemplary configuration shown in
The exemplary network shown in
The exemplary embodiments described herein provide techniques for improving the transmission efficiency and/or power consumption for UE UL transmissions using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR), such as by facilitating UE retransmissions of UL data messages, originally sent via PUR, that were incorrectly received (or not received at all) by a network node. By facilitating retransmissions by UEs configured with PUR, such techniques can reduce lost UL data messages (e.g., lost packets) and/or reduce UE energy consumption. When used in LTE or NR UEs (e.g., UE 1110) and eNBs or gNBs (e.g., gNBs comprising RAN 1130), exemplary embodiments described herein can provide various improvements, benefits, and/or advantages to OTT service providers and end-users, including more consistent data throughout and fewer delays without excessive UE power consumption or other reductions in user experience.
The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements, and procedures that, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and can be thus within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various exemplary embodiments can be used together with one another, as well as interchangeably therewith, as should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.
The term unit, as used herein, can have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and can 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.
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 Processor (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.
As described herein, device and/or apparatus can be represented by a semiconductor chip, a chipset, or a (hardware) module comprising such chip or chipset; this, however, does not exclude the possibility that a functionality of a device or apparatus, instead of being hardware implemented, be implemented as a software module such as a computer program or a computer program product comprising executable software code portions for execution or being run on a processor. Furthermore, functionality of a device or apparatus can be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus can also be regarded as an assembly of multiple devices and/or apparatuses, whether functionally in cooperation with or independently of each other. Moreover, devices and apparatuses can be implemented in a distributed fashion throughout a system, so long as the functionality of the device or apparatus is preserved. Such and similar principles are considered as known to a skilled person.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings and exemplary embodiments thereof, can be used synonymously in certain instances, including, but not limited to, e.g., data and information. It should be understood that, while these words and/or other words that can be synonymous to one another, can be used synonymously herein, that there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously. Further, to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above, it is explicitly incorporated herein in its entirety. All publications referenced are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Embodiments of the techniques and apparatus described herein include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples:
1. A method for transmitting uplink (UL) data, by a user equipment (UE), using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) in a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising:
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/SE2019/051081 | 10/30/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62753330 | Oct 2018 | US |
