CN113016206B

CN113016206B - Apparatus, method, device and storage medium for pre-configuration of uplink data resources

Info

Publication number: CN113016206B
Application number: CN201880099472.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 晁华; S·赛瓦加纳帕西
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2018-11-13
Filing date: 2018-11-13
Publication date: 2023-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-13
Also published as: CN113016206A; WO2020097805A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for Uplink (UL) data resource pre-configuration. In an example embodiment, a network device broadcasts an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource (PUR) regions for UL data transmission. Each PUR region of the plurality of PUR regions is predefined for one of a plurality of Coverage Enhancement (CE) levels associated with the terminal device. The network device detects UL data in a plurality of PUR areas.

Description

Apparatus, method, device and storage medium for pre-configuration of uplink data resources

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications and, in particular, relate to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for Uplink (UL) data resource pre-configuration.

Background

In the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) release (Rel-15), narrowband Internet of things (NB-IoT) supports UL Early Data Transfer (EDT). UL EDT allows UL data to be transmitted in message 3 (Msg 3) during Random Access (RA). For example, if a User Equipment (UE) is to perform EDT, the UE may send a reserved preamble to an eNodeB (eNB) to initiate the RA procedure. The eNB allocates Msg3 resources for EDT upon receipt of the reserved preamble. The UE then uses the allocated resources to transmit Msg3 carrying UL data. Accordingly, UL EDT may reduce UE power consumption and improve UL transmission efficiency.

Traditionally, UL EDT involves two steps of UL transmission: one step transmits the reserved preamble and one step transmits UL data. To further increase UE power efficiency, single step UL data transmission is proposed, wherein UL data transmission may be initiated using pre-configured UL resources (PUR). However, in a single step UL data transmission, the eNB does not know when UL data transmission will occur and which frequency resources will be used. As a result, the eNB may have to perform blind decoding for all possibilities, which is not feasible and time consuming.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for UL data resource pre-configuration.

In a first aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to broadcast, at the network device, an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission. Each of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions is predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels associated with the terminal device. The apparatus is also caused to detect uplink data in a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

In a second aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to receive, at the terminal device, from the network device, an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission. Each of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions is predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels. The apparatus is also caused to select a coverage enhancement level from a plurality of coverage enhancement levels and select a preconfigured uplink resource region of a plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions based on the selected coverage enhancement level. The apparatus is also caused to transmit uplink data in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region.

In a third aspect, a method is provided. In the method, a network device broadcasts an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission. Each of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions is predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels associated with the terminal device. The network device detects uplink data in a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. In the method, a terminal device receives an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission from a network device. Each of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions is predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels. The terminal device selects a coverage enhancement level from a plurality of coverage enhancement levels. The terminal device also selects a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions based on the selected coverage enhancement level. The terminal device then transmits uplink data in the selected pre-configured uplink resource region.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon is provided. The computer program, when executed by a processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows an example uplink early data transmission procedure during a random access procedure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example pre-configuration of different PUR regions for different CE levels according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example pre-configuration of PUR regions for CE levels according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 illustrates an example process of information exchange between a network device and a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 10 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure without placing any limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various other ways besides those described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all 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.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing services to terminal devices in a communication network. The network device may comprise an access network device via which the terminal device may access the communication network. Examples of access network devices include repeaters, access Points (APs), transmission points (TRPs), node bs (nodebs or NB), evolved nodebs (eNodeB or eNB), new Radio (NR) nodebs (gNB), remote radio modules (RRU), radio Heads (RH), remote Radio Heads (RRH), low power nodes (such as femto, pico), etc.

The network device may also comprise a core network device capable of communicating with the access network device and providing services to terminal devices in the core network. As an example, the core network devices may include a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), an MME, an operation and management (O & M) node, an Operation Support System (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node such as an enhanced services mobile positioning center (E-SMLC), and/or a Mobile Data Terminal (MDT).

As used herein, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment" (UE) refers to any devices capable of wireless communication with each other or with a network device. Communication may involve the transmission and/or reception of wireless signals using electromagnetic signals, radio waves, infrared signals, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information over the air. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the terminal device may transmit information to the network device on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the network side.

Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user Equipment (UE), such as a smart phone, a wireless enabled tablet computer, a laptop computer embedded device (LEE), a laptop computer installed device (LME), and/or a wireless Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). For purposes of discussion, some example embodiments will be described with reference to a UE as an example of a terminal device, and the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably in the context of this disclosure.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) Pure hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry only); and

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) A combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, any portion of software and memory that work in concert to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; and

(c) Software (e.g., firmware) is required to operate but may not exist as hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, when not required to operate.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of pure hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or hardware circuit or processor and portions of its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses (e.g., and if applicable to the particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "including" and variations thereof are to be construed as open-ended terms, meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". Other definitions (whether explicit or implicit) may be included below.

As used herein, the terms "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, which should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

To initiate UL EDT, the UE may send a reserved preamble to the eNB, which will then allocate Msg3 resources. Fig. 1 shows an example UL EDT procedure 100 during an RA procedure. In process 100, the UE sends (105) a reserved preamble to the NR node B (or gNB) in message 1 (Msg 1) to request EDT. The gNB sends (110) in message 2 (Msg 2) a Random Access Response (RAR) carrying the resources allocated for EDT. The UE transmits (115) UL data in Msg3 using the allocated resources. The gNB sends (120) an acknowledgement (e.g., ACK) for the UL data. As shown, the EDT process 100 generally involves two steps of UL transmission in both Msg1 and Msg 3.

For UL data transmission, the eNB (or gNB) typically pre-configures a set of Transport Block Sizes (TBSs) for use by the UE. In particular, the eNB pre-configures the maximum TBS for UL EDT. For example, based on the amount of data to be transmitted, the UE may select a TBS from the set of TBSs that is less than the maximum TBS to achieve less padding. Since the UE selection is not known, the eNB must perform blind decoding attempts on all candidates of TBS.

In 3GPP release 16 (Rel-16), some objectives are presented to further improve system performance in terms of transmission efficiency and delay, etc., including, for example:

improved UL transmission efficiency and/or UE power consumption:

o specifies supporting UL transmissions in pre-configured resources in idle and/or connected mode based on a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) waveform for UEs with effective timing advance.

Both shared resources and dedicated resources may be preconfigured.

Note: this is limited to orthogonal (multiple) address schemes.

Single step UL data transmission is a promising candidate for further improvement in efficiency compared to two step UL data transmission of UL EDT. However, in a single step UL data transmission, the eNB may not know in advance that the UE will send UL data in the very first message. That is, the eNB may not know when UL data transmission will occur. The eNB also does not know which frequency resource the UE will use. In this case, the eNB may have to perform blind decoding for all the possibilities. This is not feasible and is time consuming. As a result, decoding operations in a single step UL data transmission are more difficult than UL EDT. The decoding complexity at the eNB is too high.

To improve single step UL data transmission, pre-defining pre-configured UL resources (PUR) for UE initiated UL data transmission is proposed. For the definition of PUR, various options are agreed as follows:

option 1. Dedicated PUR is defined as Narrowband Physical Uplink Shared Channel (NPUSCH) resources used by a single UE.

The NPUSCH resource is a time-frequency resource.

Dedicated PUR is contention-free.

Option 2. Contention-free shared PUR (CFS PUR) is defined as NPUSCH resources used simultaneously by more than one UE.

The NPUSCH resource is at least a time-frequency resource

CFS PUR is contention-free.

Option 3. Contention-based shared PUR (CBS PUR) is defined as NPUSCH resources used simultaneously by more than one UE.

The NPUSCH resource is at least a time-frequency resource.

CBS PUR is contention-based (that is, CBS PUR may require contention resolution).

How PUR is configured is still under discussion. If a large resource pool is defined to allow all UEs to select resources from the resource pool, the eNB still has to perform heavy blind decoding in the resource pool. This is because any slot may be a starting slot and the UE may use any number of repetitions in UL data transmission. The eNB cannot identify which slot(s) have a collision because the UE may use different repetitions with unknown starting slots.

It is desirable to have an enhanced UL data resource pre-configuration scheme that can reduce decoding complexity at the eNB. Furthermore, collisions from different UEs sharing the same PUR are also a challenge.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a PUR pre-configuration scheme. With this scheme, different PUR areas are predefined for different Coverage Enhancement (CE) levels associated with the terminal device. One of the PUR areas may be shared by a class of terminal devices having the same CE level. The PUR areas may be predefined to avoid transmission collisions between different classes of terminal devices with different CE levels.

The predefined PUR areas are indicated by the network device to the terminal device by broadcasting. If the terminal device has UL data to transmit, the terminal device determines a CE level and transmits UL data using a PUR area predefined for the CE level. Thus, the network device detects UL data from the terminal devices in these PUR areas. By reducing the number of candidate UL data transmission opportunities or slots shared by multiple terminal devices in the PUR region, decoding complexity within the PUR region may be reduced. In this way, the system capacity and transmission efficiency can be improved.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment 200 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The environment 200, which is part of a communication network, includes a network device 210 and a terminal device 220. It should be understood that one network device and one terminal device are shown in fig. 2 for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Environment 200 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

The terminal device 220 may communicate with the network device 210 or may communicate with another terminal device via the network device 210. Communication between the terminal device 220 and the network device 210 may follow any suitable wireless communication standard or protocol, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), fifth generation (5G) NR, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, and employ any suitable communication technology including, for example, multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), time Division Multiplexing (TDM), frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), code Division Multiplexing (CDM), bluetooth (Bluetooth), zigBee, and Machine Type Communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), large-scale machine type communication (mctc), and ultra reliable low latency communication (uilc) technologies.

In environment 200, a plurality of PUR areas are predefined for a plurality of CE levels associated with a terminal device. The PUR area may be configured by the network device 210 or another network device or entity (not shown). The network device 210 broadcasts an indication of the predefined PUR area. Based on the indication, when the terminal device 220 is to transmit UL data, the terminal device 220 selects a PUR region based on its own CE level to initiate UL data transmission.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 300 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at a network device 210 as shown in fig. 2. For discussion purposes, the method 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

At block 305, the network device 210 broadcasts an indication of a plurality of PUR regions predefined for UL data transmissions. Each PUR area is predefined for one of a plurality of CE levels associated with the terminal device. Thus, PUR areas may be time and frequency resources that may be shared by a class of terminal devices having the same CE level based on contention.

The CE level division may be based on the received signal strength at the terminal device. Moreover, the association between CE level and received signal strength may be predefined and known to both network device 210 and terminal device 220. Thus, the terminal device may select a corresponding CE level based on the received signal measurements. For example, a terminal device with a lower received signal strength may select one CE level, while a terminal device with a higher received signal strength may select another CE level to ensure the possibility of successfully decoding UL data from the terminal device under different radio link conditions. Any other known or future developed CE grading rule may be utilized.

These PUR areas (or resource pools or RPs) may be predefined based on any suitable rules or criteria. In some example embodiments, PUR regions for different CE levels may be separated from each other to further reduce collisions and interference between different classes of terminal devices. For example, in some example embodiments, the PUR region may include a set of Resource Units (RUs). The RUs have the same RU size and are contiguous in the time domain. The RU may be one of predefined RUs, which may be allocated by network device 210. PUR areas for different CE levels may be defined using RUs of different sizes in a non-overlapping manner. For example, RUs of different sizes for different CE levels may not overlap in the frequency domain to separate these PUR regions from each other in the frequency domain.

An example pre-configuration of PUR areas consisting of RUs of different CE levels will be discussed with reference to fig. 4. In this example, only one RU size is configured for one CE level. RU sizes associated with different CE levels may be determined based on any suitable criteria. For example, the RU size may be the smallest RU that can be used by the terminal device to support transmission of all candidate TBSs for CE class in the PUR region.

As shown, three sized RUs 405-1, 405-2, and 405-3 (collectively referred to as RU 405) are predefined for three CE levels (denoted CE level 1, CE level 2, and CE level 3, respectively). RU 405-1 of CE level 1 occupies 8ms in the time domain and 15KHz in the frequency domain. RU 405-2 of CE level 2 occupies 4ms in the time domain and 45KHz in the frequency domain. RU 405-3 of CE level 3 occupies 2ms in the time domain and 90KHz in the frequency domain. These RUs 405-1, 405-2, and 405-3 are separated from each other in the frequency domain. The PUR region of each CE class includes a limited number of candidate UL data transmission slots shared by terminal devices of the same CE class. In this way, collisions between different terminal devices of different CE levels can also be avoided.

In some example embodiments, PUR regions for each CE level may be configured periodically. In some example embodiments, the PUR region may be configured with a period indicating a duration of the PUR region. In this period, the PUR region may be repeatedly and periodically configured. The period may be represented by a number of RUs, subframes, or slots. Each time period may limit the size of the PUR area for each CE level.

The period of time may be determined by considering any suitable factors. In some example embodiments, the period of the CE level may be determined based on a set of Transport Block Sizes (TBSs) associated with the CE level for UL data transmission. For example, the period may be predefined to accommodate a maximum TBS for the CE level to allow data with that TBS to be transmitted in the PUR area.

In addition to this period, a reference start time point may be configured for the PUR area. For example, the reference start time point may be predefined to satisfy the following equation (1):

N mod P＝0 (1)

where N represents a system frame number, which may be an integer ranging from 0 to 1023, and P represents a period composed of a plurality of system frames. In this example, any system frame that satisfies equation (1) may be determined as the reference start time point.

To further reduce collisions of one class of terminal devices of the same CE level, in some example embodiments, resources of terminal devices with different TBS options may be separated in the time domain within the PUR region at each CE level. For example, one or more candidate time offsets relative to a reference start time point may be configured for CE levels. The reference start time point may be considered as a candidate start time point with a zero time offset. The candidate time offset may be indicated by the number of RUs, subframes, or slots. If the period is determined based on a maximum TBS associated with the CE level, the candidate time offset may be determined based on a minimum TBS allowed by the network device 210 to allow transmission of data having the TBS in the PUR area.

Depending on the preconfigured candidate time offset, the transmission time of UL data may be dispersed for different terminal devices with different TBSs for a particular CE level. In addition, since signals from different terminal devices may collide with each other in the initial slot, the network device 210 may easily cancel interference due to collision between different terminal devices having the same TBS, for example, through Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC), thereby improving performance.

An example pre-configuration of the CE-level PUR area will be discussed below with reference to fig. 5. In this example, PUR area 505 for the CE level is configured with a period 510, period 510 comprising a plurality of RUs 405. The period 510 is defined based on the maximum TBS of the CE level. That is, UL data having the largest TBS may be transmitted during the period 510. For example, based on equation (1), the reference start time point 515 is determined based on the period 510. In period 510, a plurality of candidate start time points 520-1, 520-2, 520-3 … 520-M (collectively candidate start time points 520, where M is a positive integer greater than 3) are defined based on the lowest TBS of the CE grade. Each candidate start time point 520 has a non-zero time offset relative to the reference start time point 515. As shown, there are two RUs 405 between two candidate start time points 520 for accommodating UL data with the smallest TBS.

The pre-configuration of PUR regions for different CE levels, such as time periods, reference start time points, and candidate time offsets, may be broadcast by the network device 210 in system information, such as System Information Blocks (SIBs). Network device 210 may broadcast the indication of the PUR region using any other broadcast message and the scope of the disclosure is not limited in this respect. In this way, all terminal devices within the coverage area of network device 210 may be aware of the PUR area.

If the PUR areas are configured periodically, a period of the PUR areas and a reference start time point may be indicated. If the PUR area includes the size of RU, the size may be indicated to the terminal device. These candidate time offsets may also be indicated if configured with a set of candidate time offsets with respect to a reference starting point in time that are predefined for PUR regions. The network device 210 may also broadcast other information about the PUR area configuration so that the terminal device may be aware of the PUR area configuration.

Still referring to fig. 3, at block 310, network device 210 detects uplink data in a plurality of PUR regions. The network device 210 can perform blind decoding only in these PUR areas, and thus decoding complexity can be reduced. In embodiments where a reference starting time point and a set of candidate time offsets are preconfigured for PUR, network device 210 may perform blind decoding only at the reference starting time point and all candidate starting time points having candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting time point, thereby further reducing decoding complexity.

In some example embodiments, the network device 210 may update the configuration of the PUR region based on the detection (e.g., decoding result) in the PUR region. For example, if the decoding failure rate remains high in the PUR area configured for CE levels, network device 210 may allocate more resources for a certain CE level. In this way, transmission collisions from one CE level terminal device can be further reduced, and system capacity and transmission efficiency can be further improved.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow chart of an example process 600 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 600 may be an example implementation of method 300 as shown in fig. 3. In particular, the operations or actions in block 605 and block 610 of process 600 are detailed implementations of the operations or actions in block 305 and block 310 in fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 6, at block 605, network device 210 broadcasts a PUR region to terminal devices in a SIB. The indication comprises a preconfigured reference start time point and all candidate start time points for each PUR area. At block 610, the network device 210 performs blind decoding at the reference start time point and the candidate start time point. In this example, network device 210 detects UL data from terminal device 220. At block 615, the network device 210 feeds back the decoding result to the terminal device 220.

At block 620, the network device 210 determines whether to update the pre-configuration of the PUR region based on the decoding result. If so, process 600 proceeds to block 605 where network device 210 broadcasts the updated PUR region. If not, the process 600 proceeds to block 610, where the network device 210 continues blind decoding at the reference start time point and the candidate start time point at block 610.

Based on the indication of the PUR region for each CE level from the network device 210, the terminal device 220 may perform UL data transmission in the PUR region based on its CE level. The operation and procedure at the terminal device 220 will be discussed with reference to fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700 according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be implemented at the terminal device 220 as shown in fig. 2. For discussion purposes, the method 700 will be described with reference to fig. 2.

At block 705, the terminal device 220 receives an indication of a plurality of PUR regions for UL data transmission from the network device 210, and each PUR region is predefined for one of a plurality of CE levels. For example, the terminal device 220 may receive a broadcast message, such as a SIB, from the network device 210 that carries the indication. In embodiments where RU sizes, periods, and/or reference start time points are configured for PUR regions, terminal device 220 may be aware of the relevant configuration of PUR regions based on the indication. In this way, the terminal device 220 will know the resource configuration of the PUR area for each CE level.

At block 710, the terminal device 220 selects a CE level from a plurality of CE levels. The CE level may be selected by the terminal device 220 in any suitable manner. In some example embodiments, the selection of CE level may be based on received signal strength. For example, the terminal device 220 may measure the strength of the broadcast signal from the network device 210. If the strength is relatively small, the terminal device 220 may determine the CE level using a configuration that may enhance signal transmission robustness.

At block 715, the terminal device 220 selects a PUR region from the plurality of PUR regions associated with the selected CE level. At block 720, the terminal device 220 transmits UL data in the selected PUR region. For example, in the case where the indication indicates the RU size, the period, and the reference start time point of the selected PUR region, the terminal device 220 may transmit UL data using the RU size within the period from the reference start time point.

In some example embodiments, if the indication indicates a set of candidate time offsets relative to a reference starting time point for the selected PUR region, the terminal device 220 may select a candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets based on the TBS to be used for UL data. The reference start time point may be considered as a candidate start time point with a zero time offset. For example, the terminal device 220 may select a TBS from a set of TBSs associated with the selected CE level based on the amount of UL data to be transmitted (or the pending UL data size). Based on the selected TBS, the terminal device 220 may select a candidate time offset to allow transmission of UL data with the selected TBS within the PUR region. In this way, transmission collisions of different terminal devices of the same CE level can be reduced, since UL resources used by different terminal devices can be dispersed in the time domain based on different amounts of data to be transmitted.

In some example embodiments, the data may be repeatedly transmitted in the selected PUR region. In this case, the candidate time offset may be selected to allow for all number of repetitions of transmitting data at the selected TBS before the selected PUR ends. If multiple candidate time offsets are determined, the terminal device 220 may select the candidate time offsets with equal probability to initiate UL data transmission.

Fig. 8 illustrates a flow chart of an example process 800 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 800 may be an example implementation of method 700 as shown in fig. 7. In particular, the operations or actions in

blocks

805, 810, 815 and 835 of process 800 are detailed implementations of blocks 705-720, respectively, of fig. 7.

At block 805, the terminal device 220 receives an indication of a preconfigured PUR region in the SIB. At block 810, the terminal device 220 selects a CE level based on the received signal measurements, selects a TBS based on the pending UL data size to be transmitted, and selects a number of repetitions based on the selected TBS. At block 815, the terminal device 220 selects a PUR region based on the selected CE level. In this example, UL data is repeatedly transmitted in the selected TBS. At block 820, the terminal device 220 calculates a candidate time offset based on the selected TBS. At block 825, the terminal device 220 determines if there is more than one candidate time offset. If so, at block 830, the terminal device 220 randomly selects one of the candidate time offsets with equal probability. At block 835, the terminal device 220 transmits UL data in the selected PUR region starting from the selected candidate time offset. If it is determined at block 825 that there is only one candidate time offset, process 800 proceeds to block 835 where transmission of UL data begins at block 835 from the candidate time offset.

All of the operations and features as described above with reference to fig. 2-6 are equally applicable to the method 700 and process 800 and have similar effects. Details will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

Fig. 9 illustrates an example process 900 of information exchange between a network device 210 and a terminal device 220 according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

In process 900, network device 210 (e.g., a gNB) broadcasts (905) PUR region configuration information in a SIB. The terminal device 220 selects 910 a CE level, a TBS and a repetition number. The terminal device 220 also selects (915) a CBS PUR region based on the selected CE level. The terminal device 220 also selects 920 a time offset. The terminal device 220 then transmits (925) UL data using the determined resources. The network device 210 sends 930 an acknowledgement (e.g., ACK) to the terminal device 220.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 300 or the method 700 may include means for performing the respective steps of the method 300 or the method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 300 includes: broadcasting, at the network device, an indication of a plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission, each of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions being predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels associated with the terminal device; and means for detecting uplink data in the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions may be periodically configured.

In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate at least a period and a reference start time point for at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions may include a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having the same resource unit size and being contiguous in the time domain. The indication may indicate at least a resource unit size for at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

In some example embodiments, the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions may be separated from one another.

In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate at least a reference starting time point predefined for a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions and a set of candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting time point. The means for detecting uplink data may include: means for detecting uplink data in the pre-configured uplink resource region starting from each of the reference starting point in time and the set of candidate time offsets.

In some example embodiments, the pre-configured uplink resource region may include a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having the same resource unit size and being contiguous in the time domain. At least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets may be indicated by a number of resource units.

In some example embodiments, at least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets may be indicated by a number of subframes or slots.

In some example embodiments, the set of candidate time offsets may be predefined based on a set of transport block sizes associated with a coverage enhancement level of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels related to a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions.

In some example embodiments, the indication may be broadcast in system information.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions may be contention-based.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for updating the configuration of the pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions based on the detection in the pre-configured uplink resource region.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 700 comprises: means for receiving, at a terminal device, an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission from a network device, each pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions being predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels; means for selecting a coverage enhancement level from a plurality of coverage enhancement levels; means for selecting a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions based on the selected coverage enhancement level; and means for transmitting uplink data in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region.

In some example embodiments, the indication may indicate at least a reference starting time point predefined for the selected preconfigured uplink resource region and a set of candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting time point. The means for transmitting uplink data may include: means for selecting a transport block size from a set of transport block sizes associated with the selected coverage enhancement level based on an amount of uplink data to be transmitted; means for selecting a candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets based on the selected transport block size; and means for transmitting uplink data in the selected pre-configured uplink resource region at the selected transport block size starting from the selected candidate time offset.

In some example embodiments, the selected preconfigured uplink resource region may include a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having the same resource unit size and being contiguous in the time domain. At least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets may be indicated by a number of resource units.

In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting uplink data at the selected transport block size may include: means for transmitting a number of repetitions of uplink data in the selected pre-configured uplink resource region at the selected transport block size starting with the selected candidate time offset.

In some example embodiments, the means for selecting a candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets may include: means for selecting a plurality of candidate time offsets from the set of candidate time offsets based on the selected transport block size; and means for selecting one of the plurality of candidate time offsets with equal probability.

Fig. 10 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 1000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the disclosure. Device 1000 may be implemented at network device 210 or terminal device 220 as shown in fig. 2.

As shown, the device 1000 includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, a communication module 1030 coupled to the processor 1010, and a communication interface (not shown) coupled to the communication module 1030. Memory 1020 stores at least program 1040. The communication module 1030 is used for bi-directional communication, for example, via multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication.

Program 1040 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by associated processor 1010, enable device 1000 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to fig. 2-9. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1010 of the device 1000, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1010 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Memory 1020 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Although only one memory 1020 is shown in device 1000, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in device 1000. The processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized to the master processor.

When device 1000 is acting as network device 210 or as part of network device 210, processor 1010 and communication module 1030 may cooperate to implement method 300 and process 600 as described above with reference to fig. 3-6. When device 1000 is acting as terminal device 220 or as part of terminal device 220, processor 1010 and communication module 1030 may cooperate to implement method 700 and process 800 as described above with reference to fig. 7 and 8. All the operations and features as described above with reference to fig. 2 to 9 are equally applicable to the device 1000 and have similar effects. Details will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

In general, the various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of the example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the

methods

300 and 700 and the

processes

600 and 800 as described above with reference to fig. 3-8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data types, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, a computer-readable medium.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Moreover, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while the above discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Various embodiments of the technology have been described. In addition to or in lieu of the foregoing, the following embodiments are described. The functionality described in any of the examples below may be used with other examples described herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

broadcasting, at a network device, an indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission, wherein the indication indicates at least a reference starting point in time that is predefined for a pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions, each pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions being predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels associated with a terminal device, and a set of candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting point in time;

Detecting uplink data in the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions and causing the device to detect the uplink data by: detecting the uplink data in the preconfigured uplink resource region starting from each of the reference starting point in time and the set of candidate time offsets; and

based on the detection in the pre-configured uplink resource region, a configuration of a pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is updated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is configured periodically.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication indicates at least a period of time and a reference start time point for at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

Wherein the indication indicates at least the resource unit size for the at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions are separated from one another.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the preconfigured uplink resource region comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

wherein at least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets is indicated by the number of resource units.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets is indicated by a number of subframes or slots.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of candidate time offsets is predefined based on a set of transport block sizes associated with the coverage enhancement level of the plurality of coverage enhancement levels related to the preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication is broadcast in system information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is contention-based.

11. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

receiving, at a terminal device, a broadcast indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission from a network device, each of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions being predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels; the indication indicates at least a reference starting point in time predefined for the selected preconfigured uplink resource region and a set of candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting point in time;

selecting a coverage enhancement level from the plurality of coverage enhancement levels;

Selecting a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions based on the selected coverage enhancement level; and

transmitting uplink data in a selected preconfigured uplink resource region, wherein the uplink data is transmitted in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region with a selected transport block size from a set of transport block sizes associated with the selected coverage enhancement level, starting with a selected candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets, wherein the transport block size is selected from the set of transport block sizes associated with the selected coverage enhancement level based on an amount of uplink data to be transmitted, and wherein the candidate time offset is selected from the set of candidate time offsets based on the selected transport block size.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is configured periodically.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the indication indicates at least a period of time and a reference start time point for at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions are separate from each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selected preconfigured uplink resource region comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets is indicated by a number of subframes or slots.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein transmitting the uplink data at the selected transport block size comprises:

starting from the selected candidate time offset, a number of repetitions of the uplink data are transmitted in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region at the selected transport block size.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is caused to select the candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets by:

selecting a plurality of candidate time offsets from the set of candidate time offsets based on the selected transport block size; and

one of the plurality of candidate time offsets is selected with equal probability.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the indication is broadcast in system information.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is contention-based.

22. A method for communication, comprising:

Detecting uplink data in the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions, and detecting the uplink data includes: detecting the uplink data in the preconfigured uplink resource region starting from each of the reference starting point in time and the set of candidate time offsets; and

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is configured periodically.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the indication indicates at least a period of time and a reference start time point for at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

Wherein the indication indicates at least a size of a set of resource units for the at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions are separated from one another.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the preconfigured uplink resource region comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

28. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets is indicated by a number of subframes or slots.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the set of candidate time offsets is predefined based on a set of transport block sizes associated with the coverage enhancement level of the plurality of coverage enhancement levels related to the preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the indication is broadcast in system information.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is contention-based.

32. A method for communication, comprising:

transmitting uplink data in a selected preconfigured uplink resource region, wherein the uplink data is transmitted in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region with a selected transport block size from a set of transport block sizes associated with the selected coverage enhancement level, starting with a selected candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets, and wherein a transport block size is selected from the set of candidate time offsets based on the amount of uplink data to be transmitted, and wherein the candidate time offset is selected from the set of candidate time offsets based on the selected transport block size.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is configured periodically.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication indicates at least a period of time and a reference start time point for at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions are separated from one another.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the selected preconfigured uplink resource region comprises a set of resource units, the resource units in the set of resource units having a same resource unit size and being contiguous in a time domain, and

38. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one candidate time offset in the set of candidate time offsets is indicated by a number of subframes or slots.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein transmitting the uplink data at the selected transport block size comprises:

starting from the selected candidate time offset, a number of repetitions of transmitting the uplink data at the selected transport block size in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region.

40. The method of claim 32, wherein selecting the candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets comprises:

41. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication is broadcast in system information.

42. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions is contention-based.

43. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

broadcasting, at a network device, an indication of a plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission, wherein the indication indicates at least a reference starting point in time that is predefined for a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions, each preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions being predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels associated with a terminal device, and a set of candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting point in time;

means for detecting uplink data in the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions, and means for detecting the uplink data comprises: means for detecting the uplink data in the preconfigured uplink resource zone starting from each of the reference starting point in time and the set of candidate time offsets; and

means for updating a configuration of a pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions based on the detection in the pre-configured uplink resource region.

44. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving, at a terminal device, a broadcast indication of a plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions for uplink data transmission from a network device, each pre-configured uplink resource region of the plurality of pre-configured uplink resource regions being predefined for one of a plurality of coverage enhancement levels associated with the terminal device; the indication indicates at least a reference starting point in time predefined for the selected preconfigured uplink resource region and a set of candidate time offsets relative to the reference starting point in time;

means for selecting a coverage enhancement level from the plurality of coverage enhancement levels;

means for selecting a preconfigured uplink resource region of the plurality of preconfigured uplink resource regions based on the selected coverage enhancement level; and

means for transmitting uplink data in a selected preconfigured uplink resource region, wherein the uplink data is transmitted in the selected preconfigured uplink resource region at a transport block size selected from a set of transport block sizes associated with the selected coverage enhancement level starting from a candidate time offset selected from the set of candidate time offsets, wherein the means for transmitting uplink data comprises: means for selecting a transport block size from a set of transport block sizes associated with the selected coverage enhancement level based on an amount of uplink data to be transmitted, and means for selecting a candidate time offset from the set of candidate time offsets based on the selected transport block size.

45. A computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 22 to 31.

46. A computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 32 to 42.