EP4690955A1

EP4690955A1 - Switching communication paths in communicating between nodes

Info

Publication number: EP4690955A1
Application number: EP24712600.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Claude Arzelier; Kai-Erik Sunell; Takayuki Shimizu; John Kenney; Hongsheng Lu; Onur Altintas; Prajwal KESHAVAMURTHY; Diomidis Michalopoulos; Taylan SAHIN; Mikko Saily; Faranaz SABOURI-SICHANI; Anastasios KAKKAVAS; Stepan Kucera
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2023-04-05
Filing date: 2024-02-27
Publication date: 2026-02-11
Also published as: CN121220108A; WO2024209838A1

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatuses, and systems for communicating between nodes. The method includes: communicating from a first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path; switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers; and communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.

Description

SWITCHING COMMUNICATION PATHS IN COMMUNICATING BETWEEN NODES

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/457,200, filed on April 5, 2023, entitled “ACTIVATION, SWITCHING AND COMBINATION OF SYSTEMS AND REFERENCE POINTS,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

Field

Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate generally to communications, more specifically, methods, systems, and devices for communicating between nodes on a communication path and switching communication paths based on one or more triggers.

Background

Network-Device communication is used when a node (which, as used herein, includes (and is also referred to as) a device, a handset, a user equipment (UE), a mobile device, a road side unit, or a network infrastructure device) is under the coverage of a network. The node uses network infrastructure, network-to-device interfaces, and device-to-network interfaces. The interfaces can be physical (e.g., wired) or wireless interfaces within the network or radio wireless interfaces between the network and the device. As used herein, the term “network-to-device” makes no restrictive assumption on the direction used (i.e., the transmitter and the receiver in the communication), and covers communications from the network to the device and/or from the device to the network.

Device-to-Device communication may be used for direct communication between devices (or UEs), possibly without the need to have any of the UEs under coverage of a network. This is used, for example, for vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a general term used to describe any satellite system that provides positioning. Examples of GNSS include Global Positioning System (GPS), the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System in China (BDS), Galileo in Europe, GLONASS in the Russian Federation, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) / Navigation Indian Constellation (NavIC) in India, or Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) in Japan. Each of the terms “GNSS-to-Device” and “GNSS-to-network” does not make any restrictive assumption on the communication direction used, and covers both directions.

Summary

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for communicating between nodes. The method includes communicating from a first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a GNSS-to-network path; switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the GNSS-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers; and communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a first node. The first node includes a memory configured to store instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to: communicate from the first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a GNSS-to-network path; switch, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the GNSS-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switch is based on one or more triggers; and communicate from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node in a communication network to perform a method. The method includes communicating from the first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a GNSS-to-network path; switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the GNSS-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers; and communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a user plane protocol stack for 5G access stratum, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control plane protocol stack for 5G, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of core network interfaces for 5G, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a user plane protocol stack for LTE access stratum, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control plane protocol stack for LTE access stratum, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of core network interfaces for LTE, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram of a 3GPP New Radio (NR) sidelink mode 2 resource allocation, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram of a 3GPP NR sidelink mode 1 resource allocation, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram of LTE positioning protocol as used in LTE or NR, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram of a first example of switching between communication paths, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram of a second example of switching between communication paths, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for evaluating one or more triggers received in connection with switching a communication path or transmitting on a combination of communication paths, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for communicating between nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a UE, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods consistent with aspects related to the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
Network-Device communication and Network-Device interfaces
One interface for an access stratum (or radio interface) is the Uu interface, for the example of 3GPP. For the example of 3GPP 5G, this is known as the new radio (NR) interface for the access stratum, or the 5G N1 interface for non-access stratum interface. Figs. 1 and 2 summarize some layers used for 5G for the network-device interfaces, between a UE and a base station (e.g., gNB, which is a 5G Node B, the radio access network node for 5G NR).
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a user plane protocol stack 100 for the 5G access stratum, showing communication layers between a UE 102 and a gNB 104. The layers include a physical (PHY) layer 110a, 110b; a medium access control (MAC) layer 112a, 112b; a radio link control (RLC) layer 114a, 114b; a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 116a, 116b; and a service data adaption protocol (SDAP) layer 118a, 118b.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control plane protocol stack 200 for 5G, showing communication layers between a UE 202, a gNB 204, and an access and mobility management function (AMF) 206. The layers include a PHY layer 210a, 210b; a MAC layer 212a, 212b; a RLC layer 214a, 214b; a PDCP layer 216a, 216b; a radio resource control (RRC) layer 218a, 218b; and a non-access stratum (NAS) layer 220a, 220b.
One interface used for the example of 5G Core Network - Device interface is the N1 interface, as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram 300 of core network interfaces for 5G. Fig. 3 shows the various network interfaces between the entities in the core network, including an AMF 302, a network slice selection function (NSSF) 304, an authentication server function (AUSF) 306, a network slice-specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF) 308, a unified data management (UDM) function 310, a session management function (SMF) 312, a policy control function (PCF) 314, an application function (AF) 316, a UE 318, a radio access network (RAN) 320, a user plane function (UPF) 322, and a data network (DN) 324.
Turning to an example of 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution), for the access stratum / radio, the network interface used is the LTE-Uu interface, or E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) interface. Figs. 4 and 5 summarize some layers used for the LTE-Uu interface for the Network-Device scenario, between a UE and an eNB (Evolved Node B, the radio access network node for LTE).
Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a user plane protocol stack 400 for the LTE access stratum, showing communication layers between a UE 402 and an eNB 404. The layers include a PHY layer 410a, 410b; a MAC layer 412a, 412b; a RLC layer 414a, 414b; and a PDCP layer 416a, 416b.
Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a control plane protocol stack 500 for the LTE access stratum, showing communication layers between a UE 502, an eNB 504, and a mobility management entity (MME) 506, which is part of the LTE Core Network (or Evolved Packet Core (EPC)). The layers include a PHY layer 510a, 510b; a MAC layer 512a, 512b; an RLC layer 514a, 514b; a PDCP layer 516a, 516b; an RRC layer 518a, 518b; and a NAS layer 520a, 520b.
Some of the interfaces used for the example of LTE Core Network - Device interface are the S1-MME and S1-U interfaces, as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram 600 of core interfaces for LTE. Fig. 6 shows the various network interfaces between the entities in the core network, including a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) 602, a global system for mobile communication (GSM) enhanced data for GSM evolution (EDGE) radio access network (GERAN) 604, a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) 606, a MME 608, a home subscriber server (HSS) 610, a UE 612, an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) 614, a serving gateway 616, a packet data network (PDN) gateway 618, a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) 620, and an operator’s IP services 622.
Device-to-Device communication and Device-to-Device interfaces
Turning to the example of 3GPP, device-to-device communication uses the PC5 interface for 5G and LTE, which includes a direct radio interface and protocols between UEs. For this, the LTE and NR technologies are re-used (with some modifications) without traversing any network node.
For the example of 3GPP NR, direct device-to-device communication is used via sidelink communication with mode 2, as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram of a 3GPP NR sidelink mode 2 resource allocation 700, showing communications between a network 702, a transmitting (Tx) UE 704 and a receiving (Rx) UE 706. In mode 2, the network 702 can provide some general configuration information about some resource pool(s) in advance to use, for example by sending RRC configurations from the network 702 to the Tx UE 704. In some embodiments, this may be done via pre-configurations in the Tx UE 704. At the time of the transmission, the Tx UE 704 is not connected to the network (neither is the Rx UE 706). The Tx UE 704 performs some autonomous sensing and resource selection to find the time and frequency resources to use for the transmission to the Rx UE 706. The equivalent of the NR sidelink mode 2 for LTE sidelink is LTE sidelink mode 4.
It is also possible to use 3GPP NR sidelink device-to-device communication with scheduling controlled by the network with a dynamic grant and/or a configured grant. In this case, the Tx UE needs to be under the coverage of the network. This may be done via NR sidelink mode 1 resource allocation, as shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram of a 3GPP NR sidelink mode 1 resource allocation 800, showing communications between a network 802, a Tx UE 804 and a Rx UE 806. In mode 1, the scheduling grant provided by the network 802 to the Tx UE 804 informs the Tx UE 804 of the time and frequency resources to use for the transmission to the Rx UE 806.
GNSS-to-Device communication and GNSS-to-Device interfaces
GNSS-to-Device communication is used to derive information such as timings, which in turn allows geographical positions to be determined. Although this relies on the GNSS-to-Device signal, this may use signaling to the network, via the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), as shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram of the LPP protocol 900 as used in LTE or NR, showing communication between a target device 902, a location server 904, a first reference source 906, and a second reference source 908. The term “GNSS-to-Device interface” includes a GNSS-to-UE signal.
The target device 902 may include a UE. The location server 904 may include an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC), a location management function (LMF), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). The first reference source 906 may include an eNodeB or a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN). The second reference source 908 may include one or more satellites.
The first reference source 906 may provide LTE or NR radio signals to the target device 902. The second reference source 908 may provide GNSS signals to the target device 902. The target device 902 may provide measurements for the LTE or NR radio signals, the GNSS signals, a combination of the two signals, or additional location information to the location server 904. The location server 904 may provide assistance data to the target device 902 to assist the target device in determining its location.
Communication Paths
Some existing communications standards address different communications interfaces (also referred to herein as communication paths), but none of the standards address switching between the different communication interfaces/paths.
For example, ETSI Technical Specification (TS) 103 831 (Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS); Vehicular Communications; Basic Set of Applications; Decentralized Environmental Notification Service) is source agnostic, and specifies in its scope that “The DEN basic service may be implemented in a vehicle ITS-S, a road side ITS-S, a personal ITS-S or a central ITS-S.”
For example, ETSI TS 103 301 (Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS); Vehicular Communications; Basic Set of Applications; Facilities layer protocols and communication requirements for infrastructure services) focuses on one path/interface, indicating in its scope that this is “to support communication between infrastructure ITS equipment and traffic participant using ITS equipment (e.g. vehicles, pedestrians).”
For example, 3GPP TS 23.285 (Architecture enhancements for V2X services) mentions procedures for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication over the PC5 reference point and procedures for V2X communication over the LTE-Uu reference point, but does not provide details as to which reference point to choose.
For example, 3GPP TS 24.386 (UE to V2X control function; Protocol aspects) mentions procedures for V2X communication over the PC5 reference point and procedures for V2X communication over the LTE-Uu reference point, but does not provide details as to which reference point to choose.
For example, 3GPP TS 24.587 (Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) services in 5G System (5GS); Stage 3) mentions procedures for V2X communication over the PC5 reference point and procedures for V2X communication over the LTE-Uu reference point, but does not provide details as to which reference point to choose.
For example, 3GPP TS 23.122 (Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) functions related to Mobile Station (MS) in idle mode) mentions that it is possible to “perform V2X communication over PC5 on the selected PLMN in limited service state,” but does not provide further details on whether to perform V2X services over the PC5 interface or the Uu interface.
For example, 5GAA TS S-180175 (C-ITS communication system profile using cellular Uu interface) focuses, as its title suggests, on the scenario “when long-range cellular Uu communication is used.”
The present disclosure relates to switching between systems or communication interfaces/paths. Some embodiments may provide for communication across multiple interfaces at the same time. Some different systems and interfaces which may be used as examples are the network-to-device interface, the device-to-device interface, or the GNSS-to-device interface. In some embodiments, triggers may be defined and used in the decision associated with switching between interfaces and/or transmitting across multiple interfaces. Switching between communication paths allows the “best” system, interface, or reference point to be selected based on various criteria, such as cost; availability of one or more systems, interfaces, or reference points; etc.
In the example of device positioning, when a mobile device is out of network coverage, it may benefit from using sidelink positioning, so that the device may still be able to determine its geographical location. When there is no GNSS coverage (for example, no GPS coverage), the device may still be able to obtain its positioning via network positioning. If the accuracy of one system is better than the accuracy of the others (and possibly if this accuracy is required), the device may use this system or interface as a starting or default mode. Other criteria may impact the default mode used, for example, the relative cost of using each system or interface, e.g., which one is the least expensive (or potentially free).
In another example, a mobile device may switch to sidelink communications when there is a network issue. Another potential advantage is, for example, to avoid a situation where the UE remains “stuck in mode 1” (i.e., sidelink mode 1), if the device was configured or pre-configured to use mode 1 and successive radio link failures with the network occur.
Fig. 10 is a diagram of a first example 1000 of switching between communication paths/interfaces, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 represents aggregated examples of three systems, for example, a Uu interface 1002, a sidelink (SL) interface 1004, and a GNSS interface 1006. The principles of operation described herein may switch between more or fewer systems than those described herein without changing how the embodiments operate. Triggers for switching between the interfaces 1002, 1004, and 1006 may be defined.
Some potential triggers that may be used in the switching process include, but are not limited to: Uu coverage (e.g., the UE is out of network coverage, or is in network coverage), GNSS coverage, Uu radio link failure, sidelink radio link failure, network cell barred, sidelink congestion level, Uu congestion level, a number of surrounding UEs supporting sidelink, a number of surrounding UEs with a sidelink connection to the UE, accuracy required or accuracy supported by each system or interface, or latency required or latency supported by each system or interface.
The one or more triggers used do not need to be the same for each switching path. In some embodiments, the triggers may be chosen in a symmetrical way. For example, switching the communication path from the Uu interface to the sidelink interface may use a trigger of out of network coverage and the symmetrical switching of the communication path from the sidelink interface to the Uu interface may use a symmetrical trigger of in network coverage.
Each of the potential triggers may also use thresholds, for the triggers where a threshold could be applied. For example, a threshold may be applied for a trigger based on Uu congestion level, in that a switch is triggered if the Uu congestion level is above a predetermined threshold. As another example, a threshold would not be applied to a trigger that is a binary (e.g., yes or no) condition, such as whether the UE is out of network coverage.
As an example, switching may be used for providing information on a road accident. The default or initial system or interface used for this type of signaling may be the Uu interface, in one embodiment. For example, it may be more resource efficient that the UE uses the Uu interface instead of the sidelink interface for this type of signaling, because the Uu interface uses only one hop to the network, rather than involving the transmission of many UEs (e.g., vehicles) via sidelink communications if the information is meant to be provided to a UE located several miles away (e.g., needing multiple hops from the initially communicating UE to the target UE). When there is no network coverage, if a network issue is detected (for example, a radio link failure is detected), and/or the cell becomes barred, then the UE would switch to the sidelink interface. When one or more of the issues disappears or upon one or more other specific triggers (for example, reflecting the opposite condition), then the UE could switch to the Uu interface.
In some embodiments, the switching criteria may include a hysteresis dimension to avoid frequent ping-pong effects from switching between systems or interfaces. Instead of, or in addition to, the criteria, a timer may be used to avoid too frequent switching. For example, a timer may be started when the communication paths are switched, and the UE does not make another switch (or does not switch back to the prior path) if the timer is not expired. In an embodiment, the trigger condition is only evaluated if the required accuracy of the existing connection (e.g., for positioning information or for the quality of service (QoS) of the communication path in use) is not achieved, to avoid an unnecessary switch.
In some embodiments, a combination of communication interfaces may be used to send a message or a packet. For example, a UE in a vehicle may provide information that a car crash just happened using both the Uu interface and the sidelink interface. It may be desirable to use a combination of communication interfaces because some surrounding UEs may be equipped with the Uu interface, but not the sidelink interface. Using the direct sidelink communication takes advantage of its lower latency. After a duration (for example, a few seconds), the UE may switch to the Uu interface only, for example for providing more detailed information about the car crash. In other embodiments, other combinations of interfaces are possible, including switching between the interfaces.
In one embodiment, to preserve session continuity, that is, to deliver the most accurate positioning information to the original requesting node (e.g., location services (LCS) client of the target UE, AMF, location management function (LFM)) under the same session identifier (ID) independently from the positioning technology (e.g., legacy Uu positioning, GNSS, PC5-only positioning), dependent positioning requests may be triggered to feed into the original (independent) session. For example, for a network induced location request (NI-LR) or a mobile terminated location request (MT-LR), the target UE may be commanded to trigger its own mobile originated location request (MO-LR) to its own GNSS interface and then use this information to provide positioning information to the LMF within the original NI-LR or MT-LR session. The LMF may then compare the positioning information from both sessions and use the more accurate result. In case of an MO-LR, the target UE would be the managing node and would compare GNSS inputs with inputs provided from the LMF.
Adding the example of transitions and combinations to the embodiment shown in
Fig. 10 would lead to the embodiment shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram of a second example 1100 of switching between communication paths, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 11 represents aggregated examples of different systems, for example, a Uu interface 1102, a sidelink (SL) interface 1104, a GNSS interface 1106, and a combination Uu interface and SL interface 1108. Triggers for switching between the interfaces 1102-1108 may be defined.
Other embodiments include switching to and from sidelink UE autonomous resource selection mode and sidelink network resource allocation mode. This reflects, for the example of sidelink NR, switching to and from sidelink resource allocation mode 2 and sidelink resource allocation mode 1 described elsewhere in this disclosure (see, e.g., Figs. 7 and 8).
One advantage of switching from mode 1 to mode 2 is to allow services if the network has issues. In mode 1, since the scheduling is performed by the network, if a network issue (e.g., out of network coverage, etc.) happens, then the UE may remain stuck in mode 1 (because the scheduling is performed by the network) and be prevented from communicating with another UE until falling back to an exceptional resource pool.
Another reason for switching between mode 1 and mode 2 may be to save a battery charge in some cases. For example, in a battery-powered device (e.g., a pedestrian’s mobile device or an electric vehicle). Therefore, the fact that the UE is a pedestrian’s device, an electric vehicle, or more generally a UE requiring power saving, may be used as a trigger in switching from mode 1 to mode 2 or vice versa (or its equivalent modes for LTE or 6G, for example). This may be performed autonomously in the device or the network may indicate a change of mode (for example, change to mode 1, and/or change to mode 2) based on some information received by the network from the device (e.g., UE capabilities or the UE’s battery level).
Another trigger used in the switch (instead of or in addition to other conditions or triggers) is that the UE is in the process of receiving resource allocation information from the network in addition to another trigger (for example, a network issue), such as receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) allocation for the example of sidelink NR.
Another switch may happen if the UE is in sidelink autonomous mode (resource allocation mode 2 for the example of NR), and in the process of receiving radio resource control (RRC) configurations from the network in addition to another trigger (for example, a network issue). In this example, the UE may remain in sidelink autonomous mode (resource allocation mode 2 for the example of NR), and switch to using the previous RRC configurations. This would allow the UE to perform the sidelink communication.
Other triggers that may be used include criteria that already exist and are used for other purposes. For example, in 3GPP TS 38.331 for the UE to move from RRC Connected mode to RRC Idle mode, the UE performs RRC re-establishment, or is reconfigured to handover to a new cell or node. The triggers in this scenario may include, but are not limited to: Radio Link Failure, detection of physical layer problem, reconfiguration with sync failure, upon receiving a number of consecutive “out-of-sync” indications, upon receiving a number of consecutive “in-sync” indications, a random access problem (e.g., an indication) received from a medium access control (MAC) layer or entity, a number of RLC retransmissions has been reached, a consistent uplink listen before talk (LBT) failure (e.g., indication) from the MAC layer or entity, expiry of a timer started upon receiving a number of consecutive “out-of-sync” indications and stopped upon receiving a number of consecutive “in-sync” indications (for example, this timer could be T310 from 3GPP TS 38.331), or expiry of a timer started upon triggering a measurement report and stopped upon receiving a number of consecutive “in-sync” indications (for example, this timer could be T312 from 3GPP TS 38.331).
In other embodiments, the device history may be used as a criterion and may be combined with one or more other criteria. For example, if the UE has experienced a certain number of issues within a predetermined time duration, then this could be considered as a valid criterion for activation, switching, and/or combination of communication paths. The issues or triggers may be the same as those described elsewhere in this disclosure.
In another embodiment, the location of the UE, its velocity, and/or its direction may be used as triggers for the switch. In another embodiment, the knowledge about the location of the UE may be contextual, e.g., the UE is on a highway. In another embodiment, the predicted location of the UE at a specific subsequent instant of time may be the trigger. For example, a UE leaving an urban environment and entering a highway may switch from Uu positioning to GNSS positioning. In another example, a UE entering a tunnel on a highway may switch from GNSS positioning to sidelink positioning.
In other embodiments, whether or not assistance information is available from the location server (see, for example, Fig. 9) may be used as a potential trigger. In other embodiments, the quantity and/or frequency of assistance information from the location server may be used as a trigger (with potentially use of thresholds).
In another embodiment, a request from another UE for a service may be used as trigger. For example, in an out of network coverage scenario, a UE might receive a request from another UE to act as anchor in a sidelink absolute positioning session. In another variant of this embodiment, the UE with an active positioning session may experience a radio link failure causing loss of connection to the LMF. This may act as a trigger for the UE to switch to GNSS positioning to acquire position information. In another embodiment, one or more conditions for using a system or interface may be defined, with no need of transition.
In another embodiment, a priority may be defined for using each of the systems or interfaces. The system or interface with the highest priority would be used when available or when its corresponding criteria are fulfilled. One or more criteria could be associated with the use of each system or interface. If the criteria are valid for more than one system or interface, then the system or interface with a highest priority may be used.
Information (e.g., priority or criteria) for configuring this behavior may be provided to the UE via signaling. This signaling may be provided from the network or from another UE. For example, the information may be provided via the Uu interface or via the sidelink interface. This may use the RRC protocol and/or a MAC-CE (control element) information as examples. Any of the already-defined constants and timers for Radio Link Failure (RLF) or Handover Failure may be used directly and extended to be applied by the UE to switch between using the 3GPP network (e.g., a gNB), a GNSS node, or another UE (e.g., in coverage or not of a gNB and/or GNSS). In an embodiment, constants and timers may be configured and may use the RRC protocol, for the example of 3GPP NR. In another embodiment, the configuration information may be conveyed to the UE by the LTE Positioning Protocol.
The configuration information may be provided to the UE by pre-configuration in the Mobile Equipment (ME) or in the USIM. For example, the configuration information may be uploaded to the USIM from the Home PLMN over the air via SIM Toolkit.
In order to discriminate that different messages (possibly originating from different sources, for example LPP from the network and sidelink LPP from another UE) refer to a same application and hence may be considered in the switching, an application identifier (ID) may be provided in the signaling. In case of nested (parallel) sessions, one embodiment also provisions a session ID. Ideally, the dependency of individual sessions is clearly indicated (e.g., by hierarchical session IDs) or implicitly managed (e.g., at the LMF). When the root session is terminated, then any dependent sub-sessions are also terminated and all resources are freed. Sub-session termination does not imply the termination of any parent session. The input from sub-sessions may be also shared among parent sessions.
In one example, the switch and/or combination may apply to positioning methods from different systems, e.g., between Network-to-Device and GNSS-to-Device. In another example, the switch and/or combination may apply to positioning methods within the same system, for example within GNSS-to-Device (for example, between the Round-Trip-Time (RTT) method and the Observed-Time-Difference-Of-Arrival (OTDOA) method). In case of multiple positioning processes within the 3GPP radio access technology (RAT), positioning reference signal (PRS) resources and measurement reports may be shared, for example by tagging individual PRS measurements by sub-session and/or session ID associated with this resource. In this way, the PRS usage and reporting overhead is reduced. Alternatively, if only a single session ID is permissible per measurement report (legacy behavior), duplicate measurement reports may provide a pointer or link to some other previous measurement to indicate the duplicate nature of the report.
In other embodiments, another UE or the network (e.g., the gNB) may provide information to the UE which would allow the UE to decide whether a switch, activation, or combination is useful. This could relate to some triggers described above, or could relate to some more direct information as to which system to activate, to switch to, and/or combine. For example, a UE may broadcast such information to the surrounding UEs. This would allow another UE receiving this information to anticipate the activation, switch, or combination. For example, a UE experiencing interruption or degradation may announce the interruption or degradation to its surrounding UEs so that other UEs become aware of the problem before they experience it. For example, a vehicle approaching a tunnel may switch from Uu positioning to sidelink positioning. A UE may inform the LMF about the problem, or about the expected problem if it has determined the problem itself or received information about the problem from another UE or the network (e.g., the gNB). In turn, the LMF may provide this information to other UEs. The speed, location, and/or direction of this other UE may be used in the decision process. Consequently, other UEs receiving this information may proactively establish required procedures to switch their positioning and/or communication interfaces, hence allowing graceful degradation of their ongoing services before experiencing any expected interruptions, or hence avoiding degradation.
Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a method 1200 for evaluating one or more triggers received in connection with switching a communication path or transmitting on a combination of communication paths, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method 1200 may be performed by a first node in communication with a second node.
The method 1200 includes a step 1202 of the first node communicating with the second node on a first communication path. For example, the first node may communicate with the second node via the Uu interface.
The method 1200 includes a step 1204 of receiving at least one trigger at the first node. The at least one trigger may include any one or more of the triggers described elsewhere in this disclosure. The step 1204 is optional. The at least one trigger may be known at the first node without being explicitly received. For example, the at least one trigger may be hard-coded from the 3GPP Technical Specifications. Therefore, other variants of step 1204 may include assessing the at least one trigger instead of receiving the at least one trigger. In another embodiment, step 1204 may not be used.
The method 1200 includes a step 1206 of determining whether the at least one trigger indicates a switch to a second communication path. On a condition that the at least one trigger indicates a switch to a second communication path (step 1206, “yes” branch), the method 1200 includes a step 1208 of switching, by the first node, the communication path between the first node and the second node from the first communication path to the second communication path. For example, the first node may switch from a first communication path over the Uu interface to a second communication path over the sidelink interface. In some embodiments, the first node may automatically switch the communication path from the first communication path to the second communication path (e.g., with any additional input such as from an individual or another device). After step 1208, the method 1200 may return to step 1202 (in some embodiments) or may proceed to step 1210 (in other embodiments). The options for the next step to be performed after step 1208 are shown by dashed lines to indicate that either option is possible.
On a condition that the at least one trigger does not indicate a switch to a second communication path (step 1206, “no” branch), the method 1200 includes a step 1210 of determining whether the at least one trigger indicates that a transmission should occur on a combined communication path. On a condition that the at least one trigger indicates that a transmission should occur on a combined communication path (step 1210, “yes” branch), the method 1200 includes a step 1212 of communicating from the first node to the second node on both the first communication path and the second communication path. For example, the first node may be currently communicating with the second node over the first communication path (e.g., the Uu interface) and may also communicate with the second node over the second communication path (e.g., the sidelink interface). On a condition that the at least one trigger does not indicate that a transmission should occur on a combined communication path (step 1210, “no” branch), the method 1200 returns to step 1202 as described above.
The method 1200 shown in Fig. 12 is one possible example embodiment. In another example embodiment, the method 1200 may be modified such that step 1210 is performed before step 1206. In another example embodiment, all the criteria are evaluated without a specific order between switching or combination.
In another embodiment, the methods described above can be applied to non-terrestrial networks (e.g., high-altitude platform station (HAPS), uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), low-earth orbit (LEO), medium-earth orbit (MEO), geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, etc.) in addition to or instead of GNSS satellites and terrestrial networks.
Any embodiments (two or more) described in this document may be used in combination. For this combination, any logical elements could be used, such as “or,” “and,” and/or “exclusive or.”
Although the examples described in this document refer to 3GPP LTE, 3GPP NR, 3GPP LTE Sidelink, and 3GPP NR Sidelink, other technologies are possible, for example 3GPP 6G or IEEE 802.11.
At least three types (Type A, Type B, and Type C) of devices are considered in this disclosure. A Type A device includes a module for a first sidelink communication and a module for a second sidelink communication. A Type B device only includes a module for the first sidelink communication. A Type C device only include a module for the second sidelink communication. For example, in an embodiment, a Type A device includes both LTE sidelink and NR sidelink modules; a Type B device only includes an NR sidelink module; and a Type C device only includes an LTE sidelink module.
In some embodiments, the method 1200 may be performed by a Type A device, a Type B device, or a Type C device.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method 1300 for communicating between nodes, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
The method 1300 includes a step 1302 of communicating from a first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a GNSS-to-network path. The first node and the second node may each be a mobile device, a user equipment, a road side unit, or a network infrastructure device.
In some embodiments, the one or more triggers include one or more of: the first node is in network coverage; the first node is out of network coverage; the first node is in GNSS coverage; the first node is out of GNSS coverage; a radio link failure; on a condition that a network cell is barred; on a condition of network failure; on a condition that a radio interface congestion level one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below a congestion threshold; a number of surrounding nodes supporting sidelink communications; a number of surrounding nodes with a sidelink communication connection to the first node; an accuracy of one or more radio interfaces, including accuracy of positioning information received via one or more radio interfaces or a quality of service of one or more radio interfaces; a latency of one or more radio interfaces; a battery level of the first node; detection of a physical layer problem; reconfiguration with a sync failure; on a condition that a number of consecutive out-of-sync indications are received by the first node; on a condition that a number of consecutive in-sync indications are received by the first node; on a condition that a random access problem indication is received by the first node from a medium access control layer; on a condition that a number of radio link control retransmissions has been reached; on a condition that a consistent uplink listen before talk failure indication is received from the medium access control layer; upon expiration of a timer; a location of the first node; a velocity of the first node; a direction of movement of the first node; upon receiving a request from another node for a service to be provided by the first node; the first node requires power saving; the first node is in the process of receiving a configuration over a radio interface; the first node is in the process of receiving a resource allocation over a radio interface; or a type of the first node, such as the first node is a type of node that is carried by a pedestrian, a type of node that is fixed in a vehicle (for example, an electric vehicle (e.g., battery electric vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or fuel cell electric vehicle) or a non-electric vehicle), or an other type of node.
In some embodiments, some or all of the one or more triggers relate to sidelink communications. In some embodiments, the one or more triggers are received by the first node.
In some embodiments, the first node is any one of: a mobile device, a user equipment, a road side unit, or a network infrastructure device, such as an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF), or an other network infrastructure device.
The method 1300 includes a step 1304 of switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the GNSS-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers. The triggers may include various statuses or conditions, as described elsewhere in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the trigger may have an associated threshold and the switching is performed on a condition that a criterion associated with the trigger exceeds, reaches, or falls below the associated threshold.
In some embodiments, the switching is performed only if a required quality of service related with the first communication path is not achieved. In some embodiments, some or all of the one or more triggers have an associated threshold and the switching is performed on a condition that a criterion associated with the one or more triggers one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below the associated threshold.
In some embodiments, the first communication path and the second communication path are used for device positioning.
In some embodiments, the switching is performed only if a required positioning accuracy related with the first communication path is not achieved.
In some embodiments, the switching is further based on a device history of the first node and the device history includes a number of triggers that had become valid within a predetermined period of time. In some embodiments, the number of triggers becoming valid further includes one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
In some embodiments, the switching is performed on a condition that the number of triggers becomes valid within a predetermined period of time. In some embodiments, the number of triggers becoming valid further comprises one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
The method 1300 includes a step 1306 of communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.
In some embodiments, the switching further includes switching the first node from the first communication path to the second communication path based on a first set of triggers. In some embodiments, the switching further includes switching the first node from the second communication path to the first communication path based on a second set of triggers. In some embodiments, the first set of triggers and the second set of triggers may be symmetrical depending on the direction of switching. In some embodiments, the first set of triggers and the second set of triggers may be asymmetrical depending on the direction of switching. In some embodiments, the first set of triggers and the second set of triggers may include a hysteresis between values associated with the direction of switching.
In some embodiments, the method 1300 further includes setting a timer after switching from the first communication path to the second communication path is completed and the first node is prevented from switching to an other communication path until the timer expires. In an example, the other communication path may be the first communication path. In an example, the other communication path may be the second communication path.
In some embodiments, the method 1300 further includes activating the second communication path based on the one or more triggers. In some embodiments, the method 1300 further includes communicating from the first node to the second node on both the first communication path and the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a UE 1400, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The UE 1400 can be a Type A, Type B, Type C, or any other type of UE. UE 1400 may be mounted in a moving vehicle or in a fixed position. UE 1400 may take any form, including but not limited to, a vehicle, a component mounted in a vehicle, a road-side unit, a laptop computer, a wireless terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, or wireless personal device, or any other form. Referring to FIG. 14, the UE 1400 may include antenna 1402 that may be used for transmission or reception of electromagnetic signals to/from a base station or other UEs. The antenna 1402 may include one or more antenna elements and may enable different input-output antenna configurations, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration, multiple input single output (MISO) configuration, and single input multiple output (SIMO) configuration. In some embodiments, the antenna 1402 may include multiple (e.g., tens or hundreds) antenna elements and may enable multi-antenna functions such as beamforming. In some embodiments, the antenna 1402 is a single antenna.
The UE 1400 may include a transceiver 1404 that is coupled to the antenna 1402. The transceiver 1404 may be a wireless transceiver at the UE 1400 and may communicate bi-directionally with a base station or other UEs. For example, the transceiver 1404 may receive/transmit wireless signals from/to a base station via downlink/uplink communication. The transceiver 1404 may also receive/transmit wireless signals from/to another UE or RSU via sidelink communication. The transceiver 1404 may include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 1402 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna 1402.
The UE 1400 may include a memory 1406. The memory 1406 may be any type of computer-readable storage medium including volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, non-transitory computer storage media. A non-transitory storage medium may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Examples of non-transitory storage medium include, but are not limited to, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, etc. A non-transitory medium may be used to carry or store desired program code means (e.g., instructions and/or data structures) and may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In some examples, the software/program code may be transmitted from a remote source (e.g., a website, a server, etc.) using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. In such examples, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are within the scope of the definition of medium. Combinations of the above examples are also within the scope of computer-readable medium.
The memory 1406 may store information related to identities of device 1400 and the signals and/or data received by antenna 1402. The memory 1406 may also store post-processing signals and/or data. The memory 1406 may also store computer-readable program instructions, mathematical models, and algorithms that are used in signal processing in transceiver 1404 and computations in processor 1408. The memory 1406 may further store computer-readable program instructions for execution by processor 1408 to operate UE 1400 to perform various functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the memory 1406 may include a basic input/output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices. In some embodiments, the UE 1400 is a Type A UE and the memory 1406 includes both LTE SL and NR SL modules. In some embodiments, the UE 1400 is a Type B UE and the memory 1406 includes an NR SL module only. In some embodiments, the UE 1400 is a Type C UE and the memory 1406 includes an LTE SL module only.
The computer-readable program instructions of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language, and conventional procedural programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on a computing device as a stand-alone software package, or partly on a first computing device and partly on a second computing device remote from the first computing device. In the latter scenario, the second, remote computing device may be connected to the first computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).
The UE 1400 may include a processor 1408 that may include a hardware device with processing capabilities. The processor 1408 may include at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or other programmable logic device. Examples of the general-purpose processor include, but are not limited to, a microprocessor, any conventional processor, a controller, a microcontroller, or a state machine. In some embodiments, the processor 1408 may be implemented using a combination of devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). The processor 1408 may receive, from transceiver 1404, downlink signals or sidelink signals and further process the signals. The processor 1408 may also receive, from transceiver 1404, data packets and further process the packets. In some embodiments, the processor 1408 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In some embodiments, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1408. The processor 1408 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1406) to cause the UE 1400 to perform various functions.
The UE 1400 may include a global positioning system (GPS) 1410. The GPS 1410 may be used for enabling location-based services or other services based on a geographical position of the UE 1400 and/or synchronization. The GPS 1410 may receive global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals from a single satellite or a plurality of satellite signals via the antenna 1402 and provide a geographical position of the UE 1400 (e.g., coordinates of the UE 1400).
The UE 1400 may include an input/output (I/O) device 1412 that may be used to communicate a result of signal processing and computation to a user or another device. The I/O device 1412 may include a user interface including a display and an input device to transmit a user command to processor 1408. The display may be configured to display a status of signal reception at the UE 1400, the data stored at memory 1406, a status of signal processing, and a result of computation, etc. The display may include, but is not limited to, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a gas plasma display, a touch screen, or other image projection devices for displaying information to a user. The input device may be any type of computer hardware equipment used to receive data and control signals from a user. The input device may include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, a digital camera, a joystick, a trackball, cursor direction keys, a touchscreen monitor, or audio/video commanders, etc.
The UE 1400 may further include a machine interface 1414, such as an electrical bus that connects the transceiver 1404, the memory 1406, the processor 1408, the GPS 1410, and the I/O device 1412.
In some embodiments, the UE 1400 may be configured to or programmed for communicating between nodes. The processor 1408 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 1406 to communicate from a first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a GNSS-to-network path. The processor 1408 may be configured to execute instructions to switch, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or GNSS-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers. The processor 1408 may be configured to execute instructions to communicate from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.
As used in this disclosure, use of the term “or” in a list of items indicates an inclusive list. The list of items may be prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of.” For example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C includes A or B or C or AB (i.e., A and B) or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used in this disclosure, prefacing a list of conditions with the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as “based only on” the set of conditions and rather shall be construed as “based at least in part on” the set of conditions. For example, an outcome described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
In this specification, the terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used interchangeably and have the same meaning and are to be construed as inclusive and open-ended. The terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used before a list of elements and indicate that at least all of the listed elements within the list exist but other elements that are not in the list may also be present. For example, if A comprises B and C, both {B, C} and {B, C, D} are within the scope of A.
The present disclosure, in connection with the accompanied drawings, describes example configurations that are not representative of all the examples that may be implemented or all configurations that are within the scope of this disclosure. The term “exemplary” should not be construed as “preferred” or “advantageous compared to other examples” but rather “an illustration, an instance or an example.” By reading this disclosure, including the description of the embodiments and the drawings, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the technology disclosed herein may be implemented using alternative embodiments. The person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the embodiments, or certain features of the embodiments described herein, may be combined to arrive at yet other embodiments for practicing the technology described in the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate examples of the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and devices according to various embodiments. It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments.
It is understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and elements, components, materials, or steps described in connection with one example embodiment may be combined with, or eliminated from, other embodiments in suitable ways to accomplish desired design objectives.
Reference herein to “some embodiments” or “some exemplary embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrases “one embodiment” “some embodiments” or “another embodiment” in various places in the present disclosure do not all necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.
Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in the present disclosure and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.
It is appreciated that certain features of the present disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the specification, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the specification. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of those embodiments, unless noted as such.
It will be further understood that various modifications, alternatives, and variations in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. Accordingly, the following claims embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the terms of the claims.
Clause 1: A method for communicating between nodes, comprising:
communicating from a first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path;
switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers; and
communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.
Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more triggers include one or more of:
the first node is in network coverage;
the first node is out of network coverage;
the first node is in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage;
the first node is out of GNSS coverage;
a radio link failure;
on a condition that a network cell is barred;
on a condition of network failure;
on a condition that a radio interface congestion level one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below a congestion threshold;
a number of surrounding nodes supporting sidelink communications;
a number of surrounding nodes with a sidelink communication connection to the first node;
an accuracy of one or more radio interfaces, including accuracy of positioning information received via one or more radio interfaces or a quality of service of one or more radio interfaces;
a latency of one or more radio interfaces;
a battery level of the first node;
detection of a physical layer problem;
reconfiguration with a sync failure;
on a condition that a number of consecutive out-of-sync indications are received by the first node;
on a condition that a number of consecutive in-sync indications are received by the first node;
on a condition that a random access problem indication is received by the first node from a medium access control layer;
on a condition that a number of radio link control retransmissions has been reached;
on a condition that a consistent uplink listen before talk failure indication is received from the medium access control layer;
upon expiration of a timer;
a location of the first node;
a velocity of the first node;
a direction of movement of the first node;
upon receiving a request from another node for a service to be provided by the first node;
the first node requires power saving;
the first node is in the process of receiving a configuration over a radio interface;
the first node is in the process of receiving a resource allocation over a radio interface; or
the first node is a type of node that is carried by a pedestrian, a type of node that is fixed in an electric vehicle, a type of node fixed in a non-electric vehicle, or an other type of node.
Clause 3: The method of clause 2, wherein the first node is any one of: a mobile device, a user equipment, a road side unit, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), a mobility management entity (MME), or an access and mobility management function (AMF), or an other network infrastructure device.
Clause 4: The method of clause 2, wherein some or all of the one or more triggers relate to sidelink communications.
Clause 5: The method of clause 1, wherein:
some or all of the one or more triggers have an associated threshold; and
the switching is performed on a condition that a criterion associated with the one or more triggers one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below the associated threshold.
Clause 6: The method of clause 1, wherein the switching is performed only if a required quality of service related with the first communication path is not achieved.
Clause 7: The method of clause 1, wherein the first communication path and the second communication path are used for device positioning.
Clause 8: The method of clause 7, wherein the switching is performed only if a required positioning accuracy related with the first communication path is not achieved.
Clause 9: The method of clause 1, wherein the switching further comprises:
switching the first node from the first communication path to the second communication path based on a first set of the one or more triggers; and
switching the first node from the second communication path to the first communication path based on a second set of the one or more triggers.
Clause 10: The method of clause 9, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set are symmetrical depending on a direction of the switching.
Clause 11: The method of clause 9, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set are asymmetrical depending on a direction of the switching.
Clause 12: The method of clause 9, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set include a hysteresis between two or more values associated with a direction of the switching.
Clause 13: The method of clause 1, wherein:
the switching is further based on a device history of the first node; and
the device history includes a number of triggers that had become valid within a predetermined period of time.
Clause 14: The method of clause 13, wherein a number of triggers becoming valid further comprises one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
Clause 15: The method of clause 1, wherein:
the switching is performed on a condition that the number of triggers becomes valid within a predetermined period of time.
Clause 16: The method of clause 15, wherein the number of triggers becoming valid further comprises one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
Clause 17: The method of clause 1, wherein the one or more triggers are received by the first node.
Clause 18: The method of clause 1, further comprising:
activating the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
Clause 19: The method of clause 1, further comprising:
communicating from the first node to the second node on both the first communication path and the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
Clause 20: The method of clause 1, further comprising:
setting a timer after switching from the first communication path to the second communication path is completed; and
preventing the first node from switching to another communication path until the timer expires.
Clause 21: A first node for communicating with a second node, the first node comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to:
communicate from the first node to the second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path;
switch, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switch is based on one or more triggers; and
communicate from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.
Clause 22: The first node of clause 21, wherein the one or more triggers include one or more of:
the first node is in network coverage;
the first node is out of network coverage;
the first node is in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage;
the first node is out of GNSS coverage;
a radio link failure;
on a condition that a network cell is barred;
on a condition of network failure;
on a condition that a radio interface congestion level one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below a congestion threshold;
a number of surrounding nodes supporting sidelink communications;
a number of surrounding nodes with a sidelink communication connection to the first node;
an accuracy of one or more radio interfaces, including accuracy of positioning information received via one or more radio interfaces or a quality of service of one or more radio interfaces;
a latency of one or more radio interfaces;
a battery level of the first node;
detection of a physical layer problem;
reconfiguration with a sync failure;
on a condition that a number of consecutive out-of-sync indications are received by the first node;
on a condition that a number of consecutive in-sync indications are received by the first node;
on a condition that a random access problem indication is received by the first node from a medium access control layer;
on a condition that a number of radio link control retransmissions has been reached;
on a condition that a consistent uplink listen before talk failure indication is received from the medium access control layer;
upon expiration of a timer;
a location of the first node;
a velocity of the first node;
a direction of movement of the first node;
upon receiving a request from another node for a service to be provided by the first node;
the first node requires power saving;
the first node is in the process of receiving a configuration over a radio interface;
the first node is in the process of receiving a resource allocation over a radio interface; or
the first node is a type of node that is carried by a pedestrian, a type of node that is fixed in an electric vehicle, a type of node fixed in a non-electric vehicle, or an other type of node.
Clause 23: The first node of clause 22, wherein the first node is any one of: a mobile device, a user equipment, a road side unit, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), a mobility management entity (MME), or an access and mobility management function (AMF), or an other network infrastructure device.
Clause 24: The first node of clause 22, wherein some or all of the one or more triggers relate to sidelink communications.
Clause 25: The first node of clause 21, wherein:
some or all of the one or more triggers have an associated threshold; and
the processor is further configured to perform the switch on a condition that a criterion associated with the one or more triggers one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below the associated threshold.
Clause 26: The first node of clause 21, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the switch only if a required quality of service related with the first communication path is not achieved.
Clause 27: The first node of clause 21, wherein the first communication path and the second communication path are used for device positioning.
Clause 28: The first node of clause 27, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the switch only if a required positioning accuracy related with the first communication path is not achieved.
Clause 29: The first node of clause 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:
switch the first node from the first communication path to the second communication path based on a first set of the one or more triggers; and
switch the first node from the second communication path to the first communication path based on a second set of the one or more triggers.
Clause 30: The first node of clause 29, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set are symmetrical depending on a direction of the switching.
Clause 31: The first node of clause 29, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set are asymmetrical depending on a direction of the switching.
Clause 32: The first node of clause 29, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set include a hysteresis between two or more values associated with a direction of the switching.
Clause 33: The first node of clause 21, wherein:
the processor is further configured to perform the switch based on a device history of the first node; and
the device history includes a number of triggers that had become valid within a predetermined period of time.
Clause 34: The first node of clause 33, wherein a number of triggers becoming valid further comprises one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
Clause 35: The first node of clause 21, wherein:
the processor is further configured to perform the switch on a condition that the number of triggers becomes valid within a predetermined period of time.
Clause 36: The first node of clause 35, wherein the number of triggers becoming valid further comprises one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
Clause 37: The first node of clause 21, wherein the one or more triggers are received by the first node.
Clause 38: The first node of clause 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:
activate the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
Clause 39: The first node of clause 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:
communicate from the first node to the second node on both the first communication path and the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
Clause 40: The first node of clause 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:
set a timer after the switch from the first communication path to the second communication path is completed; and
prevent the first node from switching to another communication path until the timer expires.
Clause 41: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node in a communication network to perform a method, the method comprising:
communicating from the first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path;
switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers; and
communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.

Claims

A method for communicating between nodes, comprising:
communicating from a first node to a second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path;
switching, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path, wherein the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switching is based on one or more triggers; and
communicating from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.
The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more triggers include one or more of:
the first node is in network coverage;
the first node is out of network coverage;
the first node is in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage;
the first node is out of GNSS coverage;
a radio link failure;
on a condition that a network cell is barred;
on a condition of network failure;
on a condition that a radio interface congestion level one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below a congestion threshold;
a number of surrounding nodes supporting sidelink communications;
a number of surrounding nodes with a sidelink communication connection to the first node;
an accuracy of one or more radio interfaces, including accuracy of positioning information received via one or more radio interfaces or a quality of service of one or more radio interfaces;
a latency of one or more radio interfaces;
a battery level of the first node;
detection of a physical layer problem;
reconfiguration with a sync failure;
on a condition that a number of consecutive out-of-sync indications are received by the first node;
on a condition that a number of consecutive in-sync indications are received by the first node;
on a condition that a random access problem indication is received by the first node from a medium access control layer;
on a condition that a number of radio link control retransmissions has been reached;
on a condition that a consistent uplink listen before talk failure indication is received from the medium access control layer;
upon expiration of a timer;
a location of the first node;
a velocity of the first node;
a direction of movement of the first node;
upon receiving a request from another node for a service to be provided by the first node;
the first node requires power saving;
the first node is in the process of receiving a configuration over a radio interface;
the first node is in the process of receiving a resource allocation over a radio interface; or
the first node is a type of node that is carried by a pedestrian, a type of node that is fixed in an electrical vehicle, a type of node fixed in a non-electric vehicle, or an other type of node.
The method of claim 2, wherein the first node is any one of: a mobile device, a user equipment, a road side unit, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF), or an other network infrastructure device.
The method of claim 2, wherein some or all of the one or more triggers relate to sidelink communications.
The method of claim 1, wherein:
some or all of the one or more triggers have an associated threshold; and
the switching is performed on a condition that a criterion associated with the one or more triggers one or more of exceeds, reaches, or falls below the associated threshold.
The method of claim 1, wherein the switching is performed only if a required quality of service related with the first communication path is not achieved.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication path and the second communication path are used for device positioning.
The method of claim 7, wherein the switching is performed only if a required positioning accuracy related with the first communication path is not achieved.
The method of claim 1, wherein the switching further comprises:
switching the first node from the first communication path to the second communication path based on a first set of the one or more triggers; and
switching the first node from the second communication path to the first communication path based on a second set of the one or more triggers.
The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set are symmetrical depending on a direction of the switching.
The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set are asymmetrical depending on a direction of the switching.
The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more triggers of at least one of the first set or the second set include a hysteresis between two or more values associated with a direction of the switching.
The method of claim 1, wherein:
the switching is further based on a device history of the first node; and
the device history includes a number of triggers that had become valid within a predetermined period of time.
The method of claim 13, wherein the number of triggers becoming valid further comprises one or more of exceeding, reaching, or being below one or more predetermined values.
The method of claim 1, wherein:
the switching is performed on a condition that the number of triggers becomes valid within a predetermined period of time.
The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more triggers are received by the first node.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
activating the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
communicating from the first node to the second node on both the first communication path and the second communication path based on the one or more triggers.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
setting a timer after switching from the first communication path to the second communication path is completed; and
preventing the first node from switching to an other communication path until the timer expires.
A first node for communicating with a second node, the first node comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to:
communicate from the first node to the second node on a first communication path, wherein the first communication path is one of a device-to-device communication path, a device-to-network communication path, or a Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path;
switch, automatically by the first node, from the first communication path to a second communication path, wherein the second communication path is an other one of the device-to-device communication path, the device-to-network communication path, or the Global Navigation Satellite System-to-network path, the second communication path differs from the first communication path, and the switch is based on one or more triggers; and
communicate from the first node to the second node on the second communication path.