WO2020107439A1

WO2020107439A1 - Transmission scheduling in dual connectivity

Info

Publication number: WO2020107439A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/118669
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shenglin SHI; Georg Raffael JANCZYK; Harald Steinhaus; Philippe Cassuto
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: 2018-11-30
Filing date: 2018-11-30
Publication date: 2020-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2021-05-30
Also published as: CN113170433A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable mediums for transmission scheduling in Dual Connectivity. The method comprises determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.

Description

TRANSMISSION SCHEDULING IN DUAL CONNECTIVITY

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication, and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage media for transmission scheduling in dual connectivity.

BACKGROUND

The operating bands for EN-DC are defined in 3GPP. Considering the case of possible intermodulation interference to a downlink band owned by a User Equipment (UE) due to simultaneous dual and triple uplink (UL) operation of this UE, problematic band combinations are defined in the tables indicated by column “Single Uplink allowed” , so that the UE may be scheduled with only a single UL transmission on one of the frequency bands at any time. Such UL transmission may include all UL channels, such as Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) , Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and UL signal, such as Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) .

In order to support the Single UL Operation (SUO) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) , the information elements, such as “MeNB Resource Coordination Information” and “SgNB Resource Coordination Information, ” are defined to exchange the Time Domain Multiplexing (TDM) pattern between a Master eNB (MeNB) and a Secondary gNB (SgNB) during SgNB addition procedure and SgNB modification procedure. However, due to the different configuration and dynamic frame structure of NR cells, it is not easy to make sure the proposed TDM pattern is valid to its counterpart and matches conditions at MeNB and SgNB simultaneous all the time.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage media for transmission scheduling in dual connectivity.

In a first aspect, there is provided method for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity. The method comprises determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.

In a second aspect, there is provided method for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity. The method comprises receiving, at a secondary network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern from a master network device, the reference TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; generating a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device; and transmitting the secondary TDM pattern to the master network device for generating a master TMD pattern.

In a third aspect, there is provided a device for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity. The device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes. The at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device at least to perform the method according to the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a device for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity. The device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes. The at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device at least to perform the method according to the second aspect.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means to perform the steps of the method according to the first aspect. The apparatus comprises: means for determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; means for transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; and means for in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means to perform the steps of the method according to the second aspect. The apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at a secondary network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern from a master network device, the reference TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; means for generating a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device; and means for transmitting the secondary TDM pattern to the master network device for generating a master TMD pattern.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to carry out the method according to the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to carry out the method according to the second aspect.

Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Through the more detailed description of some example embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an example communication system 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

FIG. 2A-2C show conventional processes for exchanging the resource coordination information according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, respectively;

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of an example process 300 for transmission scheduling in EN-DC according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 for transmission scheduling in dual connectivity according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 for transmission scheduling in dual connectivity according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these example embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitations as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones 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 skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

As used herein, the term “network device” or “base station” (BS) refers to a device which is capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage where terminal devices can communicate. Examples of a network device include, but not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB) , an Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NodeB in new radio access (gNB) , a next generation NodeB (gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio head (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, and the like. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, some example embodiments will be described with reference to eNB as examples of the network device.

As used herein, the term “terminal device” refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of the terminal device include, but not limited to, user equipment (UE) , personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , portable computers, image capture devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback appliances, or Internet appliances enabling wireless or wired Internet access and browsing and the like.

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

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

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) : (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s)) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example 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 server, a 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 “includes” and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean “includes, but is not limited to. ” The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on. ” The term “one embodiment” and “an embodiment” are to be read as “at least one embodiment. ” The term “another embodiment” is to be read as “at least one other embodiment. ” The terms “first, ” “second, ” and the like may refer to different or same objects. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.

Now some example embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purpose as the present disclosure extends beyond theses limited example embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows an example communication system 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. In the communication system 100, which is a part of a communication network, includes

network devices

110 and 120, and a terminal device 130. It is to be understood that the communication system 100 may include any suitable number of terminal devices. It should be noted that the communication system 100 may also include other elements which are omitted for the purpose of clarity.

The

network devices

110 and 120 may communicate with the terminal device 130. The

network devices

110 and 120 may communicate with each other. It is to be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The communication system 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

The communication system 100 may be regarded as dual connectivity network in 5G communication system. As used herein, the term “dual connectivity” may be referred to Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access-New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) or New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) Due to the higher frequencies bands used and other reasons, it is deemed better to enable terminal devices to connect to LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) simultaneously. The LTE eNB may be referred to as the MeNB to indicate that it is the “Master” base station (i.e., Master Node) and the NR gNB may be referred to as SgNB to indicate that it is the “Secondary” base station (i.e., Secondary Node) . In the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the UE 130 may be attached to the network device 110, which may be considered as a master network device. The UE 130 may also select a suitable network device (for example, the network device 120) as a secondary network device in its coverage. Only for the purpose of illustrations, the network device 110 is referred to as a master network device (MeNB) hereinafter and the network device 120 is referred to as secondary network device (SgNB) hereinafter.

Depending on the communication technologies, the system 100 may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Address (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network or any others. Communications discussed in the network 100 may use conform to any suitable standards including, but not limited to, New Radio Access (NR) , Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the like. Furthermore, the communications may be performed according to any generation communication protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of the communication protocols include, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocols. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of the techniques are described below for LTE, and LTE terminology is used in much of the description below.

As described above, in order to support the Single UL Operation (SUO) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) , the information elements, such as “MeNB Resource Coordination Information” and “SgNB Resource Coordination Information, ” are defined to exchange the Time Domain Multiplexing (TDM) pattern between a Master eNB (MeNB) and a Secondary gNB (SgNB) during SgNB addition procedure and SgNB modification procedure.

In general, the TDM pattern may indicate the resources in time and frequency domains, which are intended to be used for transmissions in the UL and DL direction. For SUO, only the resources related to the time domain in the UL direction is interested.

Based on definition in 3GPP, the TDM pattern may be exchanged in a SgNB addition preparation procedure, a MeNB initiated SgNB modification preparation procedure or a SgNB initiated SgNB modification procedure. FIG. 2A-2C show conventional processes for exchanging the resource coordination information according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Definitions of the TDM pattern at MeNB and SgNB may depend on counterpart’s configuration. The counterpart’s configuration may be obtained from an EN-DC X2 setup procedure.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, if a MeNB 210 initiates to add an EN-gNB 220 as its secondary node. The MeNB 210 may transmit 205 a EN-DC X2 SETUP REQUEST to the EN-gNB 220. The EN-gNB 220 may transmit 215 an EN-DC X2 SETUP RESPONSE to the MeNB 210.

The counterpart’s configuration may also be obtained from an EN-DC configuration update procedure. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B -2C, whether the MeNB 210 or the EN-gNB 220 intends to update the configuration, they must initiate 225, 245 a request for updating the configuration to its counterpart, i.e. an EN-DC CONFIGURATION UPDATE REQUEST, then its counterpart may

response

235, 255 an acknowledge for this update procedure.

However, this information will not be enough for efficient TDM pattern definition between MeNB and SgNB during the SgNB addition procedure and the EN-DC MeNB modification procedure for SUO UE EN-DC for the following reasons. For example, during the SgNB addition procedure, the Primary cell of a secondary cell group (PsCell) selection will be done at the SgNB. Thus, the MeNB may not know the correct “Served NR Cell Information” for valid TDM pattern definition. Furthermore, it is impossible that the MeNB and the SgNB know all the configurations which will impact the TDM pattern definition, like feature interaction with enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) , enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) , the PUCCH configuration, the PRACH configuration and the SRS configuration.

As described above, it may be difficult to guarantee that the proposed TDM pattern is valid to its counterpart and matches conditions at MeNB and SgNB simultaneously. Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a method for coordinating the resource allocation for the UL transmission between the MeNB and the SgNB.

Principle and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3, which shows a process 300 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 300 may involve transmission scheduling in dual connectivity.

In a case shown in FIG. 3, UE 130 is attached to the MeNB 110. If the MeNB 110 intends to initiate the SgNB addition procedure, the MeNB 110 may transmit a SgNB addition request to the SgNB 120, which comprises the MeNB resource coordination information.

Alternatively, if the MeNB 110 intends to initiate the SgNB modification procedure, for example, the MeNB 110 may require a higher UL occasions for LTE and therefore propose a new TDM pattern based on current TDM pattern and predefined TDM patterns based on load, the MeNB 110 may transmit a SgNB modification request to the SgNB 120, which also comprises the MeNB resource coordination information.

As mentioned above, the TDM pattern may be included in the MeNB resource coordination information. In order to guarantee the minimum UL transmission requirement for the MeNB 110, as shown in FIG. 3, the MeNB 110 determines 305 a reference TDM pattern. The reference TDM pattern may indicate a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the MeNB 110.

As used herein, a predetermined time-domain resource may be referred to as the minimum time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the MeNB 110. The MeNB 110 may determine the reference TDM pattern based on various parameters of its own configuration.

For example, The MeNB 110 may determine the reference TDM pattern based on, but not restricted to, configuration items as the following:

- the load level for the first uplink transmission,

- the cell frame structure type of the MeNB 110,

- a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmission between the MeNB 110 and the UE 130,

- the offset value for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) ,

- the muting pattern for enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) ; and

- the PRACH configuration of the MeNB 110.

In some embodiments, the cell frame structure type of the MeNB 110 may be referred to a TDD type or a FDD type. In some embodiments, the predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmission and the offset value for HARQ may be referred to as the possible configurations of subframeAssignment-r15 and harq-Offset-r15 for FDD LTE, which are defined in 3GPP. The the possible configurations of subframeAssignment-r15 and harq-Offset-r15 may be represented as:

SubframeAssignment-r15 = ENUMERATED {sa0, sa1, sa2, sa3, sa4, sa5, sa6}

harq-Offset-r15 = INTEGER (0 .. 9)

With these two parameters, SUO UE is configured with DL-reference UL/DL configuration to follow the TDD HARQ timing at MeNB side and get better DL performance due to smaller number of UL occasions for SUO UE.

As an option, the MeNB 110 may estimate the load level of the uplink transmission between the MeNB 110 and the UE 130. For example, for a low load situation, i.e. 25%of UL occasions, the MeNB 110 may determine a TDM pattern for pattern duration of 40 ms. The TDM pattern may be represented as “1000100000, 1000100001, 1000100000, 0000110001. ”

As another option, for a medium load situation, i.e. 40%of UL occasions, the MeNB 110 may determine a TDM pattern for pattern duration of 40 ms. The TDM pattern may be represented as “1000110001, 1000110001, 1000110001, 1000110001. ” Alternatively, for a high load situation, i.e. 60%of UL occasions, the MeNB 110 may determine a TDM pattern for pattern duration of 40 ms. The TDM pattern may be represented as “1001110011, 1001110011, 1001110011, 1001110011. ”

It should be understood that the pattern duration of the above-mentioned examples, i.e. 40 ms, are given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations.

In this way, the MeNB 110 may always propose the minimum TDM pattern based on MeNB load, to minimize the chances of conflict with PsCell UL common channels.

If the MeNB 110 determines the reference TDM pattern, as shown in FIG. 3, the MeNB 110 transmits 310 the the reference TDM pattern to the SgNB 120. In some embodiments, the MeNB 110 may transmit the the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the secondary network device, or a request for modification of the secondary network device, as described above.

If the SgNB 120 receives the reference TDM, the SgNB may determine the validity of the reference TDM. The validity may indicate that the predetermined time-domain resource of the uplink transmission between the MeNB 110 and the UE 130 is acceptable to the SgNB 120. For example, the SgNB may check whether all UL common channels are available at NR for SUO UE, for example PRACH.

If the SgNB 120 determines the reference TDM pattern is invalid, the SgNB 120 may reject the SgNB addition request and the EN-DC shall not be established for the UE 130.

If the SgNB 120 determines the reference TDM pattern is valid, the SgNB 120 generates 315 a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern. The secondary TDM pattern indicates an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the SgNB 120.

In some embodiments, if the SgNB 120 determines the reference TDM pattern is valid, the SgNB 120 may determine the predetermined subframe for uplink transmission between the MeNB 110 and the UE 130 from the reference TDM pattern.

In some embodiments, the SgNB 120 may retrieve PCell frame structure type of the MeNB 110 based on “Served Cell Information” received from the MeNB during the EN-DC X2 setup procedure.

If the MeNB is FDD LTE, the SgNB 120 may derive the configuration of subframeAssignment-r15 and harq-Offset-r15, which are used to generate the reference TDM pattern.

For example, if the reference TDM pattern is “1000100000, 1000100001, 1000100000, 0000110001, ” the SgNB 120 may perform bit-wise logical OR operation for each subframe number within the pattern duration, i.e. 1000100000 OR 1000100001 OR 1000100000 OR 0000110001. The result of the OR operation is 1000110001.

The SgNB 120 may derive the configuration of subframeAssignment-r15 and harq-Offset-r15 based on the result of the OR operation and Table 1 shown as follows.

Table 1: UL/DL Configuration for SubframeAssignment-r15

Table 1 shows the possible UL/DL Configurations of subframeAssignment-r15, i.e. {sa0, sa1, sa2, sa3, sa4, sa5, sa6} as described above. In Table 1, “D” represents the subframe allocated for the DL transmission, while “U” represents the subframe allocated for the UL transmission. Furthermore, “S” represents the subframe for switching between the UL and DL.

As the result of the OR operation, i.e. 1000110001, the SgNB 120 may determine the SubframeAssignment-r15 = sa1 and harq-Offset-r15 = 2. That is to say, among the 0 ^th -9 ^th subframes, the 2 ^nd, 3 ^rd, 7 ^th and 8 ^th subframes may be allocated for the UL transmission from UE 130 to the MeNB 110 with a harq-Offset-r15 is 2.

In some embodiment, the SgNB 120 may determine a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission based on the predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission.

In principle, all of the unallocated subframes could be selected by the SgNB 120 for the UL transmission from the UE 130 to the SgNB 120. However, the reference TDM represents the minimum UL transmission requirement of the MeNB 110. That is to say, the MeNB 110 may need more resources for the UL transmission. Therefore, SgNB 120 may leave more UL occasions, i.e. possible subframes for the UL transmission of the MeNB 110.

As described above, the SgNB 120 may determine the UL/DL Configurations of SubframeAssignment-r15 = sa1. That is, assume the harq-Offset-r15 is zero, UL/DL Configurations of = (DSUUDDSUUD) . It can be seen from the Table 1, the available UL subframes are 2 ^nd, 3 ^rd, 7 ^th and 8 ^th. In principle, the SgNB 120 may use all UL slots aligned with MeNB at subframes for DL transmission and the special subframes, for example, the 0 ^th and 1 ^st subframe. However, for the possible subframes for the UL transmission of the MeNB 110, which are not allocated for the UL transmission between the UE 130 and the MeNB 110 based on the reference transmission load level, for example, the 4th subframe, the SgNB 120 may reserve these resources for the UL transmission between the UE 130 and the SgNB 120. As another option, the SgNB may leave these resources for the UL transmission between the UE 130 and the MeNB 110.

Furthermore, for TDD LTE MeNB, the SgNB 120 may obtain the UL/DL configuration based on “Subframe Assignment” in “Served Cell Information” from EN-DC X2 setup procedure. All the UL occasions which are slot aligned with DL subframes of MeNB 110 may be used by the SgNB 120.

It should be understood that in case of different slot lengths, one LTE subframe (duration of 1ms) may correspond to two or more NR Slots (e.g., the NR slot duration is 0.5ms for 30kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS) , so one LTE UL subframe corresponds to two UL NR slots) .

In some embodiments, the SgNB 120 may generate the secondary TDM pattern based on the selected subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the SgNB 120 transmit 325 the secondary TDM pattern to the MeNB 110 for generating a master TMD pattern.

In some embodiments, the SgNB 120 may transmit the secondary TDM in a message including acknowledge for addition of the secondary network device or acknowledge for modification of the secondary network device.

If the MeNB 110 receives the a secondary TDM pattern from the SgNB 120, the MeNB generates 330 a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern. The master TDM pattern indicates an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.

As an option, the master TDM pattern may correspond to the reference TDM pattern. That is to say, the proposed resources for the requirement of the UL transmission may meet the required resources for the actual of UL transmission.

As another option, the MeNB 110 may determine, from the secondary TDM pattern, a subframe allocated for the uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the SgNB 120, for example, also based on the Table 1 as shown above. Meanwhile, the MeNB 110 may obtain the subframe available for the first uplink transmission from the UE 130 and the MeNB 110. The MeNB 110 may determine the master TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the SgNB 120 and the subframe avaliable for the uplink transmission from the UE 130 and the MeNB 110.

If the MeNB 110 determines the master TDM pattern, the MeNB 110 may transmit 335 Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to the UE 130 to configure the radio resource. The UE 130 may transmit 340 a response to the MeNB 110 to complete the RRC configuration. The MeNB 110 may further transmit 345 a X2 message to the SgNB 120 to indicate the SgNB addition procedure or the SgNB modification procedure is completed.

As a result, the MeNB 110 may schedule 350 the uplink transmission between the UE 130 and the MeNB 110 based on the master TDM pattern and the SgNB 120 may schedule 355 the uplink transmission between the UE 130 and the SgNB 120 based on the secondary TDM pattern.

In this way, a high ratio of successful TDM pattern exchanges shall be achieved for the SUO UE in EN-DC, which causes less X2 signalling overhead for the SgNB addition and modification procedure of the SUO UE in EN-DC. Meanwhile, a faster activation of the TDM pattern at the UE side and a flexible split of UL resources between LTE and NR may be achieved.

More details of the example embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGs. 4-5.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 for transmission scheduling in dual connectivity according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 can be implemented at the MeNB 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 410, the MeNB 110 determines a reference TDM pattern. The TDM pattern indicates a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a UE 130 to the MeNB 110.

In some example embodiments, the MeNB 110 may determine the reference TDM pattern comprises determining the reference TDM pattern based on at least one of the following: a minimum load level for the first uplink transmission; a cell frame structure type of the MeNB 110; a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmission between the UE 130 and the MeNB 110, an offset value for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ; a muting pattern for enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination, eICIC; a configuration for Physical Random Access Channel, PRACH.

At 420, the MeNB 110 transmits the reference TDM pattern to a SgNB 120.

In some example embodiments, the MeNB 110 may transmit the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the SgNB, or a request for modification of the SgNB.

At 430, if the MeNB 110 receives a secondary TDM pattern from the SgNB 120, the MeNB 110 generates a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern. The secondary TDM pattern is generated at the SgNB 120 based on the reference TDM pattern and indicates an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the SgNB 120, the master TDM pattern indicates an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.

In some example embodiments, the MeNB 110 may determine a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission from the secondary TDM pattern. The MeNB 110 may obtain a subframe available for the first uplink transmission from a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmissions between the MeNB 110 and the UE 130. The MeNB 110 may further determine the master TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission and the subframe available for the first uplink transmission.

In some example embodiments, the MeNB 110 may further schedule the first uplink transmission based on the master TDM pattern.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 for transmission scheduling in dual connectivity according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 can be implemented at the SgNB 120 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 510, the SgNB 120 receives a reference TDM pattern from a MeNB 110. The TDM pattern indicates a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from aUE 130 to the MeNB 110.

In some example embodiments, the SgNB 120 may receive the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the SgNB, or a request for modification of the SgNB.

At 520, the SgNB 120 generates a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern. The secondary TDM pattern indicates an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the UE 130 to the SgNB 120.

In some example embodiments, the SgNB 120 may determine a validity of the reference TDM. The validity may indicate that the predetermined time-domain resource of the first uplink transmission is acceptable to the SgNB 120. If the SgNB 120 determines the reference TDM is valid, the SgNB 120 may determine the predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission from the reference TDM pattern. The SgNB 120 may determine a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission based on the predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission and generate the secondary TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission.

At 530, the SgNB 120 transmits the secondary TDM pattern to the MeNB 110.

In some example embodiments, the SgNB 120 may transmit the secondary TDM in a message including an acknowledge for addition of the SgNB 120, or an acknowledge for modification of the SgNB 120.

In some example embodiments, the SgNB 120 may further schedule the second uplink transmission based on the secondary TDM pattern.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 400 (for example, the MeNB 110) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; means for transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; and means for in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 500 (for example, the SgNB 110) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at a secondary network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern from a master network device, the reference TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device; means for generating a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device; and means for transmitting the secondary TDM pattern to the master network device for generating a master TMD pattern.

Fig. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement the communication device, for example the

network device

110 or 120 as shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 640 coupled to the processor 610, and one or more transmitters and/or receivers (TX/RX) 640 coupled to the processor 610.

The TX/RX 640 is for bidirectional communications. The TX/RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.

The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 624, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The program 630 may be stored in the ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 630 so that the device 600 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 622 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. Fig. 7 shows an example of the computer readable medium 700 in form of CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has the program 630 stored thereon.

Generally, various embodiments of the present 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. For example, in some embodiments, various examples of the present disclosure (e.g., a method, apparatus or device) may be partly or fully implemented on the computer readable medium. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the 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 units included in the apparatuses and/or devices of the present disclosure may be implemented in various manners, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more units may be implemented using software and/or firmware, for example, machine-executable instructions stored on the storage medium. In addition to or instead of machine-executable instructions, parts or all of the units in the apparatuses and/or devices may be implemented, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used include Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) , Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) , Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs) , System-on-a-chip systems (SOCs) , Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs) , and the like.

As examples, embodiments of the present disclosure may be described in the context of the computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like 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 a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a 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 the present disclosure, a computer readable medium may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium may be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine readable storage medium would 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) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while 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 certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific embodiment details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it would be appreciated that the present 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.

Claims

A method for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity, comprising:

determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device;

transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; and

in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.
The method of Claim 1, wherein determining the reference TDM pattern comprises determining the reference TDM pattern based on at least one of the following:

a minimum load level for the first uplink transmission;

a cell frame structure type of the master network device;

a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmission between the master network device and the terminal device;

an offset value for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ;

a muting pattern for enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination, eICIC; and

a configuration for Physical Random Access Channel, PRACH.
The method of Claim 1, wherein transmitting the reference TDM pattern comprising:

transmitting the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the secondary network device, or a request for modification of the secondary network device.
The method of Claim 1, wherein generating a master TDM pattern comprising:

determining a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission from the secondary TDM pattern;

obtaining a subframe available for the first uplink transmission from a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmissions between the master network device and the terminal device; and

determining the master TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission and the subframe available for the first uplink transmission.
The method of Claim 1, further comprising:

scheduling the first uplink transmission based on the master TDM pattern.
A method for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity, comprising:

receiving, at a secondary network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern from a master network device, the reference TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device;

generating a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device; and

transmitting the secondary TDM pattern to the master network device for generating a master TMD pattern.
The method of Claim 6, wherein receiving the reference TDM pattern comprises:

receiving the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the secondary network device, or a request for modification of the secondary network device.
The method of Claim 6, wherein generating a secondary TDM pattern comprises:

determining a validity of the reference TDM, the validity indicating that the predetermined time-domain resource of the first uplink transmission is acceptable to the secondary network device;

in response to determining the reference TDM is valid, determining predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission from the reference TDM pattern;

determining a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission based on the predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission; and

generating the secondary TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission.
The method of Claim 6, transmitting the secondary TDM pattern comprises:

transmitting the secondary TDM in a message including an acknowledge for addition of the secondary network device, or an acknowledge for modification of the secondary network device.
The method of Claim 6, further comprising:

scheduling the second uplink transmission based on the secondary TDM pattern.
A device for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program codes;

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

determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device;

transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; and

in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.
The device of Claim 11, wherein the device is caused to determine the reference TDM pattern by

determining the reference TDM pattern based on at least one of the following:

a minimum load level for the first uplink transmission;

a cell frame structure type of the master network device;

a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmission between the master network device and the terminal device;

an offset value for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ;

a muting pattern for enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination, elCIC; and

a configuration for Physical Random Access Channel, PRACH.
The device of Claim 11, wherein the device is caused to transmit the reference TDM pattern by

transmitting the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the secondary network device, or a request for modification of the secondary network device.
The device of Claim 11, wherein the device is caused to generate a master TDM pattern by

determining a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission from the secondary TDM pattern;

obtaining a subframe available for the first uplink transmission from a predetermined subframe assignment for uplink and downlink transmissions between the master network device and the terminal device; and

determining the master TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission and the subframe available for the first uplink transmission.
The device of Claim 11, wherein the device is further caused to:

scheduling the first uplink transmission based on the master TDM pattern.
A device for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program codes;

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

receiving, at a secondary network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern from a master network device, the reference TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device;

generating a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device; and

transmitting the secondary TDM pattern to the master network device for generating a master TMD pattern.
The device of Claim 16, wherein the device is caused to receive the reference TDM pattern by

receiving the reference TDM pattern in a message including a request for addition of the secondary network device, or a request for modification of the secondary network device.
The device of Claim 16, wherein the device is caused to generate a secondary TDM pattern by

determining a validity of the reference TDM, the validity indicating that the predetermined time-domain resource of the first uplink transmission is acceptable to the secondary network device;

in response to determining the reference TDM is valid, determining predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission from the reference TDM pattern;

determining a subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission based on the predetermined subframe for the first uplink transmission; and

generating the secondary TDM pattern based on the subframe allocated for the second uplink transmission.
The device of Claim 16, wherein the device is caused to transmit the secondary TDM pattern by

transmitting the secondary TDM in a message including an acknowledge for addition of the secondary network device, or an acknowledge for modification of the secondary network device.
The device of Claim 16, wherein the device is further caused to:

scheduling the second uplink transmission based on the secondary TDM pattern.
An apparatus for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity, comprising:

means for determining, at a master network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device;

means for transmitting the reference TDM pattern to a secondary network device; and

means for in response to receiving a secondary TDM pattern from the secondary network device, generating a master TDM pattern based on the secondary TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern being generated at the secondary network device based on the reference TDM pattern and indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device, the master TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for the first uplink transmission.
An apparatus for transmission scheduling in a dual connectivity, comprising:

means for receiving, at a secondary network device, a reference Time Domain Multiplexing, TDM pattern from a master network device, the reference TDM pattern indicating a predetermined time-domain resource of a first uplink transmission from a terminal device to the master network device;

means for generating a secondary TDM pattern based on the reference TDM pattern, the secondary TDM pattern indicating an allocated time-domain resource for a second uplink transmission from the terminal device to the secondary network device; and

means for transmitting the secondary TDM pattern to the master network device for generating a master TMD pattern.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 1-5.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 6-10.