WO2022205093A1

WO2022205093A1 - Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for reporting and managing coverage enhancement level

Info

Publication number: WO2022205093A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/084468
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pingping Wen; Ping Yuan
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd.; Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2021-03-31
Filing date: 2021-03-31
Publication date: 2022-10-06
Also published as: CN117099389A

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for reporting and managing coverage enhancement level. An example method may include receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters, determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level, and reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level. Related apparatuses and computer readable media are also disclosed.

Description

METHODS, APPARATUSES, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR REPORTING AND MANAGING COVERAGE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various embodiments relate to methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for reporting and managing coverage enhancement level.

BACKGROUND

In an internet of things (IoT) networks such as narrowband-internet of things (NB-IoT) and enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) etc., to support various traffics with different channel conditions, a base station (BS) categorizes IoT user equipments into groups that have different ranges of channel condition. Functions such as repetition for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) , physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) , physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) , and uplink power control, etc. are related to coverage enhancement (CE) levels. The CE level is concerned with the channel condition, which may be affected by factors such as distance and pathloss etc. between a BS and a user equipment (UE) . In a network such as terrestrial network, the factors such as distance and pathloss etc. do not change a lot, and the CE level of the IoT UE may be implicitly reported to the BS in a random access (RA) procedure.

SUMMARY

A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define scopes of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a preamble for a more detailed description provided below.

In a first aspect, disclosed is a method. The method may include receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters, determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level, and reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the parameters may include at least one of: at least one threshold for channel condition, at least one offset value associated with the at least one threshold, or a time window for evaluating the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the at least one offset value may relate to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the channel condition may include at least one of a reference signal receiving power or a reference signal receiving quality.

In some embodiments, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be indicated by an absolute value or a relative value.

In some embodiments, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be reported via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, or a random access preamble.

In some embodiments, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be indicated by at least one reserved bit in the medium access control-control element or a dedicated medium access control-control element.

In some embodiments, the medium access control-control element may be multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or transmitted as uplink control information.

In some embodiments, the random access preamble may correspond to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the method may further include receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information may be determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level.

In a second aspect, a method is disclosed. The method may include transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, and receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be received via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, or a random access preamble.

In some embodiments, the medium access control-control element may be multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or received as uplink control information.

In some embodiments, the method may further include determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level, and transmitting the determined repetition information.

In a third aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters, determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level, and reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information may be determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level.

In a fourth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, and receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level, and transmitting the determined repetition information.

In a fifth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus may include means for receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, means for evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters, means for determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level, and means for reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information may be determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level.

In a sixth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus may include means for transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, and means for receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level, and means for transmitting the determined repetition information.

In a seventh aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters, determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level, and reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to further perform receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information may be determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level.

In an eighth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, and receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.

In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to further perform determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level, and transmitting the determined repetition information.

Other features and advantages of the example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sequence chart of reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example form of a medium access control-control element which may transmit the change indication of coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show examples of medium access control-control elements which may transmit the change indication of coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method for reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for managing coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for managing coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements. A repetitive description on the same elements would be omitted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Herein below, some example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known circuits, techniques and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

In a network such as a non-terrestrial network (NTN) etc., a BS may be for example in a satellite, or the BS may be located on ground and the communication between the UE and the BS is transparent through the satellite. A non-geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, e.g. a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite with an altitude of 600 km, may move with high speed relative to an IoT UE, e.g. a NB-IoT UE or eMTC UE, on earth, and the distance and pathloss between the BS and the UE may continuously change. With the movement of the BS, the channel condition of the UE may change, and the CE level of the UE may be possible to change. And thus in the network such as NTN the IoT UE may report the CE level to the BS in a case where the CE level is changed.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sequence chart of reporting CE level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a UE 110 may be an IoT UE in a NTN and a BS 120 may be included in a satellite, e.g. a non-GEO satellite such as a LEO satellite, or the BS 120 may be located on the ground and the communication between the UE 110 and the BS 120 is transparent through e.g. the non-GEO satellite. The network may be a IoT network for example NB-IoT or eMTC, etc..

The BS 120 may transmit at least one threshold 125 to the UE 110. The at least one threshold 125 may be configured by the BS 120 and be transmitted via for example a system information block (SIB) signaling, such as NPRACH-ConfigSIB-NB IE (narrowband physical random access channel-configuration system information block-narrowband information element) etc.. The at least one threshold 125 may be with respect to channel condition between the UE 110 and the BS 120 and be used for dividing the channel condition into different ranges of channel condition, which may correspond to different CE levels. The channel condition may include at least one of a reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or a reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) .

Taking two thresholds 125 represented by TH1 and TH2 as an example and assuming the threshold TH1 is lower than the threshold TH2 (TH2 > TH1) , two thresholds 125 may divide the channel condition into three ranges of channel condition corresponding to three CE levels, such as CE level 0, CE level 1, and CE level 2. Worse channel condition may utilize a CE level of higher amount. For example, for channel condition in the range of good channel condition, e.g. larger than or equal to the TH2, the channel condition may correspond to the CE level 0, and a coverage improvement of e.g. 0 dB may be used. For channel condition in the range of medium channel condition, e.g. between the TH1 and the TH2, smaller than the TH2 and larger than or equal to the TH1, the channel condition may correspond to the CE level 1, and a coverage improvement of e.g. 10 dB may be used. And for channel condition in the range of bad channel condition, e.g. smaller than the TH1, the channel condition may correspond to the CE level 2, and a coverage improvement of e.g. 20 dB may be used. It may be appreciated that the number of threshold 125 may be one or three or more, and the amounts for different CE levels are not limited to the above-described number. For example, three thresholds 125 may cause four ranges of channel condition corresponding to four CE levels with different CE amounts. The thresholds TH1 and TH2 may be applied to the RSRP or RSRQ.

Alternatively, for example, the CE level 0 may correspond to the channel condition larger than the TH2, the CE level 1 may correspond to the channel condition larger than the TH1 and smaller than or equal to the TH2, and the CE level 2 may correspond to the channel condition smaller than or equal to the TH1.

In an operation 130, the UE 110 may determine (or measure) the CE level for example based on the channel condition and the at least one received threshold 125. For example, the UE may perform a measurement for the channel condition and compare the measured channel condition with the at least one received threshold 125. In a case where the measured channel condition is larger than or equal to the TH1 and smaller than the TH2, the UE 110 may determine the CE level 1 and select random access (RA) resources corresponding to the CE level 1 in a RA procedure, and based on the RA resources in the RA procedure, the BS 120 may implicitly know that the CE level of the UE 110 is the CE level 1.

The BS 120 may transmit at least one offset value 135 and a time window 140 to the UE 110. The at least one offset value 135 and the time window 140 may be transmitted separately from or along with the at least one threshold 125. The at least one offset value 135 may be associated with the at least one threshold 125, and the at least one threshold 125, the at least one offset value 135 and the time window 140 may be parameters for evaluating the CE level, which will be explained below.

With the movement of the satellite, the channel condition may change since some factors affecting the channel condition such as the distance and pathloss etc. between the BS 120 and the UE 110 may vary, and in an operation 145 the UE 110 may evaluate the CE level based at least on the parameters.

The at least one offset value 135 and the time window 140 may be configured by the BS 120. The parameters for evaluating the CE level may not include the offset value 135. In this case, the UE 110 may in the operation 145 evaluate the CE level for example by measuring the channel condition in a duration of the time window 140 and comparing the measured channel condition with the at least one threshold 125.

For example, assuming that the UE 110 is currently in the above described CE level 1, if the measured channel condition is larger than or equal to the threshold TH2 for the duration of time window 140, it may be evaluated that the CE level is to be changed from the CE level 1 to the CE level 0. And if the measured channel condition is smaller than the threshold TH1 for the duration of time window 140, it may be evaluated that the CE level is to be changed from the CE level 1 to the CE level 2.

The parameters for evaluating the CE level may include the at least one offset value 135, which may be a positive value or negative value associated with the at least one threshold 125. Alternatively, the at least one offset value 135 may have a default value of 0.

Assuming that the UE 110 is currently in the above described CE level 1, and the at least one offset value 135 includes a value VAL1 associated with the threshold TH1 and a value VAL2 associated with the threshold TH2, if the measured channel condition is larger than or equal to TH2 plus value VAL2 for the duration of time window 140, it may be evaluated that the CE level is to be changed from the CE level 1 to the CE level 0, and if the measured channel condition is smaller than TH1 plus value VAL1 for the duration of time window 140, it may be evaluated that the CE level is to be changed from CE level 1 to the CE level 2.

In an operation 150, the UE 110 may determine a change in the CE level based on the evaluated CE level. For example, in a case where the UE 110 evaluates in the operation 145 the CE level to be changed from the CE level 1 to the CE level 0, the UE 110 may determine a change in the CE level to be the CE level 0 based on the evaluation. For example, in a case where the UE 110 evaluates in the operation 145 the CE level to be changed from the CE level 1 to the CE level 2, the UE 110 may determine a change in the CE level to be the CE level 2 based on the evaluation.

A change indication 155 may be determined by the UE 110 to indicate the change in the CE level. The change indication 155 of the CE level may be indicated by an absolute value or a relative value. For example, the change indication 155 of the CE level may be indicated by the absolute value such as the CE level 0, the CE level 1, or the CE level 2. Alternatively, the change indication 155 of the CE level may be indicated by a relative value e.g. “increase” or “decrease” . For example, the change indication 155 of the CE level may be indicated by “decrease” when the UE 110 may determine the change in the CE level to be the CE level 0 based on the evaluation of changing from the CE level 1 to the CE level 0. Alternatively for example, the change indication 155 of the CE level may be indicated by “increase” when the UE 110 may determine the change in the CE level to be the CE level 2 based on the evaluation of changing from the CE level 1 to the CE level 2.

The at least one offset value 135 may relate to the change indication 155 of the CE level. For example, the at least one offset value 135 may be configured by the BS 120 to relate to the “decrease” or “increase” of the CE level on account of e.g. stability of the CE level or latency for changing the CE level .

For example, in a case where the channel condition is improved because e.g. the satellite is moving towards the UE 110 and thus the channel condition e.g. RSRP measured by the UE 110 is increasing, for compensating latency for changing the CE level, the at least one offset value 135 may include a negative value VAL1 associated with the threshold TH1 and a negative value VAL2 associated with the threshold TH2. The UE 110 may determine the change indication 155, which indicates the change in the CE level, to be e.g. the value of “decrease” when measured RSRP reaches the threshold TH1 plus the negative value VAL1 or the threshold TH2 plus the negative value VAL2, which may happen before the measured RSRP reaches the threshold TH1 or the threshold TH2, respectively, so that the latency for changing the CE level may be compensated.

For example, in a case where the channel condition is deteriorating because e.g. the satellite is moving away from the UE 110 and thus the channel condition e.g. RSRP measured by the UE 110 is decreasing, for compensating latency for changing the CE level, the at least one offset value 135 may include a positive value VAL1 associated with the threshold TH1 and a positive value VAL2 associated with the threshold TH2. The UE 110 may determine the change indication 155, which indicates the change in the CE level, to be e.g. the value of “increase” when the measured RSRP reaches the threshold TH1 plus the positive value VAL1 or the threshold TH2 plus the positive value VAL2, which may happen before the measured RSRP reaches the threshold TH1 or the threshold TH2, respectively, so that the latency for changing the CE level may be compensated.

Alternatively or additionally, the RSRQ may also be used as the channel condition. The value of the at least one threshold 125 and the associated at least one offset value 135 for the RSRQ may be different from those for the RSRP. In a case where the RSRQ and the RSRP are measured as the channel condition, it may be predefined on the UE 110 side that which will be preferred if different CE levels are evaluated with respect to the RSRQ and the RSRP.

For example, in a case where load in network is light, the UE 110 may preferentially determine the change in the CE level corresponding to the bad channel condition. In this case for example the UE 110 may determine the change in the CE level to be e.g. the CE level 2 if the CE level 1 is evaluated with one of the RSRQ and the RSRP as the channel condition and CE level 2 is evaluated with the other one of the RSRQ and the RSRP as the channel condition.

For example, in a case where load in network is heavy, the UE 110 may preferentially determine the change in the CE level corresponding to the good channel condition. In this case for example the UE 110 may determine the change in the CE level to be e.g. the CE level 0 if the CE level 1 is evaluated with one of the RSRQ and the RSRP as the channel condition and CE level 0 is evaluated with the other one of the RSRQ and the RSRP as the channel condition.

It may be appreciated that for stability of the CE level, in a case where the channel condition is improved and the change indication 155 of the CE level is to be indicated by e.g. “decrease” , the at least one offset value 135 may be positive associated with the at least one threshold 125, and in a case where the channel condition is deteriorating and the change indication 155 of the CE level is to be indicated by e.g. “increase” , the at least one offset value 135 may be negative associated with the at least one threshold 125.

The BS 120 may configure for example a negative value and a positive value for the offset value VAL1 associated with the threshold TH1 and a negative value and a positive value for the offset value VAL2 associated with the threshold TH2. The UE 110 may choose the negative or positive value of the offset value based on that the trend of the change indication 155 of the CE level is from a CE level for bad channel condition to a CE level for good channel condition e.g. if the measured channel condition e.g. RSRP and /or RSRQ is increasing or from a CE level for good channel condition to a CE level for bad channel condition e.g. if the measured RSRP and /or RSRQ is decreasing.

The UE 110 may report the change indication 155 indicating the change in the CE level to the BS 120. The change indication 155 may be transmitted for example via at least one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) , or a random access (RA) preamble.

For example, the change indication 155 may be reported in PUSCH in the form of RRC message. In a case where the change indication 155 is indicated by the absolute value such as CE level 0, CE level 1, and CE level 2, the RRC message may include 0, 1, 2 etc. to indicate the change indication 155. In a case where the change indication 155 is indicated by the relative value such as “decrease” and “increase” , the RRC message may include e.g. a binary value “0” to indicate the “decrease” and e.g. a binary value “1” to indicate the “increase” , or vice versa. Since the BS 120 may implicitly know the previous CE level of the UE 110 based on the RA resources used by the UE 110 or may have previously received the change indication 155 of the CE level, the BS 120 may know the current CE level of the UE 110 based on the change indication 155 indicated by the relative value.

Alternatively or additionally, for example, the change indication 155 may be reported in PUSCH in the form of MAC-CE. The change indication 155 of the CE level may be indicated by at least one reserved bit in the MAC-CE or a dedicated MAC-CE.

FIG. 2 shows an example form of a MAC-CE which may transmit the change indication 155 of CE level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As is shown in the FIG. 2, the example form of the MAC-CE may be associated with a codepoint /index, and may include a logical channel identifier (LCID) 210.

A dedicated MAC-CE may be used for indicating the change indication 155. For example, the LCID 210 of a MAC-CE with the reserved codepoint /index of e.g. 01110 to 01111 may be used as the dedicated MAC-CE. At least one bit in the dedicated MAC-CE indexed with the LCID 210 may indicate the relative value such as the “decrease” and the “increase” of the change indication 155. For example, the bit value “0” may indicate “decrease” , and the bit value “1” may indicate “increase” . One or more bits in the dedicated MAC-CE indexed with the LCID 210 may indicate the absolute value such as the CE level 0, the CE level 1, the CE level 2, etc. of the change indication 155.

Alternatively or additionally, at least one reserved bit in the MAC-CE may indicate the change indication 155. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show examples of MAC-CEs which may transmit the change indication 155 of CE level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As is shown in the FIG. 3A, a short buffer status report (Short BSR) 310 is shown as the MAC-CE with at least one reserved bit to indicate the change indication 155. The Short BSR 310 may be e.g. octet including e.g. two bits for a logical channel group identifier (LCG ID) 320 and six bits for a buffer size. In the networks such as NB-IoT etc., the logical channels belong to one LCG and the LCG ID is set to #0, therefore the two bits for LCG ID 320 of the Short BSR 310 may be reused for indicating the change indication 155.

As is shown in the FIG. 3B, a downlink channel quality report and access stratum release assistance indication (DCQR and AS RAI) 330 is shown as the MAC-CE where at least one of the two reserved bits 340 may be reused for indicating the change indication 155. The DCQR and AS RAI 330 may be e.g. octet including e.g. two bits for access stratum release assistance indication (AS RAI) , two reserved bits 340 for indicating the change indication 155 and four bits for quality report.

The UE 110 may transmit the MAC-CE carrying the change indication 155 to the BS 120 by multiplexing the MAC-CE in message 3 (Msg3) transmitted on a PUSCH during a RA procedure. For example, in a case where in the operation 130 the UE 110 determines e.g. the CE level in the RA procedure, and before transmitting the Msg3 the UE 110 has determined the change in the CE level in the operation 150, the UE 110 may report the change indication 155 by the MAC-CE multiplexed in Msg3 in the RA procedure.

Alternatively, the UE 110 may transmit the MAC-CE carrying the change indication 155 to the BS 120 by multiplexing the MAC-CE in uplink data transmitted on PUSCH. In this case, the MAC-CE may be transmitted from the UE 110 to the BS 120 with uplink data.

Alternatively, the UE 110 may transmit the MAC-CE carrying the change indication 155 to the BS 120 as uplink control information (UCI) . In this case, the MAC-CE may be transmitted from the UE 110 to the BS 120 as UCI without uplink data.

Alternatively or additionally, for example, the change indication 155 may be reported via a RA preamble. For example, in a case where the UE 110 determines the change in the CE level in the operation 150, the RA procedure may be triggered and the UE 110 may transmit the RA preamble to the BS 120. The RA preamble may be transmitted with RA parameters such as RA resources which may correspond to the change indication 155 of the CE level such as the CE level 0, the CE level 1, the CE level 2, etc., and thus the RA preamble may correspond to the change indication 155 of the CE level. The BS 120 may receive the change indication 155 of the UE 110 according to the RA preamble based on the corresponding RA parameters.

Referring back to the FIG. 1, receiving the change indication 155 indicating the change in the CE level of the UE 110, the BS 120 may determine, in an operation 160, repetition information 165 on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication 155 of the CE level. The one or more transmissions may be e.g. via PUSCH and/or physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for uplink transmissions, PDCCH and/or PDSCH for downlink transmissions, and physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble transmissions for RACH, etc.. For example, the repetition information 165 may include the number of repetitions for narrowband PDCCH (NPDCCH) such as the parameter npdcch-NumRepetitions, the numbers of repetitions for the PUSCH and PDSCH, etc..

In a case where the received change indication 155 of the CE level corresponds to good channel condition, e.g. the CE level 0, the BS 120 may determine the repetition information 165 with a relatively small number of repetitions. In a case where the received change indication 155 of the CE level corresponds to bad channel condition, e.g. the CE level 2, the BS 120 may determine the repetition information 165 with a relatively large number of repetitions.

Besides the received change indication 155 of the CE level, the repetition information 165 may be determined based on other factors such as transmission status of previous messages and data, etc..

The BS 120 may transmit the determined repetition information 165 to the UE 110.

In the NTN the BS such as the BS 120 may be located in the satellite such as the LEO satellite and move with the satellite, or the BS such as the BS 120 may be located on the ground and the communication between the UE 110 and the BS 120 is transparent through the satellite. The pathloss and distance between the UE and the BS may change with the movement of the BS, and thus the CE level will change with time. The UE reports the change indication of the CE level to the BS, and therefore the BS may make fast determination on suitable repetition information including e.g. the number of repetitions. So resource usage of the network may be optimized and transmission time as well as power consumption for the UE may be reduced.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The example method 400 may be performed for example at a UE such as the UE 110.

Referring to FIG. 4, the example method 400 may include an operation 410 of receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, an operation 420 of evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters, an operation 430 of determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level, and an operation 440 of reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.

Details of the operation 410 may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the at least one threshold 125, the at least one offset value 135, and/or the time window 140, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 420 may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 145, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 430 may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 150, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 440 may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the parameters may include at least one of: at least one threshold for channel condition, at least one offset value associated with the at least one threshold, and/or a time window for evaluating the coverage enhancement level. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the at least one threshold 125, the at least one offset value 135, and/or the time window 140, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the at least one offset value may relate to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the at least one threshold 125, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the channel condition may include at least one of a reference signal receiving power and/or a reference signal receiving quality. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 150, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be indicated by an absolute value or a relative value. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be reported via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, and/or a random access preamble. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be indicated by at least one reserved bit in the medium access control-control element or a dedicated medium access control-control element. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, the LCID 210, the Short BSR 310 and the DCQR and/or AS RAI 330, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the medium access control-control element may be multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or transmitted as uplink control information. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the random access preamble may correspond to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 400 may further include an operation of receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information may be determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the repetition information 165, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for managing coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The example method 500 may be performed for example at a BS such as the BS 120.

Referring to FIG. 5, the example method 500 may include an operation 510 of transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level, and an operation 520 of receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.

Details of the operation 510 may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the at least one threshold 125, the at least one offset value 135, and/or the time window 140, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Details of the operation 520 may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the change indication of the coverage enhancement level may be received via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, and/or a random access preamble. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the medium access control-control element may be multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or received as uplink control information. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the change indication 155, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an embodiment, the example method 500 may further include an operation of determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level, and an operation of transmitting the determined repetition information. The more details may refer to the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 160 and/or the repetition information 165, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of the UE 110 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 6, the example apparatus 600 may include at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 that may include computer program code 630. The at least one memory 620 and the computer program code 630 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 610, cause the apparatus 600 at least to perform the example method 400 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 610 in the example apparatus 600 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 610 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in FIG. 6.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 620 in the example apparatus 600 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 620 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 600 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 600, including the at least one processor 610 and the at least one memory 620, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the apparatus on the side of the UE 110 is not limited to the above example apparatus 600.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for managing coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of the BS 120 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 7, the example apparatus 700 may include at least one processor 710 and at least one memory 720 that may include computer program code 730. The at least one memory 720 and the computer program code 730 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 710, cause the apparatus 700 at least to perform at least one of the example method 500 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 710 in the example apparatus 700 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU) , a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one processor 710 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in FIG. 7.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 720 in the example apparatus 700 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM) , a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM) , a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least memory 720 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 700 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 700, including the at least one processor 710 and the at least one memory 720, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

It is appreciated that the structure of the apparatus on the side of the BS 120 is not limited to the above example apparatus 700.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for reporting coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of the UE 110 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 8, the example apparatus 800 may include means 810 for performing the operation 410 of the example method 400, means 820 for performing the operation 420 of the example method 400, means 830 for performing the operation 430 of the example method 400, and means 840 for performing the operation 440 of the example method 400. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 800.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 800 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 810 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 410 of the example method 400, an example of means 820 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 420 of the example method 400, an example of means 830 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 430 of the example method 400, and an example of means 840 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 440 of the example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for managing coverage enhancement level according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of the BS 120 in the above examples.

As shown in FIG. 9, the example apparatus 900 may include means 910 for performing the operation 510 of the example method 500, and means 920 for performing the operation 520 of the example method 500. In one or more another example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like may also be included in the example apparatus 900.

In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 900 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 910 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 510 of the example method 500, and an example of means 920 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 520 of the example method 500. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

The term “circuitry” throughout this disclosure 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) ; (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 one or all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, 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 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.

Another example embodiment may relate to computer program codes or instructions which may cause an apparatus to perform at least respective methods described above. Another example embodiment may be related to a computer readable medium having such computer program codes or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a RAM, a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, a ROM, a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The non-volatile memory may also include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise, ” “comprising, ” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to. ” The word “coupled” , as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected” , as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein, ” “above, ” “below, ” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can, ” “could, ” “might, ” “may, ” “e.g., ” “for example, ” “such as” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

As used herein, the term "determine/determining" (and grammatical variants thereof) can include, not least: calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, looking up (for example, looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, "determining" can include receiving (for example, receiving information) , accessing (for example, accessing data in a memory) , obtaining and the like. Also, "determine/determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may perform similar functionalities with different components and/or circuit topologies, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and acts of the some embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Claims

A method comprising:

receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level;

evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters;

determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level; and

reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.
The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of:

at least one threshold for channel condition;

at least one offset value associated with the at least one threshold; or

a time window for evaluating the coverage enhancement level.
The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one offset value relates to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The method of any of claims 2 to 3, wherein the channel condition comprises at least one of a reference signal receiving power or a reference signal receiving quality.
The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by an absolute value or a relative value.
The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is reported via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, or a random access preamble.
The method of claim 6, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by at least one reserved bit in the medium access control-control element or a dedicated medium access control-control element.
The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the medium access control-control element is multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or transmitted as uplink control information.
The method of claim 6, wherein the random access preamble corresponds to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The method of any of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information is determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
A method comprising:

transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level; and

receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.
The method of claim 11, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of:

at least one threshold for channel condition;

at least one offset value associated with the at least one threshold; or

a time window for evaluating the coverage enhancement level.
The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one offset value relates to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the channel condition comprises at least one of a reference signal receiving power or a reference signal receiving quality.
The method of any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by an absolute value or a relative value.
The method of any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is received via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, or a random access preamble.
The method of claim 16, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by at least one reserved bit in the medium access control-control element or a dedicated medium access control-control element.
The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the medium access control-control element is multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or received as uplink control information.
The method of claim 16, wherein the random access preamble corresponds to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The method of any of claims 11 to 19, further comprising:

determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level; and

transmitting the determined repetition information.
An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level;

evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters;

determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level; and

reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of:

at least one threshold for channel condition;

at least one offset value associated with the at least one threshold; or

a time window for evaluating the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one offset value relates to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of any of claims 22 to 23, wherein the channel condition comprises at least one of a reference signal receiving power or a reference signal receiving quality.
The apparatus of any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by an absolute value or a relative value.
The apparatus of any of claims 21 to 25, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is reported via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, or a random access preamble.
The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by at least one reserved bit in the medium access control-control element or a dedicated medium access control-control element.
The apparatus of claim 26 or 27, wherein the medium access control-control element is multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or transmitted as uplink control information.
The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the random access preamble corresponds to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of any of claims 21 to 29, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

receiving repetition information on one or more transmissions, wherein the repetition information is determined based at least on the reported change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level; and

receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of:

at least one threshold for channel condition;

at least one offset value associated with the at least one threshold; or

a time window for evaluating the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the at least one offset value relates to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of claim 32 or 33, wherein the channel condition comprises at least one of a reference signal receiving power or a reference signal receiving quality.
The apparatus of any of claims 31 to 34, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by an absolute value or a relative value.
The apparatus of any of claims 31 to 35, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is received via at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control-control element, or a random access preamble.
The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the change indication of the coverage enhancement level is indicated by at least one reserved bit in the medium access control-control element or a dedicated medium access control-control element.
The apparatus of claim 36 or 37, wherein the medium access control-control element is multiplexed in a message 3 transmitted during a random access procedure, multiplexed in uplink data transmitted on a physical uplink shared channel, or received as uplink control information.
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the random access preamble corresponds to the change indication of the coverage enhancement level.
The apparatus of any of claims 31 to 39, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

determining repetition information on one or more transmissions, based at least on the received change indication of the coverage enhancement level; and

transmitting the determined repetition information.
An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level;

means for evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters;

means for determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level; and

means for reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.
An apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level; and

means for receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform:

receiving parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level;

evaluating the coverage enhancement level based at least on the parameters;

determining a change in the coverage enhancement level based on the evaluated coverage enhancement level; and

reporting a change indication indicating the change in the coverage enhancement level.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform:

transmitting parameters for evaluating a coverage enhancement level; and

receiving a change indication indicating a change in the coverage enhancement level.