WO2024033814A1 - Signalisation de prise en charge de fonctionnalités de répéteur commandé par réseau - Google Patents

Signalisation de prise en charge de fonctionnalités de répéteur commandé par réseau Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024033814A1
WO2024033814A1 PCT/IB2023/058017 IB2023058017W WO2024033814A1 WO 2024033814 A1 WO2024033814 A1 WO 2024033814A1 IB 2023058017 W IB2023058017 W IB 2023058017W WO 2024033814 A1 WO2024033814 A1 WO 2024033814A1
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Prior art keywords
ncr
indication
network
message
node
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PCT/IB2023/058017
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English (en)
Inventor
Antonino ORSINO
Mattias BERGSTRÖM
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Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
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Publication of WO2024033814A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024033814A1/fr

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B7/00—Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field
    • H04B7/14—Relay systems
    • H04B7/15—Active relay systems
    • H04B7/155—Ground-based stations
    • H04B7/15528—Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium

Definitions

  • This application relates to wireless communications and particularly to wireless communications using network controller repeaters.
  • Repeaters are devices which can be used to improve the coverage of a network.
  • the repeater will listen to the incoming signal on a frequency and send the same signal but amplified, hence improving the coverage.
  • NCRs Network Controlled Repeaters
  • Fig. 1 The example model that 3GPP is assuming at the moment is depicted in Fig. 1.
  • gNB New Radio
  • UE User Equipment
  • Fig. 1 On the left of the figure, the New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) is shown.
  • the User Equipment (UE) is on the right of the figure.
  • the NCR In the middle of the figure is the NCR.
  • the NCR consists of two main parts, a forwarding part (NCR-Fwd or repeater-Fwd) which is doing the forwarding operation of taking the signal from the gNB on the so called backhaul link (or UE on the so-called access link) and forwarding an amplified version of it, which then can be received by the UE on the access link (or gNB on the backhaul link).
  • NCR-Fwd forwarding part
  • the other main part is the mobile termination (MT) part (NCR-MT or repeater-MT).
  • MT mobile termination
  • NCR-MT repeater-MT
  • This part is what makes the repeater network controllable and allows the gNB to communicate with the repeater; the NCR-MT terminates the control link as a UE would.
  • the link over which the gNB and the repeater communicate is shown as control link in Fig. 1.
  • BS- and UE-sides i.e., the antennas targeting the gNB and UEs, respectively
  • a more complex architecture including self-interference cancellation, would allow for using the same antenna modules for both sides.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates one schematic example of how it might look.
  • the NCR consists of three principal building blocks, the Modem, the Controller module, and the Repeater module (depicted as the two amplifiers in Fig. 2).
  • the NCR is equipped with an antenna configuration, where a signal is first received in downlink (or uplink), and, e.g., after power amplification, transmitted further in downlink (or uplink).
  • the Repeater module (also referred to as NCR-Fwd) only amplifies and (analogously) beamforms the signal, no advanced receiver or transmitter chains are required, which reduces the cost and energy consumption compared to for example a normal TRP.
  • the Repeater module also referred to as NCR-Fwd
  • different antenna modules are used for the donor and service sides, i.e., the antennas targeting the gNB and UEs, respectively, whereas a more complex architecture, including self-interference cancellation, would allow for using the same antenna modules for both sides.
  • the Modem module is able and used to exchange control and status signaling with a gNB that is controlling the NCR.
  • the Modem module supports at least a sub-set of UE functions. NCR control and status information is further exchanged between the Modem module and the Controller module.
  • the Modem module might be equipped with antennae separated from the antennae used by the Repeater module; but in most configurations, the Modem module and Repeater module will share the antenna configurations.
  • the Controller module is used to control the Repeater module, by for example providing beamforming information, power control information, etc.
  • the Controller module is connected to the network through the Modem module such that the network can control the Controller module and, in that way, control the Repeater module.
  • Both, the Modem and Controller module, can be assumed to be part of building up a MT function in the network-controlled repeater.
  • the Repeater module’s amplify -and-forward operation is controlled by the Control module.
  • the Control module could also be directly responsible for the beamforming control on the service antenna side, i.e., to/from served UEs.
  • the beamforming on the service antenna side is operated by the Repeater module under control of the Control module.
  • the Modem module could be directly responsible for the beamforming control.
  • the beamforming on the service antenna side is operated by the Repeater module under control of the Control module and/or Modem module.
  • the Modem module and the Repeater module do not only share an antenna configuration but also parts of the (analog) transmitter and/or receiver, such as power (transmit) amplifier and/or receiver amplifiers and/or filters.
  • the Modem module and the Repeater module could be operating at the same or different frequencies, e.g., the Repeater module could operate at a high frequency band (Frequency Radio 2 (FR2)) and the Modem module could be operating at a low frequency band (FR1).
  • FR2 Frequency Radio 2
  • FR1 Low frequency band
  • - Network-controlled repeaters are inhand RF repeaters used for extension of network coverage on FR1 and FR2 bands, while during the study FR2 deployments may he prioritized for both outdoor and O2I scenarios;
  • - Network-controlled repeater can maintain the gNB-repeater link and repeater-UE link simultaneously.
  • the new “smart” repeaters are fully controlled by the network (via the NCR-MT), but in order to do this the network should be aware that the node (NCT-MT) with which it is connecting is a NCR first, and then it should know also what capabilities this NCR node has (e.g., which frequencies the NCR supports, which bands, and so on). Therefore, a solution for how the network becomes aware that the node with which it is connecting is an NCR is needed.
  • the present disclosure provides a method for a UE to indicate, to a network node, support for a network-controlled repeater.
  • the UE can transmit, to a network node, a message indicating support for a NCR.
  • a network node to indicate to a UE the support for NCR functionalities.
  • the network transmits to a UE a signaling to indicate the support for the NCR functionalities.
  • the indication can be implicit or explicit.
  • a method performed by a first node comprises: transmitting to a second node a first message comprising an indication of support of one or more signaling mechanisms for indicating support of NCR functionalities; and transmitting to the second node a second message comprising an indication of support of NCR functionalities based on the indication from the first message.
  • a UE (or a network node) for performing this method is also provided.
  • a method performed by a first node comprises: receiving from a second node a first message comprising an indication of support of one or more signaling mechanisms for indicating support of NCR functionalities; and receiving from the second node a second message comprising an indication of support of NCR functionalities based on the indication from the first message.
  • a network node (or UE) for performing this method is also provided.
  • Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). With the proposed solutions, it may be possible to avoid that an NCR-MT tries to connect with a network node that does not support any NCR functionality. This will avoid signaling overhead and also will improve energy consumption at the NCR and the network due to the reduced signaling.
  • Fig. 1 shows a schematic example ofhow aNCR could communicate with the network.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic example of building blocks of a network-controlled repeater, and how it could communicate with the network. Note that this is an estimation of the possible network-controlled repeater structure, while the exact structure is still to-be-decided.
  • Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the system structure according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a signaling diagram between a UE and a network node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a signaling diagram between a UE and a network node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a signaling diagram between a UE and a network node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method in a first node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 8 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method in a first node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 9 illustrates an example of a signaling diagram between a UE and a network node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method in a UE, according to some embodiments.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method in a network node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 12 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method in a UE, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 13 illustrates an example of a flow chart of a method in a network node, according to some embodiments.
  • Fig. 14 shows an example of a communication system, according to an embodiment.
  • Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a UE, according to an embodiment.
  • Fig. 16 shows a schematic diagram of a network node, according to an embodiment.
  • Fig. 17 illustrates a block diagram of a host.
  • Fig. 18 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment.
  • Fig. 19 shows a communication diagram of a host.
  • An exemplary scenario targeted in this disclosure comprises an NCR deployed in a certain area close to a network node and this NCR tries to connect to the network in order to help the network to extend its coverage.
  • NCR tries to connect to the network we refer to the fact that the NCR-MT performs the random access procedure in order to establish a control link with the network (see Fig. 1).
  • the NCR comprises two entities (i.e., the NCR-MT and the NCR-Fwd)
  • the configuration of the NCR functionalities implies that the configuration is for both the NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd, unless otherwise clarified.
  • Fig. 3 illustrates a communication system 100, according to some embodiments.
  • the communication system 100 comprises a NCR node 110 connected to a network node 120.
  • the NCRnode 110 comprises aNCR-MT 130 and aNCR-Fwd 140.
  • the NCR-MT 130 can be seen as a UE, which can be a wireless terminal, such as a wireless module within the repeater node. More specifically, the NCR node 110 is connected to the network node 120, through the NCR-MT 130.
  • the network node 120 can be the (serving) base station, (serving) gNB, or (serving) eNB.
  • the NCR node 110 can be further connected to a UE.
  • a signaling diagram between an UE (e.g. NCR-MT) and a network node will be described. This signaling exchange may be performed during the connection procedure, when a UE (e.g. NCR-MT) tries to connect to the network node, for example. There are 2 possible scenarios.
  • the UE transmits, to the network node, a message indicating support for NCR functionalities.
  • the UE may indicate in the message that the UE is a NCR-MT.
  • the UE connects to the network node, based on the transmitted indication.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise an indication that the UE is a NCR-MT of a NCR network node.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise an indication of which frequencies or bands the NCR-MT and the NCR-Fwd are able to operate.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise a separate indication for the functionalities supported by the NCR-MT and the functionalities supported by the NCR-Fwd entity.
  • the UE may indicate support for the NCR functionalities by including one or more fields within the message (in step 210).
  • the indication for support may comprise:
  • NCR Once the NCR connects to the network, this indicates whether the NCR (meaning both the NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd), or only the NCR-MT, or only the NCR-Fwd can be turned off (and on) at some point or if they stay always on (this further will be described later on).
  • NCR-MT is able to receive the NCR- related configurations from RRC, from 0AM, or if the NCR uses information hard-coded in the specification.
  • j Fields in one or more granularities of UE capabilities, e.g. per UE, per band, per band combination, per feature set, per feature set per Carrier Component (CC); [0078] k.
  • the message can be defined as a UE capability information message:
  • ID UE capability Identity
  • Fig. 5 shows an example of the message sent by the UE to the network node, the message indicating the support for the NCR functionalities; e.g. the message can be a UE capability information message.
  • the message can be a UE capability information message.
  • other messages can be used as well.
  • the UE may receive a configuration from the network node and based on this configuration the UE connects to the network node.
  • the configuration can be sent to the UE via RRC signaling or broadcast.
  • the network node receives the message from the UE.
  • the message may comprise the support of NCR functionalities such as an indication that the UE is a NCR-MT of a NCR network node.
  • the network node may perform:
  • NCR Once the NCR connects to the network, this indicates whether the NCR (meaning both the NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd), or only the NCR-MT, or only NCR-Fwd can be turned off (and on) at some point or if they stay always on.
  • NCR-MT is able to receive the NCR-related configurations from Radio Resource Control (RRC), from Operation Administration and Maintenance (0AM), or if the NCR node uses information that is hard-coded in the specification.
  • RRC Radio Resource Control
  • AM Operation Administration and Maintenance
  • the message can be defined as a UE capability information message:
  • the message can be received from the UE (i.e., the NCR-MT);
  • the message can be received from another node, e.g. core network, a master node, secondary node or standalone node, etc.
  • another node e.g. core network, a master node, secondary node or standalone node, etc.
  • the network node may transmit a message to the UE in step 310, the message indicating support for NCR functionalities. Then, in step 320, the network node connects with the UE based on the indication.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise an indication that the network is able to support an NCR (and thus to connect with an NCR-MT).
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise an indication of which frequencies or bands the network is able to support the NCR.
  • the network node when the network node indicates support for configuring NCR functionalities, it may include an indication, which may be:
  • the existing message can be e.g., the RRCReconfiguration message, the RRCResume, RRCSetup, or RRCRe lease message.
  • SIB system information block
  • Fig. 6 shows an example of a signaling diagram of the message sent by the network node to the UE, for indicating support for the NCR functionalities.
  • the message can be included in a SIB.
  • the message can be also included in other messages, such as RRC messages.
  • the UE i.e., the NCR-MT receives, from the network node, an indication of support for NCR functionalities.
  • the NCR functionalities can comprise an indication that the network is able to support an NCR (and thus to connect with an NCR-MT).
  • the NCR functionalities can comprise an indication for which frequencies or bands the network is able to support the NCR.
  • the indication can be given by a field in the message of step 310.
  • the UE may perform the following:
  • the message can be received from another node, e.g. core network, a master node, secondary node or standalone node, etc.
  • another node e.g. core network, a master node, secondary node or standalone node, etc.
  • Fig. 7 illustrates a method 400 in a first node for communicating with a second node.
  • method 400 is performed by the first node and may comprise:
  • Step 410 transmitting to a second node a first message comprising an indication of support of one or more signaling mechanisms for indicating support of NCR functionalities; and [0113] Step 420: transmitting to the second node a second message comprising an indication of support of NCR functionalities based on the indication from the first message.
  • the first node can be a UE or NCR-MT 130 and the second node can be a network node 120.
  • the first network node may connect to the second node based on the indication of support of NCR functionalities.
  • the UE may perform step 210 of Fig. 4.
  • the examples and description related to step 210 can apply to method 400 as well.
  • the NCR functionalities can comprise an indication that the UE is a NCR-MT of a NCR network node.
  • the NCR functionalities can comprise an indication of which frequencies or bands the NCR-MT and a NCR-Fwd are able to operate.
  • the NCR functionalities can comprise a separate indication for the functionalities supported by the NCR-MT and the functionalities supported by a NCR-Fwd.
  • the indication of support can comprise an indication of a configuration of the NCR functionalities.
  • the indication of support can comprise an indication of a number of UEs that can be served with the NCR network node.
  • the indication of support can comprise an indication of whether aNCR-MT and aNCR-Fwd operate on a same carrier frequency or in different carrier frequencies.
  • the second message can be a UE capability information message.
  • the indication of support can comprise different indications for indicating network controlled repeater functionalities for multiple frequency ranges.
  • the indication of support can comprise an indication that the network node is able to support an NCR network node. In some examples, the indication of support can comprise an indication of whether a NCR network node can be turned on and off (which will be described in more detail later). In some examples, the UE may receive the indication of whether a NCR network node can be turned on and off in a third message. In some examples, the second message may further indicate that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off. In some examples, the indication of whether the NCR network node can be turned on and off may comprise that only the NCR-MT part of the NCR or only the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR-MT should be switched on or off.
  • the UE can be in an inactive or idle mode, and the third message can be a paging message or a SIB (which will be described in more detail later).
  • the paging message can comprise a UE identity that is only assigned to NCR-MTs that are different from a UE identity that is assigned to a UE with no NCR capability.
  • the paging message may comprise a paging cause that indicates that the paging message is for NCR purposes.
  • the first node can be a network node (e.g. 120) and the second node can be a UE (or NCR-MT 130). In this case, method 400 may perform step 310 of Fig. 4. As such, the examples and description related to step 310 apply to method 400 as well.
  • Fig. 8 illustrates a method 500 in a first node for communicating with a second node.
  • Method 500 may comprise:
  • Step 510 receiving from a second node a first message comprising an indication of support of one or more signaling mechanisms for indicating support of NCR functionalities; and [0117] Step 520: receiving from the second node a second message comprising an indication of support of NCR functionalities based on the indication from the first message.
  • the first node can be a network node, such as 120.
  • the second node can be a UE, i.e., the NCR-MT 130.
  • the method 500 performs step 210 of Fig. 4 when the network node receives the message from the UE.
  • the examples and description related to step 210 with regards to the network node apply to method 500 as well.
  • the first network node may connect to the second node based on the indication of support of NCR functionalities.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise an indication that the UE is a NCR-MT of a NCR network node.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise an indication of which frequencies or bands a NCR-MT and a NCR-Fwd are able to operate.
  • the NCR functionalities may comprise a separate indication for the functionalities supported by a NCR-MT and the functionalities supported by a NCR-Fwd.
  • the indication of support may comprise an indication of a configuration of the NCR functionalities.
  • the indication of support may comprise an indication of a number of UEs that can be served with the NCR network node. In some examples, the indication of support may comprise an indication of whether a NCR-MT and a NCR-Fwd operate on a same carrier frequency or in different carrier frequencies. In some examples, the second message can be a UE capability information message. In some examples, the indication of support may comprise different indications for indicating NCR functionalities for multiple frequency ranges. In some examples, the indication of support may comprise an indication that the network node is able to support an NCR network node. In some examples, the indication of support may comprise an indication of whether a NCR network node can be turned on and off.
  • the network node may send the indication of whether a NCR network node can be turned on and off in a third message.
  • the second message may further indicate that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off.
  • the indication of whether the NCR network node can be turned on and off may comprise that only the NCR-MT part of the NCR or only the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR-MT should be switched on or off.
  • the UE can be in an inactive or idle mode
  • the third message may be a paging message or a SIB.
  • the paging message may further comprise a UE identity that is only assigned to NCR-MTs that are different from a UE identity that is assigned to a UE with no NCR capability. In some examples, the paging message may further comprise a paging cause that indicates that the paging message is for NCR purposes.
  • the first node can be a UE, e.g. the NCR-MT 130.
  • the second node can be the network node 120.
  • the method 500 may perform step 310 of Fig. 4 when the UE receives the message from the UE.
  • the examples and description related to step 310 apply to method 500 as well.
  • UE Capability Information message is enhanced to indicate UE (i.e., NCR-MT) support for NCR functionalities. Additions to the specification is marked with underline.
  • the UE capability may be added in the UE-NR-Capability information element (IE) indicating support, e.g. for NCR functionalities. Some of the existing text has been cut.
  • UE-NR-Capability information element indicating support, e.g. for NCR functionalities.
  • the new “smart” repeaters are fully controlled by the network (via the NCR-MT), this means that when the NCR is not serving any UE, the network may have the capabilities to turn it off in order to save battery, signaling overhead, and reduce interference. However, details on how to switch on and off the NCR node are not available so far. [0127] In the following, methods are provided for a network node, to transmit, to a UE, an indication of whether the NCR (and thus its functionalities) should be switched on or off.
  • a UE or NCR-MT in this case
  • a network node to receive, from a network node, an indication that the NCR (and its functionalities) should be switched on or off.
  • An exemplary scenario for these methods comprises an NCR deployed in a certain area close to a network node and serving one or more UEs by relaying transmissions from the network and the served UEs. However, if no more UEs are served by the NCR, it may be beneficial to stop the forwarding part of the NCR or even the whole NCR itself (NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd).
  • NCR (or part thereof such as the NCR-Fwd or the NCR- MT) is turned on or off. It should be understood that an off-state of the NCR may not mean that the NCR is completely turned off. For example, in an off-state of the NCR-Fwd, the NCR may still repeat certain signals/channels, e.g. a certain NCR may never stop forwarding a random access channel, since that may make it impossible for a potential UE to get access to the network, since the random access channel is a channel used when establishing a connection to the network.
  • the NCR node (or at least the NCR-Fwd entity) can be switched on and off when, e.g., no UEs are served by the NCR in the periods of time when no uplink and downlink transmissions are performed. This basically will reduce the signaling overhead, improve the energy consumption at the network and NCR, and will also avoid interference that the NCR may create with neighbors UEs and network nodes.
  • a signaling diagram between a UE e.g. NCR-MT 130
  • a network node 120 regarding switching on or off an NCR will be described. It is assumed here that the UE and network node are already connected to each other.
  • the network node can determine that the NCR does not serve any UEs, the network node then decides to switch off the NCR. Alternatively, if after the conditions come back to normal or if the NCR is serving some UEs, the network node may decide to switch the NCR back on. To do so, the network node sends a first message to the UE, in step 610, the first message indicating to switch on or off the NCR.
  • the UE Upon receipt of the first message, the UE switches on or off the NCR in step 620. After doing so or before doing so, the UE can send a second message to the network node, in step 630.
  • the second message can indicate that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off.
  • the UE e.g. NCR-MT
  • steps 620 and 630 without receiving the first message in step 610. This means that the UE decides autonomously that it can switch off or on the NCR.
  • the first message (or simply referred to as the message in this section) comprises an indication that only the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR should be switched on or off. This is the case, for example, when the NCR is not serving any UE and thus there is no need to relay any transmission or reception with the network. However, in this case, it may be useful to keep the NCR-MT part active so that the NCR-Fwd can be switched on in a faster way.
  • the message comprises an indication that both the NCR-Fwd and NCR-MT parts of the NCR should be switched on or off. This is the case when the NCR is not serving any UE and the network does not want to use anymore an NCR.
  • the message comprises an indication that only the NCR-MT part of the NCR should be switched on or off. This is the case when the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR is already configured and is already serving UEs. In this case, any communication over the control link with the NCR-MT may be very frequent and thus it makes sense to switch off only the NCR-MT.
  • the message comprises a time T indicating for how long the NCR- Fwd, the NCR-MT or both should be switched on or off. This means that different timers/durations for each of the entities of the NCR node can be received. Also, this further means that different timers for switching on and switching off can be received. Since the NCR-MT and the NCR-Fwd have different functionalities within the NCR, the network may want to provide different time durations for when a certain entity (NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd) should be on/active or off/inactive. In this case, the network may provide at least one of the following configurations: a.
  • the NCR-MT receives a timer T1 and a timer T2, where the timer T1 describes/provides for how long the NCR-MT should stay on/active and the timer T2 describes/provides for how long the NCR-MT should stay off/inactive.
  • the NCR-MT receives a timer T3 and a timer T4, where the timer T3 describes/provides for how long the NCR-Fwd should stay on/active and the timer T4 describes/provides for how long the NCR-Fwd should stay off/inactive.
  • the NCR-MT receives the timers Tl, T2, T3, and T4 all together in the same message.
  • the NCR-MT receives only two timers (e.g., Tl and T2) with an indication that these two timers apply to both the NCR-MT and the NCR- Fwd.
  • the message comprises indications of one or more events or a set of conditions to indicate when the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR should be switched off or on.
  • the message comprises a configuration for indicating that the NCR-MT and/or NCR- Fwd part of the NCR should be switched off when the NCR does not serve any UEs.
  • the indications of events or set of conditions may comprise: a. At least one event or condition where the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR should be switched off/deactivated when no UEs are served by the NCR; b.
  • the failure event may happen on the control link between the network and the NCR-MT of the backhauling or access link.
  • the message comprises an indication that the NCR-MT can decide autonomously whether to switch on or off the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR or both (NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd).
  • the message comprises an indication that certain functions of the NCR should be turned on or off. Functions could here mean forwarding of certain channels or signals.
  • the NCR-Fwd could stop forwarding a Physical Control Channel (PDCCH)/Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) channel, while not stop forwarding a random-access channel.
  • PDCCH Physical Control Channel
  • PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel
  • the message received by the NCR-MT/UE is received at least according to one or more of the following signaling alternatives: a.
  • RRC signaling this means that the NCR-MT may receive this message via the RRCReconfiguration, RRCRelease, RRCReject or a new downlink RRC message created just for the NCR functionalities, i.e. a downlink RRC message associated with the NCR functionalities;
  • System information this means that the NCR-MT may receive this message via a system information block (SIB), such as SIB1 or a new SIB created just for the NCR functionalities, i.e. a SIB associated with the NCR functionalities; c.
  • SIB system information block
  • Lower layer signaling (lower than RRC layer): this means that the command to switch on or off the NCR is received by a lower layer entity of the NCR-MT such as a Media Access Control (MAC)-Control Element (CE) or a Downlink Control Information (DCI).
  • MAC Media Access Control
  • CE Control Element
  • DCI Downlink Control Information
  • the indication to switch on or off the NCR, received by the NCR-MT can be explicit or implicit. In case it is explicit, this means that the NCR-MT receives a field/configuration/information element within a message according to one of the options described above. In case it is implicit, this means that the message or the name of the indication received may itself represent an indication that the NCR should be switched on or off.
  • the second message (or simply referred to as the message in this section) contains an indication that only the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR has been (or will be) switched on or off.
  • the message comprises an indication that both the NCR-Fwd and NCR-MT part of the NCR have been (or will be) switched on or off.
  • the message comprises an indication that only the NCR-MT part of the NCR has been (or will be) switched on or off.
  • the message comprises an indication of the cause why the NCR-MT, the NCR-Fwd or both has/have been switched off (or on).
  • the indication for what caused the switching off (or on) may comprises at least one of the following: a. an indication that the NCR has been switched off because of a failure event detected over the control link, over the backhaul link, or the access link. b. an indication that the NCR has been switched off because of a reconfiguration error at the NCR-MT. c. an indication that the NCR has been switched off (or on) because no UEs are served by the NCR (or at least one new UE started to be served by the NCR).
  • the message may comprise an indication to acknowledge the command/message received by the network node to switch on or off the NCR-MT, the NCR-Fwd or both.
  • the message comprises an indication of a time T indicating for how long the NCR-Fwd, the NCR-MT or both will be switched off or on.
  • the UE i.e., the NCR-MT
  • the network node is configured by the network node to whether send the message including the indications described above to the network node.
  • the configuration may comprise an indication of which indications/IEs as described above the UE (i.e., the NCR-MT) shall include in the message.
  • the message transmitted by the NCR-MT is transmitted at least according to one or more of the following signaling alternatives: a. RRC signaling: this means that the NCR-MT may receive this message via the UEAssistancelnformation, UEInformationResponse or a new uplink RRC message created just for the NCR functionalities (or a uplink RRC message associated with the NCR functionalities). b. Lower layer signaling (i.e. lower than RRC): this means that the command to switch on or off the NCR is received by a lower layer entity of the NCR- MT, such as a MAC-CE or a DCI.
  • RRC signaling this means that the command to switch on or off the NCR is received by a lower layer entity of the NCR- MT, such as a MAC-CE or a DCI.
  • the NCR-MT transmits, to the network node, a message to indicate that the NCR has been switched on or off without having received previously any indication from the network to switch on or off the NCR. This basically means that the NCR-MT makes a decision itself on whether to switch on or off the NCR and just informs the network node of the decision.
  • the NCR-MT switches off (or on) the NCR-Fwd (or the NCR) upon receiving an indication from the network node to do so.
  • the message comprises an indication that certain functions of the NCR have been (or will be) turned on or off. Functions could here mean forwarding of certain channels or signals. For example, that the NCR-Fwd has (or will) stop forwarding a PDCCH/PDSCH channel, while not stop forwarding a random -access channel.
  • a flow chart of an exemplary method 700 in a UE e.g. NCR- MT 130 in communication with a network node 120
  • the UE i.e., the NCR-MT
  • Method 700 can be applied in cases where an NCR is not serving any UEs.
  • Method 700 comprises at least one of:
  • Step 710 receiving, from a network node, a first message indicating to switch on or off a network-controlled repeater
  • Step 720 transmitting, to the network node, a second message indicating that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off.
  • Fig. 11 shows a flow chart of an exemplary method 800 for a network node in communication with a UE (NCR-MT 130).
  • the network node such as 120, is capable to configure NCR functionalities at a UE (NCR-MT).
  • Method 800 comprises at least one of:
  • Step 810 transmitting, to the UE (i.e., the NCR-MT), a first message indicating to switch on or off a NCR; and
  • Step 820 receiving, from the UE (i.e., NCR-MT), a second message indicating that the NCR has been switched on or off.
  • the UE i.e., NCR-MT
  • - Network-controlled repeaters are inband RF repeaters used for extension of network coverage on FR1 and FR2 bands based on the NCR model in TR38.867
  • the NCR is transparent to the UE.
  • - Network-controlled repeater can maintain the gNB-repeater link and repeater-UE link simultaneously
  • NR NCR supports the following features:
  • one of the topics to be addressed is how to signal the ON and OFF information to an NCR-MT. This becomes particular important considering that an NCR-MT may have an RRC state that can be RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE. In these two cases, there is no active connection between the NCR-MT and the network and thus it is not clear how the network indicates the ON or OFF information.
  • a network node to transmit, via paging or broadcast, to a UE that is in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE, an indication of whether the NCR (and thus its functionalities) should be switched on or off.
  • Methods for a UE (or NCR-MT in this case) in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE, to receive, via paging or broadcast, from a network node, an indication that the NCR (and its functionalities) should be switched on or off are also provided.
  • the NCR node (or at least the NCR-Fwd entity) can be switched on and off even when the NCR-MT is in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE and there is no active connection between the UE and the network. This basically will improve the energy consumption at the network and NCR, and will also avoid interference that the NCR may create with neighbors UEs and network nodes.
  • an exemplary scenario comprises when the UE (or NCR-MT) is in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE and the network has the necessity to signal on whether to switch on or off the NCR.
  • Embodiments herein provide an indication to switch on or off the NCR whose RRC state is RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE.
  • RRC state is RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE.
  • an NCR-MT may be able to operate as, and communicate with the network as if it is, a normal UE (i.e. not an entity within the NCR).
  • the NCR-MT may only impact the device from acting as an NCR-MT.
  • the NCR- MT may for example connect to the network to acquire configurations, or download updates, etc. and when it does so it may act towards the network as if it is not an NCR-MT.
  • the on/off indications may not impact the device’s operation with regards to connecting to the network for such other purposes.
  • Fig. 9 can be also used for illustrating a signaling diagram between a UE (e.g. NCR- MT 130) and a network node 120 regarding switching on or off an NCR when the NCR-MT is in an inactive or idle mode.
  • a UE e.g. NCR- MT 130
  • a network node 120 regarding switching on or off an NCR when the NCR-MT is in an inactive or idle mode.
  • the NCR-MT/UE When the NCR-MT/UE is in an inactive or idle mode, it means that the NCR-MT/UE does not have a connection with the network node.
  • the network node can still decide to switch off the NCR, due to certain conditions (e.g. traffic, capabilities, etc.). Alternatively, if the conditions change, the network node may decide to switch the NCR back on, even if the NCR-MT-UE is still in the RRC INACTIVE or RRC IDLE mode. To do so, the network node sends a first message to the UE, in step 610, the first message comprising an indication to switch on or off the NCR. In one example, the first message is received by the UE over a downlink message that is generally received by the UE while in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE.
  • the first message is received by the UE over a downlink message that is generally sent in response to an initial uplink message received by the UE.
  • the first message can be a paging message, which means that the first message is sent as a paging message.
  • the first message can be within a SIB, which means that the first message is broadcasted.
  • the UE Upon receipt of the first message, the UE switches on or off the NCR in step 620. After doing so or before doing so, the UE can send a second message to the network node, in step 630.
  • the second message can indicate that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off.
  • the first message in Step 610 (when UE is in idle/inactive state): [0196]
  • the first message (or simply referred to as the message in this section) comprises an indication that only the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR should be switched on or off. This is the case, for example, when the NCR is not serving any UE and thus there is no need to relay any transmission or reception with the network. However, in this case, it may be useful to keep the NCR-MT part active so that the NCR-Fwd can be switched on in a faster way.
  • the message comprises an indication that both the NCR-Fwd and NCR-MT parts of the NCR should be switched on or off. This is the case when the NCR is not serving any UE and the network does not want to use anymore an NCR.
  • the message comprises an indication that only the NCR-MT part of the NCR should be switched on or off. This is the case when the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR is already configured and is serving UEs. In this case, any communication over the control link with the NCR-MT may be very frequent and thus it makes sense to switch off only the NCR-MT.
  • the paging message received by the UE may include one or more of the following information:
  • the Paging cause may additionally indicate directly the state of the NCR. For instance, the Paging cause can be set to “ON” if the NCR needs to be switched ON and “OFF” if the NCR needs to be switched “OFF”.
  • the Paging cause is mapped to a certain UE identity.
  • a list of “UE identity - Paging cause” can be provided, one for each NCR that is controlled by the network.
  • the network can signal a list that is something like: ⁇ UE ID 1, ON ⁇ , ⁇ UE ID 2, OFF ⁇ , ⁇ UE ID 3, OFF ⁇ ;
  • OFF the NCR is common for all the NCR nodes controlled by the network. a. This may be useful if the network wants to switch OFF (or ON) all the NCRs under its coverage at the same time.
  • the network may signal in the paging that the NCR should follow the state indicated for a time of operation T. b. In one option, the network may signal in the paging that the NCR should follow the state indicated for a certain number of slots forwarded SL. c. In one option, the network may signal in the paging that the NCR should follow the state indicated for a certain number of symbols forwarded SY.
  • a list of NCR states (a list of ON/OFF indication) and to which granularity this list of NCR states applies (e.g., for a time T, one state is one slot, one state is one symbol, one state is valid for three slots, one state is valid for three symbols, etc.).
  • the UE is preconfigured with information on how long the UE should be ON and OFF and with which periodicity.
  • the information may comprise a list where for an ON indication and OFF indication a timer T1 for indicating for how long the state of the NCR should be ON or OFF and a timer T2 that indicates how often the timer T1 should be started.
  • the list may have the following format in Table 1 (as an example):
  • the network may indicate in a DL message that is sent to the UE (still in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE) the ID of the configuration to be used.
  • the DL message can be a paging message or a SIB.
  • the UE can use Table 1 to look up the parameters associated with the received configuration ID.
  • the SIB message received by the UE may include one or more of the following information:
  • the UEs to indicate for which NCR the information included in the SIB are valid. a. If the information is valid for all the NCRs that the network may decide to omit this information, in which case the NCR would interpret absence of identities as the indication is applicable to all NCRs.
  • the indication may be an indication which indicates whether NCRs are allowed or supported by the network.
  • [0213] A mapping between a certain UE ID and the NCR state.
  • a list of “UE identity - NCR state” can be provided, one for each NCR that is controlled by the network.
  • the network can signal a list that is something like: ⁇ UE ID 1, ON ⁇ , ⁇ UE ID 2, OFF ⁇ , ⁇ UE ID 3, OFF ⁇
  • the network may signal in the SIB that the NCR should follow the state indicated for a time of operation T. b .
  • the network may signal in the SIB that the N CR should follow the state indicated for a certain number of slots forwarded SL. c . In one option, the network may signal in the SIB that the N CR should follow the state indicated for a certain number of symbols forwarded SY. d.
  • This indication can be a single one valid for all the NCRs or can be also mapping to a single UE ID (representing one specific NCR).
  • a list of NCR states (a list of ON/OFF indication) and to which granularity this list of NCR states applies (e.g., for a time T, one state is one slot, one state is one symbol, one state is valid for three slots, one state is valid for three symbols, etc.).
  • This indication can be a single one valid for all the NCRs or can be also mapping to a single UE ID (representing one specific NCR).
  • the UE is preconfigured with information on how long the UE should be ON and OFF and with which periodicity. This information is provided in Table 1.
  • the SIB message may further comprise a configuration ID as illustrated in Table 1.
  • the SIB message used to indicate the NCR state is an existing SIB (e.g., SIB1) or a new SIB specific for NCR nodes.
  • an absence of a SIB associated with NCR nodes is interpreted as or is used to indicate that the NCR (or part thereof) should be turned off, and presence of such a SIB is interpreted as or is used to indicate that the NCR (or part thereof) should be turned on.
  • the UE receives the indication to switch ON or OFF the NCR based on a downlink message that has been sent in response to a UL message sent by the UE previously.
  • the UE receives this message in a Random Access Response (RAR) or MsgB message in response to a previously sent Random Access (RA) Preamble or MsgA to the network.
  • RAR Random Access Response
  • RA Random Access
  • the UE may include in the RA Preamble or in MsgA an indication that the NCR state is requested to the network.
  • the NCR state indication can also be included in the RAR or MsgB.
  • the UE receives this message in a RRCSetup or RRCResume message that is sent in response to a RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest message sent by the UE to the network.
  • the UE may include in the RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest message an indication that the NCR state is requested to the network.
  • the NCR state indication can also be included in the RRCSetup or RRCResume message.
  • the network transmits the message in a RAR or MsgB message in response to a previously RA Preamble or MsgA sent by the UE.
  • the network may receive in the Random Access Preamble or in MsgA an indication that the NCR state is requested.
  • the network may include the NCR state indication in the RAR or MsgB.
  • the network transmits this message in a RRCSetup or RRCResume message that is sent in response to a RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest message sent by the UE to the network.
  • the network may receive in the RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest message an indication that the NCR state is requested.
  • the network may include the NCR state indication in the RRCSetup or RRCResume message.
  • the message transmitted to inform the network node that the NCR has been (or will be) switched off (or on) may comprise one of more of the following: a. an indication to indicate that only the NCR-Fwd part of the NCR has been switched on or off. b. an indication to indicate that both the NCR-Fwd and NCR-MT part of the NCR have been switched on or off. c. an indication to indicate that only the NCR-MT part of the NCR has been switched on or off. d. an indication to indicate to the network the rejection of the switching on or off of the NCR. This indication may eventually also include a rejection cause. [0224] In one example, the indication that the NCR repeater has been switched on or off is transmitted according to one or more of the following signaling options:
  • the UE transmits the indication within in a RA Preamble or Msg A to the network: a.
  • the UE may include the current state of the NCR.
  • the UE transmits the indication within the RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest message: a.
  • the UE may include in the RRCSetupRequest or RRCResumeRequest message an indication about the current state of the NCR.
  • the message to indicate that the NCR has been switched on or off without having received previously any indication from the network to switch on or off the NCR.
  • a flow chart of an exemplary method 900 in a UE e.g. NCR- MT 130 which is in an inactive or idle mode (e.g. RRC INACTIVE or RRC IDLE) will be described.
  • the UE i.e., the NCR-MT
  • Method 900 can be applied in cases where an NCR is not serving any UEs.
  • Method 900 comprises at least one of:
  • Step 910 receiving, from a network node, a first message comprising an indication to switch on or off a NCR, while the UE is in an inactive or idle mode, wherein the first message is a paging message or a SIB;
  • Step 920 transmitting, to the network node, a second message comprising an indication that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off.
  • step 910 Examples of the first message in step 910, of indications in the first message and the signalling used for the first message have been described in step 610 of Fig. 9 (when UE is in idle/inactive state).
  • step 920 Examples of the second message in step 920, of indications in the second message and the signalling used for the second message have been described in step 630 of Fig. 9 (when UE is in idle/inactive state).
  • Fig . 13 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method 1000 for a network node, which was previously in communication with a UE (NCR-MT 130), i.e. the UE is now in an inactive or idle mode (e.g. RRC INACTIVE or RRC IDLE).
  • Method 1000 comprises at least one of: [0234] Step 1010: transmitting to the UE (e.g. NCR-MT), a first message comprising an indication to switch on or off a NCR, while the UE is in an inactive or idle mode, wherein the first message is a paging message or a SIB; and
  • Step 1020 receiving, from the UE, a second message comprising an indication that the NCR has been, or soon will be, switched on or off.
  • Fig. 14 shows an example of a communication system 1400 in accordance with some embodiments.
  • the communication system 1400 includes a telecommunication network 1402 that includes an access network 1404, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1406, which includes one or more core network nodes 1408.
  • the access network 1404 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1410a and 1410b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1410), or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point.
  • the network nodes 1410 facilitate direct or indirect connection of UE, such as by connecting UEs 1412a, 1412b, 1412c, and 1412d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1412) to the core network 1406 over one or more wireless connections.
  • the network node 1410 can be the network node 120 and the UEs 1412 can be NCR-MTs 130.
  • Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors.
  • the communication system 1400 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.
  • the communication system 1400 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.
  • the UEs 1412 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1410 and other communication devices.
  • the network nodes 1410 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1412 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1402 to enable and/or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and/or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1402.
  • the core network 1406 connects the network nodes 1410 to one or more hosts, such as host 1416. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts.
  • the core network 1406 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1408) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1408.
  • Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and/or a User Plane Function (UPF).
  • MSC Mobile Switching Center
  • MME Mobility Management Entity
  • HSS Home Subscriber Server
  • AMF Access and Mobility Management Function
  • SMF Session Management Function
  • AUSF Authentication Server Function
  • SIDF Subscription Identifier De-concealing function
  • UDM Unified Data Management
  • SEPP Security Edge Protection Proxy
  • NEF Network Exposure Function
  • UPF User Plane Function
  • the host 1416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1404 and/or the telecommunication network 1402, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider.
  • the host 1416 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.
  • the communication system 1400 of Figure 14 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts.
  • the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE, and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.
  • GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
  • UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
  • LTE Long Term Evolution
  • 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards or any applicable future generation standard
  • WiFi wireless local area network
  • WiMax
  • the telecommunication network 1402 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 1402 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1402. For example, the telecommunications network 1402 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and/or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)ZMassive loT services to yet further UEs.
  • URLLC Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication
  • eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband
  • mMTC Massive Machine Type Communication
  • the UEs 1412 are configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction.
  • a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1404 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1404.
  • a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode.
  • a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi -radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).
  • MR-DC multi -radio dual connectivity
  • the hub 1414 communicates with the access network 1404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1412c and/or 1412d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1410b).
  • the hub 1414 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs.
  • the hub 1414 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1406 for the UEs.
  • the hub 1414 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs.
  • the hub 1414 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data.
  • the hub 1414 may be a content source.
  • the hub 1414 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.
  • the hub 1414 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1410b.
  • the hub 1414 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 1414 and UEs (e.g., UE 1412c and/or 1412d), and between the hub 1414 and the core network 1406.
  • the hub 1414 is connected to the core network 1406 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection.
  • the hub 1414 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1404 and/or to another UE over a direct connection.
  • UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1410 while still connected via the hub 1414 via a wired or wireless connection.
  • the hub 1414 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to/from the UEs from/to the network node 1410b.
  • the hub 1414 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 1410b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.
  • Fig. 15 shows a UE 1500 in accordance with some embodiments.
  • a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs.
  • Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc.
  • LEE laptop-embedded equipment
  • LME laptop-mounted equipment
  • CPE wireless customer-premise equipment
  • UEs identified by the 3GPP including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC UE and the NCR-MT 130 of Fig. 3.
  • NB-IoT narrow band internet of things
  • MTC machine type communication
  • a UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to- everything (V2X) .
  • D2D device-to-device
  • DSRC Dedicated Short-Range Communication
  • V2V vehicle-to-vehicle
  • V2I vehicle-to-infrastructure
  • V2X vehicle-to- everything
  • a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates the relevant device.
  • a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller).
  • a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to,
  • the UE 1500 includes processing circuitry 1502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1504 to an input/output interface 1506, a power source 1508, a memory 1510, a communication interface 1512, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof.
  • Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 15. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.
  • the processing circuitry 1502 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1510.
  • the processing circuitry 1502 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above.
  • the processing circuitry 1502 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).
  • the processing circuitry 1502 is configured to perform any actions/operations/blocks of methods 400, 500, 700, 900 of Figs. 7 and 8, 10, 12 respectively.
  • the input/output interface 1506 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and/or output devices.
  • Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof.
  • An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1500.
  • Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof.
  • An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.
  • USB Universal Serial Bus
  • the power source 1508 is structured as abattery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used.
  • the power source 1508 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1508 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1500 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable . Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1508.
  • Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1508 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1500 to which power is supplied.
  • the memory 1510 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth.
  • the memory 1510 includes one or more application programs 1514, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1516.
  • the memory 1510 may store, for use by the UE 1500, any of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
  • the memory 1510 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and/or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof.
  • RAID redundant array of independent disks
  • HD-DVD high-density digital versatile disc
  • HDDS holographic digital data storage
  • DIMM external mini-dual in-line memory module
  • SDRAM synchronous dynamic random access memory
  • SDRAM synchronous dynamic random access memory
  • the UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’
  • the memory 1510 may allow the UE 1500 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data.
  • An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1510, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.
  • the processing circuitry 1502 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1512.
  • the communication interface 1512 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1522.
  • the communication interface 1512 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network).
  • Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1518 and/or a receiver 1520 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth).
  • the transmitter 1518 and receiver 1520 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1522) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.
  • communication functions of the communication interface 1512 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof.
  • Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and/or standards, such as IEEE 802.
  • a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1512, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE.
  • a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change.
  • the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.
  • a UE when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare.
  • Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), an animal- or item-tracking device, and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot, etc.
  • a UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and/or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1500 shown in Fig. 15.
  • a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another UE and/or a network node.
  • the UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device.
  • the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard.
  • a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.
  • a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone.
  • the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed.
  • the first and/or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above.
  • a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.
  • Fig. 16 shows a network node 1600 (equivalent to the network 120 of Fig. 3) according to some embodiments.
  • network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and/or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network.
  • network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio APs), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs (NBs), evolved NBs (eNBs) and NRNBs (gNBs)).
  • APs access points
  • BSs base stations
  • eNBs Node Bs
  • eNBs evolved NBs
  • gNBs NRNBs
  • Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations.
  • a base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay.
  • a network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio.
  • RRUs remote radio units
  • RRHs Remote Radio Heads
  • Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio.
  • Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).
  • DAS distributed antenna system
  • network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and/or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).
  • MSR multi-standard radio
  • RNCs radio network controllers
  • BSCs base station controllers
  • BTSs base transceiver stations
  • OFDM Operation and Maintenance
  • OSS Operations Support System
  • SON Self-Organizing Network
  • positioning nodes e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)
  • the network node 1600 includes a processing circuitry 1602, a memory 1604, a communication interface 1606, and a power source 1608.
  • the network node 1600 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components.
  • the network node 1600 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components)
  • one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes.
  • a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node.
  • the network node 1600 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs).
  • RATs radio access technologies
  • some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1604 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1610 may be shared by different RATs).
  • the network node 1600 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1600, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1600.
  • RFID Radio Frequency Identification
  • the processing circuitry 1602 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1600 components, such as the memory 1604, to provide network node 1600 functionality.
  • the processing circuitry 1602 is configured to perform any actions/operations/blocks of methods 400, 500, 800, 1000 of Figs. 7, 8, 11, 13 respectively.
  • the processing circuitry 1602 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1602 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1612 and baseband processing circuitry 1614. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1612 and the baseband processing circuitry 1614 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1612 and baseband processing circuitry 1614 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.
  • SOC system on a chip
  • the processing circuitry 1602 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1612 and baseband processing circuitry 1614.
  • the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1612 and the baseband processing circuitry 1614 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of
  • the memory 1604 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device -readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1602.
  • volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile
  • the memory 1604 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1602 and utilized by the network node 1600.
  • the memory 1604 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1602 and/or any data received via the communication interface 1606.
  • the processing circuitry 1602 and memory 1604 is integrated.
  • the communication interface 1606 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between a network node, access network, and/or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1606 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 1616 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection.
  • the communication interface 1606 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1618 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1610. Radio front-end circuitry 1618 comprises fdters 1620 and amplifiers 1622.
  • the radio front-end circuitry 1618 may be connected to an antenna 1610 and processing circuitry 1602.
  • the radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1610 and processing circuitry 1602.
  • the radio front-end circuitry 1618 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection.
  • the radio frontend circuitry 1618 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1620 and/or amplifiers 1622.
  • the radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1610.
  • the antenna 1610 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1618.
  • the digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1602.
  • the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
  • the network node 1600 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1618, instead, the processing circuitry 1602 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1610.
  • the processing circuitry 1602 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1610.
  • all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1612 is part of the communication interface 1606.
  • the communication interface 1606 includes one or more ports or terminals 1616, the radio front-end circuitry 1618, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1612, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1606 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1614, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).
  • the antenna 1610 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals.
  • the antenna 1610 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1618 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly.
  • the antenna 1610 is separate from the network node 1600 and connectable to the network node 1600 through an interface or port.
  • the antenna 1610, communication interface 1606, and/or the processing circuitry 1602 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1610, the communication interface 1606, and/or the processing circuitry 1602 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment.
  • the power source 1608 provides power to the various components of network node 1600 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component).
  • the power source 1608 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1600 with power for performing the functionality described herein.
  • the network node 1600 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1608.
  • the power source 1608 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.
  • Embodiments of the network node 1600 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 16 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and/or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein.
  • the network node 1600 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1600 and to allow output of information from the network node 1600. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1600.
  • Fig. 17 is a block diagram of a host 1700, which may be an embodiment of the host 1416 of Fig. 14, in accordance with various aspects described herein.
  • the host 1700 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and/or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm.
  • the host 1700 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.
  • the host 1700 includes processing circuitry 1702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1704 to an input/output interface 1706, a network interface 1708, a power source 1710, and a memory 1712.
  • processing circuitry 1702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1704 to an input/output interface 1706, a network interface 1708, a power source 1710, and a memory 1712.
  • Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 15 and 16, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1700.
  • the memory 1712 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1714 and data 1716, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1700 or data generated by the host 1700 for a UE.
  • Embodiments of the host 1700 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown.
  • the host application programs 1714 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems).
  • the host application programs 1714 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network.
  • the host 1700 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE.
  • the host application programs 1714 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.
  • HLS HTTP Live Streaming
  • RTMP Real-Time Messaging Protocol
  • RTSP Real-Time Streaming Protocol
  • MPEG-DASH Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP
  • Fig. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1800 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.
  • virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources.
  • virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components.
  • Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1800 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host.
  • VMs virtual machines
  • the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host)
  • the node may be entirely virtualized.
  • Applications 1802 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.
  • Hardware 1804 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and/or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and/or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input/output interface, and so forth.
  • Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1806 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1808a and 1808b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1808), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.
  • the virtualization layer 1806 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1808.
  • the VMs 1808 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1806. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1802 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1808, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.
  • NFV network function virtualization
  • a VM 1808 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine .
  • Each of the VMs 1808, and that part of hardware 1804 that executes that VM be it hardware dedicated to that VM and/or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements.
  • a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1808 on top of the hardware 1804 and corresponds to the application 1802.
  • Hardware 1804 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1804 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1804 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1810, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1802.
  • hardware 1804 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.
  • some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1812 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.
  • Fig. 19 shows a communication diagram of a host 1902 communicating via a network node 1904 with a UE 1906 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.
  • UE such as a UE 1412a of Fig. 14 and/or UE 1500 of Fig. 15
  • network node such as network node 1410a of Fig. 14 and/or network node 1600 of Fig. 16
  • host such as host 1416 of Fig. 14 and/or host 1700 of Fig. 17
  • host 1902 Like host 1700, embodiments of host 1902 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory.
  • the host 1902 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1902 and executable by the processing circuitry.
  • the software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1906 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1950 extending between the UE 1906 and host 1902.
  • OTT over-the-top
  • a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1950.
  • the network node 1904 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1902 and UE 1906.
  • the connection 1960 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 1406 of Figure 14) and/or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks.
  • a core network like core network 1406 of Figure 14
  • one or more other intermediate networks such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks.
  • an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.
  • the UE 1906 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1906 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry.
  • the software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1906 with the support of the host 1902.
  • a client application such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1906 with the support of the host 1902.
  • an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1950 terminating at the UE 1906 and host 1902.
  • the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data.
  • the OTT connection 1950 may transfer both the request data and the user data.
  • the UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1950.
  • the OTT connection 1950 may extend via a connection 1960 between the host 1902 and the network node 1904 and via a wireless connection 1970 between the network node 1904 and the UE 1906 to provide the connection between the host 1902 and the UE 1906.
  • the connection 1960 and wireless connection 1970, over which the OTT connection 1950 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1902 and the UE 1906 via the network node 1904, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.
  • the host 1902 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application.
  • the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1906.
  • the user data is associated with a UE 1906 that shares data with the host 1902 without explicit human interaction.
  • the host 1902 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1906.
  • the host 1902 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1906.
  • the request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1906 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1906.
  • the transmission may pass via the network node 1904, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1912, the network node 1904 transmits to the UE 1906 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1902 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. In step 1914, the UE 1906 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1906 associated with the host application executed by the host 1902.
  • the UE 1906 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1902.
  • the user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1902.
  • the UE 1906 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application.
  • the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input/output interface of the UE 1906. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1906 initiates, in step 1918, transmission of the user data towards the host 1902 via the network node 1904.
  • the network node 1904 receives user data from the UE 1906 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1902.
  • the host 1902 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1906.
  • One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1906 using the OTT connection 1950, in which the wireless connection 1970 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the, e.g., data rate, latency, power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as, e.g., reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on file size, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, extended battery lifetime.
  • factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1902.
  • the host 1902 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps.
  • the host 1902 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights).
  • the host 1902 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE.
  • the host 1902 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs.
  • the host 1902 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and/or transmitting data.
  • a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve.
  • the measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1902 and/or UE 1906.
  • sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1950 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities.
  • the reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1950 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1904. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art.
  • measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1902.
  • the measurements may be implemented in software that causes messages to be sent, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1950 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.
  • computing devices described herein may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • processing circuitry may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components.
  • a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and/or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface.
  • non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.
  • processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium.
  • some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner.
  • the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and/or by end users and a wireless network generally.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé mis en œuvre par un premier nœud, tel qu'un UE. Le procédé consiste à : transmettre à un second nœud un premier message comprenant une indication de prise en charge d'un ou de plusieurs mécanismes de signalisation pour indiquer la prise en charge de fonctionnalités de répéteur commandé par réseau ; et transmettre au second nœud un second message comprenant une indication de prise en charge de fonctionnalités de répéteur commandé par réseau sur la base de l'indication provenant du premier message. Un UE est également prévu pour mettre en œuvre ce procédé.
PCT/IB2023/058017 2022-08-09 2023-08-08 Signalisation de prise en charge de fonctionnalités de répéteur commandé par réseau WO2024033814A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

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US202263396309P 2022-08-09 2022-08-09
US202263396326P 2022-08-09 2022-08-09
US63/396,326 2022-08-09
US63/396,309 2022-08-09
US202263422514P 2022-11-04 2022-11-04
US63/422,514 2022-11-04

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Non-Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
"New SI: Study on NR NCRs", RP-RP-213700, December 2021 (2021-12-01)
3GPP TS 38.331
CATT: "Discussion on signaling for side control information for NR network-controlled repeaters", vol. RAN WG1, no. e-Meeting; 20220509 - 20220520, 29 April 2022 (2022-04-29), XP052153009, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://ftp.3gpp.org/tsg_ran/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_109-e/Docs/R1-2203477.zip R1-2203477 Signaling of side control information for NR network-controlled repeaters.docx> [retrieved on 20220429] *
CATT: "Side control information to enable NR network-controlled repeaters", vol. RAN WG1, no. e-Meeting; 20220509 - 20220520, 29 April 2022 (2022-04-29), XP052153008, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://ftp.3gpp.org/tsg_ran/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_109-e/Docs/R1-2203476.zip R1-2203476 Side control information to enable NR network-controlled repeaters.docx> [retrieved on 20220429] *
CMCC: "Discussion on the working mode of NR network-controlled repeaters", vol. TSG RAN, no. Budapest, Hungary; 20220606 - 20220609, 6 June 2022 (2022-06-06), XP052164520, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://ftp.3gpp.org/Meetings_3GPP_SYNC/RAN/Docs/RP-221354.zip RP-221354.docx> [retrieved on 20220606] *
MEDIATEK INC: "L1/L2 control signaling for enabling network controlled repeaters", vol. RAN WG1, no. e-Meeting; 20220509 - 20220520, 29 April 2022 (2022-04-29), XP052203811, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://ftp.3gpp.org/tsg_ran/WG1_RL1/TSGR1_109-e/Docs/R1-2204689.zip R1-2204689.doc> [retrieved on 20220429] *
ZTESANECHIPS: "New WID on NR network-controlled repeaters", RP-222673, September 2022 (2022-09-01)

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