Terminal, method, base station and communication system

Abstract

A terminal according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprising: a receiver configured to receive a parameter for controlling a transmission procedure; a processor configured to adjust the parameter based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal and select the transmission procedure based on the adjusted parameter; and a transmitter configured to transmit data using the selected transmission procedure. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, enhancement of the efficiency and / or reliability of mobile-originated data transmissions can be achieved.

Description

TERMINAL, METHOD, BASE STATION AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 644,303, filed on May 8, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate generally to communications, more specifically, methods, systems, and devices for adaptive mobile-originated small data transmission.

[0003] Existing wireless communication systems employ procedures such as Small Data Transmission (SDT) to allow devices, particularly those associated with the Internet of Things (IoT), to transmit relatively small amounts of data without the full signaling overhead of establishing a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) connection (Non-Patent Literature 1, 2).

[0004] Non-Patent Literature 1: 3GPP TS 38.321 V17.3.0, “NR; Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification”

[0005] Non-Patent Literature 2: 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.3.0, “NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification”

[0006] Conventionally, a network node broadcasts or provides a control parameter, such as a common maximum allowed data size threshold, to terminals within a cell, which the terminals use to decide whether to utilize the SDT procedure or initiate a standard connection establishment for mobile-originated transmissions.

[0007] This conventional use of a single, common threshold for all terminals can be inefficient, particularly in scenarios where multiple terminals may share the same transmission resources, potentially employing techniques like Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCC), which increases interference. A threshold set conservatively low to ensure SDT success under potential sharing conditions may unnecessarily force terminals experiencing less interference to use the more resource-intensive connection establishment procedure, increasing signaling overhead and latency. Conversely, a less conservative threshold may lead to frequent SDT failures when resources are indeed shared.

[0008] Thus, one object of the present disclosure is to provide a terminal, a method, a base station and a communication system that can achieve enhancement of the efficiency and / or reliability of mobile-originated data transmissions.

[0009] A terminal according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprising: a receiver configured to receive a parameter for controlling a transmission procedure; a processor configured to adjust the parameter based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal and select the transmission procedure based on the adjusted parameter; and a transmitter configured to transmit data using the selected transmission procedure.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, enhancement of the efficiency and / or reliability of mobile-originated data transmissions can be achieved.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data volume adjustment for selection of transmission procedure.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary functional configuration of each device for some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware configuration of each device for some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods consistent with aspects related to the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

[0016] The present disclosure may introduce a method and apparatus in a multiple-access radio communication system for providing some signaling from a controlling network entity to a mobile node, controlling the mobile node’s behavior, and thereby accounting for degradations caused by resource sharing. The method and apparatus introduce an inventive step of radio parameter adjustments.

[0017] In the present disclosure, a term “node” is used as a general term which includes user equipment (UE), relay nodes, vehicle mounted modules, and network infrastructure nodes such as base stations, roadside units, repeaters, transponders, wireless routers, controllers, access points and sub-systems thereof. In the present disclosure, these entities (apparatuses, devices) may be used interchangeably.

[0018] In the present disclosure, terms “system,” “radio system” and “radio interface” are used as general terms which includes both terrestrial network and non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as satellite systems. In the present disclosure, these entities (apparatuses, devices) may be used interchangeably.

[0019] In the present disclosure, a base station (BS), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a radio access network (RAN) and a Network (a network) may be used interchangeably.

[0020] In the present disclosure, any signals (e.g., for indication, configuration and notification of some information) from a node to another node may be transmitted using any one or combinations of Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer signaling, and physical (PHY) layer signaling, even if not explicitly stated.

[0021] The RRC layer signaling may be an RRC message or an RRC information element. The MAC layer signaling may be a MAC control element (MAC CE) or a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The PHY layer signaling may be downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), or sidelink control information (SCI).

[0022] Any parameters, values and information in the present disclosure may be indicated from a node to another node, even if not explicitly stated.

[0023] In the present disclosure, "A / B," “A and / or B” and "at least one of A and B" may be used interchangeably. In the present disclosure, "A / B / C," “A and / or B and / or C” and "at least one of A, B and C" may be used interchangeably.

[0024] In radio communication systems and networks, sharing a common radio spectrum resource among multiple users gives rise to a multiple-access problem. The main challenge is to design a set of rules for resource efficient communication upon the presence of mutual interference, i.e. contamination of an information bearing signal by another similar kind of signal at a receiver. These sets of rules are generally referred to as multiple access protocols.

[0025] An example of deployed radio systems with multiple access protocols is Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio interfaces uplink direction where the spectrum resource is partitioned into time-frequency resources and multiple transmitters are sending data to the same receiver. The receiving node may be, for example, a base station or relay node that is located either in a fixed geographical location, such as a cell tower, or onboard of a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) node such as a satellite. In turn, the transmitting node may be, for example, a handheld mobile node or a vehicle mounted device.

[0026] One recently increasing source of traffic is the Internet of Things (IoT) devices which normally generate mobile-originated traffic as opposed to mobile-terminated traffic such as incoming voice calls in conventional mobile telephony. These devices are typically equipped with sensors, cameras etc., for reporting of measurements and events thereby triggering infrequent transfer of one single data unit. To avoid complicated connection setups and associated overhead therein, 3GPP has specified a Small Data Transmission (SDT) feature to allow for transfer of one single data unit with a simplified procedure composed of a single uplink message transaction. The SDT feature is supported in both 3GPP LTE and NR radio interfaces, and it is envisioned to be used in future generations of the radio interface technology as well.

[0027] 3GPP has recently started a study on introduction of Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCC) to multiplex multiple uplink users on the same time-frequency resource. The main purpose is to remove bottlenecks in the uplink direction and further improve aggregated cell throughput especially in satellite communication. Even though these proposed codes are orthogonal at the transmitting side, the received signals are expected to be subject to timing errors, frequency errors, phase shifts, and other imperfections due to real-life transmitter implementations and absence of perfect propagation delay compensation which may impede maintaining orthogonality. Therefore, the downside of OCCs is increased mutual interference which degrades the communication quality. A problem arises since the growing number of multiplexed users on the same time-frequency resource therefore increases the risk of SDT failures.

[0028] The state-of-the-art solution is to make use of threshold values for SDT radio transmission parameters. One such key parameter is the maximum data unit size that is allowed to be transmitted in one single transport block. The main principle is that the receiving side, i.e., gNB, broadcasts system information where the value of the maximum allowed transport block size for SDT triggering is included. The transmitting node, i.e., UE, acquires system information, stores it, and makes use of the parameter value in the selection of data transmission procedure. If the size of a transport block in the transmitter buffer is less than or equal to the maximum allowed transport block size, SDT procedure may be triggered, and the transport block can be submitted to the physical layer where a sufficiently robust format is chosen for transmission of one single block. Upon a transmission failure where the receiving side fails to decode the transmitted data at the transmitting node, detected by a negative acknowledgement or absence of feedback -- the transmitting side (node) makes a new transmission attempt. It is generally desirable to set the parameter in such a way that SDT procedures are normally successful because all new transmission attempts increase signaling overhead in the system and shortens the device’s battery lifetime.

[0029] If the size of a transport block in the transmitter buffer is greater than the allowed transport block size to allow for triggering of SDT procedure, the transmitter refrains from the SDT procedure and requests for an ordinary connection setup procedure. It means that the data unit may be transferred by means of segmentation and reassembly in smaller pieces instead of transferring it in one single transport block. The essential difference compared to SDT procedure is that the ordinary connection setup and release procedure may require more message transactions, more data unit headers, more padding bits to octet alignment etc., which may increase the overall signaling overhead in the system and drain the IoT device battery more than a SDT procedure. It is therefore important to find a parameter setting that can make use of SDT procedures as often as possible.

[0030] The introduction of OCCs is expected to require setting the maximum allowed transport block size to a lower value for all users within the same cell when compared to operation without OCCs to avoid increasing the number of SDT failures due to communication quality degradations.

[0031] Some embodiments in the present disclosure may provide the way to adjust the radio transmission parameters for selection of transmission procedure, such as the maximum allowed transport block size, depending on other radio parameters such as OCC assignments, selection of OCC scheme, selection of waveforms, allocations of operating frequencies, and multiplexed number of users on the same resource. As opposed to the state-of-the-art solution where the whole population of users within the same cell are using the same threshold value even if they are sharing different time-frequency resources, the threshold value adjustments may be performed per shared time-frequency resource where multiple transmissions would be multiplexed. It means that the threshold value may be adapted to time-varying traffic conditions and constantly changing resource (re-)allocations.

[0032] One existing solution is the reporting of Channel Quality Indication (CQI) prior to triggering of SDT procedure in LTE Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). The receiving node, here, e.g., UE, monitors control channel quality and reports a CQI value to the transmitting node. The transmitting side, here, e.g., eNB, can infer the maximum transport block size that can be received by the receiving node with an acceptable block error rate from the reported CQI. Thereby this solution allows for adaptation to fluctuating traffic conditions and time-varying channel quality.

[0033] This solution is different from embodiments in the present disclosure among others because the monitored control channel is a downlink channel, i.e. from the infrastructure to the mobile node, and therefore it is only applicable for mobile-terminated traffic but not for mobile-originated uplink traffic where CQI reporting is missing. Uplink CQI is not specified in 3GPP radio interface standards due to the absence of constantly transmitted uplink control channel because mobile nodes can also be (and most of the time they are) in idle mode. In principle, the network can obtain uplink channel quality by requesting a transmission of Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from the mobile node prior to uplink data transmission but the SRS requires a connection setup (or an ongoing connection) and thereby also more than one transmission occasion. Therefore, SRS is not (and cannot be) used in a meaningful and efficient manner in conjunction with SDT procedures because at least two transmission occasions would always be required whereas the SDT is per definition completed with one single message transaction. Therefore, 3GPP has not adopted channel quality-based solution in the SDT uplink direction.

[0034] Moreover, downlink does not have similar kind of transmitter implementation related imperfection issues as the uplink because there is only one transmitter in the downlink whereas in the uplink there are multiple transmitters. Therefore, all transmitted downlink signals and codes propagate simultaneously through the same downlink channel to the receiver which means that orthogonal signals and codes from the transmitting side can also maintain orthogonality at the receiving side. For example, orthogonal time slots at the transmitting side are orthogonal also at the receiving side because the propagation delay is the same for all time slots which is not the case for uplink. Hence, there are no similar kind of intra-cell interference or performance degradation issues caused by OCCs to be compensated like there are in the uplink case.

[0035] Hence, the above channel quality-based solution resolves a different issue than embodiments in the present disclosure herein.

[0036] A shortcoming of the state-of-the-art solution(s) is that the threshold value settings are conservative in the sense that all SDT users within the same cell are using the same threshold value even if they do not share the same time-frequency resource.

[0037] For example, if there are three users and two time-frequency resources within the same cell whereof the first resource is shared with OCCs codes among two users, the threshold value needs to be set to a sufficiently low value that ensures that the two users can simultaneously trigger successful SDT procedures on the first time-frequency resource. It means that the conservative threshold setting impedes the third user to trigger a SDT procedure on the second time-frequency resource for transport block sizes that are higher than the threshold value even if the SDT procedure could be successfully completed for a higher transport block size due to absence of other users on the second time-frequency resource. Consequently, the third user sometimes requests for an ordinary connection setup procedure even if SDT procedure could be possible thus unnecessarily increasing signalling overhead in the system. Likewise, setting the threshold value to allow the third user to make fully use of a SDT procedure would result into failed SDT procedures for the first and the second user whenever they are transmitting simultaneously.

[0038] In some embodiments, the disclosed method may introduce an improvement over the state-of-the-art solution because the threshold value may be adjusted per shared time-frequency resource and therefore in the example above the first and the second users may have a different threshold value than the third user. The different threshold values may mean that the conditions for triggering a SDT procedure may be different for the users of different time-frequency resources.

[0039] A benefit of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is at least one of a more resource efficient use of SDT procedures, reduced number of SDT failures, and reduced number of unnecessarily requested connection setups in time-varying traffic conditions and constantly changing OCC (re-)allocations.

[0040] The present disclosure discloses a method and apparatus in a multiple-access radio communication system for providing some signaling from a controlling network entity to a mobile node, controlling the mobile node’s behavior, and thereby accounting for degradations caused by common sharing of the same time-frequency resource.

[0041] The method in some embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to any wireless communication system that makes use of multiple access protocols but, in the rest of the disclosure, the method is exemplified with, but not limited to, non-terrestrial radio communication networks (NTN), such as 3GPP IoT NTN and NR NTN radio access technology. The disclosure describes an inventive step of radio parameter adjustment with an example of maximum transport block size that is allowed to trigger a SDT procedure, but a skilled person in the art can generalize the inventive step to other radio parameters than transport block size and other procedures than SDT.

[0042] In some embodiments, a receiving network node (e.g., gNB) may broadcast a controlling radio parameter that controls selection of transmission procedure in a transmitting network node (e.g., UE). The transmitting node may acquire the parameter value and may store the value in its memory. Upon arrival of data in transmitter buffer, the transmitting node may select the transmission procedure based on conditions controlled by the acquired radio parameter including an inventive step of adjusting the radio parameter value as a function of obtained traffic conditions and other radio parameters than the controlling parameter whereof the selection of transmission procedure and the adjustment of the controlling radio parameter may be different for different shared resources, and different among different transmitting nodes.

[0043] In some embodiments, the receiving node may be, for example, a fixed network infrastructure node such as a base station, relay node, or an NTN node such as a satellite. In some embodiments, the transmitting node may be, for example, a handheld user equipment, wireless router, IoT equipment, or a vehicle mounted device.

[0044] In some embodiments, the controlling radio parameter may be, for example, information on a maximum data unit size (or a maximum data volume) to be transmitted in a single transport block. The controlling radio parameter value may be acquired by a set of mobile transmitters that are transmitting data to the same receiving node. In the present disclosure, “parameter,” “parameter value” and “value” may be used interchangeably. In the present disclosure, a maximum data unit size and a threshold (of data unit size) may be used interchangeably.

[0045] In some embodiments, the shared radio resource may be a frequency, a time slot, a symbol, a code resource, or a combination thereof, for example, a shared time-frequency resource where transmissions of multiple users would be multiplexed on the same time-frequency with orthogonal cover codes. The cover codes may be used to multiplex multiple users on the shared resource on a frequency domain level (e.g., one or more subcarriers level, one or more resource block level) and / or a time domain level (e.g., one or more symbols level or one or more time slots level). The receiving node may allocate the shared resource for the transmitting node, or the shared resource may be pre-allocated and / or hard-coded in the transmitting node, or the transmitting node may select the resource autonomously and independently of other users, e.g., randomly or based on radio measurements.

[0046] In the present disclosure, a slot and a time slot may be used interchangeably. The slot may include one or a plurality of symbols, e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, in the time domain.

[0047] In some embodiments, the transmission procedure(s) (or candidate transmission procedure(s)) to be selected may include for example, a first procedure and a second procedure. The first procedure may be a small data transmission procedure where an arriving data unit is mapped into a single transport block and transmitted with one message transaction. The second procedure may be a connection request and setup procedure composed of multiple message transactions where the data unit is transferred, e.g., on a radio bearer, by means of segmentation and reassembly in smaller pieces. The multiple message transactions may be followed by a connection release or suspension procedure. In the present disclosure, the first procedure and the small data transmission procedure may be considered equivalent to each other. In the present disclosure, the second procedure and the connection request and setup procedure may be considered equivalent to each other.

[0048] The selection of transmission procedure per shared resource can be based on the controlling radio parameter including the inventive step of parameter value adjustments per shared resource. The transmitting node may manage (store) each (adjusted) parameter value for different resources. For example, if the adjusted value exceeds or is equal to the size of the data unit size in the transmitter buffer, the transmitting node may trigger the first procedure (or short-time transmission procedure), e.g., the small data transmission procedure, for transmission of the data in one single transport block. Otherwise, the second procedure (or long-time transmission procedure), e.g., the connection request and setup procedure, may be triggered for transmission of the data in segments. The transmitting node may perform the above transmission of the data on Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). After transmission on the shared resource may be completed (or the specific timer has been ex), the adjusted parameter value for the shared resource may be (re)set to its original or configured value or may be kept.

[0049] The adjustment of the controlling radio parameter per shared resource includes alternation of the value based on obtained traffic conditions and / or other radio parameters than the controlling radio parameter. The transmitting node may perform the adjustments autonomously and independently of other transmitting nodes and, e.g., without interaction with the receiving node. The radio parameter value may be adjusted, for example, in at least one of the following manners: - The transmitting node may obtain an ordered set of possible values for the radio parameter, e.g., in abstract syntax notation for a signalling protocol, hard coded in the node’s software or smart card, or in a signalled configuration. Upon adjustment, the node may use, e.g., a value that is in the ordered set in a position that is, e.g., either before or after as the acquired value from the receiving node. Upon adjustment, the transmitting node may determine or derive an adjusted value is a value that corresponds to a position in the ordered set, the position being e.g., either n-th before or after (a position of) the acquired value from the receiving node (the “n” may be integer, e.g., 1, 2, ...). - The transmitting node may subtract or add a pre-defined, configured, or fixed offset value from the acquired radio parameter to obtain an adjusted value. - The transmitting node may multiply the acquired radio parameter with a compensation factor, e.g. a floating-point number, to obtain an adjusted value.

[0050] The transmitting node may use the adjusted value (the adjusted controlling radio parameter value) in the selection of transmission procedure. The adjustments of the controlling radio parameter may decrease the radio parameter value, e.g., in the potential presence of other users on the same resource. The magnitude of the adjustments may be decided locally by the transmitting node, or they may be configured by the receiving node using signalling or (pre-)configurations of e.g., the above “n”s, offset values or compensation factors. One possible solution is to estimate the impact of communication degradations for different number of potential users on the same resource and populate the values in a lookup table. The table may be provided to the node, e.g., by sending a configuration, as a pre-configuration, or it may be hard-coded in the node.

[0051] The usage of the adjustments can be exemplified in the following manner. The presence of other users on the same resource may result into an adjusted value that may be obtained by decrementing the acquired radio parameter value with, e.g., an offset value or compensation factor, such that a smaller transport block size is used as the maximum block size that allows for triggering small data transmission procedure. In that way, the likelihood of successfully completing the small data procedure is higher than without adjustments. Upon the absence of other users on the shared resource, the adjusted radio parameter value may be the same as the acquired radio parameter value, i.e. adjusted with a zero offset or compensated with a factor one.

[0052] The traffic conditions for radio parameter adjustments may be obtained, for example, in at least one of the following manners: - The receiving node may explicitly indicate to the transmitting node the presence of other users on the same shared resource. The indication may be, for example, binary information where a “1” indicates presence of other users and a “0” indicates absence of other users, or an enumeration where a “True” indicates presence of other users and a “False” indicates absence of other users, or an integer value to convey the number of users on the shared resource. - The transmitting node may implicitly infer the presence of other users on the shared resource from an allocated cover code. For example, if the cover code is composed of all 1’s, the resource is not shared by any other user whereas a code that is composed of both 1’s and other values (e.g., 0’s, j’s, -j’s. Here, j corresponds to imaginary number) indicates potential presence of other users. One or more elements of the cover code may be 0, 1, j or -j multiplied by a (scaling) factor. - The transmitting node may implicitly infer the number of users on the shared resource from an allocated cover code. For example, if a specific set of codes is associated with the number of users on the shared resource, the transmitting node may infer the number of users on the shared resource from the allocated cover code.

[0053] In some embodiments, the transmitting node may take advantage of other parameters as a condition for the controlling radio parameter adjustments where the adjustments may depend on the carrier frequency or frequency ranges where the impact of phase distortion is different for different frequency ranges. For example, the adjustments of the controlling radio parameter may decrease the maximum allowed transport block size value in the higher frequency ranges such that the small data transmission procedure is used with smaller transport block sizes and less often than on lower frequencies. In other words, when the traffic conditions and the other radio parameters than frequency ranges are the same, the adjusted value in the higher frequency ranges may be (controlled to be) lower than that in the lower frequency ranges.

[0054] In some embodiments, the transmitting node may take into account the Radio Access Technology (RAT) of the transmission to decide on the adjustments. For example, E-UTRA may use a different adjustment than NR.

[0055] In some embodiments, the transmitting node may take into account the traffic situation, e.g. the congestion level, to decide on the adjustments.

[0056] In some embodiments, the transmitting node may take into account some radio conditions to decide on the adjustments. For example, it may take into account the measured Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) of the serving cell. The measurement RSRP or RSRQ may be measured by the transmitting node or by the receiving node.

[0057] In some embodiments, the transmitting node may take advantage of the multiplexing scheme where the presence of multiple users has different impacts depending on the way how the users are multiplexed with orthogonal cover codes. For example, there may be different adjustment levels, e.g. offsets or compensation factors, for cross-slot orthogonal cover code scheme, for cross-symbol orthogonal cover code scheme, and intra-symbol orthogonal cover code scheme. The transmitting node knows the multiplexing scheme and it may thereby locally obtain an adjusted value of the radio parameter. The multiplexing scheme for the shared resource may be indicated from the receiving node to the transmitting node.

[0058] In some embodiments, the adjustments can be based on the waveform information. For example, there can be different adjustment levels, e.g., for Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) and Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CP-OFDM). The waveform information for the shared resource may be indicated from the receiving node to the transmitting node.

[0059] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary data volume adjustment for selection of transmission procedure. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitting node may start a process and obtain a controlling radio parameter denoted as data volume threshold from the receiving node. Upon arrival of incoming data in the transmitter buffer, the transmitting node may determine whether to perform data volume threshold adjustments. If there are more than one user on the shared resource, e.g. multiplexed with cover codes, data volume threshold may be adjusted. Otherwise, the obtained data volume threshold may be used without adjustments. If the size of the incoming data unit in the transmitter buffer is above the adjusted or non-adjusted data volume threshold, the transmitting node may request for a connection setup where the data unit can be transmitted in smaller segments. Otherwise, the transmitting node may trigger a small data transmission procedure where the data unit is transmitted in one single transport block in one message transaction.

[0060] While the examples from the present disclosure exemplify uplink solutions, embodiments from the present disclosure may apply to the downlink (network to device) or the sidelink (device to device).

[0061] Any embodiment (two or more) used in this document could be used in combination. The combination could make use of logical function(s) “or”, “and", and / or "exclusive or”.

[0062] While the examples in the present disclosure relate to 3GPP 5G technology referred to as NR, other radio access technologies can use the embodiments in the present disclosure, for example, 3GPP 4G technology referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or future 3GPP radio technology generations such as 6G. While the examples in the present disclosure relate to 3GPP technologies, embodiments in the present disclosure could be used for non-3GPP technologies, for example, IEEE and its 802.11 variants, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.

[0063] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for some embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 1 may be a system implementing a communication using Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5th generation mobile communication system New Radio (5G NR) and so on the specifications of which have been drafted by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The system 1 may include one or more UE 10, one or more base station 20, one or more core network 30.

[0064] For example, UE 10 may take any form, including but not limited to, a vehicle, a component mounted in a vehicle, a road-side unit, a laptop computer, a (wireless) terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, or wireless personal device, or any other form.

[0065] The communication between UE 10 and BS 20 may be transferred via one or more apparatuses for NTN, e.g., a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), and NTN gateway(s). In the present disclosure, the BS 20 may include a BS in a terrestrial network, a BS in NTN (or the BS on / within the one or more apparatuses for NTN) and / or the one or more apparatuses for NTN. In the present disclosure, the BS 20 and the one or more NTN apparatuses may be used interchangeably.

[0066] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary functional configuration of each device for some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the UE 10 may have a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, an input / output unit 130, and a storage unit 140.

[0067] The BS 20 may have similar functional configurations. For this reason, in this exemplary functional configuration, the sign of the functional block corresponding to each device is also shown with the largest digit of the sign indicating each device (e.g., the largest digit "2" of "20" for BS 20) replaced with "1". In the following, the functional blocks relating to the UE 10 will be explained, but it is understood that the same explanation applies to other devices as well.

[0068] In this example, the functional blocks of the characteristic parts of the system are mainly shown, and each device may also have other functional blocks necessary for other processes. The configuration may also not include some of the functional blocks.

[0069] The control unit 110 implements control of the UE 10 and provides various functions. For example, the control unit 110 may control communication with other devices via the communication unit 120. The control unit 110 may also obtain information necessary for processing based on information received via the communication unit 120. The control unit 110 may be referred to as a processing unit.

[0070] The communication unit 120 communicates (transmits / receives) with other devices via wired / wireless communication. The communication unit 120 may obtain information from the received signal and output it to the control unit 110, or it may convert information input from the control unit 110 into a signal and transmit it. Communication unit 120 may be referred to as a transmitter, receiver, or transmitter / receiver.

[0071] The input / output unit 130 may include an input unit that accepts input from a person. The input unit may be connected to a predetermined device, storage medium, etc., and may accept data input. The input unit may output input results to, for example, the control unit 110.

[0072] The input / output unit 130 may also include an output unit that outputs data, content, etc. in a format that can be perceived by humans. The output unit may comprise a display unit that displays images, an audio output unit that outputs sound, and the like.

[0073] The storage unit 140 stores (holds) various information used by the management unit 10 for processing. The control unit 110 may instruct the storage unit 140 to read and write data.

[0074] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware configuration of each device for some embodiments of the present disclosure. Each device may have an antenna 910, a Radio Frequency (RF) circuit 920, a processor 930, a network interface 940, an input device / output device 950, a memory 960, and a storage 970.

[0075] For example, the above control unit X10 (e.g., X = 1, 2; same below) described above may be implemented by the processor 930. The communication unit X20 may be implemented by the antenna 910 / RF circuit 920 / network interface 940. The input / output unit X30 may be implemented by the input device / output device 950. The storage unit X40 may be implemented by the memory 960 / storage 970.

[0076] The hardware configuration of each device may be configured to include one or more of the elements shown in this exemplary hardware configuration, or may be configured without some of the elements. For example, the UE 10 may not have a network interface 940.

[0077] The antenna 910 converts signals into radio waves and radiates said radio waves into space. The antenna 910 also receives radio waves in space and converts said radio waves into signals. The antenna 910 may be mounted in plurality, may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, or may include a single antenna for transmitting and receiving. The antenna 910 may include a directional antenna or may include multiple antenna elements. The antenna 910 may include one or more antenna elements and may enable different input-output antenna configurations.

[0078] The RF circuit 920 performs analog processing of signals transmitted and received via antenna 910. The RF circuit 920 may include filters (e.g., high frequency filters, low pass filters), amplifiers, modulators, frequency synthesizers, analog-to-digital conversion circuit, digital-analog conversion circuit, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing circuit, etc.

[0079] The RF circuit 920 may perform amplification, filter processing, demodulation to a baseband signal, etc. on the received radio frequency band signal and output to processor 930 RF circuit 920 may perform modulation to a radio frequency band, filter processing, amplification and transmit the radio frequency band signals via the transmitter / receiver antenna 910. The RF circuit 920 may perform physical layer processing (e.g., processing of lower functions of the physical layer), and may perform beamforming processing such as analog beamforming and digital beamforming processing.

[0080] The processor 930 may control the entire device. The processor 930 may read programs (program code), software (software modules), data, and the like from the storage 970 to the memory 960 and perform various processes according to these. For example, the processor 930 may execute and control an operating system (OS) program that is loaded into the memory 960.

[0081] The processor 930 may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU), which may include interfaces to peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, and the like. The processor 930 may also be a microprocessor, Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc.

[0082] The processor 930 may perform digital processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 910 and the RF circuit 920. Said digital processing may include physical layer processing (e.g., processing of higher functions of the physical layer), processing of layers above the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, modulation, demodulation, coding, decoding, scrambling, etc. The processor 930 also processes signals sent and received via network interface 940.

[0083] The processor 930 may include a plurality of processors or may be a single processor. The multiple processors may include a baseband processor that performs the digital processing described above and one or more processors that perform other processing (e.g., overall control).

[0084] The network interface 940 may be, for example, a network adapter, which may be wired to an external network to send and receive signals.

[0085] The RF circuit 920 / baseband processor / network interface 940 may be an integral part of the RF circuit 920 / baseband processor / network interface 940. The network interface 940 may be referred to as a network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0086] The input device / output device 950 may comprise an input device that accepts external input (e.g., keyboard, mouse, microphone, switches, buttons, sensors, etc.), an output device that performs external output (e.g., display, speaker, Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp etc.), and a device (e.g., a touch panel) that integrates these devices.

[0087] The memory 960 is a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium that stores a program to be executed by the processor 930, parameters related to said program, and various other information. The memory 960 is at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), and flash memory. All or part of the memory 960 may be contained within processor 930. Memory 960 may be referred to as a register, cache, main memory (main storage), etc.

[0088] The storage 970 is a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium that stores a variety of information. The storage 970 may include, for example, flexible disks, floppy (registered trademark) disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., compact disc (Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a removable disk, a hard disk drive (Hard Disc Drive (HDD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., Solid State Drive (SSD)), or at least one other. The storage 970 may be referred to as an auxiliary storage device.

[0089] The processor 930, memory 960, and other devices may be connected by a bus for communicating information. A single bus may be used within a device, or different buses may be used between devices.

[0090] The BS 20 may be separated into three elements: the Radio Unit (RU), the Distributed Unit (DU), and the Central Unit (CU). The RU implements RF processing and lower functions of the physical layer. The DU implements the upper functions of the physical layer, the functions of the MAC layer, and the functions of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. The CU realizes the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer.

[0091] In this disclosure, BS 20 may include one device that realizes all the functions of RU, DU and CU, or may include multiple devices that each realize some of the functions of RU, DU and CU.

[0092] Other devices in the present disclosure may also be implemented by multiple devices that are physically located apart from each other. Conversely, a plurality of different devices in this disclosure may be implemented as a single device.

[0093] Some or all of the devices in this disclosure may also mean logical devices realized by virtual machines, containers, Docker, etc., or physical devices that operate such logical devices.

[0094] (Supplementary Notes) Regarding embodiments of the present disclosure, the following supplementary notes will be given. <Supplementary Note 1> A terminal comprising: a receiver configured to receive a parameter for controlling a transmission procedure; a processor configured to adjust the parameter based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal and select the transmission procedure based on the adjusted parameter; and a transmitter configured to transmit data using the selected transmission procedure. <Supplementary Note 2> The terminal according to supplementary note 1, wherein the parameter is a maximum allowed data size for triggering a Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure. <Supplementary Note 3> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 2, wherein the condition related to the resource comprises a presence or absence, or a number, of other terminals in the resource. <Supplementary Note 4> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the parameter based on explicit information received from a network node, the explicit information indicating the presence or absence, or the number, of the other terminals in the resource. <Supplementary Note 5> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 4, wherein the processor is configured to estimate the presence or absence, or the number, of the other terminals in the resource based on an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) assigned to the terminal, and to adjust the parameter based on the estimation. <Supplementary Note 6> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 5, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the parameter such that a value of the parameter decreases when the other terminals are present in the resource. <Supplementary Note 7> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 6, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the parameter based on a carrier frequency or a frequency range to which the resource belongs. <Supplementary Note 8> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 7, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the parameter based on a multiplexing scheme or a waveform used in the resource. <Supplementary Note 9> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 8, wherein the processor is configured to select a first transmission procedure when a size of data to be transmitted is less than or equal to a threshold indicated by the adjusted parameter, and to select a second transmission procedure when the size of the data exceeds the threshold. <Supplementary Note 10> The terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 9, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the parameter based on a radio condition measured by the terminal or notified from a network node. <Supplementary Note 11> A method performed by a terminal, the method comprising: obtaining a parameter for controlling a transmission procedure; adjusting the parameter based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal; selecting the transmission procedure based on the adjusted parameter; and transmitting data using the selected transmission procedure. <Supplementary Note 12> A base station comprising: a processor configured to determine a parameter for controlling selection of a transmission procedure at a terminal; a transmitter configured to transmit the parameter to the terminal; and a receiver configured to receive data from the terminal using the transmission procedure selected based on the parameter as adjusted by the terminal based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal. <Supplementary Note 13> A communication system comprising: a terminal according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 10; and a base station according to supplementary note 12.

[0095] As used in the present disclosure, use of the term “or” in a list of items indicates an inclusive list. The list of items may be prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of.” For example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C includes A or B or C or AB (i.e., A and B) or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used in the present disclosure, prefacing a list of conditions with the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as “based only on” the set of conditions and rather shall be construed as “based at least in part on” the set of conditions. For example, an outcome described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] In the present disclosure, the terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used interchangeably and have the same meaning and are to be construed as inclusive and open-ended. The terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used before a list of elements and indicate that at least all of the listed elements within the list exist but other elements that are not in the list may also be present. For example, if A comprises B and C, both {B, C} and {B, C, D} are within the scope of A.

[0097] The present disclosure, in connection with the accompanied drawings, describes example configurations that are not representative of all the examples that may be implemented or all configurations that are within the scope of the present disclosure. The term “exemplary” should not be construed as “preferred” or “advantageous compared to other examples” but rather “an illustration, an instance or an example.” By reading the present disclosure, including the description of the embodiments and the drawings, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skills in the art that the technology disclosed herein may be implemented using alternative embodiments. The person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the embodiments, or certain features of the embodiments described herein, may be combined to arrive at yet other embodiments for practicing the technology described in the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0098] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate examples of the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and devices according to various embodiments. It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments.

[0099] It is understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and elements, components, materials, or steps described in connection with one example embodiment may be combined with, or eliminated from, other embodiments in suitable ways to accomplish desired design objectives.

[0100] Reference herein to “some embodiments” or “some exemplary embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrases “one embodiment” “some embodiments” or “another embodiment” in various places in the present disclosure do not all necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

[0101] Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in the present disclosure and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

[0102] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range may be interpreted as being approximate as if the word “about” or “approximately” preceded the value of the value or range.

[0103] Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

[0104] It is appreciated that certain features of the present disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the present disclosure, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the present disclosure. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of those embodiments, unless noted as such.

[0105] It will be further understood that various modifications, alternatives, and variations in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. Accordingly, the following claims embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the terms of the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising: a receiver configured to receive a parameter for controlling a transmission procedure; a processor configured to adjust the parameter based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal and select the transmission procedure based on the adjusted parameter; and a transmitter configured to transmit data using the selected transmission procedure.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is a maximum allowed data size for triggering a Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the condition related to the resource comprises a presence or absence, or a number, of other terminals in the resource.

4. The terminal according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the parameter based on explicit information received from a network node, the explicit information indicating the presence or absence, or the number, of the other terminals in the resource.

5. The terminal according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to estimate the presence or absence, or the number, of the other terminals in the resource based on an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) assigned to the terminal, and to adjust the parameter based on the estimation.

6. The terminal according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the parameter such that a value of the parameter decreases when the other terminals are present in the resource.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the parameter based on a carrier frequency or a frequency range to which the resource belongs.

8. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the parameter based on a multiplexing scheme or a waveform used in the resource.

9. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to select a first transmission procedure when a size of data to be transmitted is less than or equal to a threshold indicated by the adjusted parameter, and to select a second transmission procedure when the size of the data exceeds the threshold.

10. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the parameter based on a radio condition measured by the terminal or notified from a network node.

11. A method performed by a terminal, the method comprising: obtaining a parameter for controlling a transmission procedure; adjusting the parameter based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal; selecting the transmission procedure based on the adjusted parameter; and transmitting data using the selected transmission procedure.

12. A base station comprising: a processor configured to determine a parameter for controlling selection of a transmission procedure at a terminal; a transmitter configured to transmit the parameter to the terminal; and a receiver configured to receive data from the terminal using the transmission procedure selected based on the parameter as adjusted by the terminal based on a condition related to a resource used by the terminal.

13. A communication system comprising: a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 10; and a base station according to claim 12.

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