Method and user terminal for requesting system information and method for transmitting system information

Abstract

A method for requesting system information is proposed. The method may comprise transmitting a request for at least one system information block group, each of which comprises one or more system information blocks, from a user terminal to a network node. The one or more system information blocks may be grouped according to an attribute of the one or more system information blocks. The method may further comprise receiving one or more system information block groups from the network node. The one or more system information block groups may comprise at least one system information block group.

Description

1 / 24 METHOD AND USER TERMINAL FOR REQUESTING SYSTEM INFORMATION AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING SYSTEM INFORMATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The present invention generally relates to communications and, more specifically, to wireless communications. BACKGROUND

[002] In a communication network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, system information (SI) is important as it can provide necessary information for a user terminal, such as a user equipment (UE) or a wireless device, to link with the communication network. In new radio (NR), SI can be classified into minimum SI and other SI. Minimum SI is the SI that a user terminal must read before it knows how to access the network. Other SI is SI not within the minimum SI. SI can be transmitted to the user terminal in a master information block (MIB) and / or system information block (SIB). For example, minimum SI might correspond to MIB, SIB1, and SIB2 in LTE. Other SI might correspond to the remaining SIBs. Since other SI is not required for a user terminal to access the network, in order to achieve energy efficiency, it may be desirable that SI can be requested on demand. SUMMARY

[003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form which are described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify main or essential attributes of the claimed subject matter, nor should it be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[004] The present invention proposes an on-demand request solution for IS, which can enable a communication network to transmit Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 16 / 46 2 / 24 or broadcast SI, such as another SI as mentioned previously, in accordance with a request to the SI from a user terminal.

[005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for requesting SIs, which can be performed on an apparatus such as a user terminal. The method may comprise transmitting a request to at least one group of SIs, each of which comprises one or more SIs, from a user terminal to a network node. The one or more SIs may be grouped according to an attribute of the one or more SIs. The method may further comprise receiving one or more groups of SIs from the network node. The one or more groups of SIs may comprise at least one group of SIs.

[006] In an exemplary embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention may further comprise receiving notification information from the network node. For example, the transmission of at least one SIB group may be predefined or derived based, at least in part, on the notification information.

[007] In an exemplary embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention may further comprise receiving an indicator from the network node. The indicator may indicate at least one of: which group of SIBs is being transmitted from the network node, and which group of SIBs is scheduled to be transmitted from the network node.

[008] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for requesting SI is provided. The apparatus may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, enable the apparatus to perform at least any step of the method of Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, p. 17 / 46 3 / 24 in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention.

[009] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is provided comprising a computer-readable means carrying computer program codes embedded therein for use with a computer. The computer program codes may comprise code to perform any step of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for requesting SI is provided. The apparatus may comprise a transmission module and a reception module. According to some exemplary embodiments, the transmission module may be operable to conduct at least the transmission step of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. The reception module may be operable to conduct at least the reception step of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the request may comprise transmitting a preamble to indicate at least one SIB group.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the request may comprise: selecting, from a plurality of preambles, a preamble associated with at least one SIB group; and transmitting the request to the network node. The request may include the selected preamble.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one SIB group may be indicated by the transmission timing of the preamble.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the request may comprise transmitting the request to the network node according to Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 18 / 46 4 / 24 with a selected transmission timing associated with at least one SIB group.

[0015] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for transmitting SIs, which can be performed on a device such as a network node. The method may comprise receiving a request for at least one group of SIs, each of which comprises one or more SIs, from a user terminal to a network node. The one or more SIs may be grouped according to an attribute of the one or more SIs. The method may further comprise transmitting one or more groups of SIs from the network node. The one or more groups of SIs may comprise at least one group of SIs.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention may further comprise: transmitting notification information to the user terminal. For example, transmission of at least one SIB group may be predefined or derived based at least in part on the notification information.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention may further comprise transmitting a network node indicator. The indicator may indicate at least one of: which group of SIBs is being transmitted from the network node, and which group of SIBs is scheduled to be transmitted from the network node.

[0018] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for transmitting SI is provided. The apparatus may comprise at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, enable the apparatus to perform at least any step of the method of Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, p. 19 / 46 5 / 24 in accordance with the fifth aspect of the present invention.

[0019] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a computer program product comprising a computer-readable means carrying computer program codes embedded therein is provided for use with a computer. The computer program codes may comprise code to perform any step of the method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention.

[0020] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for SI transmission is provided. The device may comprise a receiving module and a transmitting module. According to some exemplary embodiments, the receiving module may be operable to conduct at least the receiving step of the method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention. The transmitting module may be operable to conduct at least the transmitting step of the method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention.

[0021] According to an exemplary embodiment, the receipt of the request may comprise receiving a preamble to indicate at least one SIB group.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment, the receipt of the request may comprise receiving the preamble that has been selected from a plurality of preambles. The selected preamble may be associated with at least one SIB group.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one SIB group may be indicated by the transmission timing of the preamble.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment, the reception of the request may comprise receiving the request from the user terminal according to a selected transmission timing associated Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 20 / 46 6 / 24 to at least one SIB group.

[0025] According to an exemplary embodiment, notification information may be included in the minimum SI.

[0026] According to an exemplary embodiment, the notification information may indicate a correspondence between all preambles and SIB groups.

[0027] According to some exemplary embodiments, the attribute of one or more SIBs may comprise at least one functionality and periodicity of one or more SIBs.

[0028] According to some exemplary embodiments, the request for at least one SIB group may comprise a preamble to indicate at least one SIB group. The at least one SIB group may be indicated by or associated with a preamble sequence or the preamble transmission timing. For example, the indication of at least one SIB group by the preamble may be predefined or derived based at least in part on notification information from the network node.

[0029] According to some exemplary embodiments, one or more SIB groups from the network node may also comprise at least one other SIB group that is not requested by the user terminal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The invention itself, the preferred mode of use and the additional objects are best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for requesting SI according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting information systems. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, p. 21 / 46 7 / 24 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference throughout this descriptive report to attributes, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all attributes and advantages that can be realized with the present invention must be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to attributes and advantages is understood to mean that a specific attribute, advantage, or feature described in connection with one embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, the described attributes, advantages, and features of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific attributes or advantages of a particular embodiment.In other cases, additional attributes and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

[0032] In a wireless network like new radio (NR), SI can be broadcast by a network node, such as a base station or a next-generation B node (gNB), in a cell to all user terminals monitoring that specific cell. It is important for a user terminal to maintain the required SI because otherwise it will not be able to interact with the network in an interoperable manner. As mentioned earlier, minimum SI in NR corresponds Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 22 / 46 8 / 24 a MIB, SIB1 and SIB2 in LTE. There are some assumptions about how to request another SI from the network. For example, some messages like MSG1 and / or MSG3 can be used to conduct a request to another SI.

[0033] If you use an MSG1 preamble to conduct a request to all other IS, then this may result in the unnecessary transmission of some other unwanted IS. This is because there are a lot of other IS in the system and the network may have to broadcast all other IS when it receives such a preamble to request another IS. However, a user terminal may not need all other IS.

[0034] If you use MSG3 to request another SI, since there may be contention during a random access procedure, the network may not be able to reliably detect MSG3 in time. Additionally, there is additional header and delay because more messages are transmitted for the request for another SI.

[0035] The present invention proposes an on-demand request solution for IS. In the proposed solution, one or more SIBs can be classified into an SIB group according to their relevance or correlation. When a user terminal wants to request a specific IS, it can request from a network node an SIB group in which the specific IS is contained. Then, the network node can know which SIB group the user terminal actually needs, and broadcast the requested SIB group accordingly. In this way, the network node can transmit or broadcast the IS to the user terminal more energy-efficiently. On the other hand, transmission and energy resources can also be saved from the user terminal's point of view, since it does not need to send an additional IS request if another user terminal has already sent a request for the same IS as required by the user terminal. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 23 / 46 9 / 24

[0036] Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for requesting SI according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method illustrated in Fig. 1 can be performed by an apparatus implemented in a user terminal or communicatively coupled to a user terminal. According to the exemplary embodiment, the user terminal may comprise a UE, a mobile station, a wireless device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a portable device, or any other user device capable of participating in wireless network communication.

[0037] According to the exemplary method illustrated in Fig. 1, a request for at least one group of SIBs, each of which comprises one or more SIBs, can be transmitted from a user terminal to a network node, as shown in block 102. In the exemplary embodiment, the one or more SIBs can be grouped or classified according to an attribute of the one or more SIBs. It will be noticed that the SI corresponding to the SIB mentioned here may comprise another SI than the minimum SI in the context of NR. It should be noted that the terms SI and SIB used here and the exemplary illustration of the grouping of one or more SIBs are not limited to NR and LTE. The methods, devices, and related products proposed here may also be applicable to other suitable network environments, although some exemplary embodiments are described with respect to NR and LTE. As described earlier, the minimum SI corresponds to MIB, SIB1, and SIB2 in LTE, and consequently another SI corresponds to SIB3 up to SIB21.The attribute of one or more SIBs can be learned from the SIB definition in LTE. For example, the attribute of one or more SIBs may include at least one SIB functionality and periodicity. However, it can also be expected that other appropriate rules will apply to learn more SIB attributes. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 24 / 46 10 / 24

[0038] Table 1 exemplarily shows the functional description of some SIBs in LTE. It can be seen in Table 1 that the SIBs conducting SIs are not entirely independent of each other. For example, SIB3 to SIB8 are all related to how to perform cell re-selection, although each SIB has different responsibilities. Therefore, SIB3 to SIB8 can be grouped. For SIB10 to SIB12, these SIBs are all related to warning and alerting. Therefore, SIB10 to SIB12 can be grouped. For SIB18 to SIB19, the SIBs are both related to device-to-device (D2D) side link communication. Consequently, SIB18 to SIB19 can be grouped. The remaining SIBs can be grouped. Thus, the SIBs listed in Table 1 can be classified into four groups. Table 1 SIB Description SIB3 Parameters required for intra-frequency, inter-frequency and I-RAT cell reselection SIB4 Information relating to neighboring INTRA-frequency cells (EUTRA) SIB5 Information relating to neighboring INTER-frequency cells (EUTRA) SIB6 Information for INTER-RAT reselection (UTRAN cells) SIB7 Information for INTER-RAT reselection (GERAN cells) SIB8 Information for INTER-RAT reselection (CDMA2000) ... ... SIB10 ETWS (Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System) information (primary notification) SIB11 ETWS (Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System) information (secondary notification) Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 25 / 46 11 / 24 SIB12 Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) information. ... ... SIB18 Side-link EU information procedure, resource configuration information related to side-link communication SIB19 Side-link EU information procedure, resource configuration information related to side-link discovery ... ...

[0039] It can be seen that different SIBs and their SIs can be grouped according to their functionalities. Optionally, SIBs can be classified into more or fewer groups than four. For example, since the transmission of warning and alert-related SIBs is triggered by the network rather than by a user terminal, the SI associated with SIBs10 to SIBs12 does not need to be requested by the user terminal in general. So, in total, there are three groups of SIBs to be requested. Other ways of grouping these SIBs are also possible. For example, SIBs related to cell re-selection can be classified into one group, while all others can be classified into another group.

[0040] Another SIB attribute that can be used to classify SIBs is periodicity. For example, SIBs with equal or similar transmission periodicity can be grouped together. Using LTE SIB transmission periodicity as an example, where SIBs each with periodicities of 80 ms, 160 ms, 320 ms, 640 ms, 1280 ms, 2560 ms, and 5120 ms can be classified into seven SIB groups. Alternatively, SIBs can be classified into three SIB groups, with the first group comprising SIBs with periodicities of 80 ms and 160 ms, and the second group comprising SIBs with periodicities of 320 ms and 640 ms. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 26 / 46 12 / 24 ms, and the third group comprising SIBs with periodicities of 1280 ms, 2560 ms, 5120 ms. It will be noted that one or more SIBs can be classified into the desired number of groups according to the SIB periodicity.

[0041] According to the exemplary method illustrated in Fig. 1, the transmission of the request to at least one SIB group may comprise transmitting a preamble to indicate at least one SIB group.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the request may comprise selecting, from a plurality of preambles, a preamble associated with at least one SIB group; and transmitting the request to the network node. The request may include the selected preamble.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one SIB group may be indicated by the transmission timing of the preamble. Optionally, the transmission of the request may comprise transmitting the request to the network node according to a selected transmission timing associated with at least one SIB group.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one SIB group can be associated with a preamble (also referred to as a preamble sequence or a preamble sequence for ease of description) or selected preamble transmission timing. Thus, the user terminal can selectively request the required SIB group from the network node.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, selective requests for SIB groups can be transmitted from the user terminal using different preamble sequences, which can be differentiated by preamble indices. A preamble sequence can correspond to a predetermined combination of SIB groups. Take 3 preambles as an example. Alternatively, preambles 1 to 3 can be used to indicate the Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, p. 27 / 46 13 / 24 SIB groups 1 to 3, respectively, where SIB group 1 is related to cell re-selection, SIB group 2 is related to side link communication, and SIB group 3 comprises the remaining one or more SIBs. According to this alternative, a user terminal needing multiple SIB groups (e.g., comprising SIB groups 1 and 2) may be required to send multiple SIB group requests (e.g., comprising preambles 1 and 2) to a network node.

[0046] It will be noted that the use of multiple preambles can be in different ways. For example, in alternative II, preambles 1 to 3 can be used to indicate 1 SIB group, SIB groups 1+2, and SIB groups 1+2+3, respectively. According to this alternative, a user terminal can always select a corresponding preamble to obtain all desired SIB groups. Compared to alternative I, alternative II can save the preamble resource / transmission, but the probability of transmitting the unwanted SI is higher than in alternative I.

[0047] Thus, when groups of SIBs on the network are indicated using different preambles, the user terminal can send the corresponding preamble to the network node if the user terminal wants to request SI from at least one of the SIB groups. When the network node detects such a preamble, it can therefore only transmit or broadcast SI within the SIB groups indicated according to the detected preamble.

[0048] According to the exemplary method illustrated in Fig. 1, the user terminal can receive notification information transmitted from the network node. In this case, transmission of at least one group of SIBs can be predefined or derived based at least in part on the notification information. Optionally, the notification information can be included in the minimal SI. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 28 / 46 14 / 24

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment, the notification information may indicate a match between all preambles and SIB groups. Optionally, the match between at least one SIB group and the associated preamble, or the indication of at least one SIB group by the preamble, may be predefined or derived based at least in part on the notification information from the network node. For example, the preambles that are used to request on-demand transmission of the SI conducted by one or more SIBs may be predefined according to a known rule specified by the user terminal and the network node.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, if the correspondence between preambles and SIB groups is given in minimal SI, the minimal SI can indicate only one preamble for an SIB group, while there is a specified rule for the user terminal to derive other preambles for another SIB group. For example, it is assumed that the specified rule is that all preambles to request SIB groups have consecutive indices, and each preamble with an index increased by one indicates one more SIB group. As such, for alternative II, as mentioned earlier, if it is given in minimal SI that a preamble with index 'n' is used to indicate SIB group 1, then according to the specified rule, the user terminal can know that a preamble with index 'n+1' is used to indicate SIB groups 1+2, and a preamble with index 'n+2' is used to indicate SIB groups 1+2+3.It will be appreciated that other suitable rules may also be applicable to determine preambles for selective SI request and transmission. For example, preambles for SIB group requests may have non-consecutive indices, and / or the correspondence between all preambles and SIB groups may be reported in the minimum SI from the network node.

[0051] In another exemplary modality, selective requests for groups Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, p. 29 / 46 15 / 24 SIBs can be transmitted from the user terminal using different preamble timing. In this mode, only one preamble can be used to request SIB group transmission from the network node, but the timing at which the preamble is sent can be used to determine which SIB group is requested. Therefore, compared to the mode where different preambles are used to indicate multiple SIB groups, using different transmission timings for a preamble to indicate multiple SIB groups can save transmission resources.

[0052] Assuming there are three SIB groups, including SIB group A with periodicities of 80 ms, 160 ms, SIB group B with periodicities of 320 ms, 640 ms, and SIB group C with periodicities of 1280 ms, 2560 ms, 5120 ms. The respective minimum periodicities of SIB groups A, B, and C are 80 ms, 320 ms, and 1280 ms, respectively. Then, the timing at which an SIB group is requested by sending a preamble determines which SIB group is requested. In an exemplary embodiment, the requested SIB group can be determined according to whether the frame corresponding to the preamble sent by the user terminal has a period that is an integer multiple of the minimum periodicity of the SIB group. As an additional rule, if the period of this table is an integer multiple of the minimum periodicities of several SIB groups, then the SIB group with the highest periodicity (or alternatively the SIB group with the lowest periodicity) can be determined as the requested SIB group.In another exemplary embodiment, the requested SIB group can be determined according to the frame corresponding to the preamble sent by the user terminal and the next most recent frame in which SI can be transmitted or broadcast. In this embodiment, the frame corresponding to the preamble may have a period that is not an integer multiple of the period. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 30 / 46 16 / 24 minimum periodicity of the SIB group.

[0053] Using the LTE frame as an example, where the frame length is 10 ms. If the frame number corresponding to the preamble is 24, then the frame period is 240 ms, which is an integer multiple of the minimum periodicity of 80 ms for SIB group A. This means that the user terminal wants to request SIB group A. Similarly, if the frame number corresponding to the preamble is 96, then the frame period is 960 ms, which is an integer multiple of the minimum periodicity of 80 ms for SIB group A and the minimum periodicity of 320 ms for SIB group B. This means that the user terminal wants to request both SIB group A and SIB group B but not SIB group C. Or as an additional rule, it is SIB group B that is requested instead of SIB group A plus B, because the minimum periodicity of SIB group B is greater than that of SIB group A.Alternatively, if the frame number corresponding to the preamble is 22, then the number of the most recent last frame to transmit or broadcast SI is 24, according to a predefined criterion. Since the period of this most recent frame is 240 ms, which is an integer multiple of the minimum periodicity of SIB A group, this may mean that the user terminal wishes to request only SIB A group.

[0054] Thus, when the user terminal wants to request a specific group of SIs, it can send a preamble as a request to the network node at the specific timing or frame. When the network node detects this preamble, it determines which SI group the user terminal wants to request, according to the transmission timing of the preamble. Consequently, the network node can only transmit or broadcast SIs within the corresponding SI group on the network. This can eliminate unnecessary SI transmissions on the network. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, p. 31 / 46 17 / 24

[0055] Referring back to Figure 1, the user terminal can receive one or more SIB groups from the network node, as shown in block 104. The one or more SIB groups can comprise at least one SIB group requested by the user terminal in block 102. Optionally, the one or more SIB groups can also comprise at least one other SIB group that is not requested by the user terminal. For example, preamble 3 is used to indicate SIB groups 1+2+3, as described earlier in alternative II. If the user terminal wants to obtain SI within SIB group 1, then the user terminal can also obtain SIB groups 2 and 3 in addition to SIB group 1, by using preamble 3 to request SIB group 1 from the network node. Apparently, SIB groups 2 and 3 are not actually needed by the user terminal.In another example, since the network node can transmit or broadcast multiple groups of SIBs requested by different user terminals on the network, the user terminal can receive one or more groups of SIBs requested by other user terminals.

[0056] Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting IS according to another embodiment of the present invention. The method illustrated in Fig. 2 can be performed by an apparatus implemented in a network node or communicatively coupled to a network node. According to the exemplary embodiment, the network node may comprise an evolved B node (eNB), a gNB, an access point (AP), a base station (BS), a communication node, a control center, a relay station, a repeater, or any other network device capable of participating in wireless network communication.

[0057] Corresponding to the steps of the exemplary method for requesting SI performed by a user terminal as illustrated in Fig. 1, the network node can receive a request for at least one group of SIBs, each of which Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 32 / 46 18 / 24 comprises one or more SIBs, originating from the user terminal as shown in block 202. As described in connection with Fig. 1, the one or more SIBs can be grouped according to an attribute of the one or more SIBs, such as functionality and / or periodicity of the one or more SIBs. In block 204, one or more groups of SIBs can be transmitted or broadcast from the network node. The one or more groups of SIBs can comprise at least one group of SIBs requested by the user terminal. Optionally, the one or more groups of SIBs can also comprise at least one other group of SIBs requested by another user terminal.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the reception of the request may comprise receiving a preamble to indicate at least one SIB group. The preamble may be selected from a plurality of preambles and associated with at least one SIB group. Optionally, the at least one SIB group may be indicated by the transmission timing of the preamble. Therefore, the reception of the request may comprise receiving the request from the user terminal according to a selected transmission timing associated with at least one SIB group.

[0059] As mentioned earlier, the network node can inform the user terminal of the correspondence between a group of SIBs and a preamble used to indicate the group of SIBs, so that the user terminal can selectively request transmission of group-based SIBs. In order to make selective transmission of group-based SIBs more effective, the network node can provide some group-based SIB scheduling information in a cell served by the network node. Then, the user terminal can detect from such scheduling information whether the required SI is being broadcast or not. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 33 / 46 19 / 24

[0060] According to an exemplary embodiment, the network node may transmit an indicator to indicate at least one of: which group of SIBs is being transmitted or broadcast from the network node, and which group of SIBs is scheduled to be transmitted or broadcast from the network node. Correspondingly, the user terminal may receive this indicator (which is also referred to as a group-based SIB indicator) from the network node. As such, the user terminal may learn from the indicator whether the required SI is available in the cell served by the network node. For example, if a group of SIBs containing the required SI is indicated by the indicator from the network node, it is not necessary for the user terminal to transmit a request for this group of SIBs to the network node.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the group-based SIB indicator may be provided in minimal SI by the network node to indicate the group-based SIB(s) and validity information. For alternative I described above, two bits may be used as the group-based SIB indicator to indicate SIB group transmission: 00 - no SIB group transmission; 01 - SIB group transmission 1; 10 - SIB group transmission 2; 11 - SIB group transmission 3. Similarly, for alternative II described above, two bits may be used as the group-based SIB indicator to indicate SIB group transmission: 00 - no SIB group transmission; 01 - SIB group transmission 1; 10 - SIB group transmission 1+2; 11 - SIB group transmissions 1+2+3.

[0062] The user terminal can check the group-based SIB indicator in the minimum SI broadcast by the network node. When the user terminal reads such an indicator in the minimum SI, it can know which SIB group(s) are now available in the corresponding cell. Then, the user terminal can decide whether it needs to send a request for an SIB group to the network node. If the Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 34 / 46 The 20 / 24 SIB indicator based on the minimum SI group indicates that the SIB group is being transmitted / broadcast or will be transmitted / broadcast by the network node, meaning that the SIB group is available in the cell; the user terminal would not send a corresponding preamble to the network node to request this SIB group.

[0063] In another embodiment, even if the user terminal transmits a SIB group request to at least one SIB group, the network node can override the SIB group request by indicating the transmission of more SIB groups. For example, the network node can combine multiple SIB group requests from one or multiple user terminals, and determine the corresponding SIB group transmission(s) and indicator settings.

[0064] The methods proposed as illustrated in relation to Figs. 1-2 can classify one or more SIBs into an SIB group, and the SIB group or a combination of several SIB groups can be associated with a single preamble or a single timing to request an SIB group. When a user terminal wants to request an SIB group, it can, according to its actual needs, send a distinct preamble or send a preamble at a specific timing to a network node to request the corresponding SIB group. The network node can then know which SIB group the user terminal needs and broadcast it accordingly. In this way, the network node can avoid transmitting unwanted SIs to the user terminal.

[0065] Thus, it can be seen that with grouping of one or more SIBs for on-demand transmission, the network node can only send a specified SIB group instead of all SIB groups in response to an SIB group request from the user terminal. This can be achieved by using different preambles or different transmission timings. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 35 / 46 21 / 24 preamble. In addition, using a group-based SIB indicator to indicate the availability of one or more SIB groups instead of a per-SIB indicator can significantly reduce the number of bits required in the minimum SI, thus making selective SI transmission more efficient.

[0066] The various blocks or information flows shown in Figs. 1-2 can be viewed as method steps, and / or as operations resulting from the operation of computer program code, and / or as a plurality of coupled logic circuit elements constructed to perform the associated function(s). The schematic flowchart diagrams described above are generally presented as logic flowchart diagrams. As such, the order described and the steps marked are indicative of specific embodiments of the methods presented. Other steps and methods may be designed that are equivalent in function, logic, or effect to one or more steps, or portions thereof, of the methods illustrated. Furthermore, the order in which a given method occurs may or may not strictly adhere to the order of the corresponding steps shown.

[0067] Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the apparatus 300 may comprise at least one processor 301 and at least one memory 302 storing computer program code 303. The at least one memory 302 and the computer program code 303 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 301, cause the apparatus 300 to at least execute any step of the method as described in connection with Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one memory 302 and the computer program code 303 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 301, cause the apparatus 300 to at least perform more or fewer steps to implement the methods. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 36 / 46 22 / 24 proposed.

[0068] Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another device 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the device 400 may comprise a transmission module 401 and a reception module 402. In an exemplary embodiment, the device 400 may be implemented in a user terminal. The transmission module 401 may be operable to conduct the operation in block 102, and the reception module 402 may be operable to conduct the operation in block 104. In another exemplary embodiment, the device 400 may be implemented in a network node. Receiver module 402 can be operated to conduct the operation in block 202, and transmitter module 401 can be operated to conduct the operation in block 204. Optionally, transmitter module 401 and / or receiver module 402 can be operated to conduct more or fewer steps to implement the proposed methods.

[0069] In general, the various exemplary embodiments can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, although the invention is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the exemplary embodiments of this invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller, or other devices of Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 37 / 46 23 / 24 computing, or some combination thereof.

[0070] As such, it should be appreciated that at least some aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention can be practiced in various components, such as chips and integrated circuit modules. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments of this invention can be realized in an apparatus that is incorporated as an integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit may comprise a set of circuits (as well as possibly firmware) to embody at least one or more of a data processor, a digital signal processor, a baseband circuit assembly, and a radio frequency circuit assembly that are configurable so as to operate in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention.

[0071] It should be appreciated that at least some aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention can be incorporated into computer-executable instructions, such as in one or more program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types when executed by a processor in a computer or other device. The computer-executable instructions can be stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk, an optical disk, removable storage media, solid-state memory, Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the function of the program modules can be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.Furthermore, the function can be incorporated wholly or partially into firmware or hardware equivalents, such as integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 38 / 46 24 / 24

[0072] The present invention includes any new attribute or combination of attributes explicitly described herein or any generalization thereof. Various modifications and adaptations to the foregoing exemplary embodiments of this invention may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art by the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, any and all modifications shall still be within the scope of the non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of this invention. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 39 / 46

Claims

1 / 6 CLAIMS 1.Method for requesting system information characterized in that it comprises: transmitting (102) a request for at least one system information block group, each of which comprises one or more system information blocks, from a user terminal to a base station, wherein the one or more system information blocks are grouped according to an attribute of the one or more system information blocks, wherein the attribute, additionally, is a functionality of the one or more system information blocks and a periodicity of the one or more system information blocks; receiving (104) one or more system information block groups from the base station, wherein the one or more system information block groups comprise at least one system information block group; and wherein the transmission of the request comprises transmitting a preamble to indicate at least one system information block group.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission of the request comprises: selecting, from a plurality of preambles, a preamble associated with at least one system information block group; and transmitting the request to the base station, wherein the request includes the selected preamble.

3. Method, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one group of system information blocks Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, page 40 / 46 2 / 6 is indicated by the transmission timing of the preamble.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the transmission of the request comprises transmitting the request to the base station according to a selected transmission timing associated with at least one system information block group.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it further comprises: receiving notification information from the base station, wherein the transmission of at least one group of system information blocks is predefined or derived based, at least in part, on the notification information.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the notification information is included in the minimum system information.

7. A method, according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the attribute of one or more system information blocks comprises at least one of the functionality and periodicity of one or more system information blocks.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it further comprises: receiving an indicator from the base station, wherein the indicator indicates at least one of: which system information block group is being transmitted from the base station, and which system information block group is scheduled to be transmitted from the base station. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 41 / 46 3 / 6 9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that one or more system information block groups additionally comprise at least one other system information block group that is not requested by the user terminal.

10. A method, according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the notification information indicates a correspondence between all preambles and system information block groups.

11. User terminal (300) for requesting system information characterized in that it comprises: at least one processor (301); and at least one memory (302) comprising instructions, to which at least one memory (302) and instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor (301), make the user terminal (300) at least: transmit a request to at least one group of system information blocks, each of which comprises one or more system information blocks, to a base station, wherein the one or more system information blocks are grouped according to an attribute of the one or more system information blocks, wherein the attribute is additionally a functionality of the one or more system information blocks and a periodicity of the one or more system information blocks;to receive one or more system information block groups from the base station, wherein the one or more system information block groups comprise at least one system information block group; and wherein at least one memory and instructions are configured to, with at least one processor, make the user terminal transmit the request by transmitting a preamble to indicate at least one system information block group.

12. User terminal, according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one memory and instructions are configured to, with at least one processor, cause the user terminal to transmit the request by: selecting, from a plurality of preambles, a preamble associated with at least one system information block group; and transmitting the request to the base station, wherein the request includes the selected preamble.

13. User terminal, according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that at least one group of system information blocks is indicated by preamble transmission timing.

14. User terminal, according to claim 13, characterized in that at least one memory and instructions are configured to, with at least one processor, cause the user terminal to transmit the request to the base station according to a selected transmission timing associated with at least one system information block group.

15. User terminal, according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that at least one memory and instructions are configured to, with at least one processor, make the user terminal, at least additionally: receive notification information from the base station, wherein the transmission of at least one system information block group is predefined or derived based, at least in part, on the notification information.

16. User terminal according to claim 15, characterized in that notification information is included in the minimum system information.

17. User terminal, according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that the attribute of one or more system information blocks comprises at least one functionality and periodicity of one or more system information blocks.

18. User terminal, according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that at least one memory and instructions are configured, with at least one processor, to make the user terminal at least additionally: receive an indicator from the base station, wherein the indicator indicates at least one of: which group of system information blocks is being transmitted from the base station, and which group of system information blocks is scheduled to be transmitted from the base station.

19. User terminal, according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that one or more system information block groups additionally comprise at least one other system information block group that is not requested by the user terminal. Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 44 / 46 6 / 6 20. User terminal, according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that the notification information indicates a correspondence between all preambles and system information block groups.

21. Method for transmitting system information characterized in that it comprises: receiving (202) a request for at least one group of system information blocks, each of which comprises one or more system information blocks, from a user terminal to a base station, wherein the one or more system information blocks are grouped according to an attribute of the one or more system information blocks, wherein the attribute is, additionally, a functionality of the one or more system information blocks and a periodicity of the one or more system information blocks; and transmitting (204) one or more groups of system information blocks from the base station, wherein the one or more groups of system information blocks comprise at least one group of system information blocks; and wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a preamble indicating at least one group of system information blocks.Petition 870240088896, dated 10 / 17 / 2024, pp. 45 / 46.

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