Method and apparatus for pre-configuring resource configuration

Abstract

Techniques for facilitating dedicated transmissions on preconfigured uplink resources are provided. Embodiments include techniques for configuring subsequent PUR resource utilization (e.g., one at a time or periodically), changing EDT signaling to allow operation with PUR, etc. An example method performed by a wireless device configured for use in a wireless communication network includes sending (90) a request for configuration of preconfigured uplink resources in an uplink message. The method also includes receiving (100) control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration to configure the first preconfigured resource during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network. The method also includes sending or receiving (120) user data using the first preconfigured resource.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the use of preconfigured resources on a radio link, and more particularly to techniques for configuring such preconfigured resources. Background Art

[0002] There is a lot of work going on in 3GPP regarding specifying technologies to cover machine-to-machine (M2M) and / or Internet of Things (IoT) related use cases. The latest work in 3GPP Releases 13, 14, and 15 includes enhancements to support Machine Type Communications (MTC) with new UE categories (Cat-M1, Cat-M2), support for reduced bandwidth up to 6 and 24 physical resource blocks (PRBs), and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs with new radio interfaces (and UE categories Cat-NB1 and Cat-NB2).

[0003] The LTE enhancements introduced for MTC in 3GPP Releases 13, 14, and 15 may be referred to as "eMTC", including (but not limited to) support for bandwidth-constrained UEs, Cat-M1, and support for coverage enhancement. This is to separate the discussion from NB-IoT (the label used here for any release), although the supported features are generally similar.

[0004] For both eMTC and NB-IoT, "CIoT EPS UP Optimization" and "CIoT EPSCP Optimization" signaling reductions have also been introduced in Rel-13. The former, referred to herein as the UP solution, allows the UE to resume a previously stored RRC connection (hence also referred to as RRC suspend / resume). The latter, referred to herein as the CP solution, allows the transmission of user plane data over NAS (also referred to as DoNAS).

[0005] There are multiple differences between “legacy” LTE and the procedures and channels defined for eMTC and NB-IoT. Some important differences include a new physical channel (e.g., the Physical Downlink Control Channel, called MPDCCH in eMTC and NPDCCH in NB-IoT) and a new Physical Random Access Channel (NPRACH) for NB-IoT. Another important difference is the coverage level (also called coverage enhancement level) that these technologies can support. By applying repetition to the transmitted signals and channels, both eMTC and NB-IoT allow UEs to operate at much lower SNR levels compared to LTE, i.e., Es / Iot ≥ -15dB is the lowest operating point for eMTC and NB-IoT (compared to -6dB Es / IoT for “legacy” LTE).

[0006] By transmitting in pre-configured resources, uplink transmission efficiency and / or UE power consumption for LTE-M and NB-IoT can be improved. For UEs with valid timing advance [RAN1, RAN2, RAN4], transmissions may involve the use of pre-configured resources in idle and / or connected mode based on SC-FDMA waveforms. Both shared resources and dedicated resources may be used. Some methods may be limited to orthogonal (multi) access schemes.

[0007] The use of preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) may be somewhat similar to the use of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), but extended to idle mode, common resources and / or with significantly longer SPS intervals. While dedicated resources (UE-specific) may be used for PUR, there are some issues, such as how radio resources are allocated to UEs in RRC_IDLE mode so that the eNB is no longer even aware of the UEs in the cell, how to configure this feature, how to ensure that radio resources are not wasted, how to provide an adaptive solution, etc. Summary of the invention

[0008] Embodiments described herein are directed to facilitating dedicated transmissions over PURs. For example, some embodiments may include a method for configuring subsequent PUR resource utilization (eg, one at a time or periodically), changing EDT signaling to allow working with PURs, and the like.

[0009] In accordance with some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device configured for use in a wireless communication network includes sending a request for configuration of a preconfigured uplink resource in an uplink message. The method also includes receiving control signaling of a first preconfigured resource configuration indicating configuration of a first preconfigured resource during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network. The method also includes sending or receiving user data using the first preconfigured resource.

[0010] According to some embodiments, a method performed by a radio network node configured for use in a wireless communication network comprises: receiving a request for configuration of a preconfigured uplink resource from a wireless device in an uplink message. The method further comprises, during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network, sending control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration to configure a first preconfigured resource. The method further comprises sending or receiving user data using the first preconfigured resource.

[0011] In some embodiments, user data transmission or reception may be performed in idle mode (without performing random access) using a TA previously obtained in connected mode. In some embodiments, PUR request / response signaling may be performed in idle mode (obtaining updated PUR resources or updated TA).

[0012] The embodiments also include corresponding apparatus, wireless devices, network nodes, radio network nodes, computer programs and carriers (eg, computer readable media).

[0013] One advantage is that any PUR resources or configurations can be revoked and radio resources can be used for better purposes. Another advantage of an embodiment is enabling PUR transmission in dedicated resources. This will limit radio resource consumption and allow customized solutions consistent with UE traffic profiles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method implemented by a wireless device;

[0015] Figure 2 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method implemented by a network node;

[0016] Figure 3 and Figure 4 An example wireless device according to some embodiments is shown;

[0017] Figure 5 and Figure 6 illustrates an example network node according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of an example wireless network;

[0019] Figure 8 An embodiment of a UE according to various aspects described herein is shown;

[0020] Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized;

[0021] Fig.10 illustrates a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to some embodiments;

[0022] Fig.11 illustrates a host computer communicating with a user device via a base station over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments;

[0023] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system;

[0024] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system;

[0025] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating another method implemented in a communication system;

[0026] Fig.15 is a flow chart illustrating yet another method implemented in a communication system;

[0027] Fig.16 is a signal flow diagram according to some embodiments;

[0028] Fig.17 An example of contention-free PUR transmission is shown;

[0029] Fig.18 An example of contention-based PUR transmission is shown;

[0030] Fig.19 shows the PUR operation based on DCI;

[0031] Fig. 20 A two-step scheme for PUR transmission in idle mode is shown;

[0032] Fig.21 The Time-Difference-Of-Arrival reception of reference signals sent from two base stations is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Figure 1 A method performed by a wireless device according to certain embodiments is depicted. The method includes receiving control signaling indicating a first pre-configured resource configuration configuring the first pre-configured resource during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with a wireless communication network (block 100). The method also includes sending or receiving user data using the first pre-configured resource (block 110).

[0034] In some embodiments, the wireless device may send a request for configuration of pre-configured uplink resources in an uplink message (block 90). In some embodiments, the request may be a 1-bit field. In some embodiments, the request may include one or more preferred parameters for pre-configured uplink resources.

[0035] In some embodiments, the method may include: after using the first preconfigured resource, in conjunction with use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on use of the first preconfigured resource, receiving control signaling indicating a second preconfigured resource configuration to configure the second preconfigured resource (block 130). The method may further include: after using the first preconfigured resource, in conjunction with use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on use of the first preconfigured resource, the wireless device requesting the second preconfigured resource configuration (block 120).

[0036] Figure 2A method performed by a radio network node according to other specific embodiments is depicted. The method includes, during a connected mode in which a wireless device has a connection with a wireless communication network, sending control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration configuring a first preconfigured resource (block 200), and using the first preconfigured resource to send or receive user data (block 210).

[0037] In some embodiments, the network node may receive a request for configuration of pre-configured uplink resources in an uplink message (block 190). In some embodiments, the request may be a 1-bit field. In some embodiments, the request may include one or more preferred parameters for pre-configured uplink resources.

[0038] In some embodiments, the method may include, after, in conjunction with, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource, sending control signaling indicating a second preconfigured resource configuration to configure the second preconfigured resource (block 230). The method may include, after, in conjunction with, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource, receiving a request for a second preconfigured resource configuration from a wireless device (block 220).

[0039] Additional embodiments include those listed in the "Examples" section.

[0040] As used herein, the term "preconfigured resources" (e.g., preconfigured radio resources) refers to resources on which a wireless device can transmit, for example, on a downlink control channel, without receiving a dynamic (and / or explicit) scheduling grant from a radio network node. In some embodiments, preconfigured resources can be distinguished from semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) resources, for example, based on preconfigured resources that do not recur with SPS resources or recur with a longer period than SPS resources. Preconfigured resources can be resources on which a wireless device can transmit even in idle mode or inactive mode. In the uplink, preconfigured resources are referred to herein as preconfigured uplink resources (PUR).

[0041] Note that the above-mentioned apparatus can perform the methods and any other processing herein by implementing any functional means, modules, units or circuits. For example, in one embodiment, the apparatus includes corresponding circuits configured to perform the steps shown in the method diagram. In this regard, the circuit may include circuits dedicated to performing specific functional processing and / or one or more microprocessors in combination with memory. For example, the circuit may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program codes stored in a memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory device, optical storage device, etc. In several embodiments, the program code stored in the memory may include program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols, and instructions for executing one or more techniques described herein. In an embodiment using a memory, the memory stores program code, which executes the techniques described herein when executed by one or more processors.

[0042] For example, Figure 3 A wireless device 300 implemented according to one or more embodiments is shown. As shown, the wireless device 300 includes a processing circuit 310 and a communication circuit 320. The communication circuit 320 (e.g., a radio circuit) is configured to send and / or receive information to and / or from one or more other nodes, for example, via any communication technology. Such communication may occur via one or more antennas internal or external to the wireless device 300. The processing circuit 310 is configured to perform the above-mentioned processing, such as by executing instructions stored in the memory 330. In this regard, the processing circuit 310 may implement specific functional means, units or modules.

[0043] Figure 4 Wireless networks according to other embodiments (e.g., Figure 7 Schematic block diagram of a wireless device 400 in a wireless network (shown in FIG. 1 ). As shown in the figure, the wireless device 400 is, for example, connected via Figure 3 The processing circuit 310 in the embodiment and / or via software code implements various functional means, units or modules. For example, these functional means, units or modules for implementing the method herein include, for example: a signaling receiving unit 410, which is configured to receive a control signaling indicating a first pre-configured resource configuration during a connection mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network; and a data sending / receiving unit 420, which is configured to send or receive user data using the first pre-configured resource.

[0044] In some embodiments, the signaling receiving unit 410 is configured to receive a control signaling indicating a second preconfigured resource configuration for configuring the second preconfigured resource after using the first preconfigured resource, in conjunction with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource. The functional implementation may also include a requesting unit 430, which is configured to request a second preconfigured resource configuration after using the first preconfigured resource, in conjunction with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource.

[0045] Figure 5 A network node 500 implemented according to one or more embodiments is shown. The network node 500 may be, for example, a radio network node. As shown, the network node 500 includes a processing circuit 510 and a communication circuit 520. The communication circuit 520 is configured to send / receive information to and / or from one or more other nodes, for example, via any communication technology. The processing circuit 510 is configured to perform the above-mentioned processing, for example, by executing instructions stored in a memory 530. In this regard, the processing circuit 510 may implement specific functional means, units or modules.

[0046] Figure 6 Wireless networks according to other embodiments (e.g., Figure 7 Schematic block diagram of a network node 600 in a wireless network as shown. As shown in the figure, the network node 600 is, for example, Figure 5 The processing circuit 510 in the embodiment and / or via software code implements various functional means, units or modules. For example, these functional means, units or modules for implementing the method herein include: a signaling sending unit 610, which is configured to send control signaling indicating a first pre-configured resource configuration for configuring a first pre-configured resource during a connection mode in which the wireless device has a connection with a wireless communication network; and a data sending / receiving unit 620, which is configured to send or receive user data using the first pre-configured resource.

[0047] In some embodiments, the signaling sending unit 610 is configured to send control signaling indicating a second preconfigured resource configuration for configuring the second preconfigured resource after using the first preconfigured resource, in conjunction with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource. The functional implementation may also include a request receiving unit configured to receive a request for the second preconfigured resource configuration from the wireless device after using the first preconfigured resource, in conjunction with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource.

[0048] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the embodiments herein also include corresponding computer programs.

[0049] A computer program comprising instructions, when the instructions are executed on at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform any corresponding process described above. In this regard, the computer program may include one or more code modules corresponding to the above-mentioned devices or units.

[0050] The embodiment also includes a carrier embodying such a computer program. The carrier may include one of an electric signal, an optical signal, a radio signal or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0051] In this regard, embodiments herein also include a computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable (storage or recording) medium and including instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform as described above.

[0052] The embodiment also includes a computer program product, the computer program product including a program code portion, the program code portion is used to perform the steps of any embodiment of the present invention when the computer program product is executed by a computing device. The computer program product can be stored on a computer readable recording medium.

[0053] Additional embodiments will now be described.For purposes of illustration, at least some of these embodiments may be described as applicable to certain contexts and / or wireless network types, but the embodiments are similarly applicable to other contexts and / or wireless network types not explicitly described.

[0054] MTC traffic typically occurs infrequently, and one goal of the PUR is to pre-configure radio resources that the UE can use immediately for uplink transmissions to reduce the signaling overhead of the transmission, reduce UE power consumption, and improve transmission efficiency (because fewer radio resources are used). According to the WI goal, the UE must have a valid timing advance (TA) to use the PUR. Obtaining the TA requires an uplink transmission from the UE, and feedback from the eNB about the timing offset that the UE should apply to subsequent uplink transmissions to receive synchronously. This is the timing advance command included in the random access response in Msg2, and this can also be included later by the eNB during the connection session to adjust the TA. Therefore, the UE requires an initial transmission in the cell, and according to some embodiments, the traditional RRC connection establishment or Rel-15 early data transmission (EDT) is used for this purpose. The PUR configuration can then be provided during the initial connection or as a new addition to the EDT process.

[0055] The signaling diagram of this configuration is as follows Fig.16As shown. In this example, in the initial transmission in the cell (or in the cell group if the UE context can be reused in other cells), the UE is configured with PUR via dedicated RRC signaling, the UE enters RRC_IDLE (or INACTIVE), and then sends data in the PUR resources at a later point in time. The PUR data transmission will be similar to the Rel-15 EDT data transmission in Msg3 and / or Msg4, and the EDT RRC message can be reused or used as a baseline for the PUR RRC message version.

[0056] The PUR configuration may allocate one PUR resource at a time, and further PUR resources are configured in subsequent PUR transmissions, e.g. Fig.17 shown.

[0057] The PUR configuration can also allocate periodic PUR resources or PUR resource pools for use by the UE. Fig.18 shown.

[0058] PUR data transmission can be contention-free. That is, the UE has dedicated and conflict-free radio resources for transmission. PUR data transmission can be contention-based. That is, PUR data transmission is carried out in public resources and there is a risk of conflict with data transmissions from other UEs. In the case of dedicated (contention-free) PUR resources, the PUR configuration can be customized according to the UE category (e.g. Cat-M2, Cat-NB2) and capabilities (multi-tone, 10 HARQ processes, etc.).

[0059] Furthermore, any RAN1 enhancements that will be introduced for the PUR may be configured in the PUR configuration. For example, in case of dedicated PUR resources, UE-specific parameters for multiple access may be indicated, such as UE-specific codes, UE-specific tones / subcarriers, etc. Furthermore, when the PUR configuration allocates periodic PUR resources, a "PUR_resource_timer" may be used to indicate how long the UE's uplink resources for the PUR will be retained to avoid potential waste of resources (e.g., if the UE is no longer transmitting, or if the UE has abandoned the cell).

[0060] In various embodiments, the UE sends Msg1 and receives Msg2 for the random access procedure only once in the cell to obtain the initial TA, obtain the PUR configuration, and only Msg3 and Msg4 are sent for any subsequent PUR transmission in the cell. According to the WI target, the omission of Msg1 and Msg2 will save transmission and radio resources (i.e., reduce signaling overhead) and improve both uplink transmission efficiency and UE power consumption.

[0061] In one embodiment, the UE will send a "PUR Request" or "PUR Configuration Request" in an uplink message. That is, the request will be sent in an indication to indicate to the eNB that it is beneficial for the UE to be configured with a PUR. The "PUR Request" or "PUR Configuration Request" can be a simple 1-bit indication, or a control element including preferred PUR parameters (such as PUR Transport Block Size (TBS), PUR RNTI, PUR Interval / Time Offset, etc.). The eNB will respond to this with a "PUR Response". The response (which can also be a control element) includes the eNB decision and the command which PUR-TBS, PUR interval, RNTI, multiple access resource or modulation scheme, PUR resource allocation or "PUR UL Grant" the UE should apply.

[0062] In one embodiment, a PUR is granted one resource at a time, and a PUR data transmission may be accompanied by other "PUR Requests" and "PUR Responses". Such a "chained" approach reduces the limit of wasted resources allocated to a UE in RRC_IDLE (or inactive state) to one PUR transmission opportunity (if the UE leaves the cell or does not transmit for any other reason). In another additional embodiment of this embodiment, the UE in the "PUR Request" and the network in the "PUR Response" may indicate that the message should be interpreted as containing the same information as last time. This may be done to reduce signaling overhead when the PUR preferences or parameters are applicable as last time.

[0063] In one embodiment, a "PUR request" may share the (N)PRACH resources similar to a dedicated PHY scheduling request, or the PUR request may be multiplexed with the PUR data transmission.

[0064] In one embodiment, a PUR is granted for periodic resources, and the same PUR resources will be repeated periodically in time unless there is explicit signaling to the contrary. The "PUR request" and "PUR response" messages will be used to reconfigure or terminate periodic PUR resources. In another embodiment, "PUR_resource_timer" can be used to indicate to the UE how long the uplink resources for the PUR will be reserved (this can be given in terms of time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) to avoid potential resource waste.

[0065] In one embodiment, PUR transmission in idle mode may mainly include two steps. In the first step, the conventional connection establishment is reused (e.g., conventional RRC connection establishment or Rel-15 Early Data Transfer (EDT)) to obtain an initial TA and obtain pre-configuration (PUR UL grant) of UL resources that the UE may use in future idle mode transmissions in connected mode. In the second step, after evaluating and satisfying some criteria (including TA validity), the UE may perform IDLE mode transmission on pre-configured UL resources directly on Msg3 (i.e., skipping Msg1 and Msg2) by using a periodic or on-demand method.

[0066] In one embodiment, the PUR configuration may include any of the following parameters: time offset / interval, timing advance information, number of repetitions or coverage enhancement level, PUR RNTI, transport block size, modulation and coding scheme, resource indication for HARQ retransmissions, and / or any other parameter included in the "UL Grant" according to 36.213. Optionally, it may be indicated whether the resources are contention-based or contention-free.

[0067] In one embodiment, the "PUR Response" includes a timing advance command to update the timing advance applied by the UE.

[0068] In one embodiment, the PUR configuration parameters as above are added and stored as part of the UE context (stored in the eNB for CIoT UP optimization, and stored in the MME for CIoT CP optimization).

[0069] In one embodiment, PUR resources are granted at a specific time. That is, the UE is configured with a timer as part of the PUR configuration, and the UE is only allowed to use the PUR resources as long as the timer has not expired.

[0070] In one embodiment, the PUR configuration includes parameters that the UE should apply to the PUR transmission, such as parameters for multiple access in the PUR resources, such as UE-specific codes for CDMA, spatial parameters, sub-PRB parameters, subcarrier allocations (e.g., single-tone and / or multi-tone allocations) that the UE should apply, and the like.

[0071] In one embodiment, a PUR configuration is an uplink grant (or downlink allocation) to which a long time offset is applied.

[0072] In one embodiment, the PUR configuration is generic and it will be unclear to the UE whether the PUR configuration is dedicated (contention-free) or common (contention-based) PUR resources.The decision to overload UEs in the same radio resource may then be left to the eNB implementation.

[0073] In one embodiment, the Rel-15 Early Data Transfer RRC messages for Msg3 and Msg4 are reused or used as a baseline for PUR data transfer. EDT Short-MAC-I, new PUR RNTI, I-RNTI or similar names can be used as ResumeID.

[0074] In one embodiment, the UE must make an evaluation to check if its timing advance is still valid before transmitting in the PUR resources.The set of conditions may be based on testing any TA validity mechanism, such as detected UE location changes, RSRP / RSRQ changes, etc.

[0075] In one embodiment, the PUR configuration for the UE is based on "UE differentiation information based on subscription" (see TS36.423 and 36.413). For example, the configuration can be based on the following parameters: periodic time, battery indication, service profile, fixed indication, scheduled communication time, etc.

[0076] In one embodiment, PUR resources are available to the UE regardless of whether the UE is in RRC_IDLE or RRC_CONNECTED. Thus, a one PUR per request / at a time solution would be an extension of the traditional SPS operation in RRC_CONNECTED.

[0077] In one embodiment, after the PUR transmission, it is up to the network to decide whether to instruct the UE to move to RRC_CONNECTED mode.

[0078] In one embodiment, if the UE has a valid PUR configuration available for data transmission, the UE does not trigger a scheduling request, random access or any other uplink transmission.

[0079] In one embodiment, the UE is configured with a dedicated PUR RNTI for HARQ retransmissions. That is, the eNB may utilize the dedicated PUR RNTI when scheduling retransmissions to allow HARQ soft combining.

[0080] In one embodiment, the UE is configured with a common PUR RNTI and HARQ retransmissions for PUR transmissions work in the same manner as conventional Msg3 transmissions using a temporary C-RNTI.

[0081] In one embodiment, the PUR RNTI is derived from the PUR resources used, and from which the UE can know whether the PUR RNTI is requested to be retransmitted. The PUR RNTI can be based on, for example, a subframe number, a radio frame number, a single tone, a subcarrier, a carrier, a CDMA code, a NOMA resource, a ResumeID, etc.

[0082] In one embodiment, in order for the eNB to schedule retransmissions, the UE is required to monitor the (M / N)PDCCH during a (configured) time period with a (configured) DRX cycle after PUR transmission (possibly with an offset for starting positioning, making the offset a time window).

[0083] In one embodiment, the UE still monitors the (M / N)PDCCH and relies on the DCI allocation for PUR transmission. Fig.19 , which is a schematic diagram of DCI-based PUR operation. Compared to other solutions, the PUR configuration is configuring when the UE should monitor the (M / N)PDCCH to check the DCI for PUR transmission. That is, the UE can be configured to monitor the (M / N)PDCCH with a specific RNTI (PUR-RNTI, etc.) with a specific DRX cycle during a time window, for example, monitoring with a DRX of 2.56s during a 20s time window within 12 hours after the configuration. In the example for periodic PUR, the UE will simply be configured to monitor the (M / N)PDCCH with a specific RNTI with a specific DRX cycle (which may be different from the DRX cycle used to monitor regular paging). The disadvantages of this embodiment will be the additional signaling overhead caused by sending and monitoring the (M / N)PDCCH and the UE power consumption. The benefit of this solution is enhanced network control and it is easy to revoke any previously configured resources. That is, no additional solution will be needed for access control, and if the UE does not receive a PUR grant / allocation before a configured number (N / M) of PDCCH opportunities or a specific timer expires, the UE will reside in the legacy (pre-Rel-16) transmission of data. The solution will be similar to a long-term or periodic scheduling request.

[0084] In an alternative embodiment, the semi-static part of the PUR configuration may be indicated in UE-specific RRC signaling and / or cell-specific system information (signaling). The dynamic part of the PUR configuration may be indicated in the form of an UL grant carried by the (M / N)PDCCH or by a message similar to a random access response (RAR) message. For example, the semi-static part may indicate the timing at which an UL grant may be sent, while the UL grant may indicate the frequency domain resource allocation and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS). In this case, the eNB performs access control by sending an appropriate UL grant or by choosing not to send any UL grant. This embodiment provides a very flexible way for the eNB to enable or disable UL resources to be used as PUR resources.

[0085] Although the above description is directed to pre-configured uplink resources, the various embodiments are generalized to also cover the case of pre-configured downlink resources.

[0086] Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are directed to wireless networks such as Figure 7 For simplicity, Figure 7 The wireless network of FIG. 700 depicts only network 706, network nodes 760 and 760b, and WD 710, 710b, and 710c. In practice, the wireless network may further include any additional units suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (e.g., a landline phone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). In the components shown, network node 760 and wireless device (WD) 710 are depicted in additional detail. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate wireless devices to access and / or use services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0087] A wireless network may include and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of a wireless network may implement: communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11 standards; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0088] The network 706 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communications between devices.

[0089] The network node 760 and WD 710 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functions, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals (whether via wired or wireless connections).

[0090] As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to a wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in a wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), and NR node Bs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage provided by the base station (or in other words, their transmit power levels), and then they can also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station (e.g., a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU) (sometimes also referred to as a remote radio head (RRH))). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Other examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) devices such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and / or MDTs. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to a wireless network by a wireless device or to provide a certain service to a wireless device that has accessed a wireless network.

[0091] exist Figure 7 In the embodiment, the network node 760 includes a processing circuit 770, a device readable medium 780, an interface 790, an auxiliary device 784, a power supply 786, a power supply circuit 787, and an antenna 762. Figure 7The network node 760 shown in the example wireless network of can represent a device including the combination of hardware components shown, but other embodiments can include network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that the network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. In addition, although the components of the network node 760 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the network node may include multiple different physical components that make up a single shown component (for example, the device readable medium 780 may include multiple separate hard drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0092] Similarly, the network node 760 may include multiple physically separated components (e.g., a node B component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In some cases where the network node 760 includes multiple separate components (e.g., a BTS and a BSC component), one or more separate components may be shared between multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple node Bs. In such a scenario, in some cases, each unique node B and RNC pair may be considered as a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 760 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such an embodiment, some components may be replicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 780 for different RATs), while some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 762 may be shared by the RAT). The network node 760 may also include multiple groups of various example components for different wireless technologies (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated into the network node 760. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 760.

[0093] The processing circuit 770 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as provided by the network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 770 may include: processing information obtained by the processing circuit 770, for example, by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information; and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0094] The processing circuit 770 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide network node 760 functionality, either alone or in combination with other network node 760 components (e.g., device readable medium 780). For example, the processing circuit 770 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 780 or in a memory within the processing circuit 770. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 770 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[0095] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 770 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 772 and baseband processing circuitry 774. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 772 and baseband processing circuitry 774 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., a radio unit and a digital unit). In alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 772 and baseband processing circuitry 774 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0096] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by processing circuit 770 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 780 or a memory within processing circuit 770. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuit 770 without the need to execute instructions stored on a separate or separate device-readable medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these embodiments, whether or not instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed, processing circuit 770 can be configured to perform the described functions. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to processing circuit 770 or other components of network node 760, but are enjoyed by network node 760 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0097] The device-readable medium 780 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, permanent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD), or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 770. The device-readable medium 780 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc.), and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 770 and utilized by the network node 760. The device-readable medium 780 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuit 770 and / or any data received via the interface 790. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 770 and the device-readable medium 780 may be considered integrated.

[0098] Interface 790 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 760, network 706 and / or WD 710. As shown, interface 790 includes port / terminal 794 to send and receive data from network 706 to network 706, for example, via wired connection. Interface 790 also includes radio front-end circuit 792 that can be coupled to antenna 762 or as a part of antenna 762 in some embodiments. Radio front-end circuit 792 includes filter 798 and amplifier 796. Radio front-end circuit 792 can be connected to antenna 762 and processing circuit 770. Radio front-end circuit 792 can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between antenna 762 and processing circuit 770. Radio front-end circuit 792 can receive digital data that will be sent to other network nodes or WD via wireless connection. Radio front-end circuit 792 can use the combination of filter 798 and / or amplifier 796 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. Radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 762. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 762 may collect radio signals, which may then be converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 792. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 770. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0099] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 760 may not include a separate radio front end circuit 792, but rather, the processing circuit 770 may include the radio front end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 762 without a separate radio front end circuit 792. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuit 772 may be considered part of the interface 790. In other embodiments, the interface 790 may include one or more ports or terminals 794, the radio front end circuit 792, and the RF transceiver circuit 772 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 790 may communicate with a baseband processing circuit 774 that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0100] Antenna 762 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 762 may be coupled to radio front-end circuit 792 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 762 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector or flat panel antennas operable to send / receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area, and flat panel antennas may be line of sight antennas for sending / receiving radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 762 may be separated from network node 760 and may be connected to network node 760 via an interface or port.

[0101] Antenna 762, interface 790 and / or processing circuit 770 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain obtaining operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 762, interface 790 and / or processing circuit 770 may be configured to perform any sending operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be sent to a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0102] The power circuit 787 may include or be coupled to a power management circuit and is configured to provide power for performing the functions described herein to the components of the network node 760. The power circuit 787 may receive power from the power supply 786. The power supply 786 and / or the power circuit 787 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 760 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., with the voltage and current level required by each corresponding component). The power supply 786 may be included in the power circuit 787 and / or the network node 760 or outside it. For example, the network node 760 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface (e.g., a cable), whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuit 787. As another example, the power supply 786 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to the power circuit 787 or integrated therein. If the external power supply fails, the battery can provide backup power. Other types of power supplies, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0103] Alternative embodiments of network node 760 may include Figure 7 Additional components beyond those shown, which may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 760 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node 760 and to allow information to be output from the network node 760. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node 760.

[0104] As used herein, the term "wireless device" (WD) refers to a device that can, is configured, is arranged and / or is operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise specified, the term WD can be used interchangeably with a user equipment (UE) in this article. Wireless communication may involve the use of electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through the air to send and / or receive wireless signals. In some embodiments, the WD may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the WD may be designed to send information to the network in a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WD include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop computer built-in devices (LEEs), laptop computer installation devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless user premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle installation wireless terminal devices, etc. WD can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in this case can be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. In this case, WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, WD can be a UE that implements the 3GPP narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other cases, WD can represent a vehicle or other device that can monitor and / or report its operating status or other functions associated with its operation. WD as described above can represent an endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, the WD as described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[0105] As shown, wireless device 710 includes antenna 711, interface 714, processing circuit 720, device readable medium 730, user interface device 732, auxiliary device 734, power supply 736 and power supply circuit 737. WD 710 can include multiple groups of one or more of the components shown for different wireless technologies supported by WD 710 (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, NB-IoT or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name a few). These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets as other components in WD 710.

[0106] Antenna 711 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 714. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 711 may be separated from WD 710 and may be connected to WD 710 via an interface or port. Antenna 711, interface 714 and / or processing circuit 720 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operation described herein as being performed by WD. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuit and / or antenna 711 may be considered as an interface.

[0107] As shown, the interface 714 includes a radio front-end circuit 712 and an antenna 711. The radio front-end circuit 712 includes one or more filters 718 and an amplifier 716. The radio front-end circuit 714 is connected to the antenna 711 and the processing circuit 720 and is configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 711 and the processing circuit 720. The radio front-end circuit 712 may be coupled to the antenna 711 or as part of the antenna 711. In some embodiments, the WD 710 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 712; instead, the processing circuit 720 may include a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 711. Similarly, in some embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722 may be considered as part of the interface 714. The radio front-end circuit 712 may receive digital data sent to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 712 may use a combination of filters 718 and / or amplifiers 716 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 711. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 711 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 712. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 720. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0108] The processing circuit 720 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide WD 710 functionality alone or in combination with other WD 710 components (e.g., device readable medium 730). Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuit 720 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 730 or in a memory within the processing circuit 720 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0109] As shown, the processing circuit 720 includes one or more of the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 720 of the WD 710 may include a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the baseband processing circuit 724 and the application processing circuit 726 may be combined into one chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 722 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722 and the baseband processing circuit 724 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 726 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726 may be combined in the same chip or chipset. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 722 may be part of interface 714. RF transceiver circuitry 722 may condition RF signals for processing circuitry 720.

[0110] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by a processing circuit 720 that executes instructions stored on a device-readable medium 730 (which may be a computer-readable storage medium in some embodiments). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 720 without the need to execute instructions stored on a separate or separate device-readable medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these specific embodiments, the processing circuit 720 can be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit 720 or other components of the WD 710, but are enjoyed by the WD 710 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0111] The processing circuit 720 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by the WD. Such operations performed by the processing circuit 720 may include: processing information obtained by the processing circuit 720, for example, by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored by the WD 710, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information; and making determinations as a result of the processing.

[0112] The device-readable medium 730 is operable to store computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc.), and / or other instructions executable by the processing circuit 720. The device-readable medium 730 may include a computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM), a mass storage medium (e.g., a hard disk), a removable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 720. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 720 and the device-readable medium 730 may be considered to be integrated.

[0113] The user interface device 732 can provide a component that allows a human user to interact with the WD 710. This interaction can have a variety of forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 732 can be operable to generate output to the user and allow the user to provide input to the WD 710. The type of interaction can vary according to the type of user interface device 732 installed in the WD 710. For example, if the WD 710 is a smart phone, the interaction can be via a touch screen; if the WD 710 is a smart meter, the interaction can be through a screen that provides usage (such as the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alarm (such as if smoke is detected). The user interface device 732 may include an input interface, device and circuit and an output interface, device and circuit. The user interface device 732 is configured to allow information to be input to the WD 710, and is connected to the processing circuit 720 to allow the processing circuit 720 to process the input information. The user interface device 732 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity sensor or other sensor, a key / button, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port or other input circuits. The user interface device 732 is also configured to allow information to be output from the WD 710, and to allow the processing circuit 720 to output information from the WD 710. The user interface device 732 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuits. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface device 732, the WD 710 can communicate with an end user and / or a wireless network and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0114] Auxiliary device 734 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not normally be performed by a WD. This may include specialized sensors for measuring for various purposes, interfaces for other communication types such as wired communications, etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary device 734 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0115] In some embodiments, the power supply 736 can take the form of a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies can also be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. WD 710 may also include a power circuit 737 for delivering power from the power supply 736 to various parts of WD 710, which require power from the power supply 736 to perform any function described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, the power circuit 737 may include a power management circuit. The power circuit 737 may be additionally or alternatively operable to receive power from an external power source. In this case, WD 710 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface (e.g., a power cord). In some embodiments, the power circuit 737 may also be operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power supply 736. This can be used, for example, to charge the power supply 736. The power circuit 737 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications to the power from the power supply 736 so that the power is suitable for the corresponding components of the WD 710 to which the power is provided.

[0116] Figure 8 An embodiment of a UE according to various aspects described herein is shown. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Rather, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not be, or may not initially be, associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter). UE8200 may be any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a NB-IoT UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. As Figure 8 As shown, UE 800 is an example of a WD that is configured to communicate in accordance with one or more communication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As previously mentioned, the terms WD and UE may be used interchangeably. Therefore, although Figure 8 It is UE, but the components discussed in this article are also applicable to WD and vice versa.

[0117] exist Figure 8In the embodiment, UE 800 includes a processing circuit 801, which is operatively coupled to an input / output interface 805, a radio frequency (RF) interface 809, a network connection interface 811, a memory 815 (including a random access memory (RAM) 817, a read-only memory (ROM) 819, and a storage medium 821, etc.), a communication subsystem 831, a power supply 813 and / or any other components or any combination thereof. The storage medium 821 includes an operating system 823, an application 825, and data 827. In other embodiments, the storage medium 821 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize Figure 8 All components shown may be used, or only a subset of these components may be used. The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0118] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 801 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. The processing circuit 801 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in a memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general-purpose processors (e.g., microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs)) and appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 801 may include two central processing units (CPUs). The data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0119] In the depicted embodiment, the input / output interface 805 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or an input and output device. The UE 800 may be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 805. The output device may use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to the UE 800 or to provide output from the UE 800. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 800 may be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 805 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. The input device may include a touch-sensitive display or a presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a steering wheel, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from the user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[0120] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the RF interface 809 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers and antennas. The network connection interface 811 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the network 843a. The network 843a can include a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network or any combination thereof. For example, the network 843a can include a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface 811 can be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface, which is used to communicate with one or more other devices through a communication network according to one or more communication protocols (such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, or Ethernet, etc.). The network connection interface 811 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (such as optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functions can share circuit components, software or firmware, or can be implemented separately instead.

[0121] RAM 817 may be configured to be connected to processing circuit 801 via bus 802 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers. ROM 819 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuit 801. For example, ROM 819 may be configured to store unchanged low-level system code or data for basic system functions (e.g., basic input and output (I / O), startup, reception of keystrokes stored in non-volatile memory from a keyboard). Storage medium 821 may be configured to include memories such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable cassette, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 821 may be configured to include operating system 823, applications 825 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or another application, and data files 827. The storage medium 821 may store any one of various operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 800 .

[0122] The storage medium 821 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray optical drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (e.g., a user identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module), other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 821 may allow the UE 800 to access computer executable instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to unload data or upload data. An article of manufacture such as utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied in the storage medium 821, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0123] exist Figure 8In the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 801 may be configured to communicate with the network 843b using the communication subsystem 831. The network 843a and the network 843b may be the same network or different networks. The communication subsystem 831 may be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with the network 843b. For example, the communication subsystem 831 may be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device (e.g., another WD, UE or base station of a radio access network (RAN)) capable of wireless communication according to one or more communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.2, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 833 and / or a receiver 835 to respectively implement a transmitter or receiver function (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.) suitable for a RAN link. In addition, the transmitter 833 and the receiver 835 of each transceiver may share circuit components, software or firmware, or may be implemented separately instead.

[0124] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 831 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication (GPS) such as using a global positioning system to determine the location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 831 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 843b may include a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 843b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 813 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 800.

[0125] The features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 800, or may be divided among multiple components of UE 800. In addition, the features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 831 may be configured to include any component described herein. In addition, the processing circuit 801 may be configured to communicate with any such component on the bus 802. In another example, any such component may be represented by a program instruction stored in a memory, which performs the corresponding function described herein when executed by the processing circuit 801. In another example, the function of any such component may be divided between the processing circuit 801 and the communication subsystem 831. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, while the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0126] Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment 900 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, or any other type of communication device) or a component thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functions are implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0127] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 900 hosted by one or more hardware 930. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual nodes are not radio access nodes or do not require radio connectivity (e.g., core network nodes), the network nodes may be fully virtualized.

[0128] These functions may be implemented by one or more applications 920 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operable to implement certain features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein. The applications 920 run in a virtualized environment 900, which provides hardware 930 including processing circuitry 960 and memory 990. The memory 990 contains instructions 995 executable by the processing circuitry 960, whereby the applications 920 are operable to provide one or more features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0129] The virtualized environment 900 includes general or special network hardware 930, which includes a set of one or more processors or processing circuits 960, which can be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuit including digital or analog hardware components or special processors. Each hardware device may include a memory 990-1, which may be a non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 995 or software executed by the processing circuit 960. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 970 (also known as network interface cards), which include physical network interfaces 980. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory persistent machine-readable storage medium 990-2 in which instructions 995 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuit 960 are stored. The instructions 995 may include any type of software including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 950 (also known as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machines 940, and software that allows them to perform functions, features, and / or benefits related to some embodiments described herein.

[0130] The virtual machine 940 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual network or interface, and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 950 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of the virtual device 920 may be implemented on one or more virtual machines 940 and may be implemented in different ways.

[0131] During operation, processing circuitry 960 executes instructions 995 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 950, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 950 may present to virtual machines 940 a virtual operating platform that appears to be networked hardware.

[0132] like Fig. 9 As shown, hardware 930 can be an independent network node with common or specific components. Hardware 930 can include antenna 9225, and some functions can be implemented via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 930 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., such as in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed by management and orchestration (MANO) 9100, which, among other items, oversees the life cycle management of application 920.

[0133] In some contexts, virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0134] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 940 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs a program as if the program were executed on a physical, non-virtual machine. Each virtual machine 940 and the portion of the hardware 930 that executes the virtual machine (hardware dedicated to the virtual machine and / or hardware shared by the virtual machine with other virtual machines 940) form a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0135] Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling a specific network function running in one or more virtual machines 940 on top of hardware 930 and corresponds to Fig. 9 Application 920.

[0136] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 9200, each including one or more transmitters 9220 and one or more receivers 9210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 9225. The radio unit 9200 may communicate directly with the hardware 930 via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0137] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented using a control system 9230 , which may alternatively be used for communications between the hardware 930 and the radio unit 9200 .

[0138] Fig.10 A telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network is shown according to some embodiments. In particular, reference is made to Fig.10 According to an embodiment, a communication system includes a telecommunication network 1010 such as a 3GPP type cellular network, which includes an access network 1011 such as a radio access network and a core network 1014. The access network 1011 includes a plurality of base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c (e.g., NB, eNB, gNB) or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1013a, 1013b, 1013c. Each base station 1012a, 1012b, 1012c may be connected to the core network 1014 via a wired or wireless connection 1015. A first UE 1091 located in the coverage area 1013c is configured to be wirelessly connected to or paged by the corresponding base station 1012c. A second UE 1092 in the coverage area 1013a may be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 1012a. Although multiple UEs 1091 , 1092 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only a UE is in the coverage area or a only UE is connected to the corresponding base station 1012 .

[0139] The telecommunications network 1010 itself is connected to a host computer 1030, which may be embodied in the hardware and / or software of a stand-alone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 1030 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. The connections 1021 and 1022 between the telecommunications network 1010 and the host computer 1030 may extend directly from the core network 1014 to the host computer 1030, or may be via an optional intermediate network 1020. The intermediate network 1020 may be one of a public, private, or managed network, or a combination of more than one thereof; the intermediate network 1020 (if any) may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1020 may include two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0140] Overall, Fig.10 The communication system of the present invention implements connectivity between the connected UEs 1091, 1092 and the host computer 1030. The connectivity can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1050. The host computer 1030 and the connected UEs 1091, 1092 are configured to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 1050 using the access network 1011, the core network 1014, any intermediate networks 1020, and possible other infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 1050 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 1050 passes do not know the routes of the uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 1012 may not be informed or need not be informed of the past routes of incoming downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 1030 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 1091. Similarly, the base station 1012 does not need to know the future routes of outgoing uplink communications from the UE 1091 to the host computer 1030.

[0141] Now refer to Fig.11 Detailed description of the drawings is given below. Detailed description of the drawings is given below. Fig.11A host computer is shown communicating with a user device over a partially wireless connection via a base station according to some embodiments. In the communication system 1100, the host computer 1110 includes hardware 1115, which includes a communication interface 1116 configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection with different communication devices of the communication system 1100. The host computer 1110 also includes a processing circuit 1118, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuit 1118 may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these items (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The host computer 1110 also includes software 1111, which is stored in the host computer 1110 or can be accessed by the host computer 1110 and can be executed by the processing circuit 1118. The software 1111 includes a host application 1112. The host application 1112 is operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1130 connected via an OTT connection 1150 terminating at the UE 1130 and the host computer 1110. In providing services to the remote user, the host application 1112 may provide user data sent using the OTT connection 1150.

[0142] The communication system 1100 also includes a base station 1120 provided in the telecommunication system, and the base station 1120 includes hardware 1125 that enables it to communicate with the host computer 1110 and the UE 1130. The hardware 1125 may include a communication interface 1126 for establishing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with different communication devices of the communication system 1100, and a communication interface 1126 for establishing and maintaining a connection with a network located in a coverage area ( Fig.11 The communication interface 1126 may be configured to facilitate a connection QQ560 with the host computer 1110. The connection QQ560 may be direct, or the connection QQ560 may be through a core network (eg, a core network of a telecommunications system) of the telecommunications system. Fig.11 1120) and / or through one or more intermediate networks external to the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 1125 of the base station 1120 also includes processing circuitry 1128, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these items (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The base station 1120 also has software 1121 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0143] The communication system 1100 also includes the UE 1130 already mentioned. The hardware 1135 of the UE 1130 may include a radio interface 1137, which is configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 1170 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 1130 is currently located. The hardware 1135 of the UE 1130 also includes a processing circuit 1138, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination suitable for these items (not shown) that execute instructions. The UE 1130 also includes software 1131 stored in the UE 1130 or accessible by the UE 1130 and executable by the processing circuit 1138. The software 1131 includes a client application 1132. The client application 1132 is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 1130 with the support of the host computer 1110. In the host computer 1110, the executing host application 1112 can communicate with the executing client application 1132 via the OTT connection 1150 terminated at the UE 1130 and the host computer 1110. In providing services to users, the client application 1132 can receive request data from the host application 1112 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1150 can transmit both the request data and the user data. The client application 1132 can interact with the user to generate user data provided by the user.

[0144] Notice, Fig.11 The host computer 1110, base station 1120 and UE 1130 shown can be respectively Fig.10 The host computer 1030, one of the base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c, and one of the UEs 1091, 1092 may be similar or identical. That is, the internal working principles of these entities may be as follows: Fig.11 shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Fig.10 The surrounding network topology.

[0145] exist Fig.11 11, an OTT connection 1150 has been abstractly drawn to illustrate communications between a host computer 1110 and a UE 1130 via a base station 1120, without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, which may be configured to hide the routing from the UE 1130 or from the service provider operating the host computer 1110, or both. When the OTT connection 1150 is active, the network infrastructure may further make decisions according to which the network infrastructure dynamically changes the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

[0146] The wireless connection 1170 between UE 1130 and base station 1120 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments can improve the performance of the OTT service provided to UE 1130 using OTT connection 1150 (wherein the wireless connection 1170 forms the last segment). More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments enable any PUR resources or configurations to be revoked and radio resources to be used for better purposes. Another advantage of the embodiment is that PUR transmission is implemented in dedicated resources. This will limit radio resource consumption and allow customized solutions consistent with UE business profiles. The embodiment thus provides benefits such as better capacity, better responsiveness, and better battery life.

[0147] The measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, delays, and other factors on which one or more embodiments are improved. In response to changes in the measurement results, there may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 between the host computer 1110 and the UE 1130. The measurement process and / or network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 may be implemented in the software 1111 and hardware 1115 of the host computer 1110 or in the software 1131 and hardware 1135 of the UE 1130, or in both. In an embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be deployed in a communication device through which the OTT connection 1150 passes or associated with such a communication device; the sensor may participate in the measurement process by providing the value of the monitored quantity of the above example or providing the value of other physical quantities from which the software 1111, 1131 can calculate or estimate the monitored quantity. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1150 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc. The reconfiguration does not need to affect the base station 1120, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 1120. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates host computer 1110 measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. The measurements may be achieved because software 1111 and 1131 causes messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using OTT connection 1150 during its monitoring of propagation time, errors, etc.

[0148] Fig.12 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 In order to simplify the present disclosure, only the host computers, base stations and UEs described in this section are included. Fig.12Reference is made to the accompanying drawings of . In step 1210, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 1211 of step 1210 (which may be optional), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1220, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying the user data. In step 1230 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 1240 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0149] Fig.13 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 To simplify the present disclosure, this section only includes the host computers, base stations and UEs described in the present disclosure. Fig.13 . In step 1310 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1320, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may be through a base station. In step 1330 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0150] Fig.14 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 To simplify the present disclosure, this section only includes the host computers, base stations and UEs described in the present disclosure. Fig.14. In step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1420, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1421 (which may be optional) of step 1420, the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1411 (which may be optional) of step 1410, the UE executes a client application, which provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner of providing user data, the UE initiates transmission of user data to the host computer in sub-step 1430 (which may be optional). In step 1440 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE.

[0151] Fig.15 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 To simplify the present disclosure, this section only includes the host computers, base stations and UEs described in the present disclosure. Fig.15 In step 1510 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In step 1520 (which may be optional), the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1530 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0152] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include a plurality of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware that may include a digital signal processor (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program codes stored in a memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a cache memory, a flash memory device, an optical storage device, etc. The program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more technologies described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuit may be used to cause the corresponding functional unit to perform the corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0153] Generally, unless different meanings are clearly given and / or different meanings are implied in the context of using the term, all terms used in this article will be interpreted according to their common meanings in the relevant technical field. Unless clearly stated, all references to one / an / the element, device, assembly, part, step, etc. should be publicly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, assembly, part, step, etc. Unless a step is explicitly described as being after or before another step and / or a step must be after or before another step implicitly, the steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed. Where appropriate, any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applicable to any other embodiment, and vice versa. By the following description, other purposes, features and advantages of the attached embodiments will be apparent.

[0154] The term "unit" may have a conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, output and / or display functions, etc. as described herein.

[0155] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the claims set forth herein; rather, these claims are provided merely as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0156] Example Embodiments

[0157] Group A Embodiment

[0158] 1. A method performed by a wireless device configured for use in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

[0159] receiving control signaling indicating a first pre-configured resource configuration configuring the first pre-configured resource during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network; and

[0160] User data is sent or received using the first preconfigured resource.

[0161] 2. The method according to embodiment 1 further includes: after using the first preconfigured resource, in combination with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource, receiving control signaling indicating the configuration of a second preconfigured resource.

[0162] 3. The method according to embodiment 2 further includes: requesting a second preconfigured resource configuration after using the first preconfigured resource, in combination with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource.

[0163] 4. A method according to embodiment 3, wherein making a request includes: sending a request for a second preconfigured resource configuration, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using a first preconfigured resource to send user data, and wherein the request is included in the same message as the user data or accompanies the user data in other ways.

[0164] 5. A method according to any one of embodiments 3 to 4, wherein making a request includes: sending a request for a second preconfigured resource configuration, wherein the request requires that the second preconfigured resource configuration be the same as the first preconfigured resource configuration or that one or more configuration parameters of the second preconfigured resource configuration be the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first preconfigured resource configuration.

[0165] 6. A method according to any one of embodiments 3 to 5, wherein making a request comprises: sending a request for a second pre-configured resource configuration, wherein the request is a 1-bit field.

[0166] 7. The method according to any one of embodiments 2 to 6, wherein the control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration indicates that one or more configuration parameters of the second pre-configured resource configuration are the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first pre-configured resource configuration.

[0167] 8. The method of any one of embodiments 2 to 7, wherein the second preconfigured resource is identical to the first preconfigured resource except that the second preconfigured resource occurs later in time.

[0168] 9. The method according to any one of embodiments 2 to 8, wherein the control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration is a 1-bit field.

[0169] 10. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein sending or receiving user data includes sending user data.

[0170] 11. The method of embodiment 10, further comprising receiving a timing advance as part of transitioning to connected mode or during connected mode, and wherein sending user data is performed using the timing advance.

[0171] 12. A method according to any one of embodiments 2 to 11, wherein the control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration also indicates a timing advance.

[0172] 13. The method according to embodiment 12 also includes: using the second preconfigured resources and using the timing advance indicated by the control signaling to send user data.

[0173] 14. A method according to embodiment 13, wherein sending user data using the second preconfigured resources is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0174] 15. A method according to any one of embodiments 2 to 14, wherein the control signaling indicating the second preconfigured resource configuration is received during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0175] 16. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein sending or receiving user data is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0176] 17. The method of embodiment 16, wherein sending or receiving user data is performed without performing a random access procedure since exiting a connected mode and entering an idle mode or an inactive mode.

[0177] 18. The method of embodiment 16, wherein sending or receiving user data is performed when message 1 of a random access procedure has not been sent and / or message 2 of a random access procedure has not been received since exiting a connected mode and entering an idle mode or an inactive mode.

[0178] 19. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 18 further includes: during idle mode or inactive mode, when no random access process has been performed since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or inactive mode, using non-recurring preconfigured resources to send or receive user data, wherein the idle mode is a mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network, or the inactive mode is a mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0179] 20. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 19 also includes: during idle mode or inactive mode, using the timing advance received when the wireless device was last in connected mode or received during idle mode or active mode and using non-recurring preconfigured resources to send user data.

[0180] 21. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using a message 3 format of a random access procedure or a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message, and using a first preconfigured resource to send user data.

[0181] 22. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using an early data transmission (EDT) message 3 format of a random access process, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT, and using a first preconfigured resource to send user data.

[0182] 23. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using a message 4 format of a random access process or a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message, and using a first preconfigured resource to receive user data.

[0183] 24. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using an early data transmission (EDT) message 4 format of a random access process, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT, and using a first preconfigured resource to receive user data.

[0184] 25. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 24, wherein the control signaling indicating the first pre-configured resource configuration is dedicated control signaling.

[0185] 26. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein sending or receiving user data using the first preconfigured resource is performed in response to determining that a validity or reservation of the first preconfigured resource has not expired.

[0186] 27. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 26 includes: using a first preconfigured resource instead of triggering a scheduling request or a random access to send or receive user data.

[0187] 28. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 27, wherein the first pre-configured resource configuration is generic or agnostic as to whether the first pre-configured resource is a public resource or a dedicated resource.

[0188] AA. The method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the first pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource.

[0189] AB. The method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the second pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource.

[0190] AC. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising:

[0191] Provide user data; and

[0192] The user data is forwarded to the host computer via transmission to the base station.

[0193] Group B Example

[0194] 29. A method performed by a radio network node configured for use in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

[0195] During a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network, sending control signaling indicating a first pre-configured resource configuration configuring the first pre-configured resource; and

[0196] User data is sent or received using the first preconfigured resource.

[0197] 30. The method according to embodiment 29 further includes: after using the first preconfigured resource, in combination with the use of the first preconfigured resource, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource, sending a control signaling indicating the configuration of the second preconfigured resource.

[0198] 31. The method of embodiment 30 further comprises: receiving a request for a second preconfigured resource configuration from a wireless device after, in conjunction with, or based on the use of the first preconfigured resource.

[0199] 32. The method of embodiment 31, wherein sending or receiving user data comprises receiving user data using a first preconfigured resource, and wherein the request is included in the same message as the user data or otherwise accompanies the user data.

[0200] 33. A method according to any one of embodiments 31 to 32, wherein the request requires that the second pre-configured resource configuration is the same as the first pre-configured resource configuration or one or more configuration parameters of the second pre-configured resource configuration are the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first pre-configured resource configuration.

[0201] 34. A method according to any one of embodiments 31 to 33, wherein the request is a 1-bit field.

[0202] 35. A method according to any one of embodiments 30 to 34, wherein the control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration indicates that one or more configuration parameters of the second pre-configured resource configuration are the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first pre-configured resource configuration.

[0203] 36. The method of any one of embodiments 30 to 35, wherein the second preconfigured resource is identical to the first preconfigured resource except that the second preconfigured resource occurs later in time.

[0204] 37. The method of any one of embodiments 30 to 36, wherein the control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration is a 1-bit field.

[0205] 38. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 37, wherein sending or receiving user data includes receiving user data.

[0206] 39. The method of embodiment 38 further comprises sending a timing advance as part of a transition of the wireless device to a connected mode or during a connected mode, and wherein receiving user data is performed without sending another timing advance to the wireless device.

[0207] 40. A method according to any one of embodiments 30 to 39, wherein the control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration also indicates a timing advance.

[0208] 41. The method according to embodiment 40 also includes: using a second preconfigured resource to receive user data.

[0209] 42. A method according to embodiment 41, wherein receiving user data using the second preconfigured resource is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0210] 43. A method according to any one of embodiments 30 to 42, wherein the control signaling indicating the second preconfigured resource configuration is sent during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0211] 44. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 43, wherein sending or receiving user data is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0212] 45. The method of embodiment 44, wherein sending or receiving user data is performed without the wireless device having performed a random access procedure since exiting a connected mode and entering an idle mode or an inactive mode.

[0213] 46. ​​A method according to embodiment 44, wherein sending or receiving user data is performed when message 1 of the random access procedure has not been received and / or message 2 of the random access procedure has not been sent since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode.

[0214] 47. The method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 46 further includes: during idle mode or inactive mode, when the wireless device has not performed a random access process since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or inactive mode, using non-recurring preconfigured resources to send or receive user data, wherein the idle mode is a mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network, or the inactive mode is a mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

[0215] 48. The method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 47 further includes: during idle mode or inactive mode, using non-recurring preconfigured resources to receive user data based on a timing advance sent the last time the wireless device was in connected mode or sent during idle mode or active mode.

[0216] 49. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 48, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using a message 3 format of a random access process or a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message, and using a first preconfigured resource to receive user data.

[0217] 50. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 48, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using an early data transmission (EDT) message 3 format of a random access process, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT, and using a first preconfigured resource to receive user data.

[0218] 51. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 50, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using a message 4 format of a random access process or a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message, and using a first preconfigured resource to send user data.

[0219] 52. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 50, wherein sending or receiving user data includes: using an early data transmission (EDT) message 4 format of a random access process, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT, and using a first preconfigured resource to send user data.

[0220] 53. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 52, wherein the control signaling indicating the first pre-configured resource configuration is dedicated control signaling.

[0221] 54. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 53, wherein using the first preconfigured resource to send or receive user data is based on the validity or reservation of the first preconfigured resource not having expired.

[0222] 55. A method according to any one of embodiments 29 to 54, wherein the first pre-configured resource configuration is common or agnostic to whether the first pre-configured resource is a public resource or a dedicated resource.

[0223] BA. The method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the first pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource.

[0224] BB. The method of any preceding embodiment, wherein the second pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource.

[0225] BC. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising:

[0226] obtain user data; and

[0227] Forwards user data to a host computer or wireless device.

[0228] Group C Example

[0229] C1. A wireless device configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group A.

[0230] C2A. A wireless device comprising:

[0231] A processing circuit configured to perform any of the steps of any one of the embodiments of Group A; and

[0232] A power circuit is configured to provide power to the wireless device.

[0233] C2B. A wireless device comprising:

[0234] communications circuits; and

[0235] A processing circuit configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group A.

[0236] C3. A wireless device comprising:

[0237] A processing circuit and a memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuit, whereby the wireless device is configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group A.

[0238] C4. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

[0239] an antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals;

[0240] a radio front end circuit connected to the antenna and to the processing circuit and configured to condition signals transmitted between the antenna and the processing circuit;

[0241] The processing circuit is configured to perform any step of any one of the embodiments of Group A;

[0242] an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow information to be input into the UE for processing by the processing circuitry;

[0243] an output interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to output information that has been processed by the processing circuit from the UE; and

[0244] A battery is connected to the processing circuit and configured to provide power to the UE.

[0245] C5. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a wireless device, cause the wireless device to perform the steps of any one of the embodiments of Group A.

[0246] C6. A carrier containing the computer program according to embodiment C5, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0247] C7. A radio network node configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group B.

[0248] C8A. A radio network node comprising:

[0249] A processing circuit configured to perform any step of any one of the embodiments of Group B;

[0250] A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the radio network node.

[0251] C8B. A radio network node, comprising:

[0252] communications circuits; and

[0253] A processing circuit configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group B.

[0254] C9. A radio network node comprising:

[0255] A processing circuit and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuit, whereby the radio network node is configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments of Group B.

[0256] C10. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a radio network node, cause the radio network node to perform the steps of any one of Group B embodiments.

[0257] C11. A carrier comprising the computer program according to embodiment C10, wherein the carrier is one of an electric signal, an optical signal, a radio signal or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0258] Group D Examples

[0259] D1. A communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

[0260] processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and

[0261] a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE),

[0262] The cellular network comprises a radio network node having a radio interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the radio network node is configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group B.

[0263] D2. The communication system according to the aforementioned embodiment further includes: the radio network node.

[0264] D3. The communication system according to the first two embodiments further includes: the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the radio network node.

[0265] D4. A communication system according to the first three embodiments, wherein:

[0266] The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide the user data; and

[0267] The UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0268] D5. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a radio network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0269] providing user data at the host computer; and

[0270] A transmission carrying user data is initiated at the host computer to the UE via a cellular network including the radio network node, wherein the radio network node performs any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group B.

[0271] D6. The method according to the preceding embodiment further includes: sending user data at the radio network node.

[0272] D7. A method according to the first two embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising: executing a client application associated with the host application at the UE.

[0273] D8. A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a radio network node, the UE comprising a radio interface and a processing circuit configured to perform any one of the first three embodiments.

[0274] D9. A communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

[0275] processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and

[0276] a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE),

[0277] The UE includes a radio interface and a processing circuit, and the components of the UE are configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group A.

[0278] D10. The communication system according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the cellular network further comprises a radio network node configured to communicate with the UE.

[0279] D11. A communication system according to the first two embodiments, wherein:

[0280] The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and

[0281] The processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0282] D12. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a radio network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0283] providing user data at a host computer; and

[0284] A transmission carrying user data is initiated at a host computer to a UE via a cellular network including a radio network node, wherein the UE performs any steps of any one of the embodiments of Group A.

[0285] D13. The method according to the preceding embodiment further includes: receiving user data from a radio network node at the UE.

[0286] D14. A communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

[0287] a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a user equipment (UE) to a radio network node,

[0288] The UE includes a radio interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the UE is configured to perform any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group A.

[0289] D15. The communication system according to the aforementioned embodiment further includes: the UE.

[0290] D16. The communication system according to the first two embodiments further includes: the radio network node, wherein the radio network node includes: a radio interface configured to communicate with the UE; and a communication interface configured to forward user data carried by the transmission from the UE to the radio network node to the host computer.

[0291] D17. A communication system according to the first three embodiments, wherein:

[0292] The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and

[0293] The processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to provide user data.

[0294] D18. A communication system according to the first four embodiments, wherein:

[0295] The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute the host application to provide the requested data; and

[0296] The processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to provide user data in response to the request data.

[0297] D19. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a radio network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0298] User data sent from a UE to a radio network node is received at a host computer, wherein the UE performs any steps of any one of the embodiments in Group A.

[0299] D20. The method according to the preceding embodiment further includes: providing user data to a radio network node at the UE.

[0300] D21. The method according to the first two embodiments further includes:

[0301] executing a client application at the UE, thereby providing user data to be transmitted; and

[0302] A host application associated with the client application is executed at the host computer.

[0303] D22. The method according to the first three embodiments further includes:

[0304] executing a client application at the UE; and

[0305] receiving, at the UE, input data to the client application, the input data being provided at a host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application,

[0306] The user data to be sent is provided by the client application in response to the input data.

[0307] D23. A communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising a communication interface, the communication interface being configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a user equipment (UE) to a radio network node, wherein the radio network node comprises a radio interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the radio network node being configured to perform any step of any one of the embodiments of Group B.

[0308] D24. The communication system according to the aforementioned embodiment further includes: the radio network node.

[0309] D25. The communication system according to the first two embodiments further includes: the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with a radio network node.

[0310] D26. A communication system according to the first three embodiments, wherein:

[0311] The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application;

[0312] The UE is configured to execute a client application associated with a host application, thereby providing user data to be received by a host computer.

[0313] D27. A method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a radio network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0314] Receiving at a host computer from a radio network node user data originating from a transmission that the radio network node has received from a UE, wherein the UE performs any steps of any one of Group A embodiments.

[0315] D28. The method according to the preceding embodiment further includes: receiving user data from the UE at the radio network node.

[0316] D29. The method according to the previous two embodiments also includes: initiating transmission of the received user data to the host computer at the radio network node.

[0317] Appendix A

[0318] Title: Support for transmission in preconfigured UL resources

[0319] One objective is to specify the following improvements for machine type communications for BL / CE UEs:

[0320]

[0321] This appendix evaluates support for transmissions in preconfigured UL resources while maintaining compliance with the protocol and minimizing specification impact and implementation complexity.

[0322] Transmission on Preconfigured UL Resources (PUR) in Idle Mode:

[0323] "Support pre-configured UL resources in idle mode for UEs with valid TA", which includes two actions for further study, "FFS: TA verification mechanism" and "FFS: How to obtain pre-configured UL resources". The following subsections provide a potential framework for transmission on pre-configured UL resources in idle mode that meets the WI objectives while minimizing the implementation and specification impact on RAN1 and other working groups.

[0324] Two-step PUR transfer in idle mode:

[0325] To be able to transmit on pre-configured UL resources in IDLE mode, the UE must have acquired Initial timing advance quantity (TA) and ensures that the TA is still valid when the transmission on the pre-configured UL is intended to be performed. An initial timing advance command (which indicates the total distance between the UE and the cell) is signaled in the random access response. Thereafter, once the UE enters connected mode, the TA can be adjusted by advancing or delaying the uplink transmission timing.

[0326] The above indicates that the first step for a UE that intends to transmit in preconfigured UL resources is to acquire an initial TA, which may be obtained by following a conventional connection establishment. As a second step, and for later opportunities in idle mode, the UE may benefit from transmitting on preconfigured UL resources (if the network has authorized the UE to do so), and the TA held by the UE is still considered valid. Furthermore, in order to give an answer to the question "FFS: How to acquire preconfigured UL resources", it is necessary to determine the type of traffic that is intended to be evaluated by transmission on the PUR. Depending on this, the PUR uplink resources may be acquired, for example, periodically or on demand.

[0327] Fig. 20 An example of a two-step PUR transmission in idle mode is provided, which includes the traditional sequence for initial access, followed by PUR configuration in connected mode, plus the actual PUR transmission in idle mode.

[0328] Step 1: Initial TA acquisition and pre-configuration of UL resources.

[0329] • The legacy connection establishment is reused. From Msg2, the initial TA is stored for use by possible subsequent transmissions on the preconfigured UL resources.

[0330] ● In RRC CONNECTED, the UE obtains PUR configuration such as Idle-SPS via dedicated RRC signaling, which may include two configurable options, depending on the type of service to be provided:

[0331] ○ Recurring resources: This option will be used when dealing with deterministic traffic, as the pre-configured UL resources will be available on a periodic basis.

[0332] ■ DCI for activation / deactivation shall be used.

[0333] ■ A timer may be used to indicate how long the resources are retained, this is to avoid potential waste of resources (e.g. in case the UE abandons the cell)

[0334] ○ Request per data transmission: This other option will be used when handling irregular traffic, in which case the pre-configured UL resources will be available on a per-request basis.

[0335] NOTE: When in connected mode, the TA may be adjusted, in which case the UE may re-store the TA.

[0336] Step 2: PUR verification and transmission on pre-configured UL resources

[0337] ● When in idle mode, a UE that has previously passed step 1 may directly send data in Msg3 (i.e., skipping Msg1 and Msg2) if the following conditions are met:

[0338] - A UE in idle mode has been authorized to transmit data in pre-configured UL resources.

[0339] - After testing the TA currently held by the UE using any TA validity mechanism to be employed by RAN1, the TA is considered valid.

[0340] - In case of a replay resource method, the PUR timer has not expired.

[0341] Otherwise, the conventional sequence for initial access will restart.

[0342] ●UE sends data related to PUR in "Msg3".

[0343] ○ Re-occurring resource: For subsequent transmissions on the PUR, the same UL grant will be reused.

[0344] o Request per data transmission: For subsequent transmissions on the PUR, the UE requests an UL grant (e.g. including the PUR interval and PUR-TBS)

[0345] ●The eNB receives “Msg3” and moves the UE to RRC_IDLE, or in the case of other data, moves the UE to RRC_CONNECTED through “Msg4”.

[0346] o Recurring resources: The timer for maintaining the UL resources of the PUR is extended and there is also the possibility to deactivate the recurring use of resources from this message.

[0347] o Request for each data transmission: the eNodeB provides a UL grant via DCI.

[0348] The advantage of following the two-step approach for transmission in pre-configured uplink resources is that the legacy connection establishment will be reused, while the actual PUR transmission will benefit from signaling load reduction, power savings and latency reduction by transmitting directly on "Msg3" similar to the EDT frame, which will help minimize the impact on RAN1 and other working groups (for example, EDT security aspects can be inherited).

[0349] In summary, two steps can be performed as follows:

[0350] In the first step, the conventional connection establishment is reused to acquire the initial TA and obtain the pre-configuration of UL resources that the UE may use in future idle mode transmissions.

[0351] In the second step, after evaluating and satisfying some criteria (including TA validity), the UE may perform idle mode transmission on pre-configured UL resources directly on Msg3 (ie, skipping Msg1 and Msg2) by using a periodic method or an on-demand method.

[0352] Performing PUR transmission directly on Msg3 (i.e. skipping Msg1 and Msg2) will reduce signaling load, save power and reduce latency, while using an EDT-like framework to implement this operation will help minimize the impact on RAN1 and other working groups.

[0353] The two-step PUR transmission scheme for idle mode can serve dedicated or shared uplink transmission. For example, the UL grant design for transmission on PUR can reuse sub-PRB allocation to increase spectrum efficiency, in which case up to four UEs can share the same PRB. In addition, HARQ retransmissions can also be supported by reusing the corresponding fields (e.g., HARQ process number, new data indicator) in the DCI used by the sub-PRB.

[0354] TA validity mechanism:

[0355] Support for transmissions on pre-configured UL resources in idle mode is dependent on having a valid TA. Therefore, once an initial TA has been acquired and thereafter retained by a UE having stayed in or moved back to idle mode, a mechanism is needed that can be used to determine the validity of such a TA when aiming to perform idle mode transmissions on pre-configured UL resources.

[0356] TA validity mechanism based on RSRP / RSRQ:

[0357] For stationary or low mobility devices, it may be expected that the variations in idle mode serving and neighbor cell signal strengths are limited. Therefore, one possible way to determine the validity of the retained TA configuration may be based on identifying large variations in idle mode serving and neighbor cell signal strength (RSRP) and quality measurements (RSRQ).

[0358] For example, when the UE acquires the initial TA at time T0, the UE measures the downlink signal strength RSRP(T0) and compares it with the configured threshold RSRP TH Compare. If RSRP(T0)>RSRP TH , the device regards this as an indication that the device is near the base station. At the second time T1, the upper layer in the device triggers idle mode data transmission, and the device again measures the absolute signal strength RSRP(T1) of the serving cell to compare it with the threshold RSRPTH. If RSRP(T1)>RSRP TH, the device interprets this as an indication that the device is still in the vicinity of the base station and assumes that the stored TA(T0) value is still valid.

[0359] Another possibility is that the device calculates the change in signal strength RSRP(T1)-RSRP(T0) in the serving cell before sending idle mode data. The change in value will be regarded as an indication of mobility. If RSRP(T1)-RSRP(T0) is below a configured threshold, the device can assume that its TA(T0) value stored at time T0 is still valid and can be used to perform idle mode data transmission.

[0360] TA validity mechanism based on TDOA:

[0361] A fixed or low-mobility device may be expected to experience limited variation in the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of two or more reference signals received from two or more base stations.

[0362] Fig.21 A UE is shown receiving reference signals (RS) A and B transmitted from base stations eNB A and B. Based on the time of arrival (TOA) of each of these reference signals, the UE can calculate the TDOA between the two reference signals. Since each TOA corresponds to the distance between the base station and the UE, the TDOA can be used as a strong indicator of mobility. Time-variant TDOA indicates mobility, while time-invariant TDOA indicates low or no mobility.

[0363] TA effectiveness mechanism based on cell radius:

[0364] The amount of timing error tolerance provided by the cyclic prefix, together with knowledge of the radius of the serving cell, can be used to determine the effectiveness of the TA. Recall that a step size of T A (1step T A ) is equal to 16T s =0.52us, converted to meters is about ((16T s )(300000000)) / 2=78m(meters).

[0365] For example, in the case of small cell deployment, when a normal cyclic prefix (i.e., CP length 4.7us) has been configured and the cell radius is exactly Y=700 meters, the TA value currently held by the UE can be considered valid, provided that the TA value is less than the threshold value X=8 (For any cell radius, the calculation of the threshold can be generalized to follow floor(Y / ((16Ts c) / 2))).

[0366] The above prevents UEs located near the cell edge over a spotty coverage area from transmitting with an outdated / incorrect TA value in the uplink.

[0367] TA validity mechanism based on TA history:

[0368] It is possible to determine TA validity based on previously assigned TAs. For example, the eNodeB and / or UE may track the previous TA value assigned to a particular UE, and based on the frequency with which the TA value is updated, the eNodeB may understand whether the UE is a stationary or semi-stationary device. This information may then be used to determine whether the UE is allowed to directly apply certain TA values ​​the next time the UE intends to send UL data in idle mode, without having to acquire a new TA value.

[0369] More specifically, if the TA value estimated and assigned to the UE by the eNB does not change within a predetermined time (e.g., tens of minutes, hours, or even days), the eNB and / or the network may (temporarily) identify the UE as a (semi-)fixed UE and may assign a TA value with a long-term validity period to the UE.

[0370] Timer-based TA validity mechanism:

[0371] Once the UE acquires a TA, the eNodeB provides a configurable timer (Time Alignment Timer) that may be UE-specific or cell-specific, which is used to control how long the UE is considered to be uplink time aligned. Similarly, a Time Alignment Timer for idle mode may be introduced, for example in conjunction with some other TA validity mechanism aimed at providing periodic TA refresh.

[0372] Appendix B

[0373] Title: Support for transmission in preconfigured UL resources

[0374] This annex relates to improving uplink transmission efficiency and / or UE power consumption by transmitting in pre-configured resources:

[0375] Improved UL transmission efficiency and / or UE power consumption:

[0376] ● Specify support for transmission in pre-configured resources based on SC-FDMA waveform in idle and / or connected mode for UEs with valid timing advance [RAN1, RAN2, RAN4]

[0377] ○ Both shared and dedicated resources can be discussed

[0378] ○ Note: This is limited to orthogonal (multi) access schemes

[0379]

[0380]

[0381] Due to the small amount of infrequent data characteristics of a large number of MTCs, we believe that preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) are most relevant and beneficial in RRC_IDLE. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the discussion will continue with Idle-PUR. Section 2.4 concludes with a discussion of Connected-PUR. In addition, the use case of uplink reporting is considered in the following discussion.

[0382] The UE is allowed to use the PUR "with a valid timing advance". In conventional operation, in Msg2, the UE obtains the timing advance (TA) to be applied to the uplink transmission to be received synchronously (TimingAdvance Command in RAR, see TS 36.321). The eNB configures a timer for the UE during which the eNB shall consider the timing advance to be valid (timeAlignmentTimer in MAC-MainConfig in TS 36.331), and after the expiration of this timer, the UE must perform random access again to obtain a new timing advance. Since it has been stated that the UE must have a valid TA for Rel-16 PUR, there are two options: 1) the UE is stationary enough to reuse its previous TA, i.e. moves within the length of the cyclic prefix, or 2) the UE moves but keeps updating the TA so that the TA remains valid. In order for option 2) to work, signaling is required. For example, a random access is triggered every time the UE moves beyond the range that can be covered by the cyclic prefix. Regardless, uplink transmission is required, which negatively impacts the two KPIs that the WI objective attempts to improve: UL transmission efficiency and UE power consumption.

[0383] It is not feasible to maintain a valid timing advance for a mobile UE in RRC_IDLE.

[0384] Transmissions in pre-configured uplink resources in RRC_IDLE are limited to UEs that can reuse their timing advance from previous transmissions.

[0385] For legacy operation, the eNB can make the length of timeAlignmentTimer based on UE speed, cell size, etc. In addition, low-mobility UEs do not move far in the relatively short time in RRC_CONNECTED. However, for PUR, the UE may be in RRC_IDLE for several hours and then return to transmit. Then, a timer-based solution is not enough because the eNB cannot estimate whether the UE's TA is valid when the UE returns. Therefore, since the UE will be in RRC_IDLE, requirements for the UE will be needed. That is, the UE should meet specific conditions to check that the TA is valid before PUR access.

[0386] Before accessing the pre-configured uplink resources, the UE must meet certain requirements to ensure that its timing advance is valid.

[0387] Furthermore, again based on conventional operation, a UE must transmit at least once in the UL in order to be assigned a TA. That is, in practice, the PUR will not be applicable for the initial transmission in a cell.

[0388] Since the UE has to obtain the timing advance, for the initial transmission in the cell it is not possible to transmit in the pre-configured uplink resources.

[0389] Therefore, for initial data transmission, conventional transmission is necessary, and the most straightforward solution is to configure the PUR via dedicated RRC signaling.

[0390] Transmission in the pre-configured uplink resources is configured via dedicated RRC signaling.

[0391] For the actual data transport, there are likely many RAN2 open issues. If typically RAN1 agrees on some new physical channel for PUR transport (perhaps supporting only a small TBS), RAN2 needs to ensure that there are solutions for working data addressing / routing, working retransmissions, potential contention resolution, security, etc. This may require a lot of RAN2 work and all protocol layers must be looked at: MAC, RLC, PDCP, etc.

[0392] Transmissions in pre-configured uplink resources may have substantial RAN2 impact.

[0393] However, data transmission can reuse a lot of work from Rel-15 EDT, where all these issues have been addressed. That is, for both solutions considered below, the data transmission part can be done similarly to EDT data transmission in Msg3. Potentially RAN2 can also consider reusing EDT Msg3 and Msg4 RRC messages, or using them as a baseline for the new PUR RRC message. This will address all the open issues mentioned above.

[0394] Rel-15 EDT Msg3 / Msg4 data transmission is used as a baseline for transmission in pre-configured uplink resources.

[0395] Contention-free or contention-based data transfer:

[0396] For RAN2, it does not matter whether the PUR resources that the UE is configured with are dedicated or shared radio resources. For example, the UE may be allocated a UE-specific code for CDMA in the shared resources. However, it is important whether the PUR data transmission is contention-based or contention-free.

[0397] Competition-based PUR:

[0398] For competition-based PUR, such as Fig.18 As shown, in the initial access, the UE will be given a common PUR configuration and a TA. These common PURs can be selected by any UE, and there is a risk of collision for transmitting data in these common PURs. This configuration may be most motivated as a periodic resource, very similar to the way PRACH is configured. In a similar way, different CE levels must be supported, and several TBSs are supported in addition, which may make this solution very resource intensive.

[0399] After the data arrives, the UE will select a subsequent periodic PUR to transmit its data. Knowledge of the traffic predicted by the UE will not be required. However, the execution of the transmission will be at risk of collision, and if no improvements are made at the PHY layer, the risk of collision is x64 or x48 compared to the legacy of LTE-M and NB-IoT, respectively, due to the lack of preamble selection. If it cannot be ensured that the risk of collision is lower than the legacy process (i.e., compared to EDT), the performance of the common-PUR may be worse than the legacy. If so, it will be difficult to promote contention-based PUR. In addition, according to the legacy process, since the eNB cannot perform soft combining, HARQ retransmissions will not be possible in this case. That is, there is no possibility of scheduling retransmissions, or, if subsequent common-PUR resources are used, it is impossible to know whether it is a retransmission.

[0400] Since the resources will be used by any UE, it is not possible to take advantage of higher UE capabilities unless the PUR feature is limited to these UEs. Due to this fact, contention-based PUR may be best suited for use cases with sporadic traffic (where nothing is sent most of the time), such as alarms, etc. Even so, the uplink efficiency gain is still questionable, but the UE's power consumption is slightly reduced since Msg1 and Msg2 can be omitted. It remains to be seen whether this reduction is significant when there is no transmission most of the time.

[0401] Therefore, contention-based transmission in preconfigured uplink resources may be justified by use cases with sporadic and sparse transmissions (e.g., alarms, etc.).

[0402] For non-competing PUR, such as Fig.17 As shown, the UE will be given dedicated PUR resources and TA in the initial access. The PUR resources can be configured to be customized for the UE service profile, capability and CE level. In addition, the PUR transmission will be guaranteed to be conflict-free. Therefore, as long as the configured resources are used, the gains of both uplink transmission efficiency and UE power consumption can be ensured.

[0403] A potential problem is to configure dedicated radio resources for UEs in RRC_IDLE mode. That is, the eNB does not usually track UEs in RRC_IDLE mode, and reserving radio resources for UEs that may no longer be in the cell will reduce rather than improve UL transmission efficiency because resources will be wasted. However, there is no reason why periodic resources must be reserved. Dedicated PUR resources can be reserved for one PUR transmission at a time, that is, only one PUR resource is allocated, and then based on this, transmission resources are reserved for the next PUR transmission, and so on. This will greatly limit the potential resource waste and make this feature useful for more use cases with periodic services. Alternatively, resource reservation can be timer-based. For dedicated pre-configured uplink resources, there may be the following advantages: less resource waste, resources are allocated only when needed; adapt UE, no additional resource waste from multiple CE levels, TBS, etc.; no conflict → guaranteed gain in both UE power consumption and UL Tx efficiency; possible UE-specific higher data rates (i.e., benefits from capabilities such as multi-tone, Cat-M2 / Cat-NB2, etc.); HARQ retransmissions.

[0404] Therefore, according to the WI target, contention-free PUR can be considered a good solution due to less system overhead and guaranteed gain.

[0405] Hence, transmission in pre-configured uplink resources is supported in RRC_IDLE in dedicated resources.

[0406] For dedicated PUR, some UE-specific parameters will have to be configured on dedicated RRC signaling. These parameters will be, for example, the PUR interval (i.e., resource time offset), the PUR TBS, any allocation information of the PUR resource, etc. As mentioned above, allocating only one PUR resource at a time has huge potential benefits, and the same principles as the Rel-12 power saving mode (PSM) can be applied. That is, at each uplink transmission, the UE will request the PUR interval and PUR-TBS, and the network will reply with the configuration parameters that the UE should apply. This automatically reduces resource waste, because if the UE leaves the cell or does not transmit in the PUR resource for other reasons, at most one transmission opportunity is wasted. In addition, it is more adaptable in the case of TBS or interval changes. Of course, the disadvantage is the signaling overhead, if the interval and TBS are always the same for some UEs. However, this can be easily solved by declaring that the same interval and TBS as last time should be applied.

[0407] Therefore, dedicated transmissions in the pre-configured uplink resources are configured for one transmission opportunity at a time.

[0408] As shown, the UE will be configured during the RRC connection (or EDT transmission). Both the eNB and the UE need to have a common understanding of when subsequent transmissions will occur.

[0409] Therefore, the interval (time resource offset) and TBS are used as configuration parameters for dedicated transmission in pre-configured uplink resources.

[0410] The network will then need to store these parameters when the UE moves to RRC_IDLE. For the CIoT UP solution (RRC Suspend / Resume), this means adding the PUR parameters to the stored UE context. For the CIoT CP solution (DoNAS), this means adding the PUR parameters to the stored UE context in the MME. In addition, it must be ensured that the scheduler is aware of all these PUR opportunities.

[0411] Therefore, configuration parameters for pre-configuring uplink resources are added to the UE context.

[0412] PURs in RRC_IDLE have been discussed above, but the WI target may also include PURs in RRC_CONNECTED. First, consider a public-PUR in Connected. The UE has gone through a random access procedure to obtain a connection and dedicated radio resources for transmission. It is less efficient to transmit data in public resources with the risk of collision and retransmission than to trigger a scheduling request.

[0413] On the other hand, a dedicated PUR under connection will be very similar to SPS. Note that LTE-M already supports SPS, while for NB-IoT, no strong demand was seen in Rel-15, and SPS support Rel-15 was introduced only for BSR. However, since a large number of MTC services are not completely periodic at the subframe level (like VoIP, where SPS was originally introduced), some PUR modifications are still needed for SPS. For example, one PUR resource is configured at a time as discussed above for idle mode.

[0414] Transmissions in preconfigured uplink resources in RRC_CONNECTED are considered in dedicated resources (contention-free) but not in common resources (contention-based).

[0415] exist Fig.16 An example of a signaling diagram for PUR configuration is given in . Note that this assumes a conventional connection establishment procedure for initial access in a cell, but as an optimization it may also be applicable to EDT.

[0416] abbreviation

[0417] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in the present disclosure. If there is an inconsistency between the abbreviations, the above usage should be preferred. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should take precedence over subsequent listings.

[0418] BI rollback indicator

[0419] BSR Buffer Status Report

[0420] Cat-M1 Category M1

[0421] Cat-M2 Category M2

[0422] CE Enhanced Coverage / Coverage Enhancement

[0423] DL Downlink

[0424] eMTC Enhanced Machine Type Communication

[0425] eNB Evolved NodeB

[0426] EDT Early Data Transfer

[0427] IoT

[0428] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0429] MAC Medium Access Control

[0430] NAS Non-Access Stratum

[0431] NB-IoT Narrowband Internet of Things

[0432] M2M Machine to Machine

[0433] MTC Machine Type Communication

[0434] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0435] PUR Pre-configured Uplink Resources

[0436] (N)PRACH (narrowband) physical random access channel

[0437] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0438] RA Random Access

[0439] RAPID Random Access Preamble Identifier

[0440] RAR Random Access Response

[0441] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0442] RRC Radio Resource Control (protocol)

[0443] TBS Transport Block Size

[0444] UE User Equipment

[0445] UL Uplink

[0446] WI Work Items

[0447] 1x RTT CDMA2000 1x Radio Transmission Technology

[0448] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0449] 5G Fifth Generation

[0450] ABS Almost Blank Subframe

[0451] ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

[0452] AWGN Additive White Gaussian Noise

[0453] BCCH Broadcast Control Channel

[0454] BCH Broadcast Channel

[0455] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0456] CC Carrier Component

[0457] CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDU

[0458] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0459] CGI Cell Global Identifier

[0460] CIR Channel Impulse Response

[0461] CP Cyclic Prefix

[0462] CPICH Common Pilot Channel

[0463] CPICH Ec / No CPICH received energy per chip divided by the power density in the band

[0464] CQI Channel Quality Information

[0465] C-RNTI Cell RNTI

[0466] CSI Channel State Information

[0467] DCCH Dedicated Control Channel

[0468] DL Downlink

[0469] DM Demodulation

[0470] DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal

[0471] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0472] DTX Discontinuous Transmission

[0473] DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel

[0474] DUT Device Under Test

[0475] E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (positioning method)

[0476] E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center

[0477] ECGI Evolved CGI

[0478] eNB E-UTRAN NodeB

[0479] ePDCCH Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0480] E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center

[0481] E-UTRA Evolved UTRA

[0482] E-UTRAN Evolved UTRAN

[0483] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0484] FFS needs further study

[0485] GERAN GSM EDGE Radio Access Network

[0486] Base stations in gNB NR

[0487] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0488] GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

[0489] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0490] HO Switchover

[0491] HSPA High Speed ​​Packet Access

[0492] HRPD High Rate Packet Data

[0493] LOS Line of Sight

[0494] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0495] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0496] MAC Medium Access Control

[0497] MBMS Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service

[0498] MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network

[0499] MBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe

[0500] MDT Minimized Drive Test

[0501] MIB Master Information Block

[0502] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0503] MSC Mobile Switching Center

[0504] NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0505] NR New Radio

[0506] OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator

[0507] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0508] OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access

[0509] OSS Operation Support System

[0510] OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

[0511] O&M

[0512] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0513] P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel

[0514] PCell Primary Cell

[0515] PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel

[0516] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0517] PDP Profile Delay Profile

[0518] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0519] PGW Packet Gateway

[0520] PHICH Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel

[0521] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0522] PMI Precoder Matrix Indicator

[0523] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0524] PRS Positioning Reference Signal

[0525] PSS Primary Synchronization Signal

[0526] PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0527] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0528] RACH Random Access Channel

[0529] QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

[0530] RAN Radio Access Network

[0531] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0532] RLM Radio Link Management

[0533] RNC Radio Network Controller

[0534] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0535] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0536] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0537] RS reference signal

[0538] RSCP Received Signal Code Power

[0539] RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power or

[0540] Reference signal received power

[0541] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality or

[0542] Reference symbol reception quality

[0543] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0544] RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference

[0545] SCH Synchronization Channel

[0546] SCell Secondary Cell

[0547] SDU Service Data Unit

[0548] SFN System Frame Number

[0549] SGW Service Gateway

[0550] SI System Information

[0551] SIB System Information Block

[0552] SNR Signal to Noise Ratio

[0553] SON Self-Optimizing Network

[0554] SS Sync Signal

[0555] SSS Secondary synchronization signal

[0556] TDD Time Division Duplex

[0557] TDOA Time Difference of Arrival

[0558] TOA Time of Arrival

[0559] TSS three-level synchronization signal

[0560] TTI Transmission Time Interval

[0561] UE User Equipment

[0562] UL Uplink

[0563] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0564] USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module

[0565] UTDOA Uplink Time Difference of Arrival

[0566] UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

[0567] UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0568] WCDMA Wideband CDMA

[0569] WLAN Wide Area Network

Claims

1. A method performed by a wireless device configured for use in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: sending a request for a pre-configured uplink resource configuration in an uplink message; receiving control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network, wherein the first preconfigured resource is a non-recurring preconfigured resource dedicated to the wireless device; using the first preconfigured resource to send user data; requesting configuration of a second preconfigured resource in conjunction with using the first preconfigured resource to send data; and Control signaling indicating a second pre-configured resource configuration is received, wherein the second pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource dedicated to the wireless device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The request is a 1-bit field.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The request includes one or more parameters for the pre-configured uplink resource configuration.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The request is included in the same message as the user data or otherwise accompanies the user data.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: Sending the request includes: sending a request for the second preconfigured resource configuration, wherein the request requires that the second preconfigured resource configuration is the same as the first preconfigured resource configuration or one or more configuration parameters of the second preconfigured resource configuration are the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first preconfigured resource configuration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration indicates that one or more configuration parameters of the second pre-configured resource configuration are the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first pre-configured resource configuration.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The second preconfigured resource is identical to the first preconfigured resource, except that the second preconfigured resource occurs later in time.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration is a 1-bit field.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The method further comprises receiving a timing advance as part of transitioning to the connected mode or during the connected mode, and wherein sending the user data is performed using the timing advance.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration also indicates a timing advance.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: User data is sent using the second preconfigured resources and using the timing advance indicated by the control signaling.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Sending user data using the second preconfigured resources is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second preconfigured resource configuration is received during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The sending of user data is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The sending of user data is performed in a case where a random access procedure has not been performed since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The sending of user data is performed in a case where a message 1 of a random access procedure has not been sent and / or a message 2 of a random access procedure has not been received since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: During an idle mode or an inactive mode, sending or receiving user data using non-recurring preconfigured resources when no random access procedure has been performed since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode, wherein the idle mode is a mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network, or the inactive mode is a mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: During an idle mode or an inactive mode, user data is sent using a timing advance received the last time the wireless device was in a connected mode or during the idle mode or the inactive mode and using non-recurring preconfigured resources.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The sending of user data includes any of the following: sending user data using the first preconfigured resources using a message 3 format of a random access procedure or a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message; Sending user data using the first preconfigured resources using an Early Data Transfer (EDT) message 3 format of a random access procedure, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT; Wherein, the method further comprises any of the following: receiving user data using the first preconfigured resources using a message 4 format of a random access procedure or a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message; and The user data is received using the first preconfigured resources using an Early Data Transfer (EDT) message 4 format of a random access procedure, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The control signaling indicating the configuration of the first pre-configured resource is dedicated control signaling.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: Sending user data using the first preconfigured resources is performed in response to determining that a validity or reservation of the first preconfigured resources has not expired.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, comprising: The user data is sent using the first preconfigured resource instead of triggering a scheduling request or a random access.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The first pre-configured resource configuration is generic or agnostic as to whether the first pre-configured resource is a public resource or a dedicated resource.

24. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The request asks for a pre-configured uplink resource transport block size, wherein the first pre-configured resource configuration indicates a transport block size of the first pre-configured resource.

25. A method performed by a radio network node configured for use in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: receiving, in an uplink message from a wireless device, a request for a preconfigured uplink resource configuration; during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with the wireless communication network, sending control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration configuring a first preconfigured resource, wherein the first preconfigured resource is a non-recurring preconfigured resource dedicated to the wireless device; receiving user data using the first preconfigured resource; receiving a request for a second preconfigured resource configuration in conjunction with receiving data using the first preconfigured resource; and Control signaling indicating a second pre-configured resource configuration is sent to configure a second pre-configured resource, wherein the second pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource dedicated to the wireless device.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The request is a 1-bit field.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, wherein: The request includes one or more parameters for the pre-configured uplink resource configuration.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, further comprising: In combination with the first pre-configured resource, a control signaling of a second pre-configured resource configuration indicating configuration of a second pre-configured resource is sent.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The request is included in the same message as the user data or otherwise accompanies the user data.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The request for the second preconfigured resource configuration requires that the second preconfigured resource configuration be the same as the first preconfigured resource configuration or that one or more configuration parameters of the second preconfigured resource configuration be the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first preconfigured resource configuration.

31. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration indicates that one or more configuration parameters of the second pre-configured resource configuration are the same as one or more configuration parameters of the first pre-configured resource configuration.

32. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The second preconfigured resource is identical to the first preconfigured resource, except that the second preconfigured resource occurs later in time.

33. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration is a 1-bit field.

34. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The method further comprises sending a timing advance as part of a transition of the wireless device to the connected mode or during the connected mode, and wherein receiving the user data is performed without sending another timing advance to the wireless device.

35. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second pre-configured resource configuration also indicates a timing advance.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising: The second preconfigured resources are used to receive user data during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

37. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The control signaling indicating the second preconfigured resource configuration is sent during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

38. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The receiving user data is performed during an idle mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or during an inactive mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein: The receiving user data is performed when the wireless device has not performed a random access procedure since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein: The receiving of user data is performed in a case where a message 1 of a random access procedure has not been received and / or a message 2 of a random access procedure has not been sent since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode.

41. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, further comprising: During an idle mode or an inactive mode, in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or the inactive mode, using non-recurring preconfigured resources to send or receive user data if the wireless device has not performed a random access procedure since exiting the connected mode and entering the idle mode or the inactive mode, wherein the idle mode is a mode in which the wireless device has no connection with the wireless communication network or the inactive mode is a mode in which the wireless device has an inactive connection with the wireless communication network.

42. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, further comprising: During an idle mode or an inactive mode, user data is received using non-recurring preconfigured resources based on a timing advance that was sent the last time the wireless device was in a connected mode or that was sent during the idle mode or the inactive mode.

43. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The receiving of user data includes any of the following: receiving user data using the first preconfigured resources using a message 3 format of a random access procedure or a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message; receiving user data using the first preconfigured resources using an Early Data Transfer (EDT) message 3 format of a random access procedure, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT; Wherein, the method further comprises any of the following: sending user data using the first preconfigured resources using a message 4 format of a random access procedure or a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message; and The user data is sent using the first preconfigured resources using an Early Data Transfer (EDT) message 4 format of a random access procedure, an EDT RRC message, or a message format for EDT or based on EDT.

44. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The control signaling indicating the configuration of the first pre-configured resource is dedicated control signaling.

45. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: Receiving user data using the first preconfigured resource is based on the validity or reservation of the first preconfigured resource not having expired.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The first pre-configured resource configuration is generic or agnostic as to whether the first pre-configured resource is a public resource or a dedicated resource.

47. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein: The request asks for a pre-configured uplink resource transport block size, wherein the first pre-configured resource configuration indicates a transport block size of the first pre-configured resource.

48. A wireless device (300), the wireless device (300) comprising: a communication circuit (320) configured to communicate with a network; A processing circuit (310) operatively coupled to the communication circuit (320) and configured to: sending a request for a pre-configured uplink resource configuration in an uplink message; receiving control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with a wireless communication network, wherein the first preconfigured resource is a non-recurring preconfigured resource dedicated to the wireless device; using the first preconfigured resource to send user data; requesting configuration of a second preconfigured resource in conjunction with using the first preconfigured resource to send data; and Control signaling indicating a second pre-configured resource configuration is received, wherein the second pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource dedicated to the wireless device.

49. The wireless device (300) of claim 48, wherein: The processing circuit (310) is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 24.

50. A network node (500), the network node (500) comprising: a communication circuit (520) configured to communicate with a network; A processing circuit (510) operatively coupled to the communication circuit (520) and configured to: receiving, in an uplink message from a wireless device, a request for a preconfigured uplink resource configuration; during a connected mode in which the wireless device has a connection with a wireless communication network, sending control signaling indicating a first preconfigured resource configuration configuring a first preconfigured resource, wherein the first preconfigured resource is a non-recurring preconfigured resource dedicated to the wireless device; receiving user data using the first preconfigured resource; receiving a request for a second preconfigured resource configuration in conjunction with receiving data using the first preconfigured resource; and Control signaling indicating a second pre-configured resource configuration is sent to configure a second pre-configured resource, wherein the second pre-configured resource is a non-recurring pre-configured resource dedicated to the wireless device.

51. The network node (500) of claim 50, wherein: The processing circuit (510) is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 26 to 47.

52. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor in a wireless device (300), the computer program instructions being configured to cause the wireless device (300) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

53. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor in a network node (500), the computer program instructions being configured to cause the network node (500) to perform a method according to any one of claims 25 to 47.

54. A computer readable medium comprising a computer program product according to claim 52 or 53 stored thereon.

Images