Processing configured and active authorizations after feeder link path updates

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products for processing configured and active grants after a feeder link path update. A user equipment (UE) may receive a message indicating a timing advance (TA) modification procedure, or the UE may detect a TA modification. The UE may check whether the TA modification is a reverse modification. If the check yields a positive result, the UE may check whether its configured grants, configured timers, and / or procedures are affected within a threshold. If the check results in a positive result, the UE may apply an offset to the affected configured grants, timers, or procedures. A network node may detect UE operation based on detecting that the UE cannot reach a time slot scheduled for the UE in a timely manner after applying the TA modification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or New Radio (NR) access technology, or other communication systems. For example, certain embodiments may relate to systems and / or methods for handling configured and active grants following a feeder link path update. Background Art

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless communication systems may include the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), the Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), MulteFire, LTE-A Pro, and / or fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology or New Radio (NR) access technology. 5G wireless systems refer to next-generation (NG) radio systems and network architectures. 5G is primarily built on New Radio (NR), but 5G (or NG) networks can also be built on E-UTRA radio. NR is estimated to provide bit rates on the order of 10-20 Gbit / s or higher and support at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). NR is expected to provide ultra-wideband and ultra-robust, low-latency connectivity and large-scale networks that support the Internet of Things (IoT). As the IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications become increasingly prevalent, the demand for networks that meet low power consumption, low data rates, and long battery life will continue to grow. It should be noted that in 5G, a node that can provide radio access functions to user equipment (i.e., similar to Node B in UTRAN or eNB in LTE) can be named gNB when built on NR radio, and can be named NG-eNB when built on E-UTRA radio. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first embodiment, a method may include receiving one or more parameters associated with timing advance modification from a network node. The one or more parameters may include at least a threshold and an offset. The method may include determining whether to apply the offset to an uplink transmission to delay the uplink transmission. The method may include applying the offset to the uplink transmission to delay an uplink transmission time of the uplink transmission based on determining to apply the offset.

[0004] In one variant embodiment, the method may include checking whether the timing advance modification includes an increase in the gap between the downlink reference time and the uplink transmission time for the uplink transmission. In one variant embodiment, the method may include checking, based on a threshold, whether there are one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or procedures affected by the timing advance modification. In one variant embodiment, the one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or procedures may be associated with the uplink transmission.

[0005] In a variant embodiment, the threshold-based inspection may also include comparing the modified uplink transmit time with a threshold. In a variant embodiment, the modified uplink transmit time may be based on the uplink transmit time and the timing advance modification. In a variant embodiment, the threshold-based inspection may also include determining that there are one or more active scheduling authorizations, timers or processes that are affected by the timing advance modification based on the uplink transmit time within the threshold. In a variant embodiment, the method may include realigning the uplink transmit timing of the user equipment. In a variant embodiment, realigning the uplink transmit time may include adjusting the start time of the first symbol of the uplink transmit time based on an offset, and performing one or more operations for uplink transmission. In a variant embodiment, determining whether to apply the offset may also include determining that the offset is not applied to the uplink transmission.

[0006] In a variant embodiment, the threshold may be a cell-specific threshold or a user equipment-specific threshold. In a variant embodiment, the offset may include one or more transmission time slots. In a variant embodiment, the offset may be equal to zero. In a variant embodiment, determining whether to apply the offset may further include determining not to apply the offset, and the method may further include determining to skip the uplink transmission and performing one or more operations for a subsequent uplink transmission.

[0007] According to a second embodiment, a method may include transmitting one or more parameters associated with a timing advance modification. The one or more parameters may include at least a threshold and an offset. The method may include detecting, after applying the timing advance modification, that one or more user equipment cannot timely reach a scheduled transmission time unit for the one or more user equipment. The method may include determining, based on the one or more parameters, that the one or more user equipment has delayed uplink transmission.

[0008] In a variant embodiment, the threshold may be a cell-specific threshold or a user equipment-specific threshold. In a variant embodiment, the offset may include one or more transmission time slots. In a variant embodiment, the threshold may be configured so that the offset is applied to all of the one or more user equipments, or the threshold may be configured so that the offset is applied to a subset of the one or more user equipments. In a variant embodiment, the threshold may be configured to avoid conflicts between the one or more user equipments and may be based on the probability that the one or more user equipments are affected.

[0009] In a variant embodiment, the offset may be configured such that the affected user equipment does not affect one or more other user equipment allocations. In a variant embodiment, the method may further include determining not to mark the uplink transmission as a failed uplink transmission, and determining to wait until a subsequent uplink transmission opportunity for the UL transmission or another UL transmission.

[0010] A third embodiment may be directed to an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to the first embodiment, the second embodiment, or any of the variant embodiments discussed above.

[0011] A fourth embodiment may be directed to an apparatus which may include circuitry configured to perform the method according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment or any variant embodiment discussed above.

[0012] A fifth embodiment may be directed to an apparatus that may include means for performing the method according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment or any of the variant embodiments discussed above. Examples of the means may include one or more processors, memories, and / or computer program code for causing the execution of operations.

[0013] A sixth embodiment may be directed to a computer-readable medium including program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the method according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment or any of the variant embodiments discussed above.

[0014] A seventh embodiment may relate to a computer program product encoding instructions for performing at least the method according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment or any variant embodiment discussed above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a proper understanding of the exemplary embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 An example flow chart illustrating a method for processing configured and active authorizations following a feeder link path update according to some embodiments is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 An example flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 An example flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments is shown;

[0019] Figure 4a shows an example block diagram of an apparatus according to one embodiment; and

[0020] Figure 4b An example block diagram of an apparatus according to another embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] It will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Accordingly, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products for processing configured and active authorizations following a feeder link path update is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments, but rather is representative of selected example embodiments.

[0022] The features, structures, or characteristics of the example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the use of the phrases "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the phrases "in certain embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language appearing in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same set of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. Furthermore, the phrase "a group" refers to a group that includes one or more of the referenced group members. Thus, the phrases "a group," "one or more," and "at least one," or equivalent phrases, may be used interchangeably. Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise, "or" is intended to mean "and / or."

[0023] In addition, if desired, the different functions or operations discussed below can be performed in different orders and / or simultaneously with each other. In addition, if desired, one or more of the functions or operations described can be optional or can be combined. Therefore, the following description should be considered as merely an illustration of the principles and teachings of certain example embodiments, and not as a limitation thereto.

[0024] 5G NR non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) can include NR cells provided by low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, or high altitude platforms (HAPS). 3GPP NR offers multiple NTN satellite scenarios. However, transparent architecture deployment can lead to certain issues.

[0025] In a transparent architecture, a UE can connect to a gNB located on the ground via a satellite link (e.g., satellite / HAPS) using 5G NR radio access technology. In this scenario, the gNB medium access control (MAC) functions (scheduling, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, retransmissions, etc.) can be on the ground, and the satellite can act as a relay node (relay). The link between the UE and the satellite can include a serving link, while the link between the satellite and the gNB can include a feeder link.

[0026] Compared to traditional cellular networks, NTN transparent configurations can differ from previous 5G NR solutions used in terrestrial networks. For example, NTN transparent configurations can differ in latency. The latency experienced in LEO NTN transparent networks can be as high as tens of milliseconds (ms), an order of magnitude higher than the latency designed for previous 5G systems, even with the most conservative approaches. This latency difference can also impact reporting and adaptation mechanisms at the physical (PHY) / MAC layer, as the information may be outdated by the time it is finally received by the receiver. Furthermore, due to satellite motion, the transmission latency experienced by both the UE (downlink (DL)) and the gNB (uplink (UL)) can vary over time. Consequently, timing advance (TA) adjustment and synchronization can become more challenging compared to terrestrial networks.

[0027] Furthermore, NTN transparent settings can differ in relative speed. The relative speed of LEO satellites to the Earth can be approximately 7,500 meters per second (m / s), which is significantly higher than any traditional relative speed observed between UEs and gNBs in terrestrial networks. This can impact the system in terms of Doppler, but also necessitates more complex management of mobility events.

[0028] In an NTN transparent network, maintaining the correct UL TA can be problematic when the high mobility of NTN relay nodes (LEO satellites or HAPS) triggers a mobility process to change the feeder link. For example, a gNB may communicate with a UE using NR NTN access by using relays in first and second satellites orbiting along the same trajectory. In that case, the total physical layer latency may depend on the time it takes for the information to propagate from the gNB to the NTN gateway, to the first satellite, to the second satellite, and finally to the UE. However, as the satellites orbit, the second satellite may move into the coverage area of the NTN gateway, and the first satellite may move out of the coverage area of the NTN satellites. In this case, the feeder link path can be updated, and the inter-satellite link relay from the first satellite to the second satellite can be removed from the feeder path. The total transit time in the physical layer can then depend on the time required for the information to propagate from the gNB to the second satellite and then to the UE, which may be shorter than the time it takes for the information to propagate from the gNB to the first satellite, then to the second satellite, and finally to the UE.

[0029] This modification in the feeder link path may indicate that the UE will need to resynchronize to the frames transmitted by the gNB. In this sense, the TA used by the UE in UL transmissions may undergo a modification, as the overall feeder link path may change even if the serving link path remains constant (or nearly constant). One way to perform resynchronization may be to perform a new random access setup, but this solution may have some drawbacks. For example, the UE may need to drop HARQ processes, flush buffers, and discard UL configured grants and UL active grants, which can increase outage time (especially considering the processing / wait time that may be spent during the setup process). Furthermore, as UEs within the cell are affected by the feeder path change, the UEs may need to resynchronize, which can increase the PHY load due to the newly triggered access procedures. Furthermore, if many UEs must perform random access procedures simultaneously, this can increase the probability of contention for the random access procedure or increase the time it takes to accommodate UEs in contention-free resources. Furthermore, given the high speed of satellites (e.g., approximately 7,500 m / s), a UE may be exposed to multiple mobility events (e.g., feeder link path switching, handover, satellite handover, etc.) within a relatively short time interval, such as when a satellite passes over a coverage area. Therefore, minimizing the data interruption time in each of these events can improve communications in an NTN transparent network.

[0030] The aforementioned changes in the TA may have an impact on the UE's configured grants. If the changes are backward in time (e.g., the total physical layer latency increases after a feeder link path switch), the UE may have to increase the gap between the DL reference time and its UL timing. In other words, the UE may have to shift the reference timing used for the start of the UL frame backward. This can be problematic in scenarios where the UE has an UL grant (or other configured procedure) to execute within a short period of time. In these scenarios, the new time of the procedure may be shifted to a point in the UE's past. Since the past action cannot occur, the procedure cannot be executed. Prior to the changes, the UE could perform UL transmissions at the beginning of System Frame #1 (SF#1), but the network may notify the UE of changes in the TA that need to be applied before SF#1. For the new TA, which may be larger than the initial TA, the offset between the DL and UL times may increase, and from the UE's perspective, the start of SF#1 in the UL direction may now be before the current time. As will be appreciated from the above, handling these types of situations may be necessary to improve communications in NTN transparent networks, for example, by preserving UL grants and / or minimizing data interruptions.

[0031] Some embodiments described herein may provide for processing configured and active grants after a feeder link path update. For example, certain embodiments described herein may enable a UE to use a configured grant or send HARQ feedback that was missed by a TA modification. In some cases, this may help improve communications in an NTN transparent network.

[0032] In particular, certain embodiments described herein may provide for certain operations from a UE after experiencing and / or detecting a TA modification. According to one embodiment, the gNB may broadcast one or more parameters for operation (e.g., in radio resource control (RRC), NTN-specific system information blocks (SIBs), or in TA modification-related messages). In some embodiments, the parameters may include a threshold (e.g., a configured grant time threshold) indicating which users should have their configured grants adjusted based on the time of the next configured grant. Additionally or alternatively, in one embodiment, the parameters may include an offset (e.g., a deferral offset to the next configured grant) indicating how much time offset to add to a missed transmit opportunity (e.g., at the next configured grant). These parameters may be available at a cell-specific and / or UE-specific level. For larger cells (e.g., having a radius of approximately 50-100 kilometers (km)), using UE-specific settings may be useful for distinguishing operations between users. However, the embodiments described herein are not limited to larger cells and may be applicable to cells having a radius of less than 50 km or greater than 100 km.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the UE may receive a message indicating a TA modification procedure or the UE may detect a TA modification. The UE may check whether the TA modification is a reverse modification. If the check is positive, the UE may check whether its configured grants, configured timers and / or processes are affected within a threshold. If the check is positive, the UE may apply an offset to the affected configured grants, timers, processes or other timing relationships. The network node may detect UE operation based on detecting that the UE cannot reach the time slot (or another transmission time unit, such as a symbol or subframe) scheduled for the UE in time after applying the TA modification. In this way, the UE may not transmit for the configured grant and may transmit at the next configured grant without interrupting the transmission at the next configured grant. Some UEs may postpone their transmission by the above offset, and only those UEs whose grants will be missed may postpone their transmission.

[0034] Figure 1 An example flow chart of a method 100 for processing configured and active authorizations following a feeder link path update is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 1 Operations of a UE and a network node (e.g., a gNB) are shown. As shown at 102, the network node may determine that a feeder link path needs to be changed. For example, the network node may determine that a satellite may have to be removed from the feeder link path and may have to be switched to another feeder link path or an inter-satellite link path. As shown at 104, the network node may signal the UE of a TA modification of the UE (e.g., a new initial TA value having a value that is greater or less than the previous TA value). For example, the network node may trigger certain operations in the UE regarding the feeder link path change by signaling the TA modification to the UE. In some embodiments, the network node may signal the amount of time for the TA modification and at what point in time the TA modification is applied. In some embodiments, in conjunction with the operations shown at 104, the network node may signal one or more parameters associated with the TA modification (e.g., offsets and thresholds described elsewhere herein).

[0035] As shown at 106, the UE may check whether the TA modification includes an increase in the gap between the DL reference time and the UL transmission time used for the UL transmission. For example, the UE may check whether the TA modification is a modification that is backward in time. If the check returns a negative result (106-No), the UE may exit the operations shown with respect to method 100 at 108 (e.g., may not continue with the operations shown at 110). If the check returns a positive result (106-Yes), the UE may check at 110 whether there are active scheduling grants (e.g., configured grants or other types of grants), timers, or processes (e.g., HARQ feedback processes) that are affected by the TA modification based on a threshold, where the configured grants, timers, and / or processes may be associated with the UL transmission. For example, the UE may compare the timing for the UL transmission plus the TA modification with a threshold. If the time for the UL transmission plus the TA modification is in a time slot within the threshold, the UE may determine that the UL transmission is affected by the TA modification.

[0036] As described elsewhere herein, the threshold value may be configured by the network node to be as aggressive or conservative as desired in causing the UE to detect affected UL transmissions. In certain embodiments, the threshold value may be a cell-specific threshold value (e.g., applied identically to different UEs within a cell), or may be UE-specific (e.g., different for different UEs even within the same cell). If the timer associated with the configured grant or procedure is set to a value of 0, the value of the threshold value may be considered to be sufficiently large for any UE that has reached operation at 110 without exiting operation to determine that the configured grant or procedure is affected.

[0037] If the check returns a negative result (110-No), the UE may exit the operation of method 100 at 108 (e.g., may not proceed to the operation shown at 112). If the check returns a positive result (110-Yes), the UE may postpone the UL transmission by the above-mentioned offset at 112. For example, the UE may postpone the UL transmission by K time slots, where the K time slots may be indicated by the offset. Although certain embodiments are described in the context of time slots, these embodiments may also be applied to subframes, symbols, or other types of transmission time units. The offset may be defined differently for the UE and the network node. If the offset is set to a value of 0, the UE may determine not to postpone the UL transmission opportunity, may determine to skip the UL transmission opportunity, and may perform one or more operations for a subsequent uplink transmission opportunity.

[0038] As shown at 114, after applying the TA modification, the network node may detect that the UE cannot reach the scheduled time slot for the UE in a timely manner. The network node may then determine that the UE has delayed an UL transmission based on the parameters signaled to the UE. After determining that the UL transmission is delayed, the network node may determine not to mark the UL transmission as a failed UL transmission and may determine to wait until a subsequent UL transmission opportunity of the UL transmission or another UL transmission.

[0039] As mentioned above, providing Figure 1 As an example, other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0040] With respect to certain embodiments described herein, a network node (e.g., a scheduler of a network node) may help ensure that delays in transmissions from a UE or a group of UEs do not result in conflicts with allocations to other UEs in the cell. For example, the network node may configure an offset so that an affected UE does not affect the allocation of another UE. Additionally or alternatively, the network node may configure a threshold to avoid conflicts between UEs, taking into account the difference between a small threshold and a large threshold. For example, a small threshold may be conservative and may only result in UEs with a high probability of being affected being postponed. In contrast, a large threshold may be less conservative and may be used to postpone some UEs that would experience conflicts with some other postponed UEs. Additionally or alternatively, the network node may also create UE-specific parameters to also result in some frequency offset in the allocation after the delay.

[0041] The network node may signal the parameters to the UE in various ways. For example, for cell-specific parameters, these parameters may be included in a SIB broadcast message (e.g., it may be part of the SIB configuration or added as part of an NTN-specific SIB). In certain embodiments, these parameters may be included in a SIB dedicated to large propagation delay settings (e.g., an NTN SIB that introduces cell-common delay parameters). If signaling related to TA modification in a cell is broadcast to multiple UEs simultaneously, it may contain fields containing these parameters.

[0042] For UE-specific parameters, the network node may signal these parameters via an RRC reconfiguration message. For example, the parameters may be included in a ServingCellConfigCommon information element (IE). If signaling for TA modification cells is broadcast to the UE at the same time, the signaling may include a field containing these parameters. In certain embodiments, the parameters may be included in a format index of a MAC control element (CE) using one or more reserved formats, such as reserved indices 33-46 in Table 1 below:

[0043] Table 1: MAC CE Index and Locale Identifier (LCID) Values

[0044]

[0045] In certain embodiments, a MAC CE for TA (e.g., index 61 in Table 1 above) may be used to send parameters to the UE. In this case, if the network node identifies / sends a TA modification, the UE and the network node may determine that the UE should interpret certain MAC CEs as transmitting one or more parameters rather than a TA command.

[0046] In some embodiments, parameters may be signaled at the cell level but reconfigured at the UE level for greater flexibility. In this case, one or more parameters may be updated for the UE to differ from the cell-level configuration. This may be done, for example, when one or more UEs must have different modified settings to avoid resource conflicts, or when a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter must have a faster response than other parameters.

[0047] Figure 2 An example flow chart of a method 200 according to some embodiments is shown. For example, Figure 2 A network node (e.g., Figure 4a Shown in and about Figure 4a While describing example operation of apparatus 10). Figure 2 Some of the operations shown in Figure 1 As shown in and about Figure 1 Describes some of the operations.

[0048] In one embodiment, the method may include, at 202, for example, Figure 1 The method may include, at 204, after applying the timing advance modification, for example, Figure 1 The method may include, at 206, determining that the one or more user equipment has delayed uplink transmission based on one or more parameters.

[0049] Figure 2The method shown in may include one or more additional aspects described below or elsewhere herein. In some embodiments, the threshold may be a cell-specific threshold or a user equipment-specific threshold. In some embodiments, the offset may include one or more transmit time slots. In some embodiments, the threshold may be configured to cause all one or more user equipment to apply the offset, or the threshold may be configured to cause a subset of one or more user equipment to apply the offset. In some embodiments, the threshold may be configured to avoid conflicts between one or more user equipment and may be based on a probability that one or more user equipment will be affected.

[0050] In some embodiments, the offset may be configured such that the affected user equipment does not affect one or more other user equipment allocations. In some embodiments, the method may further include determining not to mark the uplink transmission as a failed uplink transmission, and determining to wait until a subsequent uplink transmission opportunity of the UL transmission or another UL transmission.

[0051] As mentioned above, providing Figure 2 As an example, other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0052] Figure 3 An example flow chart of a method 300 according to some embodiments is shown. For example, Figure 3 UE (e.g., Figure 4b Shown in and about Figure 4b Example operation of the described apparatus 20). Figure 3 Some of the operations shown in Figure 1 shown in and about Figure 1 Describes some of the operations.

[0053] In one embodiment, the method may include, at 302, receiving one or more parameters associated with timing advance modification from a network node, e.g., in a manner similar to Figure 1 The method may include determining whether to apply the offset to the uplink transmission to delay the uplink transmission at 304. The method may include applying the offset to the uplink transmission to delay the uplink transmission at 306 based on determining to apply the offset.

[0054] Figure 3 The method shown in may include one or more additional aspects described below or elsewhere herein. In some embodiments, the method may include checking whether the timing advance modification includes an increase in the gap between the downlink reference time and the uplink transmission time for the uplink transmission, for example, in a manner similar to Figure 1In some embodiments, the method may include, for example, Figure 1 The method described at 110 of , based on a threshold value, checks whether there are one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or processes affected by the timing advance modification. The one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or processes may be associated with an uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the threshold-based check may further include comparing the modified uplink transmission time with a threshold value, and determining the presence of one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or processes affected by the timing advance modification based on the uplink transmission time being within the threshold value. The modified uplink transmission time may be based on the uplink transmission time and the timing advance modification. The method may include realigning the uplink transmission time of the user equipment. Realigning the uplink transmission time may include adjusting the start time of the first symbol of the uplink transmission time based on the offset, and performing one or more operations for the uplink transmission.

[0055] The determination at 304 may include determining not to apply an offset to the uplink transmission. The threshold may be a cell-specific threshold or a user equipment-specific threshold. The offset may include one or more transmission time slots. When the offset is equal to 0, the determination at 304 may include determining not to apply the offset, and the method may further include determining to skip the uplink transmission and performing one or more operations for a subsequent uplink transmission.

[0056] As mentioned above, providing Figure 3 As an example, other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0057] Figure 4a An example of an apparatus 10 according to an embodiment is shown. In one embodiment, apparatus 10 may be a node, host, or server in a communications network or a node, host, or server serving such a network. For example, apparatus 10 may be a network node, a satellite, a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a 5G Node B or access point, a next-generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), and / or a WLAN access point associated with a wireless access network such as an LTE network, 5G, or NR. In some example embodiments, apparatus 10 may be an eNB in LTE or a gNB in 5G.

[0058] It will be appreciated that in some example embodiments, the apparatus 10 may comprise an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system, wherein the server and the radio nodes may be separate devices communicating with each other via a radio path or via a wired connection, or they may be located in the same entity communicating via a wired connection. For example, in certain example embodiments where the apparatus 10 represents a gNB, it may be configured in a central unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) architecture that partitions the gNB functionality. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functionality such as transmission of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and / or session management. The CU may control the operation of the DU(s) over the fronthaul interface. The DU may be a logical node that includes a subset of the gNB functionality, depending on the functional splitting option. It will be appreciated that one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the apparatus 10 may comprise Figure 4a Components or features not shown.

[0059] like Figure 4a As shown in the example of , the device 10 may include a processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processor 12 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In practice, the processor 12 may include, for example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Although Figure 4a A single processor 12 is shown in FIG. 1 , but multiple processors may be used according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, device 10 may include two or more processors that may form a multi-processor system that supports multi-processing (e.g., in which case processor 12 may represent a multi-processor). In some embodiments, the multi-processor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0060] Processor 12 may perform functions associated with the operation of device 10, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 10, including processing related to communication or management of communication resources.

[0061] The device 10 may also include or be coupled to a memory 14 (internal or external), which may be coupled to the processor 12 for storing information and instructions that may be executed by the processor 12. The memory 14 may be one or more memories and any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 14 may be comprised of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static memory such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer-readable medium. The instructions stored in the memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the processor 12, enables the device 10 to perform the tasks described herein.

[0062] In one embodiment, device 10 may also include or be coupled to a (internal or external) drive or port configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software executed by processor 12 and / or device 10.

[0063] In some embodiments, the device 10 may further include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting and receiving signals and / or data to and from the device 10. The device 10 may further include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to transmit and receive information. The transceiver 18 may include, for example, a plurality of radio interfaces that may be coupled to the antennas 15. The radio interfaces may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies including one or more of GSM, NB-IoT, LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, radio frequency identifier (RFID), ultra-wideband (UWB), MulteFire, etc. The radio interfaces may include components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters), mappers, fast Fourier transform (FFT) modules, etc., to generate symbols for transmission via one or more downlinks and to receive symbols (e.g., via an uplink).

[0064] Thus, the transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna 15 and demodulate information received via the antenna 15 for further processing by other components of the apparatus 10. In other embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices).

[0065] In one embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 10. Memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, that provide additional functionality for device 10. The components of device 10 may be implemented in hardware or any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0066] According to some embodiments, the processor 12 and the memory 14 may be included in or may form part of a processing circuit or a control circuit.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be included in or may form part of a transceiver circuit.

[0067] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a purely hardware circuit implementation (e.g., analog and / or digital circuitry), a combination of hardware circuitry and software, a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software that works together to cause a device (e.g., device 10) to perform various operations, and / or a hardware circuit and / or processor or portion of a processor that uses software to operate but that software may not be present when the operation is not required. As a further example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" may also cover implementations of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry may also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network node or device, or other computing or network equipment.

[0068] As described above, in some embodiments, the device 10 can be a network node or a RAN node, such as a base station, an access point, a Node B, an eNB, a gNB, a WLAN access point, etc.

[0069] According to certain embodiments, the device 10 may be controlled by the memory 14 and the processor 12 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as Figure 1 and 2 shown in or relating to Figure 1 and Figure 2 For example, the device 10 may be controlled by the memory 14 and the processor 12 to perform Figure 2 method.

[0070] Figure 4bAn example of an apparatus 20 according to another embodiment is shown. In one embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be a node or element in a communication network or a node or element associated with such a network, such as a UE, a mobile device (ME), a mobile station, a mobile device, a fixed device, an IoT device, or other device. As described herein, a UE may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, a mobile device, a mobile unit, a mobile device, a user device, a subscriber station, a wireless terminal, a tablet, a smart phone, an IoT device, a sensor or an NB-IoT device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and its applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and its applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. As an example, the apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for example, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, etc.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the apparatus 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage device, etc.), one or more radio access components (e.g., modem, transceiver, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other radio access technology. It should be noted that persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the apparatus 20 may include Figure 4b Components or features not shown.

[0072] like Figure 4b As shown in the example of , the device 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processor 22 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In fact, the processor 22 may include, for example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Although Figure 4b A single processor 22 is shown in FIG. 1 , but multiple processors may be used according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, device 20 may include two or more processors that may form a multi-processor system that supports multi-processing (e.g., in which case, processor 22 may represent a multi-processor). In some embodiments, the multi-processor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0073] Processor 22 may perform functions associated with the operation of device 20, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 20, including processing related to management of communication resources.

[0074] The device 20 may also include or be coupled to a memory 24 (internal or external), which may be coupled to the processor 22 for storing information and instructions that can be executed by the processor 22. The memory 24 may be one or more memories and any type suitable for the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 24 may be composed of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static memory such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable medium. The instructions stored in the memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the processor 22, enables the device 20 to perform the tasks described herein.

[0075] In one embodiment, device 20 may further include or be coupled to a (internal or external) drive or port configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software executed by processor 22 and / or device 20.

[0076] In some embodiments, the device 20 may further include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving downlink signals and for transmitting from the device 20 via an uplink. The device 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. The transceiver 28 may further include a radio interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to the antenna 25. The radio interface may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies, including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The radio interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols transmitted by the downlink or uplink, such as OFDMA symbols.

[0077] For example, the transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna 25 and to demodulate information received via the antenna 25 for further processing by other components of the device 20. In other embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the device 20 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In certain embodiments, the device 20 may also include a user interface such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0078] In one embodiment, the memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by the processor 22. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for the device 20. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality for the device 20. The components of the device 20 may be implemented in hardware or any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an example embodiment, the device 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with the device 10 via a wireless or wired communication link 70 according to any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0079] According to some embodiments, the processor 22 and the memory 24 may be included in a processing circuit or a control circuit or may form part of a processing circuit or a control circuit. In addition, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be included in a transceiver circuit or may form part of a transceiver circuit. As described above, according to some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be, for example, a UE, a mobile device, a mobile station, a ME, an IoT device and / or an NB-IoT device. According to certain embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be controlled by the memory 24 and the processor 22 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as Figure 1 and 3 shown in or relating to Figure 1 and Figure 3 For example, in one embodiment, the device 20 may be controlled by the memory 24 and the processor 22 to perform Figure 3 method.

[0080] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., device 10 and / or device 20) may include means for performing the method discussed herein or any variant embodiment thereof, as described with reference to Figure 2 and / or as described in 3. Various examples of an apparatus may include one or more processors, memory, and / or computer program code for causing the execution of operations.

[0081] Thus, certain example embodiments provide several technical improvements, enhancements, and / or advantages over prior art processes. For example, one benefit of some example embodiments is improved handling of TA modifications in transparent NTN networks. Thus, use of some example embodiments results in improved functionality of communication networks and nodes thereof, thereby constituting improvements in at least the technical areas of NTN network communications and / or operation.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the functionality of any method, process, signaling diagram, algorithm, or flow chart described herein may be implemented by software and / or computer program code, or portions of code, stored in a memory or other computer-readable or tangible medium and executed by a processor.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit, or entity configured to perform arithmetic operations, or a program or portion thereof (including added or updated software routines) executed by at least one operating processor. A program, also referred to as a program product or computer program, including software routines, applets, and macros, may be stored in any device-readable data storage medium and may include program instructions for performing specific tasks.

[0084] The computer program product may include one or more computer executable components configured to perform some example embodiments when the program is run. The one or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or portion of a code. Modifications and configurations for implementing the functionality of the example embodiments may be performed as routines, which may be implemented as added or updated software routines. In one example, the software routines may be downloaded to a device.

[0085] By way of example, software or computer program code or portions of code may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and it may be stored on some carrier, distribution medium, or computer-readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. For example, such carriers may include recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, optoelectronic and / or electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and / or software distribution packages. Depending on the required processing power, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer, or it may be distributed among multiple computers. The computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0086] In other example embodiments, the functionality may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in a device (e.g., apparatus 10 or apparatus 20), such as by using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another example embodiment, the functionality may be implemented as a signal, such as an intangible means that may be carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network.

[0087] According to example embodiments, an apparatus such as a node, a device or a corresponding component may be configured as a circuit, a computer or a microprocessor, such as a single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, which may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity for arithmetic operations and / or an operation processor for performing arithmetic operations.

[0088] The example embodiments described herein are equally applicable to both singular and plural implementations, regardless of whether singular or plural language is used in conjunction with describing certain embodiments. For example, an embodiment describing the operation of a single network node is equally applicable to an embodiment including multiple instances of the network node, and vice versa.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the example embodiments discussed above may be practiced using operations in a different order and / or hardware elements in configurations different from those disclosed. Therefore, while some embodiments have been described based on these example embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the example embodiments.

[0090] Partial Glossary

[0091] HAPS High Altitude Platform

[0092] LEO Low Earth Orbit

[0093] NTN Non-Terrestrial Network

[0094] UE User Equipment

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: Receiving one or more parameters associated with timing advance modification from a network node, wherein the one or more parameters include at least a threshold and an offset, wherein the threshold is configured to avoid collisions between one or more user equipments and is based on a probability that the one or more user equipments are affected; comparing a modified uplink transmission time with the threshold based on the timing advance modification including an increase in a gap between a downlink reference time and the uplink transmission time for uplink transmission, wherein the modified uplink transmission time is based on the uplink transmission time and the timing advance modification; determining, based on the uplink transmit time being within the threshold, that there are the one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or procedures affected by the timing advance modification; and The offset is applied to the uplink transmission to delay an uplink transmission time of the uplink transmission based on a determination to apply the offset.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Realigning the uplink transmission time of the user equipment.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Realigning the uplink transmission time includes: Adjusting the start time of the first symbol of the uplink transmission time based on the offset; and One or more operations for the uplink transmission are performed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining whether to apply the offset further includes: A determination is made not to apply the offset to the uplink transmission.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The threshold is a cell-specific threshold or a user equipment-specific threshold. The method of claim 1 , wherein the offset comprises one or more transmit time slots.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the offset is equal to zero, and the method further comprises: determining not to apply the offset; Determining to skip the uplink transmission; as well as One or more operations for a subsequent uplink transmission are performed.

8. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving one or more parameters associated with timing advance modification from a network node, wherein the one or more parameters include at least a threshold and an offset, wherein the threshold is configured to avoid collisions between one or more user equipments and is based on a probability that the one or more user equipments are affected; comparing a modified uplink transmission time with the threshold based on the timing advance modification including an increase in a gap between a downlink reference time and the uplink transmission time for uplink transmission, wherein the modified uplink transmission time is based on the uplink transmission time and the timing advance modification; determining, based on the uplink transmit time being within the threshold, that there are the one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or procedures affected by the timing advance modification; and Applying the offset based on determining to apply the offset applies the offset to the uplink transmission to delay an uplink transmission time of the uplink transmission.

9. A device for communication, comprising: means for receiving one or more parameters associated with timing advance modification from a network node, wherein the one or more parameters include at least: a threshold and an offset, wherein the threshold is configured to avoid collisions between one or more user equipments and is based on a probability that the one or more user equipments are affected; means for comparing a modified uplink transmission time with the threshold based on the timing advance modification comprising an increase in a gap between a downlink reference time and the uplink transmission time for uplink transmission, wherein the modified uplink transmission time is based on the uplink transmission time and the timing advance modification; means for determining, based on the uplink transmit time being within the threshold, that there are the one or more active scheduling grants, timers, or procedures affected by the timing advance modification; and means for applying the offset to an uplink transmission time that delays the uplink transmission since the uplink transmission based on determining to apply the offset.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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