Mutual anchoring and traffic distribution in converged RAN integrating NR and Wi-Fi access

Abstract

A next generation Node B (gNB) implements a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function for a new radio interface (NR) access and a wireless local area network (WLAN) access, the gNB further implementing a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of the NR access and the WLAN access. The gNB receives a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN aggregation function, the data packet including one of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet. The gNB splits the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the NR CU or a convergence layer residing on the WLAN CU, and transmits the split data packet through the NR access and the WLAN access.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to mutual anchoring and traffic distribution in a converged RAN integrating NR and Wi-Fi access. Background Art

[0002] Current 3GPP solutions enable 5G and WLAN / Wi-Fi interworking and integration at the 5G Core Network (CN) level. Release 15 provides integration of untrusted WLAN access with 5G CN through the Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF). Release 16 provides integration of trusted WLAN access with 5G CN through the Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) and CN-based Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Segmentation (ATSSS) functions for traffic distribution on NR and Wi-Fi access links. However, current 3GPP solutions lack tight integration between NR and Wi-Fi at the Radio Access Network (RAN) level. Summary of the invention

[0003] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a next generation Node B (gNB) implementing a radio access network (RAN) convergence function for new radio (NR) access and wireless local area network (WLAN) access, the gNB further implementing a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of the NR access and the WLAN access. The method includes receiving a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN convergence function, the data packet including one of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet, splitting the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the NR CU, and transmitting the split data packet over the NR access and the WLAN access.

[0004] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a next generation Node B (gNB) having one or more processors and a transceiver. The one or more processors are configured to implement a radio access network (RAN) convergence function for new air interface (NR) access and wireless local area network (WLAN) access, and implement a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of NR access and WLAN access. The one or more processors receive a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN convergence function, the data packet including one of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet, and split the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the NR CU. The transceiver is configured to transmit the split data packet to the UE via NR access and WLAN access.

[0005] Additional exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a gNB implementing a radio access network (RAN) convergence function for new radio (NR) access and wireless local area network (WLAN) access, the gNB further implementing a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of the NR access and the WLAN access. The method includes receiving a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN convergence function, the data packet including any of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet, splitting the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the WLAN CU, and transmitting the split data packet over the NR access and the WLAN access.

[0006] Additional exemplary embodiments relate to a next generation Node B (gNB) having one or more processors and a transceiver. The one or more processors are configured to implement a radio access network (RAN) convergence function for new air interface (NR) access and wireless local area network (WLAN) access, and implement a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of NR access and WLAN access. The one or more processors receive a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN convergence function, the data packet including one of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet, and split the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the WLAN CU. The transceiver is configured to transmit the split data packet to the UE via NR access and WLAN access. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a system of networks according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0008] Figure 2 Examples of infrastructure equipment are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 Examples of platforms (or "devices") are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit and a radio front end module (RFEM) are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0011] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of performing any one or more of the methods in the set of methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments.

[0012] Figure 6Various protocol functions that may be implemented in a wireless communication device according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0013] Figure 7 An exemplary architecture of a system including a first core network according to various embodiments is shown.

[0014] Figure 8 The architecture of a system including a second core network according to various embodiments is shown.

[0015] Fig. 9 Components of a core network are shown according to various embodiments.

[0016] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a NFV-enabled system according to some exemplary embodiments.

[0017] Fig.11a A RAN converged CP protocol for a cellular anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where the convergence is performed above the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0018] Fig.11b Shown for Fig.11a The first option is the Convergence-C PDU format.

[0019] Fig.11c The RAN converged CP protocol for the cellular anchor scenario according to the second option is shown, where the aggregation is performed under PDCP.

[0020] Fig.11d Shown for Fig.11c The second option is the Convergence-C PDU format.

[0021] Fig.12a A RAN converged CP protocol 1200 for a WLAN anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where aggregation is performed over PDCP.

[0022] Figure 12b Shown for Fig.12a The first option is the Convergence-C PDU format.

[0023] Fig.12c The RAN Aggregation CP protocol for the WLAN Anchor scenario according to the second option is shown, where the aggregation is performed under PDCP.

[0024] Fig.13a The RAN convergence UP protocol for the cellular anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where the convergence is performed above the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer.

[0025] Fig.13bThe method for using the first embodiment is shown. Fig.13a The first option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0026] Fig.13c A method for using the device according to the second embodiment is shown. Fig.13a The first option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0027] Fig.13d A method for using a device according to a third embodiment is shown. Fig.13a The first option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0028] Fig.13e The RAN convergence UP protocol for the cellular anchor scenario according to the second option is shown, where the aggregation is performed above the PDCP layer.

[0029] Fig.13f The method for using the first embodiment is shown. Fig.13e The second option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0030] Figure 13g A method for using the device according to the second embodiment is shown. Fig.13e The second option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0031] Fig.13h The RAN converged UP protocol for the cellular anchor scenario according to the third option is shown, where the aggregation is performed below the PDCP layer.

[0032] Fig.13i Shown for Fig.13h The third option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0033] Fig.14a The RAN Convergence UP protocol for the WLAN Anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where the convergence is performed above the SDAP layer.

[0034] Fig.14b The method for using the first embodiment is shown. Fig.14a The first option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0035] Fig.14c A method for using the device according to the second embodiment is shown. Fig.14a The first option is the Aggregate-U PDU format.

[0036] Fig.14d The RAN aggregation UP protocol for the WLAN anchor scenario according to the second option is shown, where the aggregation is performed above the PDCP layer.

[0037] Fig.15A method for a gNB to transmit data packets to a user equipment (UE) using a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function according to a first embodiment is shown, wherein the NR node is an anchor node.

[0038] Fig.16 A method for a gNB to transmit data packets to a user equipment (UE) using a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function according to a second embodiment is shown, wherein the WLAN node is an anchor node. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so that the description of various embodiments will not be obscured by unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0040] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and related drawings and slides, in which similar elements have the same reference numerals. The present embodiment relates to protocol details for enabling RAN-level convergence and mutual anchoring between NR access and Wi-Fi access. The mutual anchoring solution within the RAN enables NR / cellular or WLAN access to act as an anchor point for control plane (CP) and / or user plane (UP) traffic. For each anchor point case of CP and UP, a convergence layer is defined in the anchor node (cellular or WLAN). Different convergence protocol schemes are disclosed for both cellular anchor and WLAN anchor scenarios for RAN-level convergence between 5G and WLAN. The convergence layer within the RAN is used to enable integration of NR access and Wi-Fi access. Convergence layer protocol design options for the control plane and user plane for cellular anchor and WLAN anchor cases are disclosed. Header information carried by the convergence layer is also described.

[0041] RAN level aggregation can provide performance gains in terms of latency, reliability, device power consumption, resource utilization, and mobility. RAN level aggregation can also provide better WLAN visibility to the 5G system and enable RAN level control / management capabilities for WLAN access, which can enable cellular operators to provide WLAN management solutions for small businesses. WLAN anchors can provide better control for enterprises / professionals and can provide improved session continuity and application performance in cellular dead spots. Deployment scenarios such as enterprises, professionals, and non-public networks (NPNs) can benefit from mutual anchoring. RAN level integration between NR and Wi-Fi can provide several benefits (relative to CN level integration) due to the ability to provide faster response to changing channel conditions, including improved latency, improved reliability, reduced device power consumption, better resource utilization, and faster mobility.

[0042] System Architecture

[0043] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a network system 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 100 operating in conjunction with the 5G NR system standard provided by the 3GPP technical specifications. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this regard, and the embodiments may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as legacy (e.g., LTE) 3GPP systems, future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G) systems), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, system 100 includes UE 101a and UE 101b (collectively referred to as "UE 101"). In this example, UE 101 is shown as a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a consumer electronic device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a wireless handheld device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), an in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) device, an instrument panel (IC), a head-up display (HUD) device, an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device, a dashtop mobile equipment (DME), a mobile data terminal (MDT), an electronic engine management system (EEMS), an electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), an electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), an embedded system, a microcontroller, a control module, an engine management system (EMS), a networked or "smart" appliance, an MTC device, an M2M, an IoT device, etc.

[0045] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 may include an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe or D2D communications, sensor networks, or IoT networks. M2M or MTC data exchanges may be machine-initiated data exchanges. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0046] UE 101 may be configured to connect, e.g., be communicatively coupled, to a radio access network (RAN) 110. In some embodiments, RAN 110 may be a 5G NR RAN, while in other embodiments, RAN 110 may be an E-UTRAN or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "5G NR RAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 110 operating in an NR or 5G system 100, while the term "E-UTRAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 110 operating in an LTE or 4G system 100. Multiple UEs 101 utilize connections (or channels) 103 and 104, respectively, each connection comprising a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0047] In this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communication coupling, and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a PTT protocol, a POC protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, and / or any other communication protocol discussed herein. In an embodiment, UE 101 may directly exchange communication data via a proximity service (ProSe) interface 105. ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as SL interface 105, and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0048] UE 101b is further configured to access WLAN node 106 (also referred to as "WLAN 106", "WLAN terminal 106", "WT 106", "access point (AP) 106", etc.) via connection 107. Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 106 will include Wireless Fidelity. Router. In this example, WLAN node 106 is shown connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, UE 101b, RAN 110 and WLAN node 106 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) operation and / or LTE / WLAN radio level operation integrated with IPsec tunnel (LWIP). LWA operation may involve UE 101b in RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN nodes 111a-b to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 101b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 107) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent through connection 107. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0049] The RAN 110 includes one or more RAN nodes 111a and 111b (collectively referred to as "multiple RAN nodes 111" or "RAN node 111") that enable connections 103 and 104. As used herein, the terms "access node", "access point", etc. may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BS), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs, or TRPs, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms "5G NR RAN node" and the like may refer to a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) operating in an NR or 5G system 100, while the terms "E-UTRAN node" and the like may refer to a RAN node 111 (e.g., an eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system 100. According to various embodiments, the RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

[0050] In some embodiments, all or part of the RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional splits, such as PDCP splits, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 111; MAC / PHY splits, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 111; or "lower PHY" splits, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and upper portions of the PHY layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layers are operated by individual RAN nodes 111. This virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of multiple RAN nodes 111 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, individual RAN nodes 111 may represent a plurality of RAN nodes 111 connected to the RAN via individual F1 interfaces ( Figure 1 In these embodiments, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., Figure 2 RFEM 215), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in RAN 110 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. In addition or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a terminal that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocols to UE 101 and is connected to 5GC via a 5G NR interface (e.g., Figure 8 CN 820) RAN node.

[0051] In a V2X scenario, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be a road side unit (RSU) or act as an RSU. The term "road side unit" or "RSU" may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to a radio frequency circuit located on the road side that provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 101 (vUE 101). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Short Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low latency communications as well as other cellular communication services. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's RF circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and / or backhaul network.

[0052] Any of the RAN nodes 111 may serve as a termination point for the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for the UE 101. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 111 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 110, including but not limited to the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0053] In some exemplary embodiments, UE 101 may be configured to communicate with each other or any of RAN nodes 111 over a multi-carrier communication channel using OFDM communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or SC-FDMA communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0054] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 111 to the UE 101, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such a time-frequency plane representation is common practice, which makes wireless resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes a plurality of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0055] According to various embodiments, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 communicate data (e.g., transmit data and receive data) through a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band") and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"). The licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of about 400 MHz to about 3.8 GHz, and the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band or other unlicensed spectrum.

[0056] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 may operate using LAA, eLAA, feLAA, or NR-U mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0057] Listen before talk (LBT) is a mechanism by which equipment (e.g., UE 101, RAN node 111, etc.) senses a medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmits when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a particular channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include a clear channel assessment (CCA) that utilizes at least energy detection (ED) to determine whether other signals are present on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or clear. The LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA (licensed assisted access) networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy over a period of time on an expected transmission band and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0058] Typically, existing systems in the 5 GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs use a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 101, WLAN node 106, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node may first perform CCA before transmission. In addition, in the case where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits at the same time, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid conflicts. The backoff mechanism may be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS that increases exponentially when a conflict occurs and is reset to a minimum value when the transmission is successful. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to the CSMA / CA of WLAN. In some specific implementations, the LBT process for a DL or UL transmission burst (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmission) may have a LAA contention window of variable length between X and Y ECCA slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the CWS of LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions may be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (eg, transmission burst) may be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0059] The LAA mechanism is built on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and up to five CCs can be aggregated, so the maximum aggregate bandwidth is 100 MHz. In an FDD system, the number of aggregated carriers can be different for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or lower than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, each CC may have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In a TDD system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are typically the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0060] CA also includes individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the serving cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell or PCell may provide the PCC for both UL and DL, and may handle activities related to RRC and NAS. Other serving cells are referred to as SCells, and each SCell may provide individual SCCs for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require the UE 101 to undergo switching. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and the LAA SCells are assisted by the PCells operating in the licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0061] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to multiple UEs 101. The PDCCH carries, among other information, information about the transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It may also inform multiple UEs 101 about the transport format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 101b within a cell) may be performed at any one of the RAN nodes 111 based on channel quality information fed back from any one of the UEs 101. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of the UEs 101.

[0062] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCE) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, respectively, called REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0063] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments may utilize EPDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as EREG. In some cases, ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0064] RAN nodes 111 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 112. In embodiments where system 100 is an LTE system (eg, when CN 120 is a Figure 7 720 in the EPC 120), the interface 112 may be an X2 interface 112. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC 120, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 120. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, the X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from the MeNB to the SeNB; information about the successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP protocol data units (PDUs) from the SeNB to the UE 101 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that were not delivered to the UE 101; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and the like. X2-C can provide intra-LTE access mobility functions, including context transfer from source eNB to target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0065] In an embodiment where the system 100 is a 5G or NR system, the interface 112 may be an Xn interface 112. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC 120, between a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5GC 120, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC 120. In some specific implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U may provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functions. The Xn-C may provide management and error handling functions for managing the functions of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for UE 101 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in a connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 111. The mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 111 to the new (target) serving RAN node 111; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 111 and the new (target) serving RAN node 111. The protocol stack of Xn-U may include a transport network layer built on an Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of a UDP and / or IP layer for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transport is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0066] RAN 110 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120. CN 120 may include a plurality of network elements 122 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of a plurality of UEs 101) connected to CN 120 via RAN 110. The components of CN 120 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes, which include components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 120 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 120 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. NFV architecture and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0067] Generally speaking, the application server 130 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for the UE 101 via the CN 120 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social network services, etc.).

[0068] In an embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 120" or the like), and RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via a 5G NR interface 113. In an embodiment, 5G NR interface 113 may be divided into two parts: a 5G NR user plane (NG-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 111 and AMF 821. Reference Figure 8 Discussed in more detail, CN 120 is an implementation of 5GC 120.

[0069] In an embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 120", etc.), while in other embodiments, CN 120 may be an EPC. In the case where CN 120 is an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) (referred to as "EPC 120", etc.), RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via an S1 interface 113. In an embodiment, S1 interface 113 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 111 and MME.

[0070] Figure 7 FIG. 7 shows an exemplary architecture of a system 700 including a first CN 720 according to various embodiments. In this example, the system 700 may implement the LTE standard, where the CN 720 is a Figure 1 In addition, UE 701 may communicate with Figure 1 The UE 101 is the same as or similar to the UE 101, and the E-UTRAN 710 may be Figure 1 The CN 720 may be a RAN that is the same as or similar to the RAN 110 of the present invention and may include the RAN node 111 discussed previously. The CN 720 may include a mobility management entity (MEE) 721, a serving gateway (S-GW) 722, a PDN gateway (P-GW) 723, a home subscriber server (HSS) 724, and a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 725.

[0071] The MME 721 may be similar in function to the control plane of a conventional SGSN, and may implement MM functions to keep track of the current location of the UE 701. The MME 721 may perform various MM procedures to manage mobility aspects in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. MM (also referred to as "EPS MM" or "EMM" in an E-UTRAN system) may refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data stores, etc. for maintaining knowledge of the current location of the UE 701, providing user identity confidentiality to users / subscribers, and / or performing other similar services. Each UE 701 and MME 721 may include an MM or EMM sublayer, and when the attachment procedure is successfully completed, an MM context may be established in the UE 701 and the MME 721. The MM context may be a data structure or database object that stores MM-related information of the UE 701. The MME 721 may be coupled to the HSS 724 via an S6a reference point, to the SGSN 725 via an S3 reference point, and to the S-GW 722 via an S11 reference point.

[0072] SGSN 725 may be a node that serves UE 701 by tracking the location of individual UE 701 and performing security functions. In addition, SGSN 725 may perform inter-EPC node signaling for mobility between 2G / 3G and E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks; PDN and S-GW selection as specified by MME 721; handling of UE 701 time zone functions, as specified by MME 721; and MME selection for handover to E-UTRAN 3GPP access network. The S3 reference point between MME 721 and SGSN 725 may enable user and bearer information exchange for inter-3GPP access network mobility in an idle state and / or an active state.

[0073] The HSS 724 may include a database for network users, which includes subscription-related information for supporting network entities in handling communication sessions. The EPC 720 may include one or several HSSs 724, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the equipment, the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 724 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing solutions, location dependencies, etc. The S6a reference point between the HSS 724 and the MME 721 may enable the transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticating / authorizing users to access the EPC 720 between the HSS 724 and the MME 721.

[0074] The S-GW 722 may terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 710 (at Figure 7 The S-GW 722 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and enforcement of certain policies. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 722 and the MME 721 may provide a control plane between the MME 721 and the S-GW 722. The S-GW 722 may be coupled to the P-GW 723 via the S5 reference point.

[0075] The P-GW 723 may terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN 730. The P-GW 723 may communicate with the PDN 730 via the IP interface 125 (see, e.g., Figure 1 ) routes data packets between EPC 720 and external networks such as a network including application server 130 (alternatively referred to as "AF"). In an embodiment, P-GW 723 can communicate with the network via IP communication interface 125 (see, e.g., Figure 1 ) is communicatively coupled to an application server ( Figure 1 Application server 130 or Figure 7The S5 reference point between the P-GW 723 and the S-GW 722 may provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between the P-GW 723 and the S-GW 722. The S5 reference point may also be used for S-GW 722 relocation due to the mobility of the UE 701 and whether the S-GW 722 needs to be connected to a non-colocated P-GW 723 for the required PDN connectivity. The P-GW 723 may also include nodes for policy implementation and charging data collection (e.g., PCEF (not shown)). In addition, the SGi reference point between the P-GW 723 and the packet data network (PDN) 730 may be an operator external public, private PDN, or an internal operator packet data network, for example, for providing IMS services. The P-GW 723 may be coupled to the PCRF 726 via a Gx reference point.

[0076] PCRF 726 is a policy and charging control element of EPC 720. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF 726 in a domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of UE 701. In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the IP-CAN session of UE 701: a domestic PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN). PCRF 726 may be communicatively coupled to application server 730 via P-GW 723. Application server 730 may signal PCRF 726 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate QoS and charging parameters. PCRF 726 may configure the rule to a PCEF (not shown) with the appropriate TFT and QCI, which starts QoS and charging as specified by application server 730. The Gx reference point between PCRF 726 and P-GW 723 may allow for the transfer of QoS policies and charging rules from PCRF 726 to PCEF in P-GW 723. The Rx reference point may reside between PDN 730 (or "AF 730") and PCRF 726.

[0077] Figure 8The architecture of a system 800 including a second CN 820 is shown according to various embodiments. System 800 is shown as including UE 801, which may be the same or similar to UE 101 and UE 701 discussed previously; (R)AN 810, which may be the same or similar to RAN 110 and RAN 710 discussed previously, and which may include RAN node 111 discussed previously; and data network (DN) 803, which may be, for example, an operator service, Internet access, or a 3rd party service; and 5GC 820. 5GC 820 may include authentication server function (AUSF) 822; access and mobility management function (AMF) 821; session management function (SMF) 824; network exposure function (NEF) 823; policy control function (PCF) 826; NF repository function (NRF) 825; unified data management (UDM) 827; application function (AF) 828; user plane function (UPF) 802; and network slice selection function (NSSF) 829.

[0078] UPF 802 may act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point interconnected with DN 803, and a branch point to support multi-host PDU sessions. UPF 802 may also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, perform the user plane portion of policy rules, lawful interception of packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) on the user plane, perform uplink traffic verification (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 802 may include an uplink classifier for supporting routing of traffic flows to data networks. DN 803 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 803 may include or be similar to the application server 130 discussed previously. UPF 802 may interact with SMF 824 via the N4 reference point between SMF 824 and UPF 802.

[0079] The AUSF 822 may store data for authentication of the UE 801 and handle authentication-related functions. The AUSF 822 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 822 may communicate with the AMF 821 via the N12 reference point between the AMF 821 and the AUSF 822; and may communicate with the UDM 827 via the N13 reference point between the UDM 827 and the AUSF 822. In addition, the AUSF 822 may present an interface based on the Nausf service.

[0080] AMF 821 may be responsible for registration management (e.g., responsible for registering UE 801, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 821 may be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 821 and SMF 824. AMF 821 may provide transport for SM messages between UE 801 and SMF 824, and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 821 may also provide a transport mechanism for UE 801 and SMSF ( Figure 8 801). AMF 821 may act as a SEAF, which may include interaction with AUSF 822 and UE 801, receiving intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 801 authentication process. In the case of USIM-based authentication, AMF 821 may retrieve security material from AUSF822. AMF 821 may also include an SCM function that receives keys from SEA for deriving access network-specific keys. In addition, AMF 821 may be a termination point for the RAN CP interface, which may include or be an N2 reference point between (R)AN 810 and AMF821; and AMF 821 may be a termination point for NAS (N1) signaling, and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0081] AMF 821 may also support NAS signaling with UE 801 over the N3 IWF interface. N3IWF may be used to provide access to untrusted entities. N3IWF may be the termination point for the N2 interface between (R)AN 810 and AMF 821 for the control plane, and may be the termination point for the N3 reference point between (R)AN 810 and UPF 802 for the user plane. Thus, AMF 821 may process N2 signaling for PDU sessions and QoS from SMF 824 and AMF 821, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunnels, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to N3 packet markings, taking into account QoS requirements associated with such markings received over N2. The N3IWF may also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between the UE 801 and the AMF 821 via the N1 reference point between the UE 801 and the AMF 821, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between the UE 801 and the UPF 802. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with the UE 801. The AMF 821 may present an interface based on the Namf service, and may be an N14 reference point between the two AMF 821 and the AMF 821 and the 5G-EIR ( Figure 8 The termination point of the N17 reference point between the two (not shown).

[0082] UE 801 may need to register with AMF 821 in order to receive network services. RM is used to register UE 801 with the network (e.g., AMF 821) or deregister the UE, and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 821). UE 801 may operate in the RM-REGISTERED state or the RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 801 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 does not maintain the valid location or routing information of UE 801, so AMF 821 cannot reach UE 801. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 801 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 may maintain the valid location or routing information of UE 801, so AMF 821 can reach UE 801. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 801 may perform a mobility registration update procedure, perform a periodic registration update procedure triggered by the expiration of a periodic update timer (e.g., to notify the network that UE 801 is still active), and perform a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0083] AMF 821 may store one or more RM contexts for UE 801, each RM context being associated with a specific access to the network. An RM context may be a data structure, a database object, or the like, which indicates or stores, among other things, a registration status and a periodic update timer for each access type. AMF 821 may also store a 5GC MM context which may be the same or similar to the (E)MM context discussed previously. In various embodiments, AMF 821 may store CE mode B restriction parameters for UE 801 in an associated MM context or RM context. AMF 821 may also derive values ​​from usage setting parameters of the UE already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when necessary.

[0084] Connection Management (CM) may be used to establish and release a signaling connection between the UE 801 and the AMF 821 through the N1 interface. The signaling connection is used to enable NAS signaling exchange between the UE 801 and the CN 820, and includes a signaling connection between the UE and the AN (e.g., an RRC connection or a UE-N3IWF connection for non-3GPP access) and an N2 connection of the UE 801 between the AN (e.g., the RAN 810) and the AMF 821. The UE 801 may operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When the UE 801 operates in the CM-IDLE state / mode, the UE 801 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 821 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 810 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 801. When the UE 801 operates in the CM-CONNECTED state / mode, the UE 801 may have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 821 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 810 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 801. Establishing an N2 connection between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 may cause the UE 801 to transition from the CM-IDLE mode to the CM-CONNECTED mode, and when the N2 signaling between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 is released, the UE 801 may transition from the CM-CONNECTED mode to the CM-IDLE mode.

[0085] SMF 824 may be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic steering of UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface toward the policy control function; control portion of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and interface with LI system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to AN via AMF over N2; and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM may refer to the management of a PDU session, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between a UE 801 and a data network (DN) 803 identified by a data network name (DNN). A PDU session may be established upon request by UE 801, modified upon request by UE 801 and 5GC 820, and released upon request by UE 801 and 5GC 820 using NAS SM signaling exchanged over the N1 reference point between UE 801 and SMF 824. Upon request from an application server, 5GC 820 may trigger a specific application in UE 801. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 801 may deliver the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 801. The identified applications in UE 801 may establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 824 may check whether the UE 801 request complies with user subscription information associated with UE 801. In this regard, SMF 824 may retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications about SMF 824 level subscription data from UDM 827.

[0086] SMF 824 may include the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS SLA (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interface with LI system, in VPLMN); and support interaction with external DN to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication through external DN. In a roaming scenario, an N16 reference point between two SMFs 824 may be included in the system 800, which may be located between an SMF 824 in a visited network and another SMF 824 in a home network. In addition, SMF 824 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0087] NEF 823 may provide a device for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions for third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 828), edge computing or fog computing systems, etc. In such embodiments, NEF 823 may authenticate, authorize and / or restrict AF. NEF 823 may also convert information exchanged with AF 828 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 823 may convert between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF 823 may also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on the exposure capabilities of other network functions. The information may be stored at NEF 823 as structured data, or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information may then be re-exposed to other NFs and AFs by NEF 823, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. In addition, NEF 823 may present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0088] NRF 825 may support service discovery functionality, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide information of discovered NF instances to NF instances. NRF 825 also maintains information of available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the term "instantiation" and the like may refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" may refer to the specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of a program code. In addition, NRF 825 may present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0089] The PCF 826 may provide for control plane functions to enforce their policy rules, and may also support a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. The PCF 826 may also implement a FE to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 827. The PCF 826 may communicate with the AMF 821 via the N15 reference point between the PCF 826 and the AMF 821, which may include the PCF 826 in the visited network and the AMF 821 in the case of a roaming scenario. The PCF 826 may communicate with the AF 828 via the N5 reference point between the PCF 826 and the AF 828; and communicate with the SMF 824 via the N7 reference point between the PCF 826 and the SMF 824. The system 800 and / or the CN 820 may also include an N24 reference point between the PCF 826 (in the home network) and the PCF 826 in the visited network. In addition, the PCF 826 may present an interface based on Npcf services.

[0090] UDM 827 may process subscription-related information to support the processing of communication sessions by network entities, and may store subscription data of UE 801. For example, subscription data may be transmitted between UDM 827 and AMF 821 via an N8 reference point between UDM 827 and AMF 821. UDM 827 may include two parts: application FE and UDR ( Figure 8 FE and UDR are not shown). UDR can store subscription data and policy data of UDM 827 and PCF 826, and / or structured data for exposure and application data of NEF 823 (including PFD for application detection, application request information of multiple UE 801). Nudr service-based interface can be presented by UDR 221 to allow UDM 827, PCF 826 and NEF 823 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete and subscribe to notifications of related data changes in UDR. UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. In different transactions, several different front ends may serve the same user. UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in UDR, and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management and subscription management. UDR can interact with SMF824 via the N10 reference point between UDM 827 and SMF 824. UDM 827 may also support SMS management, where SMS-FE implements similar application logic as described above. In addition, UDM 827 may present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0091] AF 828 can provide the influence of applications on traffic routing, provide access to NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. NCE can be a mechanism that allows 5GC 820 and AF 828 to provide information to each other via NEF 823, which can be used for edge computing implementation. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 801 access point of the attachment to achieve effective service delivery through reduced end-to-end delay and load on the transmission network. For edge computing implementation, 5GC can select UPF 802 near UE 801 and perform traffic steering from UPF 802 to DN 803 via N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location and information provided by AF 828. In this way, AF 828 can affect UPF (re) selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 828 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow AF 828 to interact directly with the relevant NF. In addition, AF 828 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0092] NSSF 829 may select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 801. If necessary, NSSF 829 may also determine the allowed NSSAI and the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI. NSSF 829 may also determine the AMF set, or a list of candidate AMF 821, to serve UE 801 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 825. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 801 may be triggered by AMF 821, where UE 801 registers by interacting with NSSF 829, which may cause AMF 821 to change. NSSF 829 may interact with AMF 821 via the N22 reference point between AMF 821 and NSSF 829; and may communicate with AMF 821 via the N31 reference point ( Figure 8 The NSSF 829 may communicate with another NSSF 829 in the visited network (not shown). In addition, the NSSF 829 may present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0093] As discussed previously, CN 820 may include SMSF, which may be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages from / to other entities, such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers, to / from UE 801. SMS may also interact with AMF 821 and UDM 827 for notification procedures that UE 801 is available for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 827 when UE 801 is available for SMS).

[0094] CN 120 may also include Figure 8 Other elements not shown, such as data storage system / architecture, 5G-EIR, SEPP, etc. The data storage system may include SDSF, UDSF, etc. Any NF can communicate with UDSF ( Figure 8 The N18 reference point between the NF and the NF (not shown) stores unstructured data in or retrieves it from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs may share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data, or individual NFs may each have their own UDSF located at or near a single NF. In addition, the UDSF may present an interface based on the Nudsf service ( Figure 8 (not shown). The 5G-EIR may be a NF that checks the status of the PEI to determine whether to blacklist a specific equipment / entity from the network; and the SEPP may be a non-transparent proxy that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the inter-PLMN control plane interface.

[0095] Additionally, there may be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services in a NF; however, for clarity, Figure 8These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 820 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between an MME (e.g., MME 721) and AMF 821 to enable intercommunication between CN 820 and CN 720. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5g-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between an NRF in a visited network and an NRF in a home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in a visited network and an NSSF in a home network.

[0096] Fig. 9 Components of a core network according to various embodiments are shown. The components of CN 720 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In an embodiment, the components of CN 820 may be implemented in the same or similar manner as discussed herein with respect to the components of CN 720. In some embodiments, NFV is used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 720 may be referred to as a network slice 901, and each logical instance of CN 720 may provide specific network functions and network characteristics. A logical instance of a portion of CN 720 may be referred to as a network sub-slice 902 (e.g., a network sub-slice 902 is shown as including a P-GW 723 and a PCRF 726).

[0097] As used herein, the terms "instantiation" and the like may refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" may refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. A network instance may refer to information identifying a domain, which may be used for traffic detection and routing in different IP domains or in the case of overlapping IP addresses. A network slice instance may refer to a set of network function (NF) instances and the resources (e.g., computing, storage, and network resources) required to deploy a network slice.

[0098] Compared to 5G systems (see e.g. Figure 8 ), a network slice always includes a RAN part and a CN part. Support for network slicing relies on the principle that traffic for different slices is handled by different PDU sessions. The network can implement different network slices by scheduling and also by providing different L1 / L2 configurations. If NAS has provided an RRC message, UE 801 provides auxiliary information for network slice selection in an appropriate RRC message. Although the network can support a large number of slices, the UE does not need to support more than 8 slices at the same time.

[0099] The network slice may include the CN 820 control plane and user plane NF, the NG-RAN 810 in the serving PLMN, and the N3IWF function in the serving PLMN. Each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI and / or may have a different SST. The NSSAI includes one or more S-NSSAIs, and each network slice is uniquely identified by the S-NSSAI. The network slice may differ in terms of supported features and network function optimizations, and / or multiple network slice instances may deliver the same service / feature, but differ for different groups of UE 801 (e.g., enterprise users). For example, each network slice may deliver different committed services and / or may be dedicated to a specific customer or enterprise. In this example, each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI with the same SST but with a different slice differentiator. In addition, a single UE may be served simultaneously by one or more network slice instances via a 5G AN and be associated with eight different S-NSSAIs. In addition, an AMF 821 instance serving a single UE 801 may belong to each network slice instance serving the UE.

[0100] Network slicing in NG-RAN 810 involves RAN slice awareness. RAN slice awareness includes differentiated processing for traffic of different network slices that have been pre-configured. Slice awareness in NG-RAN 810 is introduced at the PDU session level by indicating the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session in all signaling including PDU session resource information. How NG-RAN 810 supports enabling slices in terms of NG-RAN functions (e.g., a set of network functions including each slice) depends on the specific implementation. NG-RAN810 selects the RAN part of the network slice using auxiliary information provided by UE 801 or 5GC 820, which explicitly identifies one or more network slices in the pre-configured network slices in the PLMN. NG-RAN 810 also supports resource management and policy enforcement between slices according to SLA. A single NG-RAN node can support multiple slices, and NG-RAN810 can also appropriately apply appropriate RRM policies for SLA to each supported slice. NG-RAN 810 can also support QoS differentiation within a slice.

[0101] The NG-RAN 810 may also use the UE assistance information to select an AMF 821 during the initial attach, if available. The NG-RAN 810 routes the initial NAS to the AMF 821 using the assistance information. If the NG-RAN 810 cannot select the AMF 821 using the assistance information, or the UE 801 does not provide any such information, the NG-RAN 810 sends the NAS signaling to the default AMF 821, which may be in the AMF 821 pool. For subsequent access, the UE 801 provides the temporary ID assigned to the UE 801 by the 5GC 820 to enable the NG-RAN 810 to route the NAS message to the appropriate AMF 821, as long as the temporary ID is valid. The NG-RAN 810 knows and can reach the AMF 821 associated with the temporary ID. Otherwise, the method for initial attach applies.

[0102] The NG-RAN 810 supports resource isolation between slices. NG-RAN 810 resource isolation can be achieved with the help of RRM policies and protection mechanisms that should avoid starvation of shared resources if one slice breaks the service level agreement for another slice. In some implementations, NG-RAN 810 resources can be fully assigned to a slice. How the NG-RAN 810 supports resource isolation depends on the specific implementation.

[0103] Some slices may be only partially available in the network. Awareness in the NG-RAN 810 of the slices supported in its neighboring cells may be beneficial for inter-frequency mobility in connected mode. Slice availability may not change within the registration area of ​​the UE. The NG-RAN 810 and 5GC 820 are responsible for handling service requests for slices that may or may not be available in a given area. Granting or denying access to a slice may depend on factors such as support for the slice, availability of resources, and support of the requested service by the NG-RAN 810.

[0104] The UE 801 may be associated with multiple network slices simultaneously. In the case where the UE 801 is associated with multiple slices simultaneously, only one signaling connection is maintained and for intra-frequency cell reselection, the UE 801 attempts to camp on the best cell. For inter-frequency cell reselection, dedicated priorities may be used to control the frequency that the UE 801 camps on. The 5GC 820 will verify that the UE 801 has the right to access the network slice. Prior to receiving the Initial Context Setup Request message, the NG-RAN 810 may be allowed to apply some temporary / local policies based on the awareness of the specific slice that the UE 801 is requesting access to. During the Initial Context Setup, the NG-RAN 810 is informed of the slice whose resources are being requested.

[0105] NFV architecture and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more NFs onto physical resources including a combination of industry standard server hardware, storage hardware or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0106] Fig.10 1000 is a block diagram illustrating components of a NFV-enabled system 1000 according to some exemplary embodiments. System 1000 is shown to include VIM 1002, NFVI 1004, VNFM 1006, VNF 1008, EM 1010, NFVO 1012, and NM 1014.

[0107] The VIM 1002 manages resources of the NFVI 1004. The NFVI 1004 may include physical or virtual resources and applications (including a hypervisor) for executing the system 1000. The VIM 1002 may utilize the NFVI 1004 to manage the lifecycle of virtual resources (e.g., creation, maintenance, and teardown of VMs associated with one or more physical resources), track VM instances, track performance, failures, and security of VM instances and associated physical resources, and expose VM instances and associated physical resources to other management systems.

[0108] The VNFM 1006 may manage the VNF 1008. The VNF 1008 may be used to perform EPC components / functions. The VNFM 1006 may manage the lifecycle of the VNF 1008 and track the performance, failures, and security of the virtual aspects of the VNF 1008. The EM 1010 may track the performance, failures, and security of the functional aspects of the VNF 1008. The tracking data from the VNFM 1006 and the EM 1010 may include, for example, PM data used by the VIM 1002 or the NFVI 1004. The VNFM 1006 and the EM 1010 may both scale up / down the number of VNFs of the system 1000.

[0109] The NFVO 1012 may coordinate, authorize, release, and engage the resources of the NFVI 1004 in order to provide the requested service (e.g., to execute an EPC function, component, or slice). The NM 1014 may provide an end-user functional package responsible for network management, which may include network elements with VNFs, non-virtualized network functions, or both (management of the VNFs may occur via the EM 1010).

[0110] Equipment / Parts

[0111] Figure 2An example of infrastructure equipment 200 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Infrastructure equipment 200 (or "system 200") can be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node (such as the RAN node 111 and / or the WLAN node 106 shown and described previously), an application server 130, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 200 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0112] System 200 includes: application circuit 205, baseband circuit 210, one or more radio front end modules (RFEM) 215, memory circuit 220, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 225, power tee circuit 230, network controller circuit 235, network interface connector 240, satellite positioning circuit 245 and user interface circuit 250. In some embodiments, device 200 may include additional elements, such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuit may be included separately in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU or other similar implementations.

[0113] The application circuit 205 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C or a general programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter (including an interval timer and a watchdog timer), a general input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a secure digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC) or similar products, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interface, and a joint test access group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 205 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 200. In some implementations, the memory / storage element can be an on-chip memory circuit that can include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0114] The processor of the application circuit 205 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 205 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of the application circuit 205 may include one or more Intel or Processor: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processor; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium (TM), Inc. and MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPSWarrior P-class processor; etc. In some embodiments, system 200 may not utilize application circuit 205, and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process IP data received, for example, from an EPC or 5GC.

[0115] In some specific implementations, the application circuit 205 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs, such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuit 205 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuit 205 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.

[0116] The baseband circuit 210 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Figure 4 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuitry 210 are discussed further.

[0117] The user interface circuit 250 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the system 200 or a peripheral component interface designed to enable a peripheral component to interact with the system 200. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch screen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0118] The radio front end module (RFEM) 215 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., Figure 4Antenna array 411), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 215 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0119] The memory circuit 220 may include one or more of the following: a volatile memory including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a non-volatile memory (NVM) including a high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as a "flash memory"), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with and The memory circuit 220 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0120] PMIC 225 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as a battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a brownout (undervoltage) and a surge (overvoltage) condition. Power tee circuit 230 may provide power extracted from a network cable to provide both power and data connections for infrastructure equipment 200 using a single cable.

[0121] The network controller circuit 235 may provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on a GRE tunnel, Ethernet based on a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. A physical connection may be used to provide a network connection to / from the infrastructure equipment 200 via a network interface connector 240, which may be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 235 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 235 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0122] The positioning circuit 245 includes circuits for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global satellite navigation system (or GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbit Chart and Satellite Integrated Radio Positioning (DORIS), etc. for navigation), etc. The positioning circuit 245 includes various hardware elements for communicating with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communications). In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 245 may include a micro technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 245 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 210 and / or the RFEM 215 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 245 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 205, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., RAN node 111, etc.), etc.

[0123] Figure 2 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuits that can include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as industry standard architecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCIx), PCI express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX can be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, etc.

[0124] Figure 3 An example of a platform 300 (or "device 300") according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. In an embodiment, the computer platform 300 may be suitable for use as a UE 101, an application server 130, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. The platform 300 may include any combination of components shown in the example. The components of the platform 300 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion of an IC, a discrete electronic device, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted in the computer platform 300, or as components otherwise incorporated within a chassis of a larger system. Figure 3The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of computer platform 300. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0125] The application circuit 305 includes circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of an LDO, an interrupt controller, a serial interface (such as SPI), I2C or a general programmable serial interface module, an RTC, a timer-counter (including an interval timer and a watchdog timer), a general I / O, a memory card controller (such as an SD MMC or similar controller), a USB interface, a MIPI interface, and a JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 305 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 300. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0126] The processor of the application circuit 305 may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 305 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein.

[0127] As an example, the processor of the application circuit 305 may include a processor based on Architecture TM Processors such as Quark TM 、Atom TM , i3, i5, i7 or MCU class processors, or available from Santa Clara, CA The processor of application circuit 305 may also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s A5-A9 processors, Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments, Open Multimedia Applications Platform(OMAP) TM processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some implementations, the application circuit 305 can be part of a system on a chip (SoC), in which the application circuit 305 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as company( Edison Corporation TM or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0128] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuit 305 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs, etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 305 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 305 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.

[0129] The baseband circuit 310 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Figure 4 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuit 310 are discussed.

[0130] The RFEM 315 may include a millimeter wave (mm Wave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mm Wave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., Figure 4 Antenna array 411), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 315 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0131] The memory circuit 320 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a quantitative system memory. For example, the memory circuit 320 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuit 320 may be developed according to the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) based low power double data rate (LPDDR) design such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 320 may be implemented as one or more of a solder-in package integrated circuit, a single die package (SDP), a dual die package (DDP), or a quad die package (Q17P), a socketed memory module, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) including a micro DIMM or a mini DIMM, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, the memory circuit 320 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 305. In order to provide persistent storage of information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuit 320 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, among others, a solid state disk drive (SSDD), a hard disk drive (HDD), a micro HDD, a resistive change memory, a phase change memory, a holographic memory, or a chemical memory. For example, the computer platform 300 may be combined with a computer system obtained from and Three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory.

[0132] Removable memory circuitry 323 may include devices, circuitry, housings / casings, ports or receptacles, etc., for coupling portable data storage devices to platform 300. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage, and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, xD picture cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical disks, external HDDs, etc.

[0133] The platform 300 may further include an interface circuit (not shown) for connecting external devices to the platform 300. External devices connected to the platform 300 via the interface circuit include a sensor circuit 321 and an electromechanical component (EMC) 322, and a removable memory device coupled to a removable memory circuit 323.

[0134] Sensor circuitry 321 comprises a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to detect events or changes in its environment, and to send information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or a nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; etc.

[0135] The EMC 322 includes devices, modules or subsystems that are intended to enable the platform 300 to change its state, position and / or orientation or to move or control a mechanism or (sub) system. In addition, the EMC 322 may be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of the platform 300 to indicate the current state of the EMC 322. Examples of EMC 322 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks and / or other similar electromechanical components. In an embodiment, the platform 300 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 322 based on one or more capture events and / or instructions or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients.

[0136] In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 300 to the positioning circuit 345. The positioning circuit 345 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by the positioning network of the GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the GPS of the United States, the GLONASS of Russia, the Galileo system of the European Union, the Beidou navigation satellite system of China, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, QZSS of Japan, DORIS of France, etc.), etc. The positioning circuit 345 includes various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 345 may include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 345 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 310 and / or RFEM 315 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. Positioning circuitry 345 may also provide position data and / or time data to application circuitry 305 , which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (eg, radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, and the like.

[0137] In some implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 300 with a near field communication (NFC) circuit 340. The NFC circuit 340 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on the radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, wherein magnetic field induction is used to enable communication between the NFC circuit 340 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC touch point") external to the platform 300. The NFC circuit 340 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuit 340 by executing an NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit a short-range RF signal. The RF signal may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuit 340, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuit 340 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) proximate to the platform 300.

[0138] The driver circuit 346 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 300. The driver circuit 346 may include various drivers to allow other components of the platform 300 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the platform 300. For example, the driver circuit 346 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface of the platform 300, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 321 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 321, an EMC driver for obtaining actuator positions of the EMC 322 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 322, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0139] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 325 (also referred to as “power management circuit 325”) may manage power provided to various components of platform 300. Specifically, PMIC 325 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion with respect to baseband circuit 310. PMIC 325 may be typically included when platform 300 is capable of being powered by battery 330, such as when the device is included in UE 101, 701, or 801.

[0140] In some embodiments, the PMIC 325 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the platform 300. For example, if the platform 300 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the platform 300 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the platform 300 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. are performed. The platform 300 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers off again. The platform 300 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0141] The battery 330 can power the platform 300, but in some examples, the platform 300 can be mounted in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 330 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 330 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0142] In some implementations, the battery 330 may be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or a battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in the platform 300 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 330. The BMS may be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 330, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 330 to provide fault prediction. The BMS may transmit information about the battery 330 to the application circuit 305 or other components of the platform 300. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 305 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 330 or the current from the battery 330. The battery parameters may be used to determine actions that the platform 300 may perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0143] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 330. In some examples, the power block can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to obtain power wirelessly, for example, through a loop antenna in the computer platform 300. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 330 and therefore the current required. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standard published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance.

[0144] The user interface circuit 350 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present in or connected to the platform 300, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to implement user interaction with the platform 300 and / or a peripheral component interface designed to implement interaction with the peripheral components of the platform 300. The user interface circuit 350 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, in particular, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where outputs of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. are generated or produced by the operation of the platform 300. The output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio emitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry 321 may be used as an input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.) and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuitry (e.g., an actuator for providing tactile feedback, etc.). In another example, an NFC circuit may be included to read an electronic tag and / or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0145] Although not shown, the components of platform 300 can communicate with each other using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology, which can include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, a time-triggered protocol (TTP) system, a FlexRay system, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX can be a proprietary bus / IX, such as used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, etc.

[0146] Figure 4 4 shows exemplary components of a baseband circuit 410 and a radio front end module (RFEM) 415 according to various exemplary embodiments. The baseband circuit 410 corresponds to Figure 2 The baseband circuit 210 and Figure 3Baseband circuit 310. RFEM 415 corresponds to Figure 2 RFEM 215 and Figure 3 RFEM 315. As shown, RFEM 415 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry 406, front end module (FEM) circuitry 408, and at least an antenna array 411 coupled together as shown.

[0147] The baseband circuit 410 includes circuits and / or control logic components that are configured to execute various radio / network protocols and radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 406. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuit of the baseband circuit 410 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuit of the baseband circuit 410 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments. The baseband circuit 410 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 406 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 406. The baseband circuit 410 is configured to communicate with the application circuit 205 / 305 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuit 406. Baseband circuit 410 may handle various radio control functions.

[0148] The aforementioned circuits and / or control logic components of the baseband circuit 410 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 404A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 404B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 404C, or some other baseband processors 404D for other existing generations, generations under development or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., the sixth generation (6G), etc.). In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 404A-404D may be included in a module stored in the memory 404G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 404E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 404A-404D may be provided as a hardware accelerator (e.g., FPGA, ASIC, etc.) loaded with an appropriate bitstream or logic block stored in a corresponding memory unit. In various embodiments, the memory 404G may store program code of a real-time OS (RTOS), which, when executed by the CPU 404E (or other baseband processor), will enable the CPU 404E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuit 410, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of RTOS may include: Operating System Embedded (OSE) provided TM , by Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM , by Mentor Versatile Real-Time Executive (VRTX) provided by Express Provided by ThreadX TM ,Depend on FreeRTOS and REX OS provided by Open Kernel (OK) OKL4 is provided, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. In addition, the baseband circuit 410 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 404F. The audio DSP 404F includes elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

[0149] In some embodiments, each of processors 404A-404E includes a corresponding memory interface to send data to / receive data from memory 404G. Baseband circuit 410 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to baseband circuit 410; an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit; Figures 2 to 3An application circuit interface for sending data to / receiving data from the application circuit 205 / 305; Figure 4 RF circuit 406 to send data / receive data from the RF circuit RF circuit interface; for receiving data from one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components, Low power consumption components, components, etc.) to send data / receive data from these wireless hardware elements; and a power management interface for sending power or control signals to / receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 325.

[0150] In an alternative embodiment (which can be combined with the above embodiment), the baseband circuit 410 includes one or more digital baseband systems, which are coupled to each other and to the CPU subsystem, the audio subsystem and the interface subsystem via an interconnect subsystem. The digital baseband subsystem can also be coupled to the digital baseband interface and the mixed signal baseband subsystem via another interconnect subsystem. Each of the interconnect subsystems may include a bus system, a point-to-point connector, a network on chip (NOC) structure and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include a DSP circuit, a buffer memory, a program memory, a voice processing accelerator circuit, a data converter circuit such as an analog-to-digital converter circuit and a digital-to-analog converter circuit, an analog circuit including one or more of an amplifier and a filter, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the baseband circuit 410 may include a protocol processing circuit with one or more control circuit instances (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuit and / or the radio frequency circuit (e.g., the radio front end module 415).

[0151] although Figure 4Not shown, but in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 410 includes various processing devices (e.g., a "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuit") to operate one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices to implement PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuit operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when the baseband circuit 410 and / or the RF circuit 406 are part of a millimeter wave communication circuit or some other suitable cellular communication circuit, the protocol processing circuit may operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In the first example, the protocol processing circuit will operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when the baseband circuit 410 and / or the RF circuit 406 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuit may operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In the second example, the protocol processing circuit will operate Wi-Fi MAC and logical link control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuitry may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 404G) for storing program code and data for operating protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing program code and performing various operations using data. The baseband circuitry 410 may also support radio communications for more than one wireless protocol.

[0152] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuit 410 discussed herein may be implemented as, for example, a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs. In one example, the components of the baseband circuit 410 may be appropriately combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 410 and the RF circuit 406 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system on a chip (SOC) or a system-level package (SiP). In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 410 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 406 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 406). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 410 and the application circuit 205 / 305 may be implemented together as a separate SoC mounted to the same circuit board (e.g., a "multi-chip package").

[0153] In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 410 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 410 may support communications with E-UTRAN or other WMANs, WLANs, WPANs. Embodiments in which baseband circuitry 410 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0154] RF circuit 406 can communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 406 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 406 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits for down-converting an RF signal received from FEM circuit 408 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 410. RF circuit 406 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits for up-converting a baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 410 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 408.

[0155] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 406 may include a mixer circuit 406a, an amplifier circuit 406b, and a filter circuit 406c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 406 may include a filter circuit 406c and a mixer circuit 406a. The RF circuit 406 may also include a synthesizer circuit 406d, which is used to synthesize the frequencies used by the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 408 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 406d. The amplifier circuit 406b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 406c may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF), which is configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuit 410 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required.In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0156] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 406d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 408. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuit 410 and may be filtered by filter circuit 406c.

[0157] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and quadrature up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0158] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 406 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and baseband circuit 410 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuit 406.

[0159] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0160] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0161] Synthesizer circuit 406d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 406a of RF circuit 406. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0162] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 410 or the application circuit 205 / 305 according to the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 205 / 305.

[0163] The synthesizer circuit 406d of the RF circuit 406 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0164] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 406d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 406 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0165] FEM circuitry 408 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from antenna array 411, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuitry 406 for further processing. FEM circuitry 408 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by RF circuitry 406 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in antenna array 411. In various embodiments, amplification by either the transmit signal path or the receive signal path may be accomplished only in RF circuitry 406, only in FEM circuitry 408, or in both RF circuitry 406 and FEM circuitry 408.

[0166] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 408 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmission mode and reception mode operation. FEM circuit 408 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 408 may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 406). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 408 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 406), and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of antenna array 411.

[0167] The antenna array 411 includes one or more antenna elements, each of which is configured to convert an electrical signal into a radio wave to travel through the air and convert the received radio wave into an electrical signal. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by the baseband circuit 410 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of the antenna array 411 including one or more antenna elements (not shown). The antenna elements may be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. The antenna elements may be formed into a variety of arrangements as known and / or discussed herein. The antenna array 411 may include a microstrip antenna or a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. The antenna array 411 may be formed as a patch of metal foil of various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and may be coupled to the RF circuit 406 and / or the FEM circuit 408 using a metal transmission line or the like.

[0168] The processor of the application circuit 205 / 305 and the processor of the baseband circuit 410 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 410 can be used alone or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuit 205 / 305 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP and UDP layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a MAC layer, an RLC layer, and a PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a PHY layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0169] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of performing any one or more of the methods in the method set discussed herein according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Figure 5A diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 500 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 510, one or more memory / storage devices 520, and one or more communication resources 530, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 540. For embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 502 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices utilizing hardware resources 500.

[0170] Processor 510 may include, for example, processor 512 and processor 514. Processor 510 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0171] The memory / storage device 520 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 520 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0172] The communication resources 530 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 504 or one or more databases 506 via the network 508. For example, the communication resources 530 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via USB), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, (or Low power consumption) components, components and other communication components.

[0173] The instructions 550 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 510 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 550 may reside completely or partially in at least one of the processors 510 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 520, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 550 may be transferred to the hardware resources 500 from any combination of the peripheral device 504 or the database 506. Thus, the memory of the processor 510, the memory / storage device 520, the peripheral device 504, and the database 506 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0174] Protocol Layer

[0175] Figure 6 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in a wireless communication device according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Specifically, Figure 6 An arrangement 600 is included to show the interconnection between various protocol layers / entities. Various protocol layers / entities operating in conjunction with 5G / NR system standards and LTE system standards are provided. Figure 6 The following description, but Figure 6 Some or all aspects of the invention may also be applicable to other wireless communication network systems.

[0176] In addition to other higher layer functions not shown, the protocol layers of arrangement 600 may also include one or more of PHY 610, MAC 620, RLC 630, PDCP 640, SDAP 647, RRC 655, and NAS layer 657. These protocol layers may include one or more service access points (SAPs) (e.g., Figure 6 Items 659, 656, 650, 649, 645, 635, 625 and 615).

[0177] PHY 610 can send and receive physical layer signals 605, which can be received or sent from one or more other communication devices to one or more other communication devices. Physical layer signals 605 may include one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. PHY 610 may also perform link adaptation or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and switching purposes) and other measurements used by higher layers (e.g., RRC 655). PHY 610 may also further perform error detection on transmission channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of transmission channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. In an embodiment, an instance of PHY 610 may process a request from an instance of MAC 620 via one or more PHY-SAP 615, and provide an indication thereto. According to some embodiments, the request and indication transmitted via PHY-SAP 615 may include one or more transmission channels.

[0178] An instance of MAC 620 may process requests from an instance of RLC 630 via one or more MAC-SAPs 625 and provide indications thereto. These requests and indications transmitted via MAC-SAP 625 may include one or more logical channels. MAC 620 may perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto TBs to be delivered to PHY 610 via transport channels, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs delivered from PHY 610 via transport channels to one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, and logical channel prioritization.

[0179] An instance of RLC 630 may process requests from and provide indications to an instance of PDCP 640 via one or more radio link control service access points (RLC-SAPs) 635. These requests and indications transmitted via RLC-SAPs 635 may include one or more logical channels. RLC 630 may operate in a variety of operating modes, including: transparent mode (TM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and acknowledged mode (AM). RLC 630 may perform transmission of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC 630 may also perform resegmentation of RLC data PDUs for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0180] An instance of PDCP 640 may process requests from an instance of RRC 655 and / or an instance of SDAP 647 via one or more Packet Data Convergence Protocol Service Points (PDCP-SAP) 645 and provide indications thereto. These requests and indications transmitted via PDCP-SAP 645 may include one or more radio bearers. PDCP 640 may perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform in-order delivery of upper layer PDUs when lower layers are reestablished, eliminate duplication of lower layer SDUs when lower layers are reestablished for radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification on control plane data, control timer-based data discard, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0181] An instance of SDAP 647 may process requests from one or more higher layer protocol entities via one or more SDAP-SAP 649 and provide instructions thereto. These requests and instructions transmitted via SDAP-SAP 649 may include one or more QoS flows. SDAP 647 may map QoS flows to DRBs and vice versa, and may also mark QFIs in DL packets and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 647 may be configured for a separate PDU session. In the UL direction, 5G NR-RAN 110 may control the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs in two different ways (reflective mapping or explicit mapping). For reflective mapping, the SDAP 647 of UE 101 may monitor the QFI of the DL packets of each DRB, and may apply the same mapping to packets flowing in the UL direction. For DRBs, the SDAP 647 of UE 101 may map UL packets belonging to a QoS flow corresponding to the QoS flow ID and PDU session observed in the DL packets of the DRB. To implement reflective mapping, 5G NR-RAN 110 may mark DL packets with a QoS flow ID over the Uu interface. Explicit mapping may involve RRC 655 configuring SDAP 647 with explicit mapping rules for QoS flows to DRBs, which may be stored and followed by SDAP 647. In an embodiment, SDAP 647 may be used only in NR implementations and may not be used in LTE implementations.

[0182] The RRC 655 may configure aspects of one or more protocol layers, which may include one or more instances of PHY 610, MAC 620, RLC 630, PDCP 640, and SDAP 647, via one or more Management Service Access Points (M-SAPs). In an embodiment, an instance of the RRC 655 may process requests from one or more NAS entities 657 and provide instructions thereto via one or more RRC-SAPs 656. The main services and functions of the RRC 655 may include broadcasting of system information (e.g., included in a MIB or SIB related to NAS), broadcasting of system information related to the access stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of an RRC connection between the UE 101 and the RAN 110 (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. These MIBs and SIBs may include one or more IEs, each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0183] NAS 657 may form the highest layer of the control plane between UE 101 and AMF 821. NAS 657 may support the mobility and session management procedures of UE 101 to establish and maintain an IP connection between UE 101 and P-GW in the LTE system.

[0184] According to various embodiments, one or more protocol entities of arrangement 600 may be implemented in UE 101, RAN node 111, AMF in NR implementation or MME in LTE implementation, UPF in NR implementation or S-GW and P-GW in LTE implementation, etc., for control plane or user plane communication protocol stacks between the aforementioned devices. In such embodiments, one or more protocol entities that may be implemented in one or more of UE 101, gNB 111, AMF, etc. may communicate with corresponding peer protocol entities that may be implemented in or on another device (using the services of corresponding lower layer protocol entities to perform such communication). In some embodiments, the gNB-CU of gNB 111 may host the RRC 655, SDAP 647, and PDCP 640 of the gNB that control the operation of one or more gNB-DUs, and the gNB-DUs of gNB 111 may each host the RLC 630, MAC 620, and PHY 510 of gNB 111.

[0185] In a first example, the control plane protocol stack may include, in order from the highest layer to the lowest layer, NAS 557, RRC 555, PDCP 640, RLC 630, MAC 520, and PHY 510. In this example, an upper layer 660 may be built on top of NAS 557, which includes an IP layer 661, SCTP 662, and an application layer signaling protocol (AP) 663.

[0186] In an NR specific implementation, the AP 663 may be a 5G NR application protocol layer (5G NR AP or NG-AP) 663 for the 5GNR interface 113 defined between the 5G NR-RAN node 111 and the AMF, or the AP 663 may be an Xn application protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 663 for the Xn interface 112 defined between two or more RAN nodes 111.

[0187] The 5G NR-AP 663 may support the functionality of the 5G NR interface 113 and may include a primary procedure (EP). The 5G NR-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the 5G NR-RAN node 111 and the AMF. The 5G NR-AP 663 services may include two groups: UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the UE 101) and non-UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the entire 5G NR interface instance between the 5G NR-RAN node 111 and the AMF). These services may include functions including, but not limited to: a paging function for sending a paging request to a 5G NR-RAN node 111 involved in a specific paging area; a UE context management function for allowing the AMF to establish, modify and / or release the UE context in the AMF and the 5G NR-RAN node 111; a mobility function for the UE 101 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, for enabling intra-system HO to support mobility within the 5G NR-RAN and inter-system HO to support mobility from / to the EPS system; a NAS signaling transport function for transmitting or rerouting NAS messages between the UE 101 and the AMF; a NAS node selection function for determining the association between the AMF and the UE 101; a 5G NR interface management function for setting up the 5G NR interface and monitoring errors through the 5G NR interface; a warning message sending function for providing a means for transmitting a warning message via the 5G NR interface or cancelling an ongoing warning message broadcast ... 120 A configuration transmission function for requesting and transmitting RAN configuration information (eg, SON information, performance measurement (PM) data, etc.) between two RAN nodes 111; and / or other similar functions.

[0188] The XnAP 663 may support the functionality of the Xn interface 112 and may include XnAP basic mobility procedures and XnAP global procedures. The XnAP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within the 5G NR RAN 111 (or E-UTRAN 111), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, procedures related to dual connectivity, etc. The XnAP global procedures may include procedures that are not related to a specific UE 101, such as Xn interface setup and reset procedures, 5G NR-RAN update procedures, cell activation procedures, etc.

[0189] In an LTE specific implementation, the AP 663 may be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 663 for the S1 interface 113 defined between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME, or the AP 663 may be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 663 for the X2 interface 112 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 111.

[0190] The S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 663 may support the functionality of the S1 interface, and similar to the 5G NR-AP discussed previously, the S1-AP may include an S1-AP EP. The S1-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME within the LTE CN 120. The S1-AP 663 services may include two groups: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. The functions performed by these services include, but are not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0191] The X2AP 663 may support the functions of the X2 interface 112 and may include an X2AP basic mobility procedure and an X2AP global procedure. The X2AP basic mobility procedure may include a procedure for handling UE mobility within the E-UTRAN 120, such as a handover preparation and cancellation procedure, an SN state transfer procedure, a UE context retrieval and a UE context release procedure, a RAN paging procedure, a procedure related to dual connectivity, etc. The X2AP global procedure may include a procedure that is not related to a specific UE 101, such as an X2 interface setup and reset procedure, a load indication procedure, an error indication procedure, a cell activation procedure, etc.

[0192] The SCTP layer (alternatively referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 662 may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., 5G NRAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). The SCTP 662 may ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 111 and the AMF / MME based in part on the IP protocol supported by the IP 661. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 661 may be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. In some implementations, the IP layer 661 may deliver and transmit PDUs using point-to-point transport. In this regard, the RAN node 111 may include L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0193] In a second example, the user plane protocol stack may include SDAP 647, PDCP 640, RLC 630, MAC 520, and PHY 510 in order from the highest layer to the lowest layer. The user plane protocol stack may be used for communication between UE 101, RAN node 111, and UPF in a NR implementation, or between S-GW and P-GW in a LTE implementation. In this example, an upper layer 651 may be built on top of SDAP 647 and may include a user datagram protocol (UDP) and IP security layer (UDP / IP) 652, a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for a user plane layer (GTP-U) 653, and a user plane PDU layer (UP PDU) 663.

[0194] The transport network layer 654 (also referred to as the "transport layer") may be built on an IP transport, and the GTP-U 653 may be used on top of the UDP / IP layer 652 (including the UDP layer and the IP layer) to carry the user plane PDU (UP-PDU). The IP layer (also referred to as the "Internet layer") may be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. The IP layer may assign IP addresses to user data packets, for example, in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats.

[0195] GTP-U 653 may be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data may be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6 or PPP formats. UDP / IP 652 may provide a checksum for data integrity, a port number for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication of selected data flows. The RAN node 111 and the S-GW may utilize the S1-U interface via a protocol stack including an L1 layer (e.g., PHY 610), an L2 layer (e.g., MAC 620, RLC 630, PDCP 640 and / or SDAP 647), a UDP / IP layer 652, and a GTP-U 653 to exchange user plane data. The S-GW and the P-GW may utilize the S5 / S8a interface via a protocol stack including an L1 layer, an L2 layer, a UDP / IP layer 652, and a GTP-U 653 to exchange user plane data. As previously discussed, the NAS protocol may support the mobility of UE 101 and session management procedures to establish and maintain an IP connection between UE 101 and the P-GW.

[0196] In addition, despite Figure 6Not shown, but an application layer may exist above the AP 663 and / or transport network layer 654. The application layer may be a layer where a user of the UE 101, RAN node 111, or other network element interacts with a software application, for example, executed by the application circuitry 205 or the application circuitry 305, respectively. The application layer may also provide one or more interfaces for the software application to interact with the communication system (such as the baseband circuitry 410) of the UE 101 or RAN node 111. In some implementations, the IP layer and / or the application layer may provide functionality that is the same or similar to layers 5 to 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, or portions thereof (e.g., OSI layer 7—application layer, OSI layer 6—presentation layer, and OSI layer 5—session layer).

[0197] RAN Convergence

[0198] In the NR / WLAN RAN Convergence (NWRC) function described in this article, NR and WLAN converge under the 3GPP gNB Central Unit (CU) / Distributed Unit (DU) split architecture. The Wi-Fi access point (AP) is integrated as a DU in the RAN connected to the converged CU, which includes cellular CU and WLAN CU functions. The WLAN CU implements the traditional WLAN controller (WLC) function. The converged base station (cNB) includes one or more cellular DUs, one or more WLAN DUs, and a converged CU. The cNB supports a single set of N2 and N3 that are handovered to the 5G core for CP and UP, respectively. The converged CU and UE support traffic splitting / aggregation, steering, switching, and replication within the RAN. The WLAN CU and cellular CU can also be deployed separately in a non-colocated deployment, where the WLAN CU is assumed to be trusted and is directly handovered to the 5GC through the N2 and N3 interfaces for CP and UP, respectively.

[0199] The RAN convergence solution enables mutual anchoring of CP and UP traffic. Mutual anchoring allows using either NR or WLAN access as the anchor point for CP and UP for a given UE. A given UE has a single CP anchor point, and either the cellular CU or the WLAN CU can act as the anchor.

[0200] The cellular CU can act as an anchor node / master node (MN), and the WLAN CU acts as a secondary node (SN). The cellular CU is responsible for adding, modifying, and releasing SNs (e.g., WLAN CU). The cellular CU is connected to the 5G core through N2 to exchange NAS CP.

[0201] An NR convergence-C layer is added at the cellular CU to implement traffic distribution functionality over cellular and WLAN access. WLAN CP data can be transmitted to the cellular CU over the Xz interface for delivery over NR access. NR CP data (NAS or RRC CP) and WLAN CP data (received over Xz) can be split, switched, or replicated over NR and / or WLAN access links through the NR convergence-C layer based on access selection policies / rules. The cellular CU transmits CP data to the WLAN CU over the Xz interface. The cellular CU provides device mobility between NR and WLAN.

[0202] The WLAN Adaptation-C layer is added to make the output of the NR Convergence-C layer in a format suitable for transmission over WLAN. On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer can be implemented on the cellular CU, WLAN CU or WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer is implemented as part of the WLAN stack.

[0203] The WLAN CU can be a trusted node and act as an MN, where the cellular CU is the SN. The WLAN CU is responsible for SN (i.e., cellular CU) addition, modification, and release. The WLAN CU hosts the Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) CP function as defined in 3GPP Release 16, and interfaces with the 5G core through the TNGF CP to exchange NAS CP. Alternatively, the TNGF CP function can also reside outside the WLAN CU, in which case there is an interface between the WLAN CU and the TNGF node to exchange NAS CP.

[0204] A WLAN Convergence-C layer is added at the WLAN CU to implement traffic distribution functionality over cellular and WLAN access. RRCCP data can be transmitted to the WLAN CU over the Xz interface for delivery over WLAN access. Based on access selection policies / rules, NAS CP, RRC CP (received over Xz) and WLAN CP can be split, switched or replicated over WLAN and / or NR access links through the WLAN Convergence-C layer. The WLAN CU transmits CP data to the cellular CU over the Xz interface. The WLAN CU provides device mobility between WLAN and NR.

[0205] The WLAN Adaptation-C layer is added to make the output of the WLAN Convergence-C layer in a format suitable for transmission over WLAN. On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer can be implemented on the WLAN CU or WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer is implemented as part of the WLAN stack.

[0206] The Convergence-C layer for cellular anchor and WLAN anchor is designed to provide the following common set of functions. Based on the selected Convergence CP protocol option, one or more of these functions may be provided by another layer. Regarding segmentation / aggregation, the transmission of CP packets may be segmented across NR and WLAN accesses. The Convergence CP PDU is aggregated from WLAN and NR accesses at the receiver side. Regarding replication, CP packets are replicated for transmission across NR and WLAN accesses. Duplicate detection is provided at the receiver side. Regarding sequential delivery, sequential delivery of CP packets is provided to upper layers at the receiver side. Regarding encapsulation / decapsulation, the Convergence CP header is added to the CP packets received from the upper layers. The Convergence CP header is removed from the Convergence CP PDU before delivery to the upper layers. Regarding retransmission, any lost CP packets are retransmitted when delivery is switched from one access to another between NR access and WLAN access.

[0207] As described in the options below, RAN convergence between NR and WLAN access for cellular anchor scenarios can be achieved at different layers of CP data.

[0208] Fig.11a A RAN converged CP protocol 1100 for a cellular anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where convergence is performed above the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In this option, the NR convergence-C layer 1130 on the network side 1105 resides below the RRC and above the PDCP layer in the cellular stack 1125 on the cellular CU 1115. The NR convergence-C layer 1140 on the UE side 1110 resides below the RRC and above the PDCP layer on the cellular stack 1127. The RRC layer provides (de)multiplexing for RRC, NAS, and WLAN CP. WLAN CP data can be sent to the RRC layer over the Xz interface and transmitted within an RRC container defined to carry WLAN CP. The RRC container carrying WLAN CP can be predefined to be carried on a given signaling radio bearer (SRB). The NR convergence-C layer 1140 adds the SRB ID and the convergence sequence number (SeqNum) to provide reordering and duplicate detection for split SRBCP packets at the UE side 1110. A single instance of the NR-Convergence-C layer manages all split SRBs.

[0209] The NR Convergence-C layer 1130 generates the Convergence-C PDU, which is sent to the NR PDCP layer and the WLAN CU 1120 over the Xz interface. The WLAN Adaptation-C layer 1135 is shown on the WLAN CU 1120, however, as previously described, it can be implemented on the cellular CU 1115, the WLAN CU 1120, or the WLAN DU 1150. As previously described, on the UE side 1110, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer 1145 is implemented as part of the WLAN stack 1130.

[0210] Fig.11b The Convergence-C PDU format 1155 for the first option is shown. The NR Convergence-C layer adds the NR Convergence-C header to the CP packet, which includes the SeqNum and SRB ID fields. The SRB ID is set to the split SRB ID to which the Convergence-C PDU belongs. The SeqNum is maintained per SRB ID.

[0211] Fig.11c A RAN converged CP protocol 1160 for a cellular anchor scenario according to a second option is shown, where convergence is performed below the PDCP. In this option, the NR convergence-C layer 1130 on the network side 1105 resides just below the PDCP layer on the cellular CU 1115, and the NR convergence-C layer 1140 on the UE side 1110 resides just below the PDCP layer on the cellular stack 1127. This option is similar to LTE WLAN aggregation (LWA) defined by 3GPP. The RRC layer provides (de)multiplexing for RRC, NAS and WLAN CP. WLAN CP data can be sent to the RRC layer over the Xz interface and transmitted within an RRC container defined to carry WLAN CP. The RRC container carrying WLAN CP can be predefined to be carried on a given SRB. A single instance of the NR convergence-C layer manages all split SRBs. The NR convergence-C layer 1130 adds the SRB ID to the CP data. In this case, since the NR Convergence-C layer 1130 resides below the PDCP, the PDCP sequence number is used for reordering / duplicate detection of the split SRB CP packets. Separate PDCP instances may be created to transport different split SRBs (e.g., for SRB1, SRB2, SRB3). The SRB ID is used by the NR Convergence-C layer 1130 to route the received PDU to the appropriate PDCP instance.

[0212] The NR Convergence-C layer 1130 generates a Convergence-C PDU, which is sent to the RLC layer and the WLAN CU 1120 through the Xz interface. Similar to the first option, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer 1135 can be implemented on the cellular CU 1115, the WLAN CU 1120, or the WLAN DU 1150.

[0213] Fig.11d The Convergence-C PDU format 1170 for the second option is shown. The NR Convergence-C layer adds an NR Convergence-C header to the PDCP PDU, which includes an SRB ID field. The SRB ID is set to the split SRB ID to which the Convergence-C PDU belongs.

[0214] As described in the following options, RAN convergence between NR access and WLAN access for WLAN anchor scenarios can be achieved at different layers of CP data.

[0215] Fig.12a A RAN convergence CP protocol 1200 for a WLAN anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where convergence is performed above PDCP. In this option, the WLAN convergence-C layer 1230 on the network side 1205 resides on the WLAN CU 1220 below the TNGF control plane (TNGF-cp) layer, and the WLAN convergence-C layer 1240 on the UE side 1210 resides on the WLAN stack 1225 below the TNGF-cp layer. The NAS cp packets received by the WLAN convergence-C layer 1230 are IPSec packets from the TNGF-cp layer. RRC CP data can be sent to the WLAN CU 1220 over the Xz interface for transmission over WLAN access. The NAS CP and RRC CP at the WLAN CU 1220 (received over Xz) are transmitted over the WLAN convergence-C layer 1230 and can be split over NR and WLAN access, or sent only over WLAN access based on access selection policies / rules.

[0216] A single instance of the WLAN Convergence-C layer 1230 manages all types of CP data (RRC, NAS, and WLAN CP) transmitted over the WLAN CU 1220. The WLAN Convergence-C layer generates Convergence-C PDUs, which are sent to the WLAN DU 1250 and the PDCP layer over the Xz interface. The WLAN Adaptation-C layer 1245 can be implemented on either the WLAN CU 1220 or the WLAN DU 1250. For split CP transmission over NR, a separate PDCP instance is created as part of the pre-configuration performed over the Xz interface. New SRB IDs or existing SRB IDs can be used to transmit split CP data over NR.

[0217] Figure 12b The Convergence-C PDU format 1255 for the first option is shown. WLAN Convergence-C layer adds "CP Payload Type" to provide (de)multiplexing for RRC, NAS and WLAN CP payload types. The SeqNum field is added for in-sequence delivery and duplicate detection of CP packets at the UE side.

[0218] Fig.12c 1260 is shown for a WLAN anchor scenario according to a second option, where aggregation is performed below the PDCP. This option is similar to the first option discussed above, where the key difference is that the output of the WLAN aggregation-C layer 1230 is sent to the RLC layer on the cellular CU 1215. The aggregation-C PDU header information added by the WLAN aggregation-C layer 1230 is the same as the Figure 12b In this option, the WLAN CU 1220 (WLAN Convergence-C Layer 1230 or TNGF-CP Layer) provides security (encryption and integrity protection through IPsec) for the CP data, because PDCP layer security is not used to transport CP packets over the NR link.

[0219] The user plane (UP) of the RAN convergence function can be anchored / terminated at the cellular CU and / or the WLAN CU. One of the two CUs acts as a master node (MN) and the other CU acts as a secondary node (SN) based on the selected CP anchor. If the cellular CU is a CP anchor, it acts as an MN for the UP. If the WLAN CU is a CP anchor, it acts as an MN for the UP. Both the MN CU and the SN CU can have UP connectivity with the 5G core of the bearers terminated at the MN and SN, respectively. The MN and SN CUs can also support split bearers for the UP and perform traffic steering, splitting, aggregation, switching, and replication for UP data.

[0220] The cellular CU may act as an anchor node / master node (MN) and the WLAN CU may act as a secondary node (SN). The cellular CU supports UP split bearer with traffic distribution over NR access and WLAN access. The WLAN CU may also coordinate with the cellular CU to support UP split bearer with traffic distribution over NR and WLAN. Split bearer for UP data may be supported at the Quality of Service (QoS) flow level or at the DRB level based on the selected design option.

[0221] The NR Convergence-U layer is added at the cellular CU to implement the UP traffic distribution function over cellular and WLAN access. The WLAN Adaptation-U layer is added so that the output of the NR Convergence-U layer is in a format suitable for transmission over WLAN. On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer can be implemented on the cellular CU, WLAN CU or WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer can be implemented as part of the WLAN stack or the cellular stack.

[0222] The WLAN CU can be a trusted node and act as an MN, where the cellular CU is the SN. The WLAN CU supports UP split bearer with traffic distribution through WLAN and NR. The cellular CU can also coordinate with the WLAN CU to support UP split bearer with traffic distribution through NR and WLAN. Split bearer for UP data is supported at the QoS flow level. The WLAN CU hosts the TNGF UP function as defined in 3GPP Release 16 and interfaces with the 5G core through the TNGF UP to exchange UP data. Alternatively, the TNGF UP function can also reside outside the WLAN CU, in which case there is an interface between the WLAN CU and the TNGF node to exchange UP data.

[0223] A WLAN Convergence-U layer is added at the WLAN CU to implement the UP traffic distribution function over cellular and WLAN access. A WLAN Adaptation-U layer is added to put the output of the WLAN Convergence-U layer in a format suitable for transmission over WLAN. On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer can be implemented on the WLAN CU or WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer is implemented as a part of the WLAN stack.

[0224] The Convergence-U layer for cellular anchor and WLAN anchor is designed to provide the following general set of functions, which are similar to the functions provided by the Convergence-C layer. Based on the selected Convergence UP protocol option, one or more of these functions may be provided by another layer. Regarding segmentation / aggregation, the transmission of UP packets can be segmented over NR and WLAN access. The Convergence UP PDU is aggregated from WLAN and NR access at the receiver side. Regarding duplication, duplicate UP packets are transmitted over NR and WLAN access. Duplicate detection is provided on the receiver side. Regarding sequential delivery, sequential delivery of UP packets is provided to the upper layers on the receiver side. Regarding encapsulation / decapsulation, the Convergence UP header is added to the UP packets received from the upper layers. The Convergence UP header is removed from the Convergence UP PDU before delivery to the upper layers. Regarding retransmission, any lost UP packets are retransmitted when delivery is switched from one access to another access between NR access and WLAN access.

[0225] As described in the options below, RAN convergence between NR access and WLAN access for cellular anchor scenarios can be achieved at different layers of UP data.

[0226] Fig.13a A RAN convergence UP protocol 1300 for a cellular anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where convergence is performed above the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer. In this option, the NR convergence-U layer 1330 on the network side 1305 resides above the SDAP layer on the cellular CU 1315, and the NR convergence-U layer 1340 on the UE side 1310 resides above the SDAP layer on the cellular stack 1337. The NR convergence-U layer 1330 provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for QoS flows received from the 5G core. A single instance of the convergence-U layer 1330 manages traffic distribution over NR and / or WLAN access across all split PDU sessions / QoS flows. The NR convergence-U layer 1330 generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the SDAP layer and WLAN CU 1320 over the Xz interface. The WLAN Adaptation-U layer 1335 is shown on the WLAN CU 1320, however, as previously described, it may be implemented on the cellular CU 1315, the WLAN CU 1320, or the WLAN DU 1350. As previously described, on the UE side 1310, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer 1335 is implemented as part of the WLAN stack 1333.

[0227] Fig.13b The Convergence-U PDU format 1355 for the first option according to the first embodiment is shown. The NR Convergence-U layer adds the NR Convergence-U header to the data PDU, which can be an IP PDU, Ethernet PDU, or unstructured PDU. The NR Convergence-U header includes a PDU Session ID, a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field. The SeqNum field is maintained as a (PDU Session ID, QFI) tuple and is used for reordering and duplicate detection of split UP packets received over NR and WLAN accesses.

[0228] Fig.13cThe Convergence-U PDU format 1360 for the first option according to the second embodiment is shown. As shown, for IP PDUs received from the 5G Core, an alternative approach is to add the convergence-related control information as a tracker to the IP PDU (NR Convergence-U Tracker). This reduces the overhead added by transmitting the IP PDU over WLAN because no outer IP encapsulation is required to transmit the PDU over WLAN in this case. In the IP header, the IP protocol type is updated to the value "114" ("Any 0-hop protocol"). The Next Header field [RFC 8200] is added to indicate the IP protocol type of the original IP PDU. For all PDU types, the other fields are the same as described above in Fig.13b The fields in the NR Aggregation-U Header Format 1355 described in .

[0229] Fig.13d An Aggregate-U PDU format 1365 for the first option according to the third embodiment is shown. As shown, for Ethernet PDUs received from the 5G core, an alternative approach is to define a new Ethernet type (for NWRC) to carry the Aggregate-U header within the Ethernet frame. This approach also reduces the overhead added by transmitting Ethernet PDUs over WLAN, because no external encapsulation is required to transmit the PDU over WLAN in this case. The set of header fields of the Aggregate-U header is the same as described above for the 5G core. Fig.13b Same as those described. In this embodiment, Wi-Fi network components and Wi-Fi devices must support the newly defined Ethernet types.

[0230] Fig.13e A RAN convergence UP protocol 1370 for a cellular anchor scenario according to a second option is shown, where convergence is performed above the PDCP layer. In this option, the NR convergence-U layer 1330 on the network side 1305 resides below the SDAP and above the PDCP layer on the cellular CU 1315, and the NR convergence-U layer 1340 on the UE side 1310 resides below the SDAP and below the PDCP layer on the cellular stack 1325. The NR convergence-U layer 1330 provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for QoS flows or DRBs. A single instance of the convergence-U layer 1330 manages traffic distribution over NR and / or WLAN access across all split PDU sessions / QoS flows or DRBs. The NR convergence-U layer 1330 generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the PDCP layer and WLAN CU 1320 over the Xz interface. Similar to the first option, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer 1335 may be implemented on the cellular CU 1315 , the WLAN CU 1320 , or the WLAN DU 1350 .

[0231] Fig.13fThe Convergence-U PDU format 1375 for the second option according to the first embodiment is shown. The NR Convergence-U layer adds the NR Convergence-U header to the SDAP PDU. The NR Convergence-U header includes a PDU Session ID, a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field. The SeqNum field is maintained as a (PDU Session ID, QFI) tuple and is used for reordering and duplicate detection of split UP packets received over NR and WLAN accesses.

[0232] Figure 13g The Convergence-U PDU format 1380 for the second option according to the second embodiment is shown. According to this alternative method, the DRB ID is added to the header instead of the PDU session ID and QFI. The NR Convergence-U layer maintains the DRB ID to SDAP instance mapping to enable the UP packets to be routed to the correct SDAP instance at the UE side.

[0233] Fig.13h A RAN convergence UP protocol 1385 for a cellular anchor scenario according to a third option is shown, where convergence is performed below the PDCP layer. In this option, the NR convergence-U layer 1330 on the network side 1305 resides below the PDCP layer on the cellular CU 1315, and the NR convergence-U layer 1340 on the UE side 1310 resides below the PDCP on the cellular stack 1325. The NR convergence-U layer 1330 provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for QoS flows or DRBs. A single instance of the convergence-U layer 1330 manages traffic distribution through NR and / or WLAN access in all segmented DRBs. This option is similar to LTE WLAN aggregation (LWA) defined by 3GPP. The NR convergence-U layer 1330 generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the RLC layer and the WLAN CU 1320 via the Xz interface. Similar to the first and second options mentioned above, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer 1335 may be implemented on the cellular CU 1315 , the WLAN CU 1320 , or the WLAN DU 1350 .

[0234] Fig.13i The Convergence-U PDU format 1390 for the third option is shown. The NR Convergence-U layer adds the NR Convergence-U header to the PDCP PDU. The NR Convergence-U header includes the DRB ID of the associated split data bearer. The PDCP SeqNum provides reordering and duplicate detection of the split data on the UE side, so a separate SeqNum is not required in the NR Convergence-U header.

[0235] As described in the options below, RAN convergence between NR access for WLAN anchor case and WLAN access can be achieved at different layers for UP data.

[0236] Fig.14a A RAN convergence UP protocol 1400 for a WLAN anchor scenario according to a first option is shown, where convergence is performed above the SDAP layer. In this option, the WLAN convergence-U layer 1430 on the network side 1405 resides on the WLAN CU 1420 below the TNGF user plane (TNGF-up) layer. QoS flows can be split over WLAN and NR via the WLAN convergence-U layer 1430. A single instance of the WLAN convergence-U layer 1430 manages all split QoS flows. The WLAN convergence-U layer 1430 generates a convergence-UPDU, which is sent to the WLAN DU 1450 and the SDAP layer over the Xz interface. The WLAN adaptation-U layer 1435 can be implemented on the WLAN CU 1420 or the WLAN DU 1450. For the transmission of split QoS flows over NR, a separate SDAP / PDCP instance is created / allocated on the cellular CU 1415 during the pre-configuration performed over Xz, where the DRB ID is used for the split bearer. The same DRB may be used to transmit multiple split bearers received from the WLAN CU 1420 .

[0237] Fig.14b The Convergence-U PDU format 1455 for the first option according to the first embodiment is shown. The WLAN Convergence-U layer adds the WLAN Convergence-U header to the data PDU, which includes the PDU Session ID, QFI and SeqNum fields. The WLAN Convergence-U layer extracts the PDU Session ID and QFI fields from the ESP and GRE headers, respectively, received in the IP packet from the TNGF layer. The SeqNum field is maintained as a (PDU Session ID, QFI) tuple and is used for reordering and duplicate detection of split UP packets received over NR and WLAN access.

[0238] Fig.14c The Convergence-U PDU format 1460 for the first option according to the second embodiment is shown. According to this alternative approach, the convergence-related control information is added as a tracker to the IP PDU received from the TNGF-up layer. This reduces the overhead added by transmitting the IP PDU over WLAN because no outer IP encapsulation is required to transmit the PDU over WLAN in this case. In the IP header, the IP protocol type is updated to the value "114" ("Any 0-hop protocol"). The Next Header field [RFC 8200] is added to indicate the IP protocol type of the original IP PDU. The other fields are the same as Fig.14b The fields are the same as those described for the header format in .

[0239] Fig.14dThe RAN Convergence UP protocol 1465 for the WLAN anchor scenario according to the second option is shown, where the convergence is performed above the PDCP layer. In this option, the main difference with respect to the first option is that the output of the WLAN Convergence-U layer 1430 is sent to the PDCP layer on the cellular CU 1415, rather than the SDAP layer. The second option has the same Convergence-UPDU format as the first option.

[0240] method

[0241] Figure 1 to Figure 1 The electronic device, network, system, chip or component of 4 or a part or specific implementation thereof may be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques or methods described herein or a part thereof.

[0242] Fig.15 A method 1500 for a gNB to transmit a data packet to a user equipment (UE) using a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function according to a first embodiment is shown, wherein the NR node is an anchor node. In 1505, the gNB receives a data packet for transmission to the UE. As described above, the data packet may include either a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet, wherein the aggregation configuration is specific to the type of data packet.

[0243] In 1510, the gNB splits the data packet via the convergence layer residing on the NR central unit (CU) of the gNB architecture. In this implementation, the NR acts as a master / anchor node and the WLAN acts as a secondary node. In 1515, the gNB transmits the split data packet via the NR access and the WLAN access.

[0244] The above operation can also be performed in a baseband circuit (for example, Figure 4 Baseband circuit 410) shown in FIG. Figure 5 The hardware resources 500 are shown as being executed.

[0245] Fig.16 A method 1600 for a gNB to transmit a data packet to a user equipment (UE) using a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function according to a second embodiment is shown, wherein the WLAN node is an anchor node. In 1605, the gNB receives a data packet for transmission to the UE. As described above, the data packet may include either a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet, wherein the aggregation configuration is specific to the type of data packet.

[0246] In 1610, the gNB splits the data packet via the convergence layer residing on the WLAN central unit (CU) of the gNB architecture. In this implementation, the WLAN acts as the master / anchor node and the NR acts as the secondary node. In 1615, the gNB transmits the split data packet via the NR access and the WLAN access.

[0247] The above operation can also be performed in a baseband circuit (for example, Figure 4 Baseband circuit 410) shown in FIG. Figure 5 The hardware resources 500 are shown as being executed.

[0248] Example

[0249] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following examples. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the example section below.

[0250] Embodiment 1 may include a mechanism, which for a cellular CU is defined as a CP anchor or master node for a given UE (cellular anchor case) in a converged RAN integrating NR and Wi-Fi, including one or more of the following: in this case, the WLAN CU is a secondary node (SN); the cellular CU is responsible for secondary node / WLAN CU addition, modification and release; an NR convergence-C layer is added at the cellular CU to achieve traffic steering, splitting / aggregation, switching, replication of CP data through NR and WLAN access; WLAN CP data can be transmitted to the cellular CU through the Xz interface for delivery through NR access; NR CP data (NAS or RRC CP) and WLAN CP data (received through Xz) can be split, switched or replicated through NR and / or WLAN access via the NR convergence-C layer based on access selection policies / rules; the cellular CU transmits CP data to the WLAN CU through the Xz interface.

[0251] Embodiment 2 may include a mechanism, which for a WLAN CU is defined as a CP anchor or master node for a given UE (WLAN anchor case) in a converged RAN integrating NR and Wi-Fi, including one or more of the following: in this case, the cellular CU is a secondary node (SN); the WLAN CU is responsible for secondary node / cellular CU addition, modification and release; a WLAN convergence-C layer is added at the WLAN CU to implement traffic steering, segmentation / aggregation, switching, replication of CP data through NR and WLAN access; the WLAN CU is considered to be trusted and hosts the TNGF CP function as defined in 3GPP Release 16, and is handed over to the 5G core through the TNGF CP to exchange NAS CP data; alternatively, the TNGF CP function may also reside outside the WLAN CU, in which case there is an interface between the WLAN CU and the TNGF node to exchange NAS CP; RRC CP data may be transmitted to the WLAN CU through the Xz interface for delivery through WLAN access; based on access selection policies / rules, NAS CP, RRC CP (received through Xz) and WLAN The CP can be split, switched or replicated through the WLAN and / or NR access links via the WLAN aggregation-C layer; the WLAN CU transmits the CP data to the cellular CU via the Xz interface.

[0252] Embodiment 3 may include an NR Convergence-C layer or a WLAN Convergence-C layer, which is defined as providing one or more of the following functions on an anchor node / master node: Segmentation / aggregation: Split the transmission of CP packets over NR and WLAN. Aggregate the aggregated CP PDUs from WLAN access and NR access at the receiver side; Replication: Replicate CP packets over NR access and WLAN access. Provide duplicate detection at the receiver side; Sequential delivery: Provide sequential delivery of CP packets to upper layers at the receiver side; Encapsulation / decapsulation: Add an aggregated CP header to the CP packets received from the upper layer. Remove the aggregated CP header from the aggregated-C PDU before delivery to the upper layer; Retransmission: Retransmit any lost CP packets when handing over delivery from one access to another between NR access and WLAN access.

[0253] Embodiment 4 may include a WLAN Adaptation-C layer, which is defined to adapt the output of the NR Convergence-C layer or the WLAN Convergence-C layer to a format suitable for transmission over WLAN. For example: For cellular anchor: On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer may be implemented on a cellular CU, a WLAN CU, or a WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer may be implemented as part of a WLAN stack or a cellular stack. For WLAN anchor: On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer may be implemented on a WLAN CU or a WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-C layer is implemented as part of a WLAN stack.

[0254] Embodiment 5 may include a converged control plane protocol defined for an NR converged-C layer (for cellular anchor case) that may reside above or below PDCP to achieve CP data distribution over NR access and WLAN access. The converged control plane protocol may include one or more of the following features: The RRC layer provides (de)multiplexing for RRC, NAS, and WLAN control plane data. WLAN CP data may be sent to the RRC layer over an Xz interface and transmitted within an RRC container defined to carry WLAN CP. The RRC container carrying WLAN CP may be predefined to be carried on a given SRB. A single instance of the NR-convergence-C layer manages all split SRBs. The NR convergence-C layer generates a converged-C PDU, which is sent to the NR PDCP layer and WLAN CU over the Xz interface. For the converged control plane protocol option above PDCP: The NR convergence-C layer resides below the RRC and above the PDCP layer on the cellular CU. The NR convergence-C layer generates a converged-C PDU, which is sent to the NR PDCP layer and WLAN CU over the Xz interface. The NR Convergence-C layer adds an NR Convergence-C header to the CP packet, which includes the Convergence SeqNum and SRB ID fields. The SRB ID is set to the split SRB ID to which the Convergence-C PDU belongs. SeqNum is maintained per SRB ID. The SeqNum field is used for sequential delivery and duplicate detection of CP packets received over NR and WLAN at the receiver side. For Convergence Control Plane Protocol Option Below PDCP: The NR Convergence-C layer resides just below the PDCP layer on the cellular CU. The NR Convergence-C layer generates the Convergence-C PDU, which is sent to the RLC layer and WLAN CU over the Xz interface. The NR Convergence-C layer adds the NR Convergence-C header to the PDCP PDU, which includes the SRB ID field. The SRB ID is set to the split SRB ID to which the Convergence-C PDU belongs.

[0255] Embodiment 6 may include a converged control plane protocol defined for a WLAN convergence-C layer (for WLAN anchor cases), which may reside above or below the PDCP to achieve CP data distribution over WLAN and NR access. The converged control plane protocol may include one or more of the following features: The WLAN convergence-C layer resides on the WLAN CU below the TNGF control plane (TNGF-cp) layer. RRC CP data may be sent to the WLAN CU over the Xz interface for transmission over WLAN access. The NAS CP and RRC CP (received over Xz) at the WLAN CU are transmitted over the WLAN convergence-C layer and may be split / copied over NR and WLAN access, or sent over WLAN access only based on access selection policies / rules. A single instance of the WLAN convergence-C layer manages all types of CP data (RRC, NAS, and WLAN CP) transmitted over the WLAN CU. The WLAN convergence-C layer generates a converged-C PDU, which is sent to the WLAN DU and cellular CU over the Xz interface. The WLAN Convergence-C layer adds the WLAN Convergence-C header to the CP packet, which includes a "CP Payload Type" field to provide (de)multiplexing for RRC, NAS and WLAN CP payload types, and a SeqNum field for in-sequence delivery and duplicate detection of CP packets received over NR and WLAN. For PDCP upper convergence control plane protocol option: WLAN Convergence-C PDU is sent to the PDCP layer over the Xz interface. For split CP transmission over NR, a separate PDCP instance is created as part of the pre-configuration done over the Xz interface. New SRB IDs or existing SRB IDs can be used to transmit split CP data over NR. For PDCP lower convergence control plane protocol option: WLAN Convergence-CPDU is sent to the RLC layer over the Xz interface. WLAN CU (WLAN Convergence-C layer or TNGF-cp layer) provides security (encryption and integrity protection through IPsec) for CP data transmitted over NR.

[0256] Embodiment 7 may include a mechanism defined as terminating the user plane at a cellular CU or a WLAN CU in a converged RAN integrating NR and Wi-Fi. For example, the mechanism may include one or more of the following features: both the primary node CU (control plane anchor) and the secondary node CU may have UP connectivity with the 5G core for MN bearers and SN bearers, respectively. If the cellular CU anchor is a CP anchor, it acts as the MN of the UP. In this case, the WLAN CU acts as the SN of the UP. If the WLAN CU is a CP anchor, it acts as the MN of the UP. In this case, the cellular CU acts as the SN of the UP. Cellular anchor case (CP anchored on the cellular CU): the cellular CU acts as the MN of the UP, and the WLAN CU acts as the SN of the UP. The cellular CU supports UP split bearers with traffic distribution through NR access and WLAN access. The WLAN CU transmits UP data through WLAN access (SN bearer). The WLAN CU can also coordinate with the cellular CU (MN) to support UP split bearers with traffic distribution through both NR access and WLAN access. The split bearer of UP data can be supported at the QoS flow level or the data radio bearer (DRB) level based on the selected design options. An NR convergence-U layer is added at the cellular CU to implement UP traffic distribution functionality through NR access and WLAN access. WLAN anchor case (CP anchored to WLAN CU): WLAN CU acts as the MN of UP, and cellular CU acts as the SN of UP. WLAN CU supports UP split bearer with traffic distribution through WLAN access and NR access. The WLAN CU hosts the TNGF UP function as defined in 3GPP Release 16, and it is handed over to the 5G core through the TNGF UP to exchange UP data. Alternatively, the TNGF UP function can also reside outside the WLAN CU, in which case there is an interface between the WLAN CU and the TNGF node to exchange UP data. The cellular CU transmits UP data through NR access (SN bearer). The cellular CU can also coordinate with the WLAN CU (MN) to support UP split bearer with traffic distribution through NR access and WLAN access. The split bearer for UP data is supported at the QoS flow level. A WLAN convergence-U layer is added at the WLAN CU to implement UP traffic distribution functionality through cellular access and WLAN access.

[0257] Embodiment 8 may include an NR aggregation-U layer or a WLAN aggregation-U layer, which is defined to provide one or more of the following functions: Segmentation / aggregation: Segment the transmission of UP packets over NR and WLAN access. Aggregate UP PDUs from WLAN access and NR access at the receiver side. Replication: Replicate UP packets over NR access and WLAN access. Provide duplicate detection at the receiver side. In-sequence delivery: Provide in-sequence delivery of UP packets to upper layers at the receiver side. Encapsulation / decapsulation: Add an aggregated UP header to the UP packets received from the upper layer. Remove the aggregated UP header from the aggregated UP PDU before delivery to the upper layer. Retransmission: Retransmit any lost packets when delivering from one access to another access between NR access and WLAN access.

[0258] Embodiment 9 may include a WLAN Adaptation-U layer, which is defined to make the output of the NR Convergence-U layer or the WLAN Convergence-U layer adopt a format suitable for transmission over WLAN. For example: For cellular anchor: On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer can be implemented on a cellular CU, a WLAN CU, or a WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer can be implemented as part of a WLAN stack or a cellular stack. For WLAN anchor: On the network side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer can be implemented on a WLAN CU or a WLAN DU. On the UE side, the WLAN Adaptation-U layer is implemented as part of a WLAN stack.

[0259] Embodiment 10 may include an SDAP-over-convergence protocol defined for the NR convergence-U layer (for cellular anchor situations) to enable distribution of UP data traffic through NR and WLAN access. The SDAP-over-convergence protocol may include one or more of the following features: The NR convergence-U layer resides above the SDAP layer on the cellular CU and provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for QoS flows received from the 5G core. A single instance of the NR convergence-U layer manages traffic distribution through NR and / or WLAN access for all PDU sessions / QoS flows. The NR convergence-U layer generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the SDAP layer and WLAN CU via the Xz interface. The NR convergence-U layer adds the NR convergence-U header to the UP data PDU (IP PDU, Ethernet PDU, or unstructured PDU), which includes a PDU session ID, a QoS flow identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field. The SeqNum field is maintained in a (PDU session ID, QFI) tuple. The SeqNum field is used for sequential delivery and duplicate detection of UP packets received over NR and WLAN at the receiver side. Alternatively, for IP data PDUs, aggregation-related control information can be added to the IP PDU as a tracker. The NR Aggregation-U tracker includes the PDU Session ID, QoS Flow Identifier (QFI), SeqNum, and Next Header fields [RFC 8200]. In the IP header of the original IP data PDU, the IP protocol type is updated to the value "114" ("Any 0-hop protocol"). Alternatively, for Ethernet PDUs, a new Ethernet type (for NWRC) can be defined to carry the Aggregation-U header within the Ethernet frame. The Aggregation-U header includes the PDU Session ID, QoS Flow Identifier (QFI), and SeqNum fields.

[0260] Embodiment 11 may include a PDCP top convergence protocol, which is defined for the NR convergence-U layer (for cellular anchor cases) to achieve distribution of UP data traffic through NR access and WLAN access. The PDCP top convergence protocol may include one or more of the following features: The NR convergence-U layer resides below the SDAP and above the PDCP layer on the cellular CU, and provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for QoS flows or DRBs. A single instance of the NR convergence-U layer manages traffic distribution through NR and / or WLAN access for all PDU sessions / QoS flows or DRBs. The NR convergence-U layer generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the PDCP layer and WLAN CU via the Xz interface. The NR convergence-U layer adds the NR convergence-U header to the SDAP PDU, which includes a PDU session ID, a QoS flow identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field. The SeqNum field is maintained in a (PDU session ID, QFI) tuple. The SeqNum field is used for sequential delivery and duplicate detection of UP packets received through NR and WLAN on the receiver side. Alternatively, the NR Convergence-U header may include the DRB ID and SeqNUm fields. In this case, the NR Convergence-U layer maintains the DRB ID to SDAP mapping to enable the UP packets to be routed to the correct SDAP instance at the receiver side.

[0261] Embodiment 12 may include a PDCP below convergence protocol for the NR convergence-U layer (for cellular anchor case) to enable distribution of UP data traffic through NR access and WLAN access. The PDCP below convergence protocol may include one or more of the following features: The NR convergence-U layer resides below the PDCP layer on the cellular CU and provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for DRBs. A single instance of the NR convergence-U layer manages traffic distribution through NR and / or WLAN access across all DRBs. The NR convergence-U layer generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the RLC layer and WLAN CU over the Xz interface. The NR convergence-U layer adds a NR convergence-U header to the PDCP PDU, which includes the DRBID of the associated segmented data bearer.

[0262] Embodiment 13 may include a convergence protocol for the WLAN convergence-U layer (for WLAN anchor cases), which may reside above SDAP or PDCP to achieve distribution of UP data traffic through WLAN access and NR access. The convergence protocol may include one or more of the following features: The WLAN convergence-U layer resides on the WLAN CU below the TNGF user plane (TNGF-up) layer and provides traffic steering, segmentation, aggregation, switching, and replication for QoS flows. A single instance of the WLAN convergence-U layer manages all segmented QoS flows. The WLAN convergence-U layer generates a convergence-U PDU, which is sent to the WLAN DU and cellular CU via the Xz interface. The WLAN convergence-U layer adds a WLAN convergence-U header to the data PDU, which includes a PDU session ID, QFI, and SeqNum fields. The WLAN convergence-U layer extracts the PDU session ID and QFI fields from the ESP and GRE headers, respectively. The SeqNum field is maintained as a (PDU session ID, QFI) tuple. The SeqNum field is used for sequential delivery and duplicate detection of UP packets received over NR and WLAN at the receiver side. Alternatively, convergence-related control information can be added as a tracker to the IP PDU received from the TNGF-up layer. The WLAN convergence-U tracker includes the PDU session ID, QoS flow identifier (QFI), SeqNum, and next header fields [RFC 8200]. In the IP header of the original IP PDU from the TNGF-up, the IP protocol type is updated to the value "114" ("Any 0-hop protocol"). For SDAP above convergence protocol for UP: WLAN convergence-U PDU is sent to the SDAP layer via the Xz interface. For split UP transmission over NR, separate SDAP and PDCP instances are created / allocated as part of the pre-configuration done over Xz. The same DRB can be used to transmit multiple UP split bearers received from the WLAN CU. For PDCP above convergence protocol for UP: WLAN convergence-U PDU is sent to the PDCP layer via the Xz interface. For split CP transmission over NR, separate PDCP instances are created / allocated as part of the pre-configuration done over Xz. The same DRB may be used to transmit multiple UP split bearers received from the WLAN CU.

[0263] Embodiment 14 includes a method comprising: at a gNB implementing a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function for new radio (NR) access and wireless local area network (WLAN) access, the gNB further implementing a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of the NR access and the WLAN access: receiving a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN aggregation function, the data packet including either a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet; splitting the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the NR CU; and transmitting the split data packet through the NR access and the WLAN access.

[0264] Embodiment 15 includes the method according to embodiment 14, wherein the data packet is a CP packet and the convergence layer is a NR convergence-C layer.

[0265] Embodiment 16 includes a method according to embodiment 15, wherein the NR Convergence-C layer resides below the radio resource control (RRC) layer and above the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, and the NR Convergence-C layer generates a Convergence-C protocol data unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR PDCP and the WLAN CU.

[0266] Embodiment 17 includes the method of embodiment 16, wherein the NR Convergence-C layer adds an NR Convergence-C header to the CP packet, the NR Convergence-C header including a SeqNum field and a signaling radio bearer (SRB) ID field.

[0267] Embodiment 18 includes a method according to embodiment 15, wherein the NR Convergence-C layer resides below the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, and the NR Convergence-C layer generates Convergence-C Protocol Data Units (PDUs) for transmission to the NR Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the WLAN CU.

[0268] Embodiment 19 includes the method of embodiment 18, wherein the NR Convergence-C layer adds an NR Convergence-C header to the PDCP PDU, the NR Convergence-C header including a signaling radio bearer (SRB) ID field.

[0269] Embodiment 20 includes the method according to embodiment 15, wherein the gNB further implements a WLAN adaptation-C layer to make the output from the NR convergence-C layer adopt a format suitable for transmission over WLAN.

[0270] Embodiment 21 includes the method according to embodiment 22, wherein the WLAN adaptation C layer is implemented on the NRCU, the WLAN CU or the WLAN DU.

[0271] Embodiment 22 includes the method according to embodiment 14, wherein the data packet is a UP packet and the convergence layer is a NR convergence-U layer.

[0272] Embodiment 23 includes a method according to embodiment 23, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer resides above the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer on the NR CU, and the NR Convergence-U layer generates a Convergence-U Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR SDAP layer and the WLAN CU.

[0273] Embodiment 24 includes a method according to embodiment 23, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the UP packet, the NR Convergence-U header including a PDU Session ID, a Quality of Service (QoS) Flow Identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field.

[0274] Embodiment 25 includes a method according to embodiment 23, wherein the NR convergence-U layer adds convergence-related control information as a tracker to an Internet Protocol (IP) PDU received from the core network.

[0275] Embodiment 26 includes the method according to embodiment 23, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer defines an Ethernet type to carry the Convergence-U header within the Ethernet frame for Ethernet PDU.

[0276] Embodiment 27 includes a method according to embodiment 22, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer resides below the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer and above the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, and the NR Convergence-U layer generates a Convergence-U Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR PDCP layer and the WLAN CU.

[0277] Embodiment 28 includes a method according to embodiment 27, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the SDAP PDU, and the NR Convergence-C header includes a PDU session ID, a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field.

[0278] Embodiment 29 includes the method according to embodiment 27, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the SDAP PDU, and the NR Convergence-C header includes a data radio bearer (DRB) ID to SDAP instance mapping.

[0279] Embodiment 30 includes a method according to embodiment 22, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer resides below the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, and the NR Convergence-U layer generates Convergence-U Protocol Data Units (PDUs) for transmission to the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the WLAN CU.

[0280] Embodiment 31 includes the method of embodiment 30, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the PDCP PDU, the NR Convergence-U header including a data radio bearer (DRB) ID of the associated split DRB.

[0281] Embodiment 32 includes the method according to embodiment 22, wherein the gNB further implements a WLAN adaptation-U layer to make the output from the NR convergence-U layer adopt a format suitable for transmission over WLAN.

[0282] Embodiment 33 includes the method according to embodiment 32, wherein the WLAN adaptation-U layer is implemented on the NR CU, the WLAN CU or the WLAN DU.

[0283] Embodiment 34 includes a method comprising: at a gNB implementing a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function for new radio (NR) access and wireless local area network (WLAN) access, the gNB further implementing a split architecture including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for each of the NR access and the WLAN access: receiving a data packet for transmission to a user equipment (UE) implementing the RAN aggregation function, the data packet including either a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet; splitting the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the WLAN CU; and transmitting the split data packet through the NR access and the WLAN access.

[0284] Embodiment 35 includes the method of embodiment 34, wherein the data packet is a CP packet and the convergence layer is a WLAN convergence-C layer.

[0285] Embodiment 36 includes a method according to embodiment 35, wherein the WLAN Convergence-C layer resides below the (TNGF) control plane layer on the WLAN CU, and the WLAN Convergence-C layer generates a Convergence-C protocol data unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and the WLAN DU.

[0286] Embodiment 37 includes the method of embodiment 36, wherein the WLAN Convergence-C layer adds a WLAN Convergence-C header to the CP packet, the WLAN Convergence-C header including a CP payload type and a SeqNum field.

[0287] Embodiment 38 includes a method according to embodiment 35, wherein the WLAN Convergence-C layer resides below the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the WLAN CU, and the WLAN Convergence-C layer generates Convergence-C Protocol Data Units (PDUs) for transmission to the NR Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the WLAN DU.

[0288] Embodiment 39 includes the method of embodiment 38, wherein the NR Convergence-C layer adds an NR Convergence-C header to the PDCP PDU, the NR Convergence-C header including a signaling radio bearer (SRB) ID field.

[0289] Embodiment 40 includes the method of embodiment 35, wherein the gNB further implements a WLAN Adaptation-C layer to cause the output from the WLAN Convergence-C layer to be in a format suitable for transmission over the WLAN.

[0290] Embodiment 41 includes the method according to embodiment 40, wherein the WLAN adaptation C layer is implemented on the WLAN CU or the WLAN DU.

[0291] Embodiment 42 includes the method of embodiment 34, wherein the data packet is a UP packet and the aggregation layer is a WLAN aggregation-U layer.

[0292] Embodiment 43 includes a method according to embodiment 42, wherein the WLAN aggregation-U layer resides below a trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF) user plane layer on the WLAN CU, and the WLAN aggregation-U layer generates an aggregation-U protocol data unit (PDU) for transmission to an NR service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer and a WLAN DU.

[0293] Embodiment 44 includes the method of embodiment 43, wherein the WLAN Aggregation-U layer adds a WLAN Aggregation-U header to the UP packet, the WLAN Aggregation-U header including PDU Session ID, QFI, and SeqNum fields.

[0294] Embodiment 45 includes the method of embodiment 43, wherein the WLAN Convergence-U layer adds the convergence related control information as a tracker to an Internet Protocol (IP) PDU received from the TNGF User Plane Layer.

[0295] Embodiment 46 includes a method according to embodiment 42, wherein the WLAN convergence-U layer resides above a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer on the WLAN CU, and the WLAN convergence-U layer generates a convergence-U protocol data unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR PDCP layer and the WLAN DU.

[0296] Embodiment 47 includes the method of embodiment 42, wherein the gNB further implements a WLAN Adaptation-U layer to cause the output from the WLAN Convergence-U layer to be in a format suitable for transmission over the WLAN.

[0297] Embodiment 48 includes the method of embodiment 47, wherein the WLAN Adaptation-U layer is implemented on the WLAN CU or the WLAN DU.

[0298] Embodiment 49 includes a method comprising: at a user equipment (UE) implementing a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function for new radio (NR) and wireless local area network (WLAN) access: receiving a first part of a data packet from a next generation node B (gNB) implementing the RAN aggregation function via the NR access, the data packet including one of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet; receiving a second part of the data packet implemented via the WLAN access from the gNB; and combining the first part and the second part of the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the NR access stack.

[0299] Embodiment 50 includes a method comprising: at a user equipment (UE) implementing a radio access network (RAN) aggregation function for new radio (NR) and wireless local area network (WLAN) access: receiving a first part of a data packet from a next generation node B (gNB) implementing the RAN aggregation function via the NR access, the data packet including one of a control plane (CP) packet or a user plane (UP) packet; receiving a second part of the data packet implemented via the WLAN access from the gNB; and combining the first part and the second part of the data packet via a convergence layer residing on the WLAN access stack.

[0300] Embodiment 51 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method as described or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 50, or any other method or process described herein.

[0301] Embodiment 52 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 50 or any other method or process described herein.

[0302] Embodiment 53 may include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of a method as described or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 50, or any other method or process described herein.

[0303] Embodiment 54 may include a method, technique or process as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 50, or a portion or component thereof.

[0304] Embodiment 55 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, process, or portion thereof described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 50.

[0305] Embodiment 56 may include a signal as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 50, or a portion or component thereof.

[0306] Embodiment 57 may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU) or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or associated with any of Embodiments 1 to 50, or as otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0307] Embodiment 58 may include a signal encoded with data as described or associated with any one of Embodiments 1 to 50, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0308] Embodiment 59 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU) or message as described or associated with any of Embodiments 1 to 50, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0309] Embodiment 60 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 50.

[0310] Embodiment 61 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 50.

[0311] Embodiment 62 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0312] Embodiment 63 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0313] Embodiment 64 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0314] Embodiment 65 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0315] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or may be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0316] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0317] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At a base station implementing a radio access network RAN ​​aggregation function for a new radio interface NR access and a wireless local area network WLAN access, the base station further implements a split architecture including a central unit CU and a distributed unit DU for each of the NR access and the WLAN access: receiving a data packet for transmission to a user equipment UE implementing the RAN convergence function, the data packet comprising one of a control plane CP packet or a user plane UP packet, wherein when the data packet is the CP packet and the convergence layer residing on the NR CU is the NR convergence-C layer, the method further comprises: When the NR Convergence-C layer resides below a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and above a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, the NR Convergence-C layer generates a Convergence-C Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR PDCP and the WLAN CU; and adding, by the NR Convergence-C layer, an NR Convergence-C header to the CP packet, the NR Convergence-C header comprising a SeqNum field and a signaling radio bearer SRBID field; When the data packet is the UP packet and the convergence layer is the NR convergence-U layer, the method further includes: When the NR Convergence-U layer resides above a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer on the NR CU, the NR Convergence-U layer generates a Convergence-U Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR SDAP layer and the WLAN CU; and The NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the UP packet, the NR Convergence-U header including a PDU session ID, a quality of service QoS flow identifier QFI, and a SeqNum field; splitting the data packets via the convergence layer residing on the NR CU; and The segmented data packets are transmitted through the NR access and the WLAN access.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the NR Convergence-C layer resides below a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, the NR Convergence-C layer generates a Convergence-C Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to an NR Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the WLAN CU.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the NR Convergence-C layer adds an NR Convergence-C header to the PDCP PDU, the NR Convergence-C header including a signaling radio bearer SRBID field.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base station further implements a WLAN Adaptation-C layer to cause the output from the NR Convergence-C layer to be in a format suitable for transmission over WLAN.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the WLAN Adaptation-C layer is implemented on the NRCU, the WLAN CU, or the WLAN DU.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds convergence-related control information as a tracker to an Internet Protocol (IP) PDU received from a core network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer defines an Ethernet type to carry a Convergence-U header within an Ethernet frame for Ethernet PDUs.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the NR Convergence-U layer resides below a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer and above a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, the NR Convergence-U layer generates a Convergence-U Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR PDCP layer and the WLAN CU.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the SDAP PDU, the NR Convergence-U header comprising a PDU Session ID, a Quality of Service (QoS) flow identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the SDAPPDU, the NR Convergence-U header including a mapping of a data radio bearer DRB ID to a SDAP instance.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NR Convergence-U layer resides below a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NRCU, and the NR Convergence-U layer generates a Convergence-U Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the WLAN CU.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the NR Convergence-U layer adds an NR Convergence-U header to the PDCP PDU, the NR Convergence-U header including a data radio bearer DRB ID of an associated split DRB.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station further implements a WLAN Adaptation-U layer to format the output from the NR Convergence-U layer suitable for transmission over WLAN, wherein the WLAN Adaptation-U layer is implemented on the NR CU, the WLAN CU, or the WLAN DU.

14. A base station, comprising: One or more processors configured to implement a radio access network RAN ​​convergence function for a new radio interface NR access and a wireless local area network WLAN access, and implement a split architecture including a central unit CU and a distributed unit DU for each of the NR access and the WLAN access, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, receiving a data packet for transmission to a user equipment UE implementing the RAN convergence function, the data packet comprising one of a control plane CP packet or a user plane UP packet, wherein when the data packet is the CP packet and the convergence layer residing on the NR CU is the NR convergence-C layer, the one or more processors are configured to: When the NR Convergence-C layer resides below a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and above a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer on the NR CU, generating a Convergence-C Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR PDCP and the WLAN CU via the NR Convergence-C layer; and adding, via the NR Convergence-C layer, an NR Convergence-C header to the CP packet, the NR Convergence-C header comprising a SeqNum field and a signaling radio bearer SRB ID field; When the data packet is the UP packet and the convergence layer is the NR convergence-U layer, the one or more processors are configured to: When the NR Convergence-U layer resides above a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer on the NR CU, generating, via the NR Convergence-U layer, a Convergence-U Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the NR SDAP layer and the WLAN CU; as well as adding, via the NR Convergence-U layer, an NR Convergence-U header to the UP packet, the NR Convergence-U header comprising a PDU Session ID, a Quality of Service (QoS) Flow Identifier (QFI), and a SeqNum field; as well as splitting the data packets via the convergence layer residing on the NR CU; and A transceiver configured to transmit the segmented data packets to the UE through the NR access and the WLAN access.

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