Implementing user equipment to network relay services in fifth generation systems

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for enabling a remote user equipment (UE) to access a Fifth Generation System (5GS) via a UE-to-network relay and enabling a UE-to-network relay to serve as a relay UE between the remote UE and the 5G network. Other embodiments can be described and / or claimed.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Patent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT / CN2019 / 130468 (AC7221-PCT-Z) filed December 31, 2019. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Various embodiments can generally relate to the field of wireless communications. In particular, some embodiments are directed to Fifth Generation (5G) Proximity Services (ProSe) authorized for Fifth Generation Systems (5GS). BACKGROUND

[0004] Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release (Rel) 17 SA2 includes a study item on Fifth Generation (5G) Proximity Services (ProSe). In connection with the study item, 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 23.752 identifies key issues on supporting PC5 service authorization and policy / parameter provisioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows an example of an operational flow / algorithmic structure in accordance with some embodiments.

[0006] Figure 4 depicts an architecture of a network system in accordance with some embodiments.

[0007] Figure 5A depicts an architecture of a system including a first core network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0008] Figure 5B depicts an architecture of a system including a second core network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0009] Figure 6A depicts an example of an infrastructure equipment in accordance with various embodiments.

[0010] Figure 6B depicts example components of a computer platform in accordance with various embodiments.

[0011] Figure 7 depicts example components of baseband circuitry and radio frequency circuitry in accordance with various embodiments.

[0012] Figure 8 depicts a block diagram illustrating components of a machine or facility capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and executing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, in accordance with some example embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION ​

[0013] The following detailed description references the drawings. Like reference numbers can refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the various embodiments can be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For the purposes of the present document, the phrase“A or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0014] In the 3GPP Rel 17 SA2 study item FS_5G_ProSe, the following key issues are identified:

[0015] Key Issue #8: Support of PC5 service authorization and policy / parameter provisioning:

[0016] To implement PC5 service authorization and policy / parameter provisioning, the following aspects need to be studied:

[0017] - For procedures related to PC5 service authorization and policy / parameter provisioning for a UE, only necessary enhancements to the content specified in TS 23.287 [5] clause 6.2 and TS 23.502 [8] clauses 4.2.2.2 (Registration procedure), 4.2.4.3 (UE configuration update procedure for transparent UE policy delivery), 4.16.11 (UE policy association establishment procedure), 4.16.12 (UE policy association modification procedure) will be documented.

[0018] - Based on the content specified in TS 23.287 [5] clause 5.1.2.1, identify the necessary information about PC5 service authorization and provisioning.

[0019] The authorization and provisioning documented in TS 23.287 [5] clause 5.1 will be used as a baseline for this key issue.

[0020] The enhanced Vehicle-to-Everything (eV2X) specification (3GPP TS 23.287) does not address the relaying aspects, and there is no solution for the aspects of authorization of UE-to-Network Relay service in 5GS. It is necessary to identify the information about UE-to-Network Relay service authorization and provisioning for both Remote UE and Relay UE.

[0021] Among others, embodiments of the present disclosure describe solutions for identifying policies and parameters for authorizing a UE-to-Network Relay service in 5GS, which enables a remote UE to access the 5GS via a UE-to-Network Relay and also enables a UE-to-Network Relay to serve as a relay UE between the remote UE and the 5G network.

[0022] 5.1.1 Authorization for ProSe UE-to-Network Relay

[0023] According to the above key issues description, the policy control function (PCF) based service authorization and provisioning defined in eV2X ARC specification 23.287 will be used as a baseline. The following references to TS refer to 3GPP specifications.

[0024] 5.1.1.1 PCF based service authorization and provisioning for UE-to-Network Relay UE

[0025] For PCF based service authorization and provisioning for UE-to-Network Relay UE, the registration procedure defined in clause 4.2.2.2 of TS 23.502, the UE policy association establishment procedure defined in clause 4.16.11 of TS 23.502 and the UE policy association modification procedure defined in clause 4.16.12 of TS 23.502 apply with the following supplements:

[0026] - If the UE indicates 5G ProSe capability as UE-to-Network Relay in the registration request message and if the UE is authorized to be a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay based on subscription data, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) selects a Policy Control Function (PCF) that supports 5G ProSe information provisioning and establishes a UE policy association with the PCF for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning delivery.

[0027] - If the AMF receives 5G ProSe capability as UE-to-Network Relay in the registration request message from the UE, the AMF further reports the 5G ProSe capability as UE-to-Network Relay to the selected PCF. The PCF determines 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information based on the received 5G ProSe capability as UE-to-Network Relay.

[0028] - If the UE supports 5G ProSe capability as UE-to-Network Relay and it does not have valid 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information, the UE includes a UE policy container with indication of 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning request during the registration procedure.

[0029] - If the UE indicates a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning request in the UE policy container, the PCF determines whether to provision the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information to the UE as specified in clause 6.1.2.2.2 of TS 23.503 and the PCF provides the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information to the UE by using the procedure defined in clause 4.2.4.3 "UE Configuration Update procedure for transparent UE Policy Delivery" in TS 23.502.

[0030] The PCF can update the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information to the UE under the following conditions:

[0031] - UE mobility (e.g., the UE moves from one PLMN to another PLMN). This is achieved by using the UE policy association modification procedure initiated by the AMF as defined in clause 4.16.12.1 of TS 23.502.

[0032] - When there is a subscription change in the list of PLMNs that authorise the UE to perform 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay operations. This is achieved by using the UE policy association modification initiated by the PCF procedure defined in clause 4.16.12.2 of TS 23.502.

[0033] - When there is a change in the service specific parameters described in clause 4.15.6.7 of TS 23.502.

[0034] If a service PLMN is removed from the list of PLMNs in the service authorisation parameters, the service authorisation is revoked in the UE.

[0035] When the UE is roaming, changes in the subscription that result in an update of the service authorisation parameters are communicated to the UE by the H-PCF via the V-PCF.

[0036] When the UE determines that the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information is invalid (e.g., the policy / parameters are outdated, missing or invalid), the UE can perform the UE triggered policy provisioning procedure on the PCF as specified in clause 6.2.4 of TS 23.287.

[0037] 5.1.1.2 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay authorisation information

[0038] The following information is provisioned in the UE to support the UE assuming the role of a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay:

[0039] 1) Authorized policy for acting as 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay when "served by NG-RAN":

[0040] - Authorizing the UE to a PLMN for 5G Remote UE Relay service.

[0041] 2) 5G ProSe Relay discovery policy / parameters for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay:

[0042] - When provisioned from PCF in ME or configured in UICC, include parameters that enable the UE to perform 5G ProSe Relay discovery as UE-to-Network Relay:

[0043] - Indication to become UE-to-Network Relay;

[0044] - 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay discovery parameters (User Info ID, Relay Service Code) described in clause 5.1.3;

[0045] - For Layer 3 Relay, PDU Session parameters (PDU Session Type, DNN, SSC Mode, S-NSSAI, Access Type Preference) to be used for Relay service per ProSe Relay Service Code;

[0046] NOTE 1: The UE behavior in case of missing PDU Session parameters is the behavior described in TS 23.501 and 23.503.

[0047] - Include security related content for 5G ProSe Relay discovery per 5G ProSe Relay Service Code.

[0048] 3) Radio parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery:

[0049] - Include radio parameters with geographical area that need to be configured in the UE to be able to perform ProSe Direct Discovery procedures when acting as 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay. These radio parameters (e.g. frequency band) are defined in TS 38.331 and are common for all types of 5G ProSe Direct Discovery (Group Member Discovery, ProSe UE-to-Network Relay Discovery or ProSe UE-to-Network Relay Discovery Additional Information). The UE uses the radio parameters only when the UE can locate itself in the corresponding geographical area. Otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0050] 4) Radio parameters for 5G ProSe Relay communication:

[0051] - includes radio parameters with geographical areas that need to be configured in the UE to be able to perform 5G ProSe Direct Communication procedures when acting as a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay. These radio parameters (e.g. frequency bands) are defined in TS 38.331 and are common for all types of 5G ProSe Direct Communication (one-to-one, one-to-many or ProSe UE-to-Network Relay). The UE uses the radio parameters only when it can position itself in the corresponding geographical area. Otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0052] 5) Mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu 5QI values.

[0053] - includes rules to determine how the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay maps the 5QI of a QoS flow on NR Uu to the 5G ProSe PQI value on NR PC5.

[0054] 6) Mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu QCI values.

[0055] - includes rules to determine how the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay maps the QCI of an EPS bearer on E-UTRA Uu to the 5G ProSe PQI value on NR PC5.

[0056] 5.1.2 Authorization for Remote UE

[0057] 5.1.2.1 PCF-based service authorization and provisioning for Remote UE

[0058] For PCF-based service authorization and provisioning for Remote UE, the registration procedure defined in clause 4.2.2.2 of TS 23.502, the UE policy association establishment procedure defined in clause 4.16.11 of TS 23.502 and the UE policy association modification procedure defined in clause 4.16.12 of TS 23.502 are applicable with the following supplements:

[0059] - If the UE indicates 5G ProSe capability as Remote UE in the registration request message and if the UE is authorized to be a 5G ProSe Remote UE based on subscription data, the AMF selects a PCF that supports 5G ProSe information provisioning and establishes a UE policy association with the PCF for 5G ProSe Remote UE information provisioning delivery.

[0060] - If the AMF receives the 5G ProSe capability as Remote UE in the Registration Request message from the UE, the AMF further reports the 5G ProSe capability as Remote UE to the selected PCF. The PCF determines the 5G ProSe Remote UE information based on the received 5G ProSe capability as Remote UE.

[0061] - If the UE supports the 5G ProSe capability as Remote UE and it does not have valid 5G ProSe Remote UE information, the UE includes the UE Policy Container with indication of 5G ProSe Remote UE information provisioning request during the registration procedure.

[0062] - If the UE indicates the 5G ProSe Remote UE information provisioning request in the UE Policy Container, the PCF determines whether to provision the 5G ProSe Remote UE information to the UE as specified in clause 6.1.2.2.2 of TS 23.503 and the PCF provides the 5G ProSe Remote UE information to the UE by using the procedure defined in clause 4.2.4.3 section "UE Configuration Update procedure for transparent UE Policy Delivery" in TS 23.502.

[0063] The PCF can update the 5G ProSe Remote UE information for the UE in the following cases:

[0064] - UE mobility (e.g. UE moves from one Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) to another PLMN). This is achieved by using the UE Policy Association Modification procedure initiated by the AMF as defined in clause 4.16.12.1 of TS 23.502.

[0065] - When there is a subscription change in the list of PLMNs authorizing the UE to perform 5G ProSe Remote UE operations. This is achieved by using the UE Policy Association Modification initiated by the PCF procedure defined in clause 4.16.12.2 of TS 23.502.

[0066] - When there is a change of service specific parameters described in clause 4.15.6.7 of TS 23.502.

[0067] If the service PLMN is removed from the list of PLMNs in the service authorization parameters, the service authorization is revoked in the UE.

[0068] When the UE is roaming, the change of subscription resulting in the update of the service authorization parameters is communicated to the UE by the H-PCF via the V-PCF.

[0069] When the UE determines that the 5G ProSe Remote UE information is invalid (e.g. policy / parameters are outdated, missing or invalid), the UE can perform a UE triggered policy provisioning procedure towards the PCF as specified in clause 6.2.4 of TS 23.287.

[0070] 5.1.2.2 5G ProSe Remote UE authorization information

[0071] The following information is provisioned in the UE to support the UE assuming the role of Remote UE and thereby enabling the use of 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay:

[0072] 1) Authorization policy for using 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay:

[0073] - Indicating whether the UE is authorized to use 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay.

[0074] 2) Policy / parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery and for enabling connectivity to 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay after discovery:

[0075] - Including parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery and for enabling the UE to connect to 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay after discovery when provisioned from the PCF in the ME or configured in the UICC:

[0076] - Indication for using UE-to-Network Relay;

[0077] - 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay discovery parameters (User Info ID, Relay Service Code) described in 5.1.3;

[0078] - IP version that can be used for relay traffic for each ProSe Relay Service Code;

[0079] - PDU Session parameters (PDU Session Type, DNN, SSC Mode, S-NSSAI, Access Type Preference) to be used for relay traffic for each ProSe Relay Service Code for Layer 2 Relay;

[0080] - Including security related content for ProSe Relay discovery for each ProSe Relay Service Code.

[0081] 3) Radio parameters for when the UE is not "served by NG-RAN":

[0082] - includes radio parameters with geographical areas that need to be configured in the UE to be able to perform the 5G ProSe Direct Discovery procedure in the role of 5G ProSe Remote UE when not "served by NG-RAN". These radio parameters (e.g. frequency bands) are defined in TS 38.331 and are common for all types of 5G ProSe Direct Discovery (Group Member Discovery, 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay Discovery or 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay Discovery Additional Information). The UE uses the radio parameters only when it can position itself in the corresponding geographical area. Otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0083] - includes radio parameters with geographical areas that need to be configured in the UE to be able to perform the 5G ProSe Direct Communication procedure in the role of 5G ProSe Remote UE when not "served by NG-RAN". These radio parameters (e.g. frequency bands) are defined in TS 38.331 and are common for all types of ProSe Direct Communication (one-to-one, one-to-many or 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay). The UE uses the radio parameters only when it can position itself in the corresponding geographical area. Otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0084] 5.1.3 Additional provisioning information for ProSe Direct Discovery

[0085] In addition to the parameters indicated in clauses 5.1.1 and 5.1.2, the Remote UE and the Relay UE are also provisioned with the following information:

[0086] 1) ProSe UE-to-Network Relay Discovery parameters:

[0087] - includes parameters that enable the UE to perform ProSe UE-to-Network Relay Discovery when provisioned in the ME from the PCF or configured in the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC):

[0088] - User Info ID: for Model A, this corresponds to the Informer Info parameter when the UE is acting as an informer UE. For Model B, this corresponds to the Discoverer Info in the solicitation message and the Discoveree Info in the response message when the UE is acting as a discoverer or discoveree UE, respectively.

[0089] - Relay Service Code: The Relay Service Code identifies the connectivity service provided by the ProSe UE-to-Network Relay to the application. The Relay Service Code is configured in the ProSe UE-to-Network Relay that provides the connectivity service to the application. The Relay Service Code is configured in the Remote UE that is interested in the related connectivity service.

[0090] Systems and implementations

[0091] Figure 4 Example architectures of system 400 for networks according to various embodiments are shown. The following description provides for example system 400 operating in combination with LTE system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications and 5G or NR system standards. However, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and the described embodiments can be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein (e.g., future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth-generation (6G) systems), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.)).

[0092] like Figure 4 As shown, system 400 includes UE 401a and UE 401b (collectively referred to as "each UE 401" or "UE 401"). In this example, UE 401 is shown as a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device (e.g., consumer electronics, cellular phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, instrument cluster mobile device (DME), mobile data terminal (MDT), electronic engine management system (EEMS), electronic / engine control unit (ECU), electronic / engine control module (ECM), embedded system, microcontroller, control module, engine management system (EMS), networked or "smart" device, MTC device, M2M, IoT device, etc.).

[0093] In some embodiments, any UE 401 may be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connectivity. The IoT UE may exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe, or D2D communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks using technologies such as M2M or MTC. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connectivity. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, state updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0094] The UE 401 can be configured to connect (e.g., communicatively couple) with a RAN 410. In embodiments, the RAN 410 can be an NG RAN or a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, or a legacy RAN (e.g., UTRAN or GERAN). As used herein, the term “NG RAN” or the like can refer to a RAN 410 operating in an NR or 5G system 400, and the term “E-UTRAN” or the like can refer to a RAN 410 operating in an LTE or 4G system 400. The UE 401 utilizes connections (or channels) 403 and 404, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below) to

[0095] In this example, the connections 403 and 404 are illustrated as an air interface to implement a wireless radio-frequency communications channel that can be based on CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, PEW, or other mobile communication technologies. The connections 403 and 404 can be established on the

[0096] The UE 401b is illustrated transmitting a communication signal to the AP 406 via a connection 407. The connection 407 can comprise a local wireless connection, e.g., a connection consistent with one or more of IEEE 802.11 The AP 406 is illustrated as connected to the Internet without connection to the core network (described in further detail below) of the wireless system. In various embodiments, the UE 401b, the RAN 410, and the AP 406 can be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. The LWA operation can involve the UE 401b in RRC CONNECTED being configured by a RAN node 411a-b to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. The LWIP operation can involve the UE 401b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., the connection 407) via IPsec protocol tunneling to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent over the connection 407. IPsec tunneling can include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0097] The RAN 410 can include one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 411a and 411b (collectively referred to as“RAN nodes 411” or“RAN nodes 411”) implementing connectivity between the 403 and 404. As used herein, the terms“access node,”“access point” and the like can describe an appliance that provides radio baseband functions taken together with a network interface enabling physical server connectivity to the backhaul / metro Ethernet network or to the core network in the case of a 5G NR system. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, Node

[0098] In some embodiments, all or part of the RAN nodes 411 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which can be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP can implement a RAN function split (e.g., a PDCP split, where RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 411; a MAC / PHY split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 411; or a“lower PHY” split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and upper parts of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while lower parts of the PHY layer are operated by individual RAN nodes 411). This virtualized framework allows the processor cores of the RAN nodes 411 to perform other virtualized applications. In some implementations, individual RAN nodes 411 can represent individual gNB-DUs connected to a gNB-CU (not shown) via an individual Fl interface. In these implementations, the gNB-DUs can include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., FIG. 2). Figure 4 In some embodiments, all or part of the RAN nodes 411 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which can be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP can implement a RAN function split (e.g., a PDCP split, where RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 411; a MAC / PHY split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 411; or a“lower PHY” split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and upper parts of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while lower parts of the PHY layer are operated by individual RAN nodes 411). This virtualized framework allows the processor cores of the RAN nodes 411 to perform other virtualized applications. In some implementations, individual RAN nodes 411 can represent individual gNB-DUs connected to a gNB-CU (not shown) via an individual Fl interface. In these implementations, the gNB-DUs can include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., FIG. 2). Figure 6A), and the gNB-CU can be operated by a server located in the RAN 410 (not shown) or by a server pool in a similar manner as CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 411 can be next generation e Bs (ng-e Bs), which are RAN nodes that terminate the E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocols for UE 401 and connect to a 5GC (e.g., Figure 5B

[0099] In V2X scenarios, one or more of the RAN nodes 411 can be or act as RSUs. The term “roadside unit” or “RSU” can refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a fixed (or relatively fixed) UE, where a UE- implemented or -based RSU can be referred to as “UE-type RSU,” an eNB- implemented or -based RSU can be referred to as “eNB-type RSU,” a gNB- implemented or -based RSU can be referred to as “gNB-type RSU,” and the like. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside, which provides connectivity support for passing vehicle UEs 401 (vUEs 401). The RSU can also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software to sense and control ongoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The RSU can operate on the 5.9 GHz direct short-range communications (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the RSU can operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the above-mentioned low latency communications as well as other cellular communications services. Additionally, or alternatively, the RSU can 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. The computing device and some or all of the radio frequency circuitry of the RSU can be encapsulated in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and can include a network interface controller to provide wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and / or a backhaul network.

[0100] Any of the RAN nodes 411 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for a UE 401. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 411 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 410 including, but not limited to, RNC functions such as radio network control (RNC) functions (e.g., radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management). ​

[0101] In embodiments, the UEs 401 can be configured to communicate using OFDM communication signals with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 411 over a multicarrier communication channel, in which the channel is divided into multiple, sub-carrier signals. The carriers can be spaced apart in image rejection filter (IRF) frequency bands. In some embodiments, the carriers can be adjacent to each other and can be spaced apart in frequency according to a frequency division duplexing (FDD) or time division duplexing (TDD) pattern. In these implementations, the carriers can also be referred to as sub-gigahertz (sub- GHz) carriers. In some embodiments, the carriers can be spaced apart in frequency according to a TDD pattern, in which the carriers are located in non-contiguous frequency bands. In these implementations, the carriers can also be referred to as sub-gigahertz (sub-GHz) carriers. The carriers utilized can be understood as a portion of the radio frequency spectrum that is utilized for transmission of signals.

[0102] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 411 to the UEs 401, while uplink transmissions can utilize a similar approach. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, that is used to convey the physical layer signaling over the downlink. This grid can be formed from a number of sub-carriers of a carrier at equally spaced apart frequencies, which can be referred to as tone spacing, over a number of symbol periods. Each sub-carrier can be a frequency sub-division of the carrier. A sub-carrier can be a single sub-carrier or multiple sub-carriers that are grouped together. The sub-carriers in a carrier can form the resource blocks of the carrier. The sub-carriers can be flat, frequency- flat, or frequency-flat over the tone spacing. The grid can be a two-dimensional grid of resource blocks, where each resource block can be a group of sub-carriers in a single symbol period. The resource grid can extend for the duration of the Cyclic Prefix (CP) in each slot, or can extend for the duration of the effective symbol period in each slot.

[0103] According to various embodiments, the UEs 401 and the RAN nodes 411 communicate data (for example, transmit and receive) over a licensed medium (also referred to as “licensed spectrum” and / or “licensed band”) and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as “unlicensed spectrum” and / or “unlicensed band”). The licensed spectrum can include channels that operate at frequencies that are approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while the unlicensed spectrum can include the 5 GHz band.

[0104] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UEs 401 and the RAN nodes 411 can operate using LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UEs 401 and the RAN nodes 411 can perform one or more known medium-sensing operations and / or carrier-sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum is unavailable or otherwise occupied before the UEs 401 and the RAN nodes 411 transmit in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations can be performed according to a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0105] LBT is a mechanism whereby a device (e.g., UE 401, RAN node 411, etc.) senses the medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmits when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a specific channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation can include CCA, which utilizes, at least, ED to determine the presence or absence of other signals on the channel to determine if the channel is occupied or clear. Such LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with incumbent systems in the unlicensed spectrum and other LAA networks. ED can include sensing RF energy across a range of the intended transmission band for a minimum observation time and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0106] Typically, the incumbent in the 5 GHz band is WLAN, which is based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism, known as CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., mobile station (MS) (e.g., UE 401, AP 406, etc.)) intends to transmit, the WLAN node can first perform CCA prior to transmission. Additionally, in cases where more than one WLAN node will sense the channel as idle and transmit at the same time, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collision. The backoff mechanism can be a counter that is drawn randomly within a CWS, which is increased exponentially upon a collision and reset to a minimum value when the transmission is successful. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to the WLAN’s CSMA / CA. In some implementations, the LBT procedure for a DL or UL transmission burst comprising PDSCH or PUSCH transmissions, respectively, can 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 for LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions can be 9 microseconds (μ8); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0107] The LAA mechanism builds on the CA technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is referred to as a CC. A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and a maximum of 5 CCs can be aggregated and therefore, the maximum aggregated bandwidth is 100 MHz. In FDD systems, 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, individual CCs can have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In TDD systems, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC is normally the same for DL and UL.

[0108] CA also includes separate serving cells to provide separate CCs. For example, the coverage area of a serving cell can be different because CCs on different frequencies will experience different pathloss. A primary serving cell or PCell can provide PCC for both UL and DL, and can handle RRC and NAS related activities. Other serving cells are referred to as SCells, and each SCell can provide a separate SCC for both UL and DL. SCCs can be added and removed as required, while changing the PCC can require the UE 401 to undergo a handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells can operate in the unlicensed spectrum (referred to as “LAA SCells”), and the LAA SCells are secondary to a PCell operating in the licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE can receive a UL grant indicating different PUSCH starting positions within a same subframe on the configured LAA SCells.

[0109] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to the UEs 401. The PDCCH carries information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel. It can also inform the UEs 401 about the transport format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 401d within a cell) can be performed at any of the RAN nodes 411 based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE 401. The downlink resource assignment information can be sent to a UE 401 on the PDCCH.

[0110] The PDCCH uses CCEs to carry control information. Before mapping to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more CCEs can be used to send each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as REGs. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the DCI format, the number of CCEs used for a PDCCH can vary. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats that can be defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0111] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the concepts described above. For example, some embodiments may utilize EPDCCH, which uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more ECCEs. Similarly, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements called EREGs. In some cases, an ECCE may have a different number of EREGs.

[0112] RAN nodes 411 can be configured to communicate with each other via interface 412. In system 400, which is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 420 is...),... Figure 5A In an embodiment of EPC 5120, interface 412 may be an X2 interface 412. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 411 (e.g., two or more eNBs) connected to EPC 420 and / or between two eNBs connected to EPC 420. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). X2-U may provide flow control mechanisms for user data packets transmitted via the X2 interface and may be used to pass information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from MeNB to SeNB; information about the successful sequential delivery of PDCP PDUs for user data from SeNB to UE 401; information about PDCP PDUs not delivered to UE 401; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at SeNB for sending user data to the UE; etc. The X2-C can provide: LTE intra-eNB access mobility functions, including context transmission from the source eNB to the destination eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0113] System 400 is a 5G or NR system (e.g., when CN 420 is...). Figure 5BIn embodiments where the core network 520 is an NG Core (5GC) 5220, the interface 412 can be an Xn interface 412. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 411 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to a 5GC 5220, between a RAN node 411 (e.g., gNB) connected to a 5GC 5220 and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to a 5GC 5220. In some implementations, the Xn interface can include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U can provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functionality. The Xn-C can provide management and error handling functionality, functions to manage the Xn-C interface; and support mobility for UEs 401 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) including functions to manage mobility for connected mode UEs between one or more RAN nodes 411. The mobility support can include context transfer from an old (source) serving RAN node 411 to new (target) serving RAN node 411; and control of user plane tunnels between the old (source) serving RAN node 411 to new (target) serving RAN node 411. The Xn-U protocol stack can include a transport network layer built on Internet Protocol (IP) transport and a GTP-U layer on top of UDP and / or IP layers to carry user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack can include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. The SCTP can be on top of an IP layer, and can provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transmission is used to deliver the signaling PDUs. In other implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack can be the same as or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks illustrated and described herein.

[0114] RAN 410 is shown communicatively coupled to the core network—in this embodiment, the core network (CN) 420. CN 420 may include multiple network elements 422 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 401) connected to CN 420 via RAN 410. Components of CN 420 may be implemented in a single physical node or separate physical node, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In some embodiments, NFV may be utilized to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described further in detail below). A logical instantiation of CN 420 may be referred to as a network slice, while a logical instantiation of a portion of CN 420 may be referred to as a network subslice. NFV architectures 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 (or alternatively, performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, an NFV system can be used as a virtual or reconfigurable implementation to perform one or more EPC components / functions.

[0115] Typically, application server 430 can be a component that provides IP bearer resources for applications used by the core network (e.g., UMTSPS domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). Application server 430 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UE401 via EPC 420.

[0116] In this embodiment, CN 420 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 420", etc.), and RAN 410 may be connected to CN 420 via NG interface 413. In this embodiment, NG interface 413 may be divided into two parts: NG User Plane (NG-U) interface 414, which carries service data between RAN node 411 and UPF; and S1 Control Plane (NG-C) interface 415, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 411 and AMF. Regarding... Figure 5B CN 420 is an embodiment of 5GC 420, discussed in more detail.

[0117] In one embodiment, CN 420 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 420", etc.), while in other embodiments, CN 420 may be an EPC. When CN 420 is an EPC (referred to as "EPC 420", etc.), RAN 410 may be connected to CN 420 via S1 interface 413. In one embodiment, S1 interface 413 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 414, which carries service data between RAN node 411 and S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 415, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 411 and MME. Figure 5A The CN420 is shown as an example architecture of the EPC 420.

[0118] Figure 5A An example architecture of a system 5100 including a first CN 5120 is shown according to various embodiments. In this example, the system 5100 can implement the LTE standard, wherein CN 5120 is corresponding to... Figure 4 CN 420's EPC 5120. Additionally, UE 5101 can be with... Figure 4 The UE 401 is the same as or similar to it, and the E-UTRAN 5110 can be the same as... Figure 4 The RAN 410 is the same as or similar to the RAN 411 discussed earlier. CN 5120 may include MME 5121, S-GW 5122, P-GW 5123, HSS 5124 and SGSN 5125.

[0119] The MME 5121 can functionally resemble the control plane of a legacy SGSN and can implement MM functions to maintain the current location of the tracking UE 5101. The MME 5121 can perform various MM procedures to manage mobility aspects of access (e.g., gateway selection and tracking area list management). MM (also known as “EPS MM” or “EMM” in E-UTRAN systems) can refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data storage, etc., used to maintain knowledge about the current location of the UE 5101, provide user identity confidentiality, and / or perform other similar services to the user / subscriber. Each UE 5101 and MME 5121 may include an MM or EMM sublayer, and an MM context can be established in both the UE 5101 and MME 5121 when the attach procedure is successfully completed. The MM context can be a data structure or database object storing MM-related information for the UE 5101. MME 5121 can be coupled to HSS 5124 via reference point S6a, to SGSN 5125 via reference point S3, and to S-GW 5122 via reference point S11.

[0120] The SGSN 5125 can be a node that serves the UE 5101 by tracking its location and performing security functions for the UE 5101. In addition, the SGSN 5125 can perform EPC inter- node signaling for mobility between 2G / 3G and E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks; PDN and S-GW selection as specified by the MME 5121; handling of UE 5101 time zone functions as specified by the MME 5121; and MME selection for handovers to E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks. The S3 reference point between the MME 5121 and the SGSN 5125 can enable exchange of subscriber and context information for inter-3GPP access mobility between GSM / EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) or UTRAN and E-UTRAN.

[0121] The HSS 5124 can comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities serving a communication session. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the equipment, the organization of the network, etc., the EPC 5120 can include one or several HSSs 5124. For example, the HSS 5124 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependencies, and the like. An S6a reference point between the HSS 5124 and the MME 5121 can enable transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticating / authorizing user access to the EPC 5120 between the HSS 5124 and the MME 5121.

[0122] The S-GW 5122 can terminate the S1 interface 413 Figure 5A ("S1-U") towards the RAN 5110, and routes data packets between the RAN 5110 and the EPC 5120. In addition, the S-GW 5122 can be a local mobile anchor point for inter- RAN node handovers and also can provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities can include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 5122 and the MME 5121 can provide a control plane between the MME 5121 and the S-GW 5122. The S-GW 5122 can be coupled with a P-GW 5123 via an S5 reference point.

[0123] The P-GW 5123 can terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN 5130. The P-GW 5123 can route data packets between the EPC 5120 and external networks, such as a network including the application server 430 (alternatively referred to as an "AF"). In embodiments, the P-GW 5123 can further route packets between the EPC 5120 and another core network. For example, the P-GW 5123 can route packets between the 5G core network and a 4G core network. Figure 4 The P-GW 5123 can be communicatively coupled to an application server 430 (alternatively referred to as an "AF") via an IP communications interface 425 (see, e.g., FIG. 4). Figure 4 The P-GW 5123 can be communicatively coupled to an application server 430 (alternatively referred to as an "AF") via an IP communications interface 425 (see, e.g., FIG. 4). Figure 4application server 430 or Figure 5A The S5 reference point between the P-GW 5123 and the S-GW 5122 can provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between the P-GW 5123 and the S-GW 5122. The S5 reference point can also be used for S-GW 5122 relocation due to UE 5101 mobility and if the S-GW 5122 needs to connect to a non-collocated P-GW 5123 for a required PDN connectivity. The P-GW 5123 can further include a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection (e.g., PCEF (not shown)). Additionally, the SGi reference point between the P-GW 5123 and the packet data network (PDN) 5130 can be an operator external public, private PDN, or an intra operator packet data network, for instance, for provisioning IMS services. The P-GW 5123 can be coupled via the Gx reference point to the PCRF 5126.

[0124] The PCRF 5126 is the policy and charging control element of the EPC 5120. In a non-roaming scenario, there is a single PCRF 5126 associated with a UE 5101's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there can be two PCRFs 5126 associated with a UE 5101's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 5126 can be communicatively coupled to the application server 5130 via the P-GW 5123. The application server 5130 can signal the PCRF 5126 to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate QoS and charging parameters. The PCRF 5126 can provision this rule into a PCEF (not shown) with appropriate TFT and QCI, which commences the QoS and charging as specified by the application server 5130. The Gx reference point between the PCRF 5126 and the P-GW 5123 can enable the transfer of QoS policy and charging rules from the PCRF 5126 to the PCEF in the P-GW 5123. The Rx reference point can reside between the PDN 5130 (or "AF 5130") and the PCRF 5126.

[0125] Figure 5BAn architecture comprising a system 5200 including a second CN 5220 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments. The system 5200 is shown to include: a UE 5201, which can be the same or similar to the UEs 401 and 5101 discussed previously; a (R)AN 5210, which can be the same or similar to the RANs 410 and 5110 discussed previously, and which can include RAN nodes 411 discussed previously; and a DN 5203, which can be, for example, operator services, Internet access or 3rd party services; and a 5GC 5220. The 5GC 5220 can include an AUSF 5222, an AMF 5221, a SMF 5224, a NEF 5223, a PCF 5226, a NRF 5225, a UDM 5227, an AF 5228, a UPF 5202, and a NSSF 5229.

[0126] The UPF 5202 can act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, a external PDU session point of interconnect to DN 5203, and a branching point for support of multi-homed PDU session. The UPF 5202 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce QoS rules for user plane traffic, lawfully intercept packet (UP collection), perform traffic steering, offload, or redirection in accordance with a N3 tunnel endpoint selection, perform QoS enforcement for user plane, perform Uplink Traffic verification (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and in downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 5202 can include an uplink classifier to support routing uplink traffic to a specific destination. The DN 5203 can represent various network operator services, Internet access or 3rd party services. The DN 5203 can include, or be similar to, application server 430 discussed previously. The UPF 5202 can interact with the SMF 5224 via a N4 reference point between SMF 5224 and UPF 5202.

[0127] The AUSF 5222 can store data for authentication of UE 5201 and handle authentication related functionality. The AUSF 5222 can facilitate a generic authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 5222 can communicate with the AMF 5221 via an N12 reference point between AMF 5221 and AUSF 5222; and can communicate with the UDM 5227 via an N13 reference point between UDM 5227 and AUSF 5222. Additionally, the AUSF 5222 can exhibit Nausf service-based interfaces.

[0128] AMF 5221 can be responsible for registration management (e.g., for registering UE 5201, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 5221 can be a termination point for the N11 reference point between AMF 5221 and SMF 5224. AMF 5221 can provide transmission of SM messages between UE 5201 and SMF 5224 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 5221 can also be used between UE 5201 and SMSF ( Figure 5B (Not shown) provides transmission for SMS messages. AMF 5221 can act as a SEAF, which may include interaction with AUSF 5222 and UE 5201, and reception of an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 5201 authentication process. In the case of using USIM-based authentication, AMF 5221 can obtain security material from AUSF 5222. AMF 5221 may also include SCM functionality, which receives from the SEA a key it uses to derive an access network-specific key. Furthermore, AMF 5221 may be a termination point for the RAN CP interface, which may include or be an N2 reference point between (R)AN 5210 and AMF 5221; and AMF 5221 may be a termination point for NAS (N1) signaling, and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0129] The AMF 5221 can also support NAS signaling with the UE 5201 over an N3 IWF interface. The N3IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3IWF can be a termination point for the N2 interface between the (R)AN 5210 and the AMF 5221 for the control plane, and can be a termination point for the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 5210 and the UPF 5202 for the user plane. Thus, the AMF 5221 can handle PDU session and QoS from the SMF 5224 and AMF 5221 N2 signaling, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunnelling, mark N3 user-plane data packets in uplink, and enforce QoS treatment corresponding to N3 packet marking taking into account QoS requirements associated with such marking received over N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control-plane NAS signaling between the UE 5201 and the AMF 5221 via the N1 reference point between the UE 5201 and the AMF 5221, and relay uplink and downlink user-plane packets between the UE 5201 and the UPF 5202. The N3IWF also provides mechanisms for IPsec tunnel establishment with the UE 5201. The AMF 5221 can exhibit Namf service-based interfaces and can be a termination point for the N14 reference point between two AMFs 5221 and the N17 reference point between the AMF 5221 and the 5G-EIR (not shown). Figure 5B The AMF 5221 can also support NAS signaling with the UE 5201 over an N3 IWF interface. The N3IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3IWF can be a termination point for the N2 interface between the (R)AN 5210 and the AMF 5221 for the control plane, and can be a termination point for the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 5210 and the UPF 5202 for the user plane. Thus, the AMF 5221 can handle PDU session and QoS from the SMF 5224 and AMF 5221 N2 signaling, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunnelling, mark N3 user-plane data packets in uplink, and enforce QoS treatment corresponding to N3 packet marking taking into account QoS requirements associated with such marking received over N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control-plane NAS signaling between the UE 5201 and the AMF 5221 via the N1 reference point between the UE 5201 and the AMF 5221, and relay uplink and downlink user-plane packets between the UE 5201 and the UPF 5202. The N3IWF also provides mechanisms for IPsec tunnel establishment with the UE 5201. The AMF 5221 can exhibit Namf service-based interfaces and can be a termination point for the N14 reference point between two AMFs 5221 and the N17 reference point between the AMF 5221 and the 5G-EIR (not shown).

[0130] The UE 5201 can need to register with the AMF 5221 to receive network services. RM is used to register or deregister the UE 5201 with a network (e.g., AMF 5221) and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 5221). The UE 5201 can operate in an RM-REGISTERED state or an RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, the UE 5201 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 5221 holds no valid location or routing information for the UE 5201 so the AMF 5221 cannot reach the UE 5201. In the RM-REGISTERED state, the UE 5201 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 5221 can hold valid location or routing information for the UE 5201 so the AMF 5221 can reach the UE 5201. In the RM-REGISTERED state, the UE 5201 can perform mobility registration update procedures, perform periodic registration update procedures triggered by expiration of a periodic update timer (e.g., to notify the network that the UE 5201 is still active), and perform a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or to re-negotiate protocol parameters with the network, among other examples.

[0131] The AMF 5221 can store one or more RM contexts for the UE 5201, where each RM context is associated with a particular access to the network. The RM context can be a data structure, database object, and / or the like that indicates or stores, among other things, a registration state per access type and a periodic update timer. The AMF 5221 can also store a 5GC MM context that can be the same or similar to the (E)MM context discussed previously. In various embodiments, the AMF 5221 can store the CE mode B restriction parameter for the UE 5201 in the associated MM context or RM context. The AMF 5221 can also derive the value from the UE’s usage setting parameter already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when needed.

[0132] The CM can be used to establish and release a signaling connection between the UE 5201 and the AMF 5221 over the N1 interface. The signaling connection is used to enable NAS signaling exchange between the UE 5201 and the CN 5220 and includes both a signaling connection between the UE and the AN (e.g., RRC connection or UE-N3IWF connection for non-3GPP access) and a N2 connection for the UE 5201 between the AN (e.g., RAN 5210) and the AMF 5221. The UE 5201 can operate in one of two CM states, CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode. When the UE 5201 is operating in the CM-IDLE state / mode, the UE 5201 can not have NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 5221 over the N1 interface, and there can be a (R)AN 5210 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 5201. When the UE 5201 is operating in the CM-CONNECTED state / mode, the UE 5201 can have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 5221 over the N1 interface, and there can be a (R)AN 5210 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 5201. Establishment of a N2 connection between the (R)AN 5210 and the AMF 5221 can transition the UE 5201 from the CM-IDLE mode to the CM-CONNECTED mode, and the UE 5201 can transition from the CM-CONNECTED mode to the CM-IDLE mode when the N2 signaling between the (R)AN 5210 and the AMF 5221 is released.

[0133] The SMF 5224 can be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, modify, and release, including tunnel maintain between UPF and AN node); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP function; configure the traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to proper destination; termination of interfaces towards the policy control function; control part of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful intercept (for SM events and interface to LI system); termination of SM parts of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiate AN specific SM information sent to AN via AMF over N2; determine SSC mode of a session. SM can refer to the management of a PDU Session, while a PDU Session or “session” can refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides, or enables the exchange of PDUs between the UE 5201 and a data network (DN) 5203 identified by a Data Network Name (DNN). A PDU Session can be established upon UE 5201 request using NAS SM signaling exchanged over the N1 reference point between the UE 5201 and the SMF 5224, modified upon UE 5201 and 5GC 5220 request, and released upon UE 5201 and 5GC 5220 request. Upon request from an application server, the 5GC 5220 can trigger a specific application in the UE 5201. In response to receipt of the trigger message, the UE 5201 can pass the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in the UE 5201. The identified applications in the UE 5201 can establish a PDU session for a specific DNN. The SMF 5224 can check whether the UE 5201 requests are compliant with user subscription information associated with UE 5201. In this regard, the SMF 5224 can obtain and / or request to receive update notifications on SMF 5224 level subscription data from the UDM 5227.

[0134] The SMF 5224 can include the following roaming functionality: handling local enforcement to apply QoS SLAs (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful intercept (in VPLMN, for SM events and interface to LI system); and support for interaction with external DN for transport of signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication by external DN. An N16 reference point between two SMFs 5224 can be included in the system 5200 which can be between another SMF 5224 in a visited network and the SMF 5224 in a home network in roaming scenarios. Additionally, the SMF 5224 can exhibit an Nsmf service-based interface.

[0135] The NEF 5223 can provide means for securely exposing services and capabilities offered by 3 GPP network functions to third parties, intra- and inter- operational / republishing, application functions (e.g., AF 5228), edge computing or fog computing systems, etc. In these embodiments, the NEF 5223 can authenticate, authorize, and / or throttle the AFs. The NEF 5223 can also translate information exchanged with the AF 5228 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 5223 can translate between an AF service identifier and an internal 5GC information. The NEF 5223 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on exposed capabilities of other network functions. This information can be stored at the NEF 5223 as structured data, or at a data storage NF using standardized interfaces. The stored information can then be re-exposed by the NEF 5223 to other NFs and AFs, and / or for other purposes (e.g., analytics). Additionally, the NEF 5223 can exhibit an Nnef service-based interface.

[0136] The NRF 5225 can support service discovery functions, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide information of discovered NF instances to NF instances. The NRF 5225 also maintains information of available NF instances and their supported services. As used herein, the terms “instantiate,” “instantiation,” and the like can refer to the creation of an instance, and an “instance” can refer to a particular occurrence of an object, which can occur, for example, during execution of program code. Additionally, the NRF 5225 can exhibit an Nnrf service-based interface.

[0137] The PCF 5226 can provide policy rules for control plane function enforcement, and can also support a unified policy framework to govern network behavior. The PCF 5226 can also implement an FE to access subscription information relevant for policy decisions in a UDR of the UDM 5227. The PCF 5226 can be in communication with the AMF 5221 via an N15 reference point between the PCF 5226 and the AMF 5221, which can include a PCF 5226 in a visited network and an AMF 5221 in case of roaming. The PCF 5226 can be in communication with the AF 5228 via an N5 reference point between the PCF 5226 and the AF 5228; and with the SMF 5224 via an N7 reference point between the PCF 5226 and the SMF 5224. The system 5200 and / or CN 5220 can also include an N24 reference point between the (home network) PCF 5226 and a PCF 5226 in a visited network. Additionally, the PCF 5226 can exhibit an Npcf service-based interface.

[0138] UDM 5227 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and can store subscription data for UE 5201. For example, subscription data can be transferred between UDM 5227 and AMF 5221 via the N8 reference point between UDM 5227 and AMF 5221. UDM 5227 may include two parts: Application FE and UDR ( Figure 5B (FE and UDR are not shown). The UDR can store structured data (including PFD for application detection and application request information for multiple UEs 5201) for subscription and policy data used by UDM 5227 and PCF 5226, and / or exposure and application data used by NEF 5223. The UDR 221 can expose a Nudr service-based interface to allow UDM 5227, PCF 5226, and NEF 5223 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 the UDR. The UDM may include a UDM-FE, which handles credential processing, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR can interact with the SMF 5224 via the N10 reference point between the UDM 5227 and the SMF 5224. The UDM 5227 can also support SMS management, where the SMS-FE implements similar application logic as previously discussed. Additionally, the UDM 5227 can expose an interface based on Nudm services.

[0139] AF 5228 can provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. NCE can be a mechanism that allows 5GC 5220 and AF 5228 to provide information to each other via NEF 5223, which can be used for edge computing implementations. In these implementations, network operators and third party services can host compute resources close to the UE 5201 access point of attachment to achieve efficient service delivery with less end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing

[0140] NSSF 5229 can select a set of network slice instances serving the UE 5201. It can also determine the allowed NSSAI and mapping of the subscribed S-NSSAI(s), if needed. NSSF 5229 can also determine a set of AMF(s) to be used to serve the UE 5201, or a list of candidate AMF(s), based on suitable configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 5225. The selection of a set of network slice instances for the UE 5201 can be triggered by the UE 5201 registering with a different access network type. This can result in a change of AMF 5221. NSSF 5229 can interact with AMF 5221 via a N22 reference point between AMF 5221 and NSSF 5229; and can communicate with another NSSF 5229 in a visited network via a N31 reference point (not shown). Additionally, NSSF 5229 can exhibit a Nnssf service-based interface. Figure 5B NSSF 5229 can select a set of network slice instances serving the UE 5201. It can also determine the allowed NSSAI and mapping of the subscribed S-NSSAI(s), if needed. NSSF 5229 can also determine a set of AMF(s) to be used to serve the UE 5201, or a list of candidate AMF(s), based on suitable configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 5225. The selection of a set of network slice instances for the UE 5201 can be triggered by the UE 5201 registering with a different access network type. This can result in a change of AMF 5221. NSSF 5229 can interact with AMF 5221 via a N22 reference point between AMF 5221 and NSSF 5229; and can communicate with another NSSF 5229 in a visited network via a N31 reference point (not shown). Additionally, NSSF 5229 can exhibit a Nnssf service-based interface.

[0141] As described earlier, the CN 5220 can include an SMSF, which can be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages to / from the UE 5201 to / from other entities, such as an SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS-router. The SMS can also interact with AMF 5221 and UDM 5227 for a notification procedure that the UE 5201 is available for SMS transfer (e.g., setting a UE not reachable flag, and notifying UDM 5227 when the UE 5201 is available for SMS).

[0142] CN 120 may also include Figure 5B Other components not shown (e.g., data storage system / architecture, 5G-EIR, SEPP, etc.). The data storage system may include SDSF, UDSF, etc. Any NF can be connected via an N18 reference point between any NF and UDSF ( Figure 5B (Not shown) Unstructured data (e.g., UE context) is stored in and retrieved from the UDSF. Individual NFs can share a UDSF to store their respective unstructured data, or each individual NF can have its own UDSF located at or near the individual NF. Additionally, the UDSF can expose an interface based on Nudsf services ( Figure 5B (Not shown). 5G-EIR can be an NF that checks the PEI status to determine whether a specific device / entity is blacklisted on the network; SEPP can be a non-transparent proxy that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and censorship on the control plane interface between PLMNs.

[0143] Additionally, there may be many more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services within an NF; however, for clarity, these interfaces and reference points have been removed from [the original text]. Figure 5B The text is omitted. In one example, CN 5220 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between the MME (e.g., MME 5121) and AMF 5221 to enable interoperability between CN 5220 and CN 5120. Other example interfaces / reference points may include: an interface based on N5g-EIR services demonstrated by 5G-EIR; an N27 reference point between an NRF in the accessed network and an NRF in the home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in the accessed network and an NSSF in the home network.

[0144] Figure 6A Examples of infrastructure device 6100 according to various embodiments are shown. Infrastructure device 6100 (or “system 6100”) may be implemented as a base station, a radio head unit, a RAN node (e.g., RAN node 411 and / or AP 406 previously shown and described), an application server 430, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 6100 may be implemented in or by a UE.

[0145] The system 6100 includes application circuitry 6105, baseband circuitry 6110, one or more radio front end modules (RFEMs) 6115, memory circuitry 6120, power management integrated circuitry (PMIC) 6125, power control circuitry 6130, network controller circuitry 6135, network interface connector 6140, satellite positioning circuitry 6145, and user interface 6150. In some embodiments, the device 6100 can include additional elements such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below can be included in more than one device. For example, said circuitries can be separately included in more than one device in a CRAN, vBBU, or other like implementation.

[0146] Application circuitry 6105 includes, in some embodiments, one or more processors 6205, cache memory 6210, and one or more of: a low drop-out voltage regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface (e.g., a serial peripheral interface (SPI), an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) or similar), a direct memory access (DMA) controller, a timer- counter module, a real time clock (RTC), a power control manager, and a network controller. 2 The processor(s) 6205 of the application circuitry 6105 can be configured to execute instructions stored in for example, memory 6210, cache memory 6215, and / or on the processor(s) 6205 to enable various applications and / or operating systems to be performed. For example, the processor(s) 6205 can include one or more processors, microprocessors, controllers, or any other integrated circuits configured to perform calculations or other manipulations. A

[0147] The processor of application circuit 6105 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPU), 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, application circuit 6105 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller operating according to the various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of application circuit 6105 may include one or more or Processor; Advanced MicroDevices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processors; ARM-based processors licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd. (e.g., ARM Cortex-A series processors and Cavium processors). TM Provided by, Inc. ); MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc. (e.g., MIPS Warrior P-class processors); etc. In some embodiments, system 6100 may not utilize application circuitry 6105, but may instead include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from an EPC or 5GC.

[0148] In some implementations, the application circuitry 6105 can include one or more hardware accelerators, which can be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, or the like. The one or more hardware accelerators can include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. As examples, the programmable processing devices can be one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or the like); programmable logic devices (PLDs) (e.g., complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), or the like); ASICs (e.g., structured ASICs, or the like); programmable SoCs (PSoCs); or the like. In these implementations, the circuitry of the application circuitry 6105 can include logic blocks or logic fabric, and other interconnected resources that can be programmed to perform various

[0149] The baseband circuitry 6110 can be implemented, for example, as a solder-down substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module including two or more integrated circuits. Figure 7 Various hardware elements of the baseband circuitry 6110 are discussed infra in

[0150] The user interface circuitry 6150 can include one or more user interfaces designed to enable interaction with the system 6100 as well as peripheral component interfaces designed to enable interaction with peripheral components. The user interfaces can include, but are 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 touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio emitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral component interfaces can include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, a audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

[0151] The radio front end modules (RFEMs) 6115 can include millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEMs and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-mmWave RFICs can be physically separate from the mmWave RFEMs. The RFICs can include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., the antennas 6110). Figure 7The RFEMs can be connected to one or more antennas, which can be internal or external to the infrastructure equipment 6100. In an example, the RFEMs can be connected to one or more antennas 6110 via one or more RF front ends 6115 (for example, in a phone). In another example, the RFEM(s) can be connected to one or more antennas 6110 without an RF front end (for example, in a server version of the infrastructure equipment 6100 where the RFEMs are connected to an antenna array 711 directly or via a very small or even negligible RF front end). And the RFEMs can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both mmWave radio functionality and sub-mmWave radio functionality can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 6115, which combines both mmWave antennas and sub-mmWave antennas.

[0152] The memory circuit 6120 can include one or more of volatile memory (including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)), and non-volatile memory (NVM) (including flash memory, phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc.), and can incorporate one or more of the following: a and three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory. The memory circuit 6120 can be implemented as one or more of a solder-down package integrated circuit, a socketed memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0153] The PMIC 6125 can include voltage regulators, surge protectors, power alarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources (for example, a battery or capacitor). The power alarm detection circuitry can detect one or more of brown out (under-voltage) and surge (over-voltage) conditions. The power tee circuit 6130 can provide for drawing electrical power from a network cable, to provide both power supply and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 6100 using a single cable.

[0154] The network controller circuit 6135 can provide connectivity to a network using a standard network interface protocol, such as Ethernet, Ethernet over GRE Tunnels, Ethernet over Multiprotocol

[0155] The positioning circuitry 6145 includes circuitry to receive and decode signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia’s Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union’s Galileo system, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a regional navigation satellite system or GNSS augmentation system (e.g. India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NAVIC), Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France’s Doppler Orbitography and Satellite

[0156] Figure 6A The illustrated components can communicate using an interface bus, which can include any number of buses and / or interconnects (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 used in an SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems (e.g., I2C, SPI, point-to-point, etc.) can be used to communicate 2 C interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface, and power supply bus, etc.).

[0157] Figure 6BAn example of a platform 6200 (or “device 6200”) is shown in accordance with various embodiments. In embodiments, the computer platform 6200 can be suitable for use as the UE 401, 5101, 5201, the application server 430, and / or any of the other Figure 6B The diagram representing the platform 6200 is intended more as a functional description of the various features which could be present in the platform 6200 than as a structural schematic of the embodiments described herein. In practice, and as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separately could be combined and items shown separately could be distributed. In addition, certain data structures could not be present because they represent data

[0158] The application circuitry 6205 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of LDOs, interrupt controllers, serial interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, or similar), RTC, timer-counters (including interval and watchdog timers), general purpose I / O, memory card controllers (e.g., SD MMC or similar), USB interfaces, MIPI interfaces, and JTAG test access ports. 2 The processor(s) (or cores) of the application circuitry 6205 can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications and / or operating systems to run on the system 6200. In some implementations, the memory / storage can be on-chip memory circuitry, which can include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash memory, solid-state memory devices, and / or any other type of memory device or storage technology (e.g., those discussed above).

[0159] The processor(s) of the application circuitry 6205 can 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 DSP, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors, or controllers, multi-core processing units, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuitry 6205 can comprise or can be a special-purpose processor / controller operating under the control of software.

[0160] As an example, the processor of application circuit 6205 may include a processor based on... Architecture Core TM processors (e.g., Quark) TM Atom TM i3, i5, i7 or MCU-class processors) or available from Santa Clara, California The company also acquired another processor of this type. The processor for the Application Circuit 6205 can also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s A5-A9 processors, from Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments Open Multimedia Application Platform (OMAP) TM Processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc. (e.g., MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors); ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd. (e.g., ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors); etc. In some implementations, the application circuit 6205 may be part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC), where the application circuit 6205 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package (e.g., from MIPS Technologies, Inc.). Edison of the Corporation TM Or Galileo TM SoC board).

[0161] Additionally or alternatively, application circuitry 6205 can include, for example, but not limited to, circuitry such as one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., FPGAs and / or the like); programmable logic devices (PLDs) (e.g., complex PLDs (CPLDs), high- capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), and / or the like); ASICs (e.g., structured ASICs and / or the like); programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and / or the like. In these embodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 6205 can include logic

[0162] Baseband circuitry 6210 can be implemented, for example, as one or more sets of baseband circuitry 310, 315 of FIG. 3. Baseband circuitry 6210 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors (e.g., processors 312, 314 of FIG. 3), one or more Figure 7 hardware electronic components of baseband circuitry 6210 are discussed infra regarding FIG. 32.

[0163] RFEM 6215 can include mmWave RFEMs and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-mmWave RFICs can be physically separated from the mmWave RFEMs. The RFICs can connect to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, for example, antenna array 711 of FIG. 7 infra) and the RFEM can connect to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 6215, which incorporates both mmWave and sub-mmWave antennas. Figure 7

[0164] ​The memory circuitry 6220 can include any number and type of memory devices to provide a given amount of system memory. As examples, the memory circuitry 6220 can include one or more volatile memory (including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)), and non-volatile memory (NVM) (including flash memory, phase change RAM (PRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), etc.). The memory circuitry 6220 can be developed in accordance with Joint Electron Devices and three-dimensional (3D) Crosspoint (XPOINT) memory from Intel® and Micron®.

[0165] The removable memory circuitry 6223 can include devices, circuitry, casings / housings, ports or containers, etc. to couple portable data storage devices with the platform 6200. These portable data storage devices can be used for mass storage purposes, and can include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, microSD cards, xD picture cards, etc.) and USB flash drive, optical discs, external HDDs, etc.

[0166] The platform 6200 can also include interface circuitry (not shown) to connect external devices with the platform 6200. The external devices connected to the platform 6200 via the interface circuitry include the sensor circuitry 6221 and electromechanical components (EMCs) 6222, as well as removable memory devices coupled to the removable memory circuitry 6223.

[0167] The sensor circuitry 6221 includes devices, modules, or subsystems configured to detect events or changes in its environment and send information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors include, again, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) or nano- electromechanical system (NEMS) including a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a liquid level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravimeter; 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.

[0168] The EMC 6222 includes devices, modules, or subsystems configured to enable the platform 6200 to change its state, position, and / or orientation, or to move or control mechanisms or (sub)systems. Additionally, the EMC 6222 can be configured to generate and send messages / signalling to other components of the platform 6200 to indicate its current state. Examples of the EMC 6222 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 embodiments, the platform 6200 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 6222 based on one or more captured events and / or instructions or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients.

[0169] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect the platform 6200 with positioning circuitry 6245. The positioning circuitry 6245 includes circuitry to receive and decode signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include United States’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS, the European Union’s Galileo system, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a regional navigation system or GNSS augmentation system (e.g., NAVIC), Japan’s QZSS, France’s DORIS, etc. The positioning circuitry 6245 includes various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. to facilitate OTA communications) to communicate with components of a positioning network (e.g., navigation satellite constellations nodes). In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry 6245 can include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuitry 6245 can also be part of, or interact with, baseband circuitry 6110 and / or RFEM 6215 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuitry 6245 can also provide position data and / or time data to application circuitry 6205, which can use this data for location-based services, synchronizing operations with various infrastructure (e.g., radio base stations), turn-by-turn navigation, etc.

[0170] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect the platform 6200 with near-field communication (NFC) circuitry 6240. The NFC circuitry 6240 is configured to provide contactless, short-range communications based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards, with magnetic field induction used to enable communication between the NFC circuitry 6240 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an “NFC touchpoint”) external to the platform 6200. The NFC circuitry 6240 includes an NFC controller coupled with an antenna element, and a processor coupled with the NFC controller. The NFC controller can be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuitry 6240 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack can be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware can be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to emit short-range RF signals. The RF signals can power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transmit stored data to the NFC circuitry 6240, or initiate a data transfer between the NFC circuitry 6240 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or NFC-enabled POS terminal) proximate the 6200 platform.

[0171] Driver circuitry 6246 can include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices embedded in the platform 6200, attached to the platform 6200, or otherwise coupled to the platform 6200 in communication. The driver circuitry 6246 can include individual drivers that allow other components of the platform 6200 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that are present within or connected to the platform 6200. For example, the driver circuitry 6246 can include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface of the platform 6200, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings of sensor circuitry 6221 and control and allow access to the sensor circuitry 6221, an EMC driver to obtain actuator positions and / or control and allow access to the EMCs 6222, a camera driver to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, an audio driver to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

[0172] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 6225 (also “power management circuitry 6225”) can manage power supplied to various components of the platform 6200. In particular with respect to baseband circuitry 6210, the PMIC 6225 can control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMIC 6225 can generally include power source management, such as a direct control of the different voltages on which the various components of the platform 6200 operate. If the platform 6200 is powered by a battery 6230, e.g., when the device is included in the UE 401, 5101, 5201, the PMIC 6225 can also include a battery charging controller.

[0173] In some embodiments, PMIC 6225 can control, or otherwise be part of, various power-saving mechanisms of platform 6200. For example, if platform 6200 is in an RRC Connected state in which it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive further communications, it can enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. In that state, platform 6200 can power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power. If there is no data activity for an extended period of time, platform 6200 can transition off to an idle state where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations (e.g., channel quality feedback, handover, etc.). Platform 6200 enters a very low power state and it performs paging where it again periodically wakes up to monitor for network activity and then powers down again. It can not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, it must transition back to the RRC Connected state. Additional power saving modes can allow the device to be unavailable to the network for periods ranging from seconds to hours in exchange for power savings. In this time, the device is unreachable and can power down completely. Any data sent to it during that time incurs a large delay and the delay is assumed to be acceptable.

[0174] Battery 6230 can provide power for platform 6200, but in some examples, platform 6200 can be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and can have power supplied to it by a power grid. Battery 6230 can be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery (e.g., zinc-air battery, aluminum-air battery, lithium-air battery, etc.). In some implementations (e.g., in V2X applications), battery 6230 can be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0175] In some implementations, battery 6230 can be a “smart battery” that includes or is coupled with a Battery Management System (BMS) or battery monitoring integrated circuitry. The BMS can be included in platform 6200 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of battery 6230. The BMS can be used to monitor other parameters of battery 6230 to provide failure predictions (e.g., the state of health (SoH) and the state of function (SoF) of battery 6230). The BMS can communicate the information of battery 6230 to application circuitry 6205 or other components of platform 6200. The BMS can also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows application circuitry 6205 to directly monitor the voltage of battery 6230 or the current flow from battery 6230. The battery parameters can be used to determine actions that platform 6200 can perform (e.g., transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.).

[0176] A power block or other power source coupled to a power grid can be coupled with the BMS to charge the battery 6230. In some examples, the power block can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to obtain power wirelessly (e.g., through a loop antenna in the platform 6200). In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The particular charging circuit chosen can depend on the size of the battery 6230 and thus the current required. Charging can be performed using the Airfuel standard promulgated by the Airfuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard promulgated by the Wireless Power Consortium, or the Rezence charging standard promulgated by the Alliance for Wireless Power, among others.

[0177] The user interface circuitry 6250 includes various input / output (I / O) devices found within or connected to the platform 6200 and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with the platform 6200 and / or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheral component interaction with the platform 6200. The user interface circuitry 6250 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting an input. In particular, input device circuitry includes one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, or any like input device. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or otherwise conveying information (e.g., sensor readings, actuator positions, or other like information). Output device circuitry can include any number and / or combinations of audio or visual display devices, particularly including one or more simple visual output / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex output (e.g., a display device or touchscreen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, a quantum dot display, a projector, etc.)) where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like are generated or produced from the operation of the platform 6200. The output device circuitry can also include a speaker or other audio emission device, a printer, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry 6221 can function as input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.), and one or more EMCs can function as output device circuitry (e.g., actuators for providing tactile feedback, etc.). In another example, NFC circuitry including an NFC controller coupled with an antenna element and a processing device can be included to read electronic tags and / or connect with another NFC-enabled device. The peripheral component interface can include, without limitation, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

[0178] Although not shown, components of the Platform 6200 can communicate with each other using suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technologies, which may include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, Time Triggered Protocol (TTP) systems, FlexRay systems, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be, for example, a proprietary bus / IX used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included (e.g., I...). 2 (Includes C-interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface, and power bus, etc.)

[0179] Figure 7 Example components of a baseband circuit 710 and a radio front-end module (RFEM) 715 according to various embodiments are shown. The baseband circuit 710 corresponds to... Figure 6A and Figure 6B The baseband circuits 6110 and 6210. RFEM 715 corresponds to respectively Figure 6A and Figure 6B The RFEMs 6115 and 6215 are shown. As shown, the RFEM 715 may include at least the radio frequency (RF) circuit 706, the front-end module (FEM) circuit 708, and the antenna array 711 coupled together as shown.

[0180] The baseband circuit 710 includes circuitry and / or control logic configured to perform various radio / network protocols and radio control functions that implement communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 706. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, RF shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuit 710 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuit 710 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Embodiments of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments. The baseband circuit 710 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 706 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 706. The baseband circuit 710 is configured to interact with application circuits 6105 / 6205 (see...). Figure 6A and Figure 6B It interfaces with the baseband circuit 710 for the generation and processing of baseband signals and for controlling the operation of the RF circuit 706. The baseband circuit 710 can handle various radio control functions.

[0181] The above-described circuitry and / or control logic of the baseband circuitry 710 can include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors can include a 3G baseband processor 704A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 704B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 704C, or some other baseband processor(s) 704D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (such as fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). In other embodiments, some or all functions of the baseband processor(s) 704A-D can be included in modules stored in the memory 704G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 704E. In other embodiments, some or all functions of the baseband processor(s) 704A-D can be provided as hardware accelerators (e.g., FPGAs, ASICs, etc.) loaded with appropriate bit streams or logic blocks stored in respective memory cells. In various embodiments, the memory 704G can store program code of a real-time OS (RTOS), which when executed by the CPU 704E (or other baseband processor) would cause the CPU 704E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuitry 710, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of an RTOS can include OSE by provided by Mentor TM Nucleus RTOS provided by Mentor TM Versatile Real-Time eXecutive (VRTX) provided by ThreadX provided by Express TM FreeRTOS, REX OS provided by Open Kernel (OK) OKL4 by Open Kernel Group (OKG), or any other suitable RTOS (e.g., the RTOSs discussed herein). Further, the baseband circuitry 710 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSP) 704F. The audio DSP(s) 704F include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and can include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

[0182] In some embodiments, each of the processors 704A-704E include respective memory interfaces to send / receive data to / from the memory 704G. The baseband circuitry 710 can further include one or more interfaces to send / receive data to / from memory external to the baseband circuitry 710, to Figures 6A-7 the application circuitry 6105 / 6205; an RF circuitry interface to send / receive data to / from Figure 7 ​​RF circuitry 706 to send and receive data; a wireless hardware connectivity interface to send and receive data to / from one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., a Near Field Low-energy components, components, etc.); and a power management interface to send and receive power or control signals to / from PMIC 6225.

[0183] In alternative embodiments, baseband circuitry 710 includes one or more digital baseband systems that are coupled with one another via an interconnection subsystem and that are coupled to a CPU subsystem, an audio subsystem, and an interface subsystem. The digital baseband subsystems can also be coupled to a digital baseband interface and a mixed-signal baseband subsystem via another interconnection subsystem. Each of the interconnection subsystems can include a bus system, a point-to-point connection, a network-on-chip (NOC) structure, and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology (e.g., a bus or interconnect technology as discussed herein). The audio subsystem can include DSP circuitry, buffer memory, program memory, speech

[0184] While the Figure 7Not shown, but in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 710 includes a separate processing device to operate one or more wireless communication protocols (e.g., a “multi-protocol baseband processor” or “protocol processing circuitry”), and a separate processing device to implement PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the above-mentioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuitry operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless

[0185] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuitry 710 discussed herein can be implemented, for example, as solder-down substrates including one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged IC soldered directly to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs in a single package. In one example, components of the baseband circuitry 710 can be suitably combined in a single chip or chipset, or disposed on more than one chip or chipset, according to particular implementation needs. In another example, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 710 and RF circuitry 706 can be implemented together such as, for example, a system on a chip (SoC) or System-in-Package (SiP). In another example, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 710 can be implemented as a separate SoC that is communicatively coupled with the RF circuitry 706 (or multiple instances of the RF circuitry 706). In yet another example, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 710 and the application circuitry 6105 / 6205 can be implemented together as individual SoCs mounted to the same circuit board (e.g., as a “multi-chip package”).

[0186] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 710 can provide for communication with one or more wireless networks that are compatible with LTE, LTE-Advanced, GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, UMTS, FOMA, NMT, WAM, TD-SCDMA, 3GPP LTE, 3GPP LTE-Advanced, 5G, 6G, or other mobile communication technologies. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 710 can include one or more communication processors (CPs) that control data transmission to and from the RF circuitry 706. The baseband circuitry 710 can further include one or more memory controllers (MCs) that control access to the memory 712. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 710 can include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) for use in communication.

[0187] The RF circuitry 706 can enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with wireless networks. RF circuitry 706 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry to down-convert and amplify the received signal and provide the baseband circuitry 710 with baseband signals. RF circuitry 706 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry to up-convert and amplify the input baseband signals and provide the FEM circuitry 708 with RF output signals for transmission.

[0188] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 can include mixer circuitry 706a, amplifier circuitry 706b and filter circuitry 706c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706 can include filter circuitry 706c and mixer circuitry 706a. RF circuitry 706 can also include synthesizer circuitry 706d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert the RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 706d. The amplifier circuitry 706b can be configured to amplify the down-converted signals, and the filter circuitry 706c can be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. The output baseband signals can be provided to the baseband circuitry 710 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals can be zero-frequency baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert RF signals communicated from the FEM circuitry 708 based on a frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 706d. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path can include passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0189] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 706d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 708. The baseband signals can be provided by the baseband circuitry 710 and can be filtered by filter circuitry 706c.

[0190] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be configured for superheterodye operation.

[0191] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 710 can include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 706.

[0192] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio ICs can be provided for processing signals with respect to each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0193] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers can be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0194] The synthesizer circuitry 706d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the RF circuitry 706 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0195] In some embodiments, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The divider control input can be provided by the baseband circuitry 710 or the application circuitry 6105 / 6205 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the application circuitry 6105 / 6205.

[0196] Synthesizer circuitry 706d of the RF circuitry 706 can include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider can be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator can be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD can be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL can include a set of cascaded, tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements can be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal phase segments. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help assure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0197] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d 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 used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include an IQ / polar converter.

[0198] FEM circuitry 708 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 711, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 706 for further processing. FEM circuitry 708 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 706 for transmission by one or more of the antenna elements of the antenna array 711. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths can be done only in the RF circuitry 706, only in the FEM circuitry 708, or in both the RF circuitry 706 and the FEM circuitry 708.

[0199] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 708 can include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 708 can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 708 can include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 706). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 708 can include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify signals for transmission (e.g., by the antenna array 711) and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission by the one or more antenna elements of the antenna array 711.

[0200] The antenna array 711 includes one or more antenna elements, each of which is configured to convert electrical signals into waves for transmission through the air and to convert received waves into electrical signals. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by the baseband circuitry 710 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., an modulated waveform) that will be amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of the antenna array 711 including one or more antenna elements (not shown). The antenna elements can be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. The antenna elements can be formed from a variety of materials such as metal or metal alloys including copper, aluminum and the like. The antenna elements can be etched, stamped, or otherwise formed and can be formed in a variety of shapes and configurations. The antenna elements can be formed in a variety of ways including deposition, etching, stamping, and the like. The antenna elements can be formed on one or more surfaces of the antenna array 711. The antenna elements can be formed in a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, strips, dipoles, loops, and the like. The antenna elements can be formed from conductive materials including, but not limited to, metal, metal alloys, conductive polymers, and the like. The antenna elements can be formed in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, deposition, etching, stamping, and the like. The antenna elements can be formed on one or more surfaces of the antenna array 711. The antenna elements can be formed in a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, strips, dipoles, loops, and the like. The antenna elements can be formed from conductive materials including, but not limited to, metal, metal alloys, conductive polymers, and the like. The antenna elements can be formed in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, deposition, etching, stamping, and the like. The antenna array 711 can be manufactured as a patch of metal foil in various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and can be coupled with the RF circuitry 706 and / or the FEM circuitry 708 using metal transmission lines or the like.

[0201] The processors of the application circuitry 6105 / 6205 and the baseband circuitry 710 can execute instructions stored in the memory 6106 / 6206 to perform operations described herein. The instructions can be executed by a single processor or by each of two or more processors of the baseband circuitry 710 and the application circuitry 6105 / 6205. For example, instructions for use of the baseband circuitry 710 and the application circuitry 6105 / 6205 in the operations described herein can be executed by a processor of the baseband circuitry 710 and a processor of the application circuitry 6105 / 6205.

[0202] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine, apparatus, or device (e.g., a base station 110, a network node, or an IAB node) that can read instructions from machine- readable or computer-readable media (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, the base station 110 can implement a base station 110 (e.g., a gNB) or a network node (e.g., a CU, a DU, or an IAB node) as shown in FIG. 1. The machine can be a special- or general-purpose machine that has various hardware components as described herein, which can be configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) to perform operations described herein. Figure 8Illustrated is a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 800 including one or more processors (or processor cores) 810, one or more memory / storage devices 820, and one or more communication resources 830, each of which can be in communication with one another via a bus 840. For embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 802 can be

[0203] The processors 810 can include, among other things, processors 812 and processors 814. The processors 810 can be, for example, central processing units (CPUs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), DSPs (e.g., a baseband processor), ASICs, FPGAs, radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), another processor, including those discussed herein, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0204] The memory / storage devices 820 can include main memory, disk memory, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage devices 820 can include, but are not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory (e.g., 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.).

[0205] The communication resources 830 can include interconnection or network (or Bluetooth® components (or Bluetooth® low energy) components, Wi-Fi® components, ZigBee® components, low-power short-range components, and other communication components.

[0206] The instructions 850 can include software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for use by any processor 810, to perform any one or more of the methods disclosed herein. The instructions 850 can reside completely, though portions of the instructions 850 can reside completely, as well, at least one of the processors 810 (e.g., within the processor’s cache memory), the memory / storage devices 820, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, the instructions 850 can be transferred from any of the peripheral devices 804 or databases 806 to the hardware resources 800 via any combination of hardwired or wireless read transfer methods.

[0207] In various embodiments, Figures 5A-8 The devices / components of Figure 7 The baseband circuitry of Figures 1-3 depicted in FIG. 1 can be used to implement, in whole or in part, any of the operational flows / algorithms structures depicted in

[0208] Figure 1 depicted in FIG. 1 can be used to implement, in whole or in part, any of the operational flows / algorithms structures depicted in

[0209] Figure 2 depicted in FIG. 1 can be used to implement, in whole or in part, any of the operational flows / algorithms structures depicted in

[0210] Figure 3 Another example of an operational flow / algorithmic structure that can be performed by a policy control function (PCF) in accordance with some embodiments is depicted. In this example, the operational flow / algorithmic structure 300 can include receiving, from an access and mobility management function (AMF), proximity services (ProSe) capability information associated with a fifth generation (5G) ProSe capability for a user equipment (UE) to operate as a UE-to-network relay, at 305. The operational flow / algorithmic structure 300 can further include determining 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay information based on the ProSe capability information, at 310. The operational flow / algorithmic structure 300 can further include providing the 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay information to the UE, at 315.

[0211] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in the one or more preceding figures can be configured to perform one or more of the operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with the one or more preceding figures can be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with the one or more preceding figures can be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth in the example section below.

[0212] Examples

[0213] Example 1 can include a method of a UE indicating its 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay capability to an AMF in a registration request message.

[0214] Example 2 can include the method of example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the AMF determines whether the UE is authorized to be a 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay by checking UE subscription information received from a UDM.

[0215] Example 3 can include the method of example 2 or some other example herein, wherein, if the UE is authorized with respect to 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay, the AMF further reports the UE’s 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay capability to a PCF that has 5G ProSe policy and parameter provisioning capability.

[0216] Example 4 can include the method of example 3 or some other example herein, wherein the PCF determines whether to provision the 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay policy and parameters to the UE based on the UE’s capability of 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay.

[0217] Example 5 may include: the method as described in Example 4 or some other examples herein, wherein the 5G ProSe UE to network relay policy and parameters include an authorization policy for using 5G ProSe UE to network relay, a 5G ProSe relay discovery policy / parameters for 5G ProSe UE to network relay, radio parameters for 5G ProSe relay discovery, radio parameters for 5G ProSe relay communication, mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu 5QI values ​​and / or mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu QCI values.

[0218] Example 6 may include: the method as described in Example 5 or some other examples herein, wherein the authorization policy for using a 5GProSe UE to relay to a network includes a PLMN that authorizes the UE to relay services for a 5G remote UE.

[0219] Example 7 may include: the method described in Example 6 or some other examples herein, wherein the 5G ProSe relay discovery policy / parameters for 5G ProSe UE to network relay include as an indication of UE to network relay, 5G ProSe UE to network relay discovery parameters (user information ID, relay service code), PDU session parameters to be used for relay traffic for each ProSe relay service code (PDU session type, DNN, SSC mode, S-NSSAI, access type preference), and security-related content for 5G ProSe relay discovery for each 5G ProSe relay service code.

[0220] Example 8 may include: the UE indicating its 5GProSe remote UE capability to the AMF in a registration request message.

[0221] Example 9 may include: the method as described in Example 8 or some other examples herein, wherein the AMF determines whether the UE is authorized to use the 5G ProSe UE to network relay as a 5G ProSe remote UE by examining the UE subscription information received from the UDM.

[0222] Example 10 may include: the method as described in Example 9 or some other examples herein, wherein if the UE is authorized to use 5G ProSe UE to network relay, the AMF further reports the UE's 5G ProSe remote UE capability or an indication that the UE is authorized to use 5G ProSe UE to network relay to a PCF with 5G ProSe policy and parameter allocation capabilities.

[0223] Example 11 can include the method of example 10 or some other example herein, wherein the PCF determines whether to provision the 5G ProSe Remote UE policies and parameters to the UE based on an indication of the UE's 5G ProSe Remote UE capability or authorized to use 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay.

[0224] Example 12 can include the method of example 11 or some other example herein, wherein the 5G ProSe Remote UE policies and parameters include authorized policies for using 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay, policies / parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery and for enabling connectivity to the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay after performing discovery, radio parameters for when the UE is not "served by NG-RAN".

[0225] Example 13 can include the method of example 12 or some other example herein, wherein the policies / parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery and for enabling connectivity to the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay after performing discovery include an indication to use UE-to-Network Relay, 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay discovery parameters (user information ID, relay service code),

[0226] may be used for relay traffic per ProSe Relay Service Code, PDU Session parameters (PDU Session Type, DNN, SSC Mode, S-NSSAI, Access Type Preference) to be used for relay traffic per ProSe Relay Service Code, security related content for ProSe Relay discovery per ProSe Relay Service Code.

[0227] Example 14 can include a method comprising:

[0228] providing, in a registration request message, an indicator of a 5G ProSe User Equipment (UE) to network relay capability of the UE; and

[0229] sending or causing to send the registration request message to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0230] Example 15 can include the method of example 14 or some other example herein, further comprising provisioning, in the registration request message, an indicator of a 5G ProSe Remote UE capability of the UE.

[0231] Example 16 can include the method of examples 14-15 or some other example herein, further comprising receiving 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay policies and parameters based on the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay capability.

[0232] Example 17 can include the method of example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay policies and parameters include one or more of: authorization policy for using 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay, 5G ProSe Relay discovery policy / parameters for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay, radio parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery, radio parameters for 5G ProSe Relay communication, mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu 5QI values, and / or mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu QCI values.

[0233] Example 18 can include the method of example 17 or some other example herein, wherein the authorization policy for using 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay includes a PLMN where the UE is authorized to relay traffic for 5G Remote UEs.

[0234] Example 19 can include the method of example 18 or some other example herein, wherein the 5G ProSe Relay discovery policy / parameters for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay include one or more of: indication as UE-to-Network Relay, 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay discovery parameters (e.g., user information ID, relay service code), PDU session parameters to be used for relay traffic per ProSe Relay Service Code (e.g., PDU session type, DNN, SSC mode, S-NSSAI, access type preference), and / or security related content for 5G ProSe Relay discovery per 5G ProSe Relay Service Code.

[0235] Example 20 can include the method of examples 14-19 or some other example herein, wherein the method is performed by the UE or a portion thereof.

[0236] Example 21 can include a method comprising:

[0237] receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a registration request message including an indicator of 5G ProSe user equipment (UE) to network relay capability of the UE;

[0238] determining, based on UE subscription information received from a UDM, whether the UE is authorized as a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay; and

[0239] reporting the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay capability of the UE to a Policy Control Function (PCF) if it is determined that the UE is authorized as the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay.

[0240] Example 22 can include the method of example 21 or some other example herein, wherein the registration request message further includes an indicator of 5G ProSe Remote UE capability of the UE.

[0241] Example 23 can include the method of examples 21-22 or some other example herein, wherein the method is performed by an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) or a portion thereof.

[0242] Example X1 includes an apparatus comprising: a memory to store Proximity Service (ProSe) capability information regarding Fifth Generation (5G) ProSe capability for a User Equipment (UE) to operate as a UE-to-Network Relay; and a processing circuit, coupled with the memory, to: retrieve the ProSe capability information from the memory; select a Policy Control Function (PCF) that supports 5G ProSe information provisioning based on the ProSe capability information; and establish a UE policy association with the selected PCF for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning delivery.

[0243] Example X2 includes the apparatus of example X1 or some other example herein, wherein the ProSe capability information is received from the UE in a registration request message.

[0244] Example X3 includes the apparatus of example X2 or some other example herein, wherein the ProSe capability information in the registration request message includes an indication of 5G ProSe capability for the UE to operate as a Remote UE, and wherein the processing circuit is further to report the 5G ProSe capability for the UE to operate as a Remote UE to the selected PCF.

[0245] Example X4 includes the apparatus of example X2 or some other example herein, wherein the registration request message includes a UE policy container including a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning request to indicate that the UE supports 5G ProSe capability as a UE-to-Network Relay and that the UE does not have a valid 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information.

[0246] Example X5 includes the apparatus of example X4 or some other example herein, wherein the processing circuit is further to provide the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information to the UE in response to the registration request message.

[0247] Example X6 includes the apparatus of any of Examples X1-X5, wherein the selection of the PCF is further based on determining, based on subscription data, that the UE is authorized as a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay.

[0248] Example X7 includes the apparatus of any of Examples X1-X6, wherein the processing circuitry is further to report, to the selected PCF, the 5G ProSe capability of the UE to operate as a UE-to-Network Relay.

[0249] Example X8 includes the apparatus of any of Examples X1-X7, wherein the processing circuitry is further to initiate a UE policy association modification procedure in response to a mobility of the UE from a first public land mobile network (PLMN) to a second PLMN.

[0250] Example X9 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause an access and mobility management function (AMF) to: receive, from a user equipment (UE), a registration request message including ProSe capability information about a fifth generation (5G) proximity service (ProSe) capability for the UE to operate as a UE-to-Network Relay; select, based on the ProSe capability information, a policy control function (PCF) that supports 5G ProSe information provisioning; and establish a UE policy association with the selected PCF for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning delivery.

[0251] Example X10 includes the one or more computer-readable media of Example X9 or some other example herein, wherein the registration request message includes a UE policy container including a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information provisioning request to indicate that the UE supports the 5G ProSe capability as a UE-to-Network Relay and that the UE does not have a valid 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information.

[0252] Example X11 includes the one or more computer-readable media of Example X9 or some other example herein, wherein the ProSe capability information in the registration request message includes an indication of a 5G ProSe capability for the UE to operate as a remote UE, and wherein the media further stores instructions to cause the AMF to report, to the selected PCF, the 5G ProSe capability for the UE to operate as a remote UE.

[0253] Example X12 includes the one or more computer-readable media of Example X10 or some other example herein, wherein the media further store instructions to cause the AMF to provide 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information to the UE in response to the registration request message.

[0254] Example X13 includes the one or more computer-readable media of any of Examples X9-X12 or some other example herein, wherein the selection of the PCF is further based on determining, based on subscription data, that the UE is authorized as a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay.

[0255] Example X14 includes the one or more computer-readable media of any of Examples X9-X13 or some other example herein, wherein the media further store instructions to cause the AMF to report the 5G ProSe capability of the UE operating as a UE-to-Network Relay to the selected PCF.

[0256] Example X15 includes the one or more computer-readable media of any of Examples X9-X14 or some other example herein, wherein the media further store instructions to cause the AMF to initiate a UE policy association modification procedure in response to a movement of the UE from a first public land mobile network (PLMN) to a second PLMN.

[0257] Example X16 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a policy control function (PCF) to: receive, from an access and mobility management function (AMF), ProSe capability information associated with a fifth generation (5G) proximity service (ProSe) capability of a user equipment (UE) operating as a UE-to-Network Relay; determine, based on the ProSe capability information, 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information; and provide the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information to the UE.

[0258] Example X17 includes the one or more computer-readable media of Example X16 or some other example herein, wherein the media further store instructions to cause the PCF to update the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information in response to a movement of the UE from a first public land mobile network (PLMN) to a second PLMN.

[0259] Example X18 includes the one or more computer-readable media of Example X16 or some other example herein, wherein the medium further stores instructions to cause the PCF to update the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information in response to a subscription change in a list of PLMNs where the UE is authorized to perform 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay operations.

[0260] Example X19 includes the one or more computer-readable media of any of Examples X16-X18 or some other example herein, wherein the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay information comprises an indication of an authorization policy associated with the UE acting as a 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay when served by a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN), a 5G ProSe Relay discovery policy or parameters for 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay, radio parameters for 5G ProSe Relay discovery, radio parameters for 5G ProSe Relay communication, mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu 5QI values, or mapping rules between 5G ProSe PC5 5QI (PQI) and Uu QCI values.

[0261] Example X20 includes the one or more computer-readable media of Example X16 or some other example herein, wherein the medium further stores instructions to cause the PCF to receive, from the AMF, an indication of 5G ProSe capabilities of the UE to operate as a remote UE.

[0262] Example Z01 can include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-X20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0263] Example Z02 can include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-X20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0264] Example Z03 can include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-X20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0265] Example Z04 can include a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-X20, or portions or parts thereof.

[0266] Example Z05 can include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the methods, techniques, or processes as described in or related to any of examples 1-X20 and / or portions or parts thereof.

[0267] Example Z06 can include a signal as described in or related to any of examples 1-X20 or portions or parts thereof.

[0268] Example Z07 can include a signal in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0269] Example Z08 can include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0270] Example Z09 can include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0271] Example Z10 can include an apparatus for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0272] Any of the above examples can be combined with any of the other examples (or combinations of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides functionality and / or technical advantages, but that does not mean that every implementation necessarily makes use of every

[0273] Terminology

[0274] For purposes of this document, the following terms have the meanings ascribed to them below, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0275] As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to, is part of, or includes

[0276] As used herein, the term "processor circuitry" refers to, is part of, or includes circuitry capable of sequentially and automatically processing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, and / or communicating digital data. The term "processor circuitry" can refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (e.g., program code, software modules, and / or functional processes). The terms "application circuitry" and / or "baseband circuitry" can be considered synonymous with and can be referred to as "processor circuitry."

[0277] As used herein, the term "interface circuitry" refers to, is part of, or includes circuitry that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuitry" can refer to one or more hardware interfaces (e.g., a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.).

[0278] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" can be considered synonymous to and can be referred to as a client, mobile, mobile equipment, mobile device, user device, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio, reconfigurable radio, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0279] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized devices and / or infrastructure that are used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" can be considered synonymous, and / or refer to, networking computers, networking hardware, network devices, network nodes, routers, switches, hubs, bridges, radio network controllers, RAN devices, RAN nodes, gateways, servers, virtualized VNFs, NFVIs, and the like.

[0280] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Moreover, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" can refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" can refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0281] As used herein, the terms "appliance," "computer appliance," and the like refer to a computer device or computer system having program code (e.g., software or firmware) specifically designed to provide a particular computing resource. A "virtual appliance" is a virtual machine image to be implemented by a virtualized or emulated computer appliance or by a hypervisor of an appliance dedicated to providing a particular computing resource.

[0282] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to physical or virtual devices, physical or virtual components within a computing environment, and / or physical or virtual components within a particular device (e.g., computer devices, mechanical devices, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU usage, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or usage, power, input / output operations, port or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, networks, databases and applications, units of work, and the like). "Hardware resources" can refer to computing, storage, and / or networking resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" can refer to computing, storage, and / or networking resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to applications, devices, systems, and the like. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" can refer to resources accessible to computer devices / systems via a communication network. The term "system resources" can refer to any kind of shared entities used to provide services, and can include computing and / or networking resources. System resources can be considered a collection of uniform functions, network data objects, or services accessible through a server, where these system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and are clearly identifiable.

[0283] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium used to transmit data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous with and / or equivalent to "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," and / or any other similar term indicating a path or medium through which data is transmitted. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices intended to send and receive information via a RAT.

[0284] The terms "instantiation" and "instantiation" used in this article refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to the concrete existence of an object that can appear, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0285] This document uses the terms “coupling”, “communicationally coupled”, and their derivatives. The term “coupling” can mean two or more elements in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, can mean two or more elements in indirect contact but still cooperating or interacting with each other, and / or can mean one or more other elements coupled or connected between elements referred to as coupled to each other. The term “direct coupling” can mean two or more elements in direct contact with each other. The term “communicationally coupled” can mean two or more elements that can contact each other through communication (including via wired or other interconnections, via wireless communication channels or links, etc.).

[0286] The term "information element" refers to a structure element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual content of an information element or a data element that contains that content.

[0287] The term "SMTC" refers to the SSB-based measurement timing configuration configured by SSB - Measurement Timing Configuration.

[0288] The term "SSB" refers to the SS / PBCH block.

[0289] The term "primary cell" refers to an MCG cell operating on the primary frequency, in which the UE performs the initial connection establishment procedure or initiates a connection reconstruction procedure.

[0290] The term "primary SCG cell" refers to the SCG cell in which the UE performs random access when performing reconfiguration for the synchronization procedure during DC operations.

[0291] The term "secondary cell" refers to a cell that provides additional radio resources on top of a special cell for a UE configured with CA.

[0292] The term "secondary cell group", for a UE configured with DC, refers to a subset of serving cells comprising the PSCell and zero or more secondary cells.

[0293] The term "serving cell", for a UE in RRC CONNECTED not configured with CA / DC, refers to the primary cell, there is only one serving cell comprising the primary cell.

[0294] The term "serving cell" or "serving cells", for a UE in RRC CONNECTED configured with CA refers to the set of cells comprising the special cell and all secondary cells.

[0295] The term "special cell", for DC operation, refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG; otherwise, the term "special cell" refers to the Pcell.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, enable Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF): The user equipment (UE) receives a registration request message, which includes 5G ProSe capability information, indicating the UE's ability to act as a 5G ProSe UE to the network relay. Based on the aforementioned 5G ProSe capability information, select the Policy Control Function (PCF) that supports 5G ProSe information allocation; and Establish a UE policy association with the selected PCF for 5G ProSe information delivery.

2. The one or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The medium further stores instructions to enable the AMF: The UE receives a 5G ProSe policy allocation request, the 5G ProSe policy allocation request including a UE policy container indicating an invalid 5G policy or parameter associated with the 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay information; and The UE policy container is provided to the PCF.

3. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, enable a policy control function (PCF): Receive fifth-generation (5G) ProSe capability information from the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), the 5G ProSe capability information indicating the user equipment (UE)’s ability to act as a 5G ProSe UE to the network relay; Based on the 5G ProSe capability information, a 5G ProSe allocation strategy or parameter is determined, and the 5G ProSe strategy or parameter is associated with the 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay information; and The encoding is used to send a message to the UE, the message including an indication of the 5G ProSe policy or parameters.

4. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 3, wherein, The medium further stores instructions to cause the PCF to execute a trigger policy allocation process, which is initiated by the user equipment (UE) in response to an invalid 5G ProSe policy or parameter.

5. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 3, wherein, The determination of the 5G ProSe policy or parameters is the authorization policy determined when the UE is served by the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) to act as a 5G ProSe UE-to-network relay.

6. One or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The authorization policy includes an instruction to a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) in which the UE is authorized to relay services for 5G remote UEs.

7. One or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The determination of the 5G ProSe policy or parameters is to determine the 5G relay discovery policy or parameters used for 5G ProSe UE to network relay.

8. One or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 7, wherein, The 5G relay discovery strategy or parameters used for 5G ProSe UE to network relay include: parameters that cause the UE to perform 5G ProSe discovery, 5G ProSe UE to network relay discovery parameters, or PDU session parameters for Layer 3 relays to be used for relay services for ProSe relay service codes.

9. One or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The determination of the 5G ProSe policy or parameters is to determine radio parameters when the UE is not served by the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

10. One or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 9, wherein, The radio parameters are associated with a geographic area and are used to perform the 5G ProSe direct discovery process when the UE is able to locate itself in that geographic area; otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

11. One or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 9, wherein, The radio parameters are associated with a geographic area and are used to perform the 5G ProSe direct communication process when the UE is able to locate itself in the geographic area; otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

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