UE-based Pair ID for redundant PDU sessions

Abstract

On the one hand, a method includes: determining, by a user equipment (UE), a pair identifier (ID); and sending, by the UE, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and the pair ID. On the other hand, a method includes: receiving, by a first network entity, a PDU session request message including the pair ID from a second network entity; and associating, by the network entity, a PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with the pair ID. On yet another hand, a method includes: receiving, by the network entity, a PDU session establishment message and the pair ID from the UE; and sending, by the network entity, a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message, the PDU session request message including the pair ID.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to redundant PDU session operations. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc. These wireless networks can be multiple access networks that can support multiple users by sharing available network resources. Such a network is typically a plurality of access networks that support communication of multiple users by sharing available network resources. An example of such a network is the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). UTRAN is a radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), which is a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Examples of multiple access network formats include code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.

[0003] A wireless communication network may include several base stations or Node Bs that may support communications for several user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via a downlink and an uplink. A downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from a base station to a UE, while an uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from a UE to a base station.

[0004] The base station may send data and control information to the UE on the downlink, and / or may receive data and control information from the UE on the uplink. On the downlink, the transmission from the base station may encounter interference due to transmission from an adjacent base station or from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, the transmission from the UE may encounter interference from uplink transmissions of other UEs communicating with the adjacent base stations or from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference can reduce the performance on both the downlink and uplink.

[0005] As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, the potential for interference and congested networks increases as more UEs access long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems are deployed in communities. Research and development continues to advance wireless technologies, not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but also to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications. Summary of the invention

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes: determining, by a user equipment (UE), a pair identifier (ID); and sending, by the UE, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and the pair ID.

[0007] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a component for determining a pair identifier (ID) by a user equipment (UE); and a component for sending a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and the pair ID by the UE.

[0008] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon includes code for determining, by a user equipment (UE), a pair identifier (ID); and sending, by the UE, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and the pair ID.

[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a device configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The device includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to determine a pair identifier (ID) by a user equipment (UE); and send a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and the pair ID by the UE.

[0010] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes: receiving, by a first network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session request message including a pair identifier (ID) from a second network entity; and associating, by the network entity, a PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with the pair ID.

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a device configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The device includes a component for receiving, by a first network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session request message including a pair identifier (ID) from a second network entity; and a component for associating, by the network entity, a PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with the pair ID.

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The program code also includes code for receiving, by a first network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session request message including a pair identifier (ID) from a second network entity; and associating, by the network entity, a PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with the pair ID.

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a device configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The device includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive, by a first network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session request message including a pair identifier (ID) from a second network entity; and by the network entity, associate a PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with the pair ID.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes: receiving, by a network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message from a user equipment (UE), the PDU session establishment message including a pair identifier (ID) determined by the UE; and sending, by the network entity, a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message, the PDU session request message including the pair ID determined by the UE.

[0015] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes a component for receiving, by a network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message from a user equipment (UE), the PDU session establishment message including a pair identifier (ID) determined by the UE; and a component for sending, by the network entity, a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message, the PDU session request message including the pair ID determined by the UE.

[0016] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The program code also includes code for receiving, by a network entity, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message from a user equipment (UE), the PDU session establishment message including a pair identifier (ID) determined by the UE; and sending, by the network entity, a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message, the PDU session request message including the pair ID determined by the UE.

[0017] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a device configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The device includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message from a user equipment (UE) by a network entity, the PDU session establishment message including a pair identifier (ID) determined by the UE; and send a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message by the network entity, the PDU session request message including the pair ID determined by the UE.

[0018] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes: determining, by a user equipment (UE), a pair identifier (ID) for a protocol data unit (PDU) session; generating, by the UE, a PDU session establishment message, the PDU session establishment message including the pair ID; and sending, by the UE, the PDU session establishment message including the pair ID.

[0019] The features and technical advantages of the examples according to the present disclosure have been outlined quite broadly above so that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be easily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for achieving the same purpose of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The features of the concepts disclosed herein in terms of their organization and method of operation and the associated advantages will be better understood through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and not as a definition of limitations of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present disclosure may be achieved by reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numeral. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a dash and a second reference numeral that distinguishes between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any one of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral.

[0021] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of a wireless communication system.

[0022] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a design of a base station and a UE configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 3A and 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of redundant protocol data unit (PDU) session operation.

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system implementing redundant PDU session operations.

[0025] Figure 5 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a first example of redundant PDU session operation.

[0026] Figure 6 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a second example of redundant PDU session operation.

[0027] Figure 7 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a third example of redundant PDU session operation.

[0028] Figure 8 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a fourth example of redundant PDU session operation.

[0029] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating example blocks executed by a UE.

[0030] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating example blocks executed by a network entity.

[0031] Fig.11 is a block diagram illustrating another example performed by a UE.

[0032] Fig.12 is a block diagram illustrating another example of blocks executed by a network entity.

[0033] Fig.13 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example design of a UE.

[0034] Fig.14 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example design of network entities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Instead, the detailed description includes specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present disclosure. It is clear to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in every case, and in some cases, for the sake of clarity, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0036] The present disclosure generally relates to providing or participating in authorized shared access between two or more wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various embodiments, the techniques and devices can be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0037] OFDMA network can realize radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE802.16, IEEE802.20, Flash OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). In particular, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between telecommunication association groups, the purpose of which is to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and other wireless technologies using a new and different set of radio access technologies or radio air interfaces to share access to wireless spectrum between networks.

[0038] In particular, 5G networks take into account different deployments, different spectrums, and different services and devices that can be implemented using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to the development of new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to expand to provide the following coverage: (1) For networks with ultra-high density (e.g., ~1 million nodes / km) 2 (1) coverage of the massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-low complexity (e.g., ~10s of bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., ~10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) coverage of mission-critical controls with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ~99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ~1ms), and users with a wide range of mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) coverage with enhanced mobile broadband including extremely high capacity (e.g., ~10Tbps / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep perception with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0039] 5G NR can be implemented using an optimized OFDM-based waveform, which: has scalable numerology and transmission time interval (TTI); has a common, flexible framework to effectively multiplex services and features using dynamic low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) design; and has advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the numerology in 5G NR (using the scaling of subcarrier spacing) can effectively address the operation of different services on different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, the subcarrier spacing can, for example, occur at 15kHz on bandwidths such as 1, 5, 10, 20MHz. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 30kHz on 80 / 100MHz bandwidth. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5GHz band, subcarrier spacing can occur at 60kHz over a 160MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with a mmWave component at 28GHz TDD, subcarrier spacing can occur at 120kHz over a 500MHz bandwidth.

[0040] 5G NR's scalable parameter set enables scalable TTI for different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long TTIs and short TTIs allows transmission to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also considers a self-contained integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive uplink / downlink, which can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0041] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are also described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function, or both disclosed herein are merely representative and non-restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality other than one or more aspects set forth herein or different from one or more of the aspects set forth herein can be used to implement this device or practice this method. For example, the method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or as an instruction stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0042] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram illustrating a 5G network 100 including various base stations and UEs configured according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The 5G network 100 includes multiple base stations 105 and other network entities. A base station may be a station that communicates with a UE and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to that specific geographic coverage area of ​​a base station and / or a base station subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0043] A base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell (such as a pico cell or a femto cell) and / or other types of cells. A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs that have subscribed to services from a network provider. A small cell, such as a pico cell, will generally cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs that have subscribed to services from a network provider. A small cell, such as a femto cell, will generally also cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of users in a home, etc.). A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro base station. A base station for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, or a home base station. In Figure 1In the example shown, base stations 105d and 105e are conventional macro base stations, while base stations 105a-105c are macro base stations that enable one of 3-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations 105a-105c can utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in both elevation beamforming and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. Base station 105f is a small cell base station, which can be a home node or a portable access point. The base station can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0044] The 5G network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time.

[0045] UE 115 is scattered throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE can be fixed or mobile. UE can also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. UE can be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. On the one hand, the UE can be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, the UE can be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE that does not include a UICC can also be referred to as an Internet of Everything (IoE) or Internet of Things (IoT) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device that accesses the 5G network 100. UE can also be a machine that is specifically configured for connection communication, including machine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115k is an example of various machines configured for communication of accessing the 5G network 100. The UE can communicate with any type of base station, whether it is a macro base station, a small cell, etc. Figure 1 In the figure, the lightning symbol (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between the UE and a serving base station, which is a base station designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink, or indicates desired transmission between base stations and backhaul transmission between base stations.

[0046] In operation at the 5G network 100, base stations 105a-105c use 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro base station 105d performs backhaul communications with base stations 105a-105c and small cell base station 105f. Macro base station 105d also transmits multicast services that UEs 115c and 115d subscribe to and receive. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information such as weather emergencies or warnings, such as amber warnings or gray warnings.

[0047] The 5G network 100 also supports mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as UE 115e as a drone. The redundant communication links with UE 115e include from macro base stations 105d and 105e and small cell base station 105f. Other machine-type devices such as UE 115f (thermometer), UE 115g (smart meter), and UE 115h (wearable device) can communicate directly with base stations such as small cell base station 105f and macro base station 105e through the 5G network 100, or communicate with the smart meter (UE 115g) in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user device (such as UE 115f) that relays its information to the network, which then reports to the network through the small cell base station 105f. The 5G network 100 may also provide additional network efficiencies through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs 115i-115k communicating with a macro base station 105e.

[0048] Figure 2 A block diagram shows a design of a base station 105 and a UE 115, which may be Figure 1One of the base stations and one of the UEs in the base station 105. At the base station 105, the transmit processor 220 can receive data from the data source 212 and receive control information from the controller / processor 240. The control information can be used for PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PDCCH, EPDCCH, MPDCCH, etc. The data can be used for PDSCH, etc. The transmit processor 220 can process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and the control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 220 can also generate, for example, reference symbols for PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signals. The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols (if applicable), and can provide output symbol streams to modulators (MOD) 232a to 232t. Each modulator 232 can process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (eg, convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.

[0049] At the UE 115, antennas 252a to 252r can receive downlink signals from the base station 105 and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMOD) 254a to 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 can further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. The MIMO detector 256 can obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on these received symbols where applicable, and provide detected symbols. The receive processor 258 can process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE 115 to the data sink 260, and provide decoding control information to the controller / processor 280.

[0050] On the uplink, at the UE 115, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 (e.g., for PUSCH) and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for PUCCH). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266, if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 105. At the base station 105, the uplink signal from the UE 115 may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the modulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 (if applicable), and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 115. The receive processor 238 may provide decoded data to a data sink 239 and decoded control information to the controller / processor 240.

[0051] The controllers / processors 240 and 280 may direct the operation at the base station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The controller / processor 240 and / or other processors and modules at the base station 105 may perform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein. The controller / processor 280 and / or other processors and modules at the UE 115 may also perform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein. Fig. 9 , 10 , 11 or 12 and / or the execution of other processes of the technology described herein. Memories 242 and 282 can store data and program codes for base station 105 and UE 115, respectively. Scheduler 244 can schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0052] Wireless communication systems operated by different network operating entities (e.g., network operators) may share spectrum. In some instances, a network operating entity may be configured to use the entire designated shared spectrum for at least a period of time before another network operating entity uses the entire designated shared spectrum for a different period of time. Thus, to allow network operating entities to use the fully designated shared spectrum, and to mitigate interfering communications between different network operating entities, certain resources (e.g., time) may be divided and allocated to different network operating entities for certain types of communications.

[0053] For example, a network operating entity may be allocated certain time resources that are reserved for exclusive communication by the network operating entity using the entire shared spectrum. A network operating entity may also be allocated other time resources where the entity is given priority over other network operating entities to communicate using the shared spectrum. If the prioritized network operating entity does not use these resources, then these time resources prioritized for use by the network operating entity may be used by other network operating entities on an opportunistic basis. Additional time resources may be allocated to any network operator for opportunistic use.

[0054] The access to the shared spectrum and the allocation of time resources between different network operating entities can be centrally controlled by a separate entity, autonomously determined by a predefined allocation scheme, or dynamically determined based on the interaction between wireless nodes of the network operator.

[0055] In some cases, 5G network 100 ( Figure 1 The UE 115 and the base station 105 (in) can operate in a shared radio frequency spectrum band, which may include licensed or unlicensed (e.g., based on contention) spectrum. In the unlicensed frequency portion of the shared radio frequency spectrum band, the UE 115 or the base station 105 may traditionally perform a medium sensing process to contend for access to the spectrum. For example, the UE 115 or the base station 105 may perform a listen before talk (LBT) process, such as a clear channel assessment (CCA), before communicating to determine whether the shared channel is available. CCA may include an energy detection process to determine whether there are any other active transmissions. For example, the device may infer that a change in the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the power meter indicates that the channel is occupied. Specifically, a signal power concentrated in a specific bandwidth and exceeding a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. CCA may also include detection of a specific sequence indicating channel usage. For example, another device may send a specific preamble before sending a data sequence. In some cases, the LBT process may include the wireless node adjusting its own backoff window based on the amount of energy detected on the channel and / or acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) feedback for its own transmitted packets as a proxy for collisions.

[0056] Generally, four LBT procedures have been proposed for sensing signals in a shared channel that may indicate that the channel is already occupied. In the first category (CAT 1 LBT), no LBT or CCA is applied to detect occupancy of a shared channel. The second category (CAT 2 LBT) (which may also be referred to as abbreviated LBT, single LBT, or 25-μs LBT) provides for nodes to perform CCA to detect energy above a predetermined threshold or to detect a message or preamble occupying a shared channel. CAT 2 LBT performs CCA without using a random backoff operation, which results in its shortened length relative to the next category.

[0057] The third category (CAT 3LBT) performs CCA to detect energy or messages on a shared channel, but also uses random backoffs and fixed contention windows. Therefore, when a node initiates CAT 3LBT, it performs a first CCA to detect occupancy of the shared channel. If the shared channel is idle for the duration of the first CCA, the node can continue to transmit. However, if the first CCA detects a signal occupying the shared channel, the node selects a random backoff based on the fixed contention window size and performs an extended CCA. If the shared channel is detected to be idle during the extended CCA and the random number has been reduced to 0, the node can start transmitting on the shared channel. Otherwise, the node decrements the random number and performs another extended CCA. The node will continue to perform extended CCAs until the random number reaches 0. If the random number reaches 0 without any extended CCA detecting channel occupancy, the node can transmit on the shared channel. If at any extended CCA, the node detects channel occupancy, the node can reselect a new random backoff based on the fixed contention window size to start the countdown again.

[0058] The fourth category (CAT 4 LBT) (also referred to as the full LBT process) performs CCA with energy or message detection using random backoff and variable contention window size. The sequence of CCA detection is similar to the process of CAT 3 LBT, except that the contention window size is variable for the CAT 4 LBT process.

[0059] Using a medium sensing process to contend for access to an unlicensed shared spectrum can result in communication inefficiencies. This can be particularly noticeable when multiple network operating entities (e.g., network operators) attempt to access shared resources. In a 5G network 100, base stations 105 and UEs 115 can be operated by the same or different network operating entities. In some examples, a single base station 105 or UE 115 can be operated by more than one network operating entity. In other examples, each base station 105 and UE 115 can be operated by a single network operating entity. Requiring each base station 105 and UE 115 of a different network operating entity to contend for shared resources can result in increased signaling overhead and communication latency.

[0060] 5G network communication infrastructure is not limited to mobile voice / text communication, it can be separated and very diversified into different services such as industrial IoT, smart home IoT, low-latency medical communication, high-bandwidth mobile broadband, etc. Each of these services can have different data behavior and QoS priorities from the network infrastructure.

[0061] In 5G, network nodes can be equipped with special features to serve the purpose of one or more services, and the kinds of services supported by a specific node are defined in NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function). Any specific service request from a UE is served by a set of network entities associated with that service, and is called a slice. A network slice is a logical network that can provide specific capabilities and network characteristics.

[0062] Each slice is identified by an S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Identifier). The S-NSSAI may include a Slice / Service Type (SST) field and a Slice Differentiator (SD) field. In some implementations, the SD field is optional or may not be used. The SST field indicates the behavior of the slice, and the SD Differentiator field indicates the behavior between multiple slices with the same SST value.

[0063] The UE sends the S-NSSAI value during registration and PDU session establishment. The requested NSSAI signaled by the UE to the network allows the network to select the appropriate service access and mobility function (AMF), network slice and network slice instance. Based on the subscription data, a UE can subscribe to multiple S-NSSAIs, and one of them can be marked as the default S-NSSAI. The subscription information of each S-NSSAI can have multiple DNNs, and one of them can be the default DNN.

[0064] To support high reliability and low latency services (such as URLLC services), the UE can establish redundant PDU sessions on advanced or service-based networks (such as 5G networks). Redundant PDU sessions provide two different connection paths from the service device to the UE to increase reliability and reduce latency. The UE can initiate redundant PDU sessions by providing different combinations of DNN and S-NSSAI for each PDU session of the redundant PDU session. In traditional networks, the radio access network (RAN) may be required to receive information to support or initiate redundant PDU sessions. For example, the RAN can use a pair ID to identify PDU sessions for the same service and associate or link the individual PDU sessions of the redundant PDU session together for redundant PDU operations. In addition, the RAN is also able to flexibly select one or more of the redundant PDU sessions and transfer their control to another RAN. In the absence of a pair ID (also called a paging ID), the RAN may not be able to initiate or start a redundant PDU session.

[0065] Currently, the RAN has no specified way to determine or receive a pair ID for linking PDU sessions to form a redundant PDU session. For illustration, if two PDU sessions have or select different session management functions (SMFs), the network cannot establish an association for the two PDU sessions. Because the UE initiates the PDU session establishment, the pair ID operation determined by the UE implements redundant PDU session association and operation. Therefore, by implementing redundant PDU session operation, the UE is able to operate more services in URLLC mode (e.g., in a manner that satisfies URLLC constraints) or more often in URLLC mode compared to using a single PDU session for each service.

[0066] Figure 3A and 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of redundant protocol data unit (PDU) session operation. Figure 3A is a device diagram 300 illustrating an example of redundant PDU session operation, and Figure 3B is the corresponding service diagram 350. Redundant PDU session operation may enable provision of services to devices satisfying URLLC constraints.

[0067] refer to Figure 3A , the device diagram 300 includes two host devices, a first host 302 (e.g., host A) and a second host 304 (e.g., host B). The host devices 302, 304 are connected via a network device such as one or more network entities to form two separate connection paths. The separate connection paths can be used to form redundant PDU sessions.

[0068] 5G and other advanced networks or service-based networks may virtualize one or more network components. For illustration, one or more network components that may have previously been discrete entities in previous generations of wireless networks may run as software on specific hardware, devices, or systems. For illustration, the RAN or RAN operations may be virtualized and included in or separate from a base station, such as a gNB and its transmit receive point (TRP).

[0069] exist Figure 3A In the example shown, the host devices 302, 304 are each connected to each other via a base station, a user plane function (UPF), and a fixed node. For illustration, the first host 302 is connected to the second host 304 via the first gNB 105a, the first user plane function 312a, and the first fixed node 314a for the first connection path, and the first host 302 is connected to the second host 304 via the second gNB 105b, the second user plane function 312b, and the second fixed node 314b for the second connection path.

[0070] The host device 302 may include or correspond to a terminal device or UE, such as UE 115. In addition, the host device may include a redundancy handling function (RHF) 322a, 322b. The RHF 322a, 322b is an upper layer protocol and is outside the 3GPP protocol and stack. The RHF 322a, 322b is used to manage packet duplication and redundant packet elimination through redundant connection paths.

[0071] Despite Figure 3A In the example of FIG. 1 , the fixed nodes (314a, 314b) are referred to as fixed nodes, but one or more fixed nodes (314a, 314b) may be replaced by one or more mobile nodes. In other implementations, additional components or fewer components may be added to one or more connection paths. Although in FIG. Figure 3A In the example shown, each connection path is unique, i.e., no intermediate device or logic element is part of two connection paths, but in other implementations, the connection paths may share one or more intermediate devices or logic elements. Additionally or alternatively, although the two connection paths are similar, in other implementations, one connection path may include more or fewer devices than the other connection path. Similarly, although in Figure 3A Two redundant connection paths are shown in FIG. 3 , but in other implementations, the host devices 302 , 304 may have additional redundant connection paths.

[0072] refer to Figure 3B , showing Figure 3A An example of a corresponding service diagram 350 of the device diagram 300. The service diagram 350 illustrates Figure 3A The corresponding service of the device diagram 300. Figure 3B In the example of , UE 115 is connected to data network 354 via two redundant connection paths. Each connection path includes a RAN and a UPF. Specifically, the first connection path includes a first RAN 362a (e.g., a primary NG-RAN) and a first UPF 312a, and the second connection path includes a second RAN 362b (e.g., a secondary NG-RAN) and a second UPF 312b.

[0073] Figure 3B Also illustrated are access and mobility functions (AMF) and session management functions (SMF). For example, the first RAN 362a (e.g., primary NG-RAN) communicates with the AMF service 372, and each UPF 312a, 312b communicates with the corresponding SMF service (first SMF 382a and second SMF 382b). Figure 3B Also illustrated are various connection levels Xn, N2, N3, N4, N6, etc. between devices.

[0074] The systems and methods described herein relate to redundant PDU session operations and UE-based pair ID determination processes. The UE-based pair ID determination process enables the UE to provide a pair ID for redundant PDU session association and linking by a network entity such as a RAN. Such operations and processes may be applicable to enabling URLLC services or services with URLLC constraints. Redundant PDU session operations and UE-based pair ID determination processes may achieve reduced latency and improved reliability.

[0075] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system 400 that supports UE-side determination of a pair ID for redundant PDU session operation is illustrated. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 400 includes a network entity 105 (such as a network system or SMF) and a UE 115, and optionally includes a second network entity 405a (such as a RAN or a base station 105), a third network entity 405b (such as a second RAN or a second base station 105), a service device 407, or a combination thereof. UE-based pair ID determination for redundant PDU session operation can achieve efficient redundant PDU session operation in advanced and service-based networks. Redundant PDU session operation increases reliability and reduces latency compared to non-redundant PDU session operation.

[0076] The network entity 105 and the UE 115 may be configured to communicate via a frequency band, such as FR1 having a frequency of 410 to 7125 MHz, FR2 having a frequency of 24250 to 52600 MHz (for mmWave), or a frequency band above FR2. In some implementations, the FR2 band may be limited to 52.6 GHz. In some other implementations, the FR2 band may have a frequency of 300 GHz or higher. Note that for some data channels, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) may be equal to 15, 30, 60, or 120 kHz. The network entity 105 and the UE 115 may be configured to communicate via one or more component carriers (CCs), such as a representative first CC 481, a second CC 482, a third CC 483, and a fourth CC 484. Although four CCs are shown, this is for illustration only, as more or less than four CCs may be used. One or more CCs may be used to transmit a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0077] In some implementations, such transmissions may be scheduled by a dynamic grant. In some other implementations, such transmissions may be scheduled by one or more periodic grants and may correspond to a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) grant or a configured grant of one or more periodic grants. Both dynamic and periodic grants may be preceded or indicated by a pre-authorization transmission or a message with a UE identifier (UE-ID). In some implementations, the pre-authorization transmission may include a UE-ID. The pre-authorization transmission or UE-ID message may be configured to activate one or more UEs so that these UEs will send a first reference signal, listen / monitor a second reference signal, or both. The pre-authorization transmission or UE-ID message may be sent during a contention period (such as contention period 310) and initiate a contention process.

[0078] Each periodic grant may have a corresponding configuration, such as configuration parameters / settings. The periodic grant configuration may include SPS configuration and settings. Additionally or alternatively, one or more periodic grants (such as their SPS grants) may have or be assigned to a CC ID, such as an expected CC ID.

[0079] Each CC may have a corresponding configuration, such as a configuration parameter / setting. The configuration may include bandwidth, bandwidth portion, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, TCI state, RS, control channel resources, data channel resources, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, one or more CCs may have or be assigned to a cell ID, a bandwidth portion (BWP) ID, or both. The cell ID may include a unique cell ID of the CC, a virtual cell ID, or a specific cell ID of a specific CC in multiple CCs. Additionally or alternatively, one or more CCs may have a HARQ ID or be assigned to a HARQ ID. Each CC may also have corresponding management functions, such as beam management, BWP switching functions, or both. In some implementations, two or more CCs are quasi-co-located so that the CCs have the same beam or the same symbol.

[0080] In some implementations, the control information may be communicated via the network entity 105 and the UE 115. For example, the control information may be communicated using a MAC-CE transmission, an RRC transmission, a DCI transmission, another transmission, or a combination thereof.

[0081] UE 115 includes a processor 402, a memory 404, a transmitter 410, a receiver 412, an encoder 413, a decoder 414, a pair ID generator 415, a redundant PDU manager 416, and antennas 252a-r. Processor 402 may be configured to execute instructions stored at memory 404 to perform operations described herein. In some implementations, processor 402 includes or corresponds to controller / processor 280, and memory 404 includes or corresponds to memory 282. Memory 404 may also be configured to store PDU ID data 406, pair ID data 408, service table data 442, setting data 444, or a combination thereof, as further described herein.

[0082] The PDU ID data 406 includes or corresponds to a PDU session ID associated with a PDU session between the UE 115 and the service provider. For illustration, the PDU ID data 406 may include an identifier or identification data for representing a specific PDU session. The pair ID data 408 includes or corresponds to an identifier of a redundant PDU session, the pair ID. The pair ID may also be referred to as or referred to as a paging ID. A network entity such as a RAN may use the pair ID to associate PDU sessions together as redundant PDU sessions. The pair ID data 408 may also be associated with a specific service. For example, a unique pair ID may be associated with a unique service. As illustrative, non-limiting examples, services may include IoT, V2X, telemedicine, and the like.

[0083] The service table data 442 includes or corresponds to a table that associates one or more services (e.g., service data) with the PDU ID data 406, the pair ID data 408, or both. For example, the service table data 442 may associate a service ID, a service host device ID, or both with one or more PDU IDs and pair IDs. The setting data 444 includes or corresponds to data used by the UE 115 to determine a redundant PDU session operation mode, a pair ID generation type, or other settings for redundant PDU operation or pair ID generation.

[0084] The transmitter 410 is configured to send data to one or more other devices, and the receiver 412 is configured to receive data from one or more other devices. For example, the transmitter 410 can send data via a network such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof, and the receiver 412 can receive data via a network such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof. For example, the UE 115 can be configured to send or receive data via a direct device-to-device connection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a modem-to-modem connection, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a cable transmission system, a cellular communication network, any combination of the above, or any other communication network now known or later developed that allows two or more electronic devices to communicate. In some implementations, the transmitter 410 and the receiver 412 can be replaced by a transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 410, the receiver 412, or both may include or correspond to reference Figure 2 One or more components of UE 115 are described.

[0085] The encoder 413 and the decoder 414 may be configured to encode and decode (such as encode or decode, respectively) transmissions. The pair ID generator 415 may be configured to determine a pair ID, such as a UE-determined pair ID. The pair ID generator 415 may be configured to determine a pair ID based on previous pair ID usage, generate a pair ID based on a PDU ID, reuse a PDU ID as a pair ID, assign a pair ID for future use based on usage, modify a pair ID, or a combination thereof. This UE-based determination and provision of a pair ID to the network enables enhanced redundant PDU session operation and enables enhanced functionality compared to non-redundant PDU session operation.

[0086] The redundant PDU manager 416 may be configured to manage redundant PDU session operations, such as when to initiate a redundant PDU session, release or disable a redundant PDU session, modify a redundant PDU session, etc. For example, the redundant PDU manager 416 determines a particular type of pair ID generation mode, redundant PDU session capabilities, network configuration, etc. In some implementations, the redundant PDU manager 416 may include or correspond to an RHF, or perform one or more functions of an RHF.

[0087] The network entity 105 includes a processor 430, a memory 432, a transmitter 434, a receiver 436, an encoder 437, a decoder 438, a redundant PDU manager 439, and antennas 234a-t. The processor 430 may be configured to execute instructions stored at the memory 432 to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, the processor 430 includes or corresponds to the controller / processor 240, and the memory 432 includes or corresponds to the memory 242. The memory 432 may be configured to store the PDU ID data 406, the UL pair ID data 408, the service table data 442, the setting data 444, or a combination thereof, similar to the UE 115 and as further described herein.

[0088] The transmitter 434 is configured to send data to one or more other devices, and the receiver 436 is configured to receive data from one or more other devices. For example, the transmitter 434 can send data via a network such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof, and the receiver 436 can receive data via a network such as a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof. For example, the network entity 105 can be configured to send or receive data via a direct device-to-device connection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a modem-to-modem connection, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a cable transmission system, a cellular communication network, any combination of the above, or any other communication network now known or later developed that allows two or more electronic devices to communicate. In some implementations, the transmitter 434 and the receiver 436 can be replaced by a transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 434, the receiver 436, or both may include or correspond to reference Figure 2 The encoder 437 and the decoder 438 may include the same functionality as described with reference to the encoder 413 and the decoder 414, respectively. The redundant PDU manager 439 may include functionality similar to that described with reference to the redundant PDU manager 416.

[0089] During operation of the wireless communication system 400, the network entity 105 may determine that the UE 115 has a pair ID determination capability. For example, the UE 115 may send a message 448, such as a capability message, including a UE-determined pair ID indicator 472. The indicator 472 may indicate a pair ID determination based on the UE's pair ID determination capability or based on a particular type of UE, such as a reference. Figure 7 and Figure 8As further described, the PDU ID is reused as the pair ID. In some implementations, the network entity 105 sends control information to indicate to the UE 115 that the UE-based pair ID determination operation is to be used. For example, in some implementations, the message 448 (or another message, such as a response or trigger message) is sent by the network entity 105.

[0090] exist Figure 4 In the example of , the network entity 105 sends an optional configuration transmission 450. The configuration transmission 450 may include or indicate a UE-based pair ID determination configuration, such as setting data 444. The configuration transmission 450 (such as its setting data 444) may indicate a pair ID format, a hash function for generating a pair ID, a PDU ID reuse setting, etc.

[0091] After sending a message 448, a configuration transmission 450 (such as an RRC message or DCI), or both, a redundant PDU session may be established. Figure 4 In the example of , UE 115 sends a PDU session establishment message 460. The PDU session establishment message 460 may indicate a PDU ID that identifies a corresponding PDU session requested to be established. The PDU session establishment message 460 may include or correspond to a non-access stratum (NAS) transmission. The PDU session establishment message 460 may include a DNN and an S-NSSAI.

[0092] In addition, the UE 115 determines the pair ID 462 and sends the pair ID 462 to the network entity 105. The pair ID 462 may be sent in the PDU session establishment message 460 or another message. In some implementations, the pair ID 462 is sent in a 5G system (5GS) session management (5GSM) message.

[0093] The network entity 105 receives the PDU session establishment message 460 and the pair ID 462, i.e., the pair ID determined by the UE. The network entity 105 may send a PDU session request message 464 in response to the PDU session establishment message 460 (such as a first PDU session establishment message). For example, a first component of the network entity 105 sends a PDU session request message 464 including the pair ID 462 to a second component of the network entity 105 or to the second network entity 405a. In some implementations, the pair ID 462 is sent in an N2 session management (SM) container, and / or the PDU session request message 464 corresponds to an N2 SM message or container. The PDU session request message 464 may also include a PDU ID or otherwise indicate a PDU session to be established.

[0094] The network entity 105 (or the second network entity 405a) receives the PDU session request message 464 and can associate the PDU session indicated by the PDUID with the pair ID. In addition, the network entity 105 (or the second network entity 405a) can associate the PDU session with the UE 115 and a service device 407 that provides data, such as redundant data, to the UE 115. The above process can be repeated, i.e., sending setup and request messages to establish a redundant PDU session or additional redundant PDU sessions. For example, a second setup message is sent by the UE 115 to the network entity 105 or the third network entity 405b, and a second request message is sent to the network entity 105 or the second network entity 405a.

[0095] The serving device 407 may send data to the UE 115 via one or more redundant connection paths. Figure 4 As shown in the example of , service device 407 sends data transmissions 468 and 470 to UE 115 via different connection paths. For example, first data transmission 468 can be sent via second network entity 405a, and second data transmission 470 can be sent via third network entity 405b. In some implementations, data transmissions 468 and 470 can include similar data or the same data to provide increased reliability and reduced latency.

[0096] Figure 5 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a first example of redundant PDU session operation. Figure 5 , a process flow 500 for supporting redundant PDU session operations according to various aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 500 may implement various aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or 400. For example, one or more network entities and UEs may perform one or more processes described with reference to the process flow 500. The network entity may communicate with the UE 115 by sending and receiving signals via a TRP. The following alternative examples may be implemented, in which some steps are performed in a different order than described or not performed at all. In some cases, the steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional steps may be added.

[0097] At 510, the UE 115 may determine a pair ID for a PDU session, such as a first redundant PDU session. The determination may include generating or allocating a pair ID for the PDU session based on a service associated with the PDU session. For example, the UE 115 may retrieve the pair ID from a table based on a service identifier for the PDU session or a service identifier associated with the PDU session. As another example, the UE 115 may use a hash function and generate the pair ID based on a service identifier for the PDU session or a PDU session ID or a service identifier associated with the PDU session.

[0098] At 515, UE 115 may send a first PDU session establishment message to a first SMF 504 (e.g., SMF1). Figure 5 As shown, the first PDU session establishment message may be sent to the first SMF 504 via the RAN 502. The first PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during a PDU session establishment operation.

[0099] The first SMF 504 may receive a first PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 502). At 520, the first SMF 504 sends a first PDU session request message to the RAN 502. For example, the first SMF 504 generates a first PDU session request message that includes a pair ID included in or sent with the first PDU session establishment message. The RAN 502 may receive the first PDU session establishment message and the pair ID, and may associate the PDU session indicated by the first PDU session establishment message with the pair ID. In some implementations, the first SMF 504 may send an acknowledgment message (ACK) to the UE 115, as described in reference to FIG. Figure 6 Further described.

[0100] At 525, UE 115 may send a second PDU session establishment message to a second SMF 506 (e.g., SMF2). Figure 5 As shown, the second PDU session establishment message may be sent to the second SMF 506 via the RAN 502. The second PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during the second PDU session establishment operation.

[0101] The second SMF 506 may receive a second PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 502). At 530, the second SMF 506 sends a second PDU session request message to the RAN 502. For example, the second SMF 506 generates a second PDU session request message including a pair ID, or the pair ID is sent together with the second PDU session establishment message. The RAN 502 may receive the second PDU session establishment message and the pair ID, and associate a second PDU session indicated by or associated with the second PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the first PDU session. As described in reference to Figure 6 As further described, the second SMF 506 may send a second ACK to the UE 115.

[0102] In some implementations, the UE 115 receives data, such as redundant data, via the established first redundant PDU session and the second redundant PDU session. For example, at 535, the RAN 502 may send the first redundant data to the UE 115. Additionally, at 535, the RAN 502 may send the second redundant data to the UE 115. Alternatively, the RAN 502 may assign the second PDU session to another RAN, such as a second or secondary RAN, and the secondary RAN may send the second redundant data to the UE 115.

[0103] Figure 6 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a second example of redundant PDU session operation. Figure 6 , a process flow 600 for supporting redundant PDU session operations according to various aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 600 may implement various aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or 400. For example, one or more network entities and UEs may perform one or more processes described with reference to the process flow 600. The network entity may communicate with the UE 115 by sending and receiving signals via a TRP. The following alternative examples may be implemented, in which some steps are performed in a different order than described or not performed at all. In some cases, the steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional steps may be added.

[0104] At 610, UE 115 may send a first PDU session establishment message to a first SMF 604 (eg, SMF1). Figure 6 As shown, the first PDU session establishment message may be sent to the first SMF 604 via the RAN 602. The first PDU session establishment message may not include a pair ID, such as not including a UE-determined pair ID, and the UE-determined pair ID may not be sent in another message during the PDU session establishment operation.

[0105] The first SMF 604 may receive a first PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 602). At 615, the first SMF 604 sends a first PDU session request message to the RAN 602. For example, the first SMF 604 generates a first PDU session request message including a first PDU session ID, or the first PDU session ID is sent together with the first PDU session establishment message. The RAN 602 may receive the first PDU session establishment message and the first PDU session ID, and associate the PDU session indicated by the first PDU session establishment message with the first PDU session ID.

[0106] At 620, in some implementations, the first SMF 604 may send an acknowledgement message (ACK) to the UE 115. The ACK may indicate successful receipt of the first PDU session establishment message and / or granting of the PDU session.

[0107] At 625, the UE 115 may generate a pair ID, also referred to herein as a PDU ID, based on the PDU session ID. The generation may include reusing the PDU session ID as the pair ID, or generating the pair ID based on the PDU session ID of the first PDU session or a PDU session ID associated with the first PDU session. For illustration, the UE 115 may use a hash function to convert the PDU session ID to the pair ID, or use a table to obtain the pair ID based on the PDU session ID.

[0108] At 630, UE 115 may send a second PDU session establishment message to a second SMF 606 (eg, SMF2). Figure 6 As shown, the second PDU session establishment message may be sent to the second SMF 606 via the RAN 602. The second PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during the second PDU session establishment operation.

[0109] The second SMF 606 may receive a second PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 602). At 635, the second SMF 606 sends a second PDU session request message to the RAN 602. For example, the second SMF 606 generates a second PDU session request message including a pair ID, or the pair ID is sent together with the second PDU session establishment message. The RAN 602 may receive the second PDU session establishment message and the pair ID, and associate a second PDU session indicated by the second PDU session establishment message or associated with the second PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the first PDU session. The second SMF 606 may send a second ACK to the UE 115, as described in reference 620.

[0110] At 640, the RAN 602 may associate the redundant PDU session, the first PDU session, and the second PDU session. For example, the RAN 602 may modify a table to indicate that the first PDU session and the second PDU session are redundant sessions. As another example, the RAN 602 may transmit one of the PDU sessions, such as further described with reference to 650.

[0111] At 645, the UE 115 may allocate a pair ID for a service associated with a redundant PDU session. For example, the UE 115 may reserve a pair ID for the service by entering the pair ID (e.g., the first PDU session ID) into a service table. For illustration, when establishing a PDU session and / or a redundant PDU session for a service, the UE 115 will provide the corresponding pair ID. The UE 115 may not use the pair ID for other services.

[0112] At 650, RAN 602 may transmit the second PDU session. For example, RAN 602 may be a primary RAN and associated with one or more specific base stations. The primary RAN may transmit the second PDU session to another RAN, such as a second or secondary RAN. The other RAN may be associated with another base station or multiple base stations and may transmit or coordinate transmission of redundant data to UE 115.

[0113] At 655, the UE 115 may reuse the service pair ID again in the future for a PDU session or a redundant PDU session, as described in reference to Figure 7 and Figure 8 Further described.

[0114] Despite Figure 6 640-655 are illustrated one after another in the example of , but in other implementations, any one of 640-655 can be performed partially simultaneously with one or more of 640-655 and / or before another of 640-655. In some implementations, the UE 115 receives data, such as redundant data, via the established first redundant PDU session and the second redundant PDU session, as shown in reference Figure 5 described.

[0115] Figure 7 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a third example of redundant PDU session operation. Figure 7 , a process flow 700 for supporting redundant PDU session operations according to various aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 700 may implement various aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or 400. For example, one or more network entities and UEs may perform one or more processes described with reference to the process flow 700. The network entity may communicate with the UE 115 by sending and receiving signals via a TRP. The following alternative examples may be implemented, in which some steps are performed in a different order than described or not performed at all. In some cases, the steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional steps may be added.

[0116] At 710, UE 115 may send a first PDU session establishment message to a first SMF 704 (eg, SMF1). Figure 7 As shown, the first PDU session establishment message may be sent to the first SMF 704 via the RAN 702. The first PDU session establishment message may not include a pair ID, such as not including a UE-determined pair ID, and the UE-determined pair ID may not be sent in another message during the PDU session establishment operation.

[0117] The first SMF 704 may receive a first PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 702). At 715, the first SMF 704 sends a first PDU session request message to the RAN 702. For example, the first SMF 704 generates a first PDU session request message that includes a first PDU session ID included in or sent with the first PDU session establishment message. The RAN 702 may receive the first PDU session establishment message and the first PDU session ID, and associate the PDU session indicated by the first PDU session establishment message with the first PDU session ID. In some implementations, the first SMF 704 may send an acknowledgment message (ACK) to the UE 115, as described in reference to FIG. Figure 6 described.

[0118] At 720, the UE 115 may reuse the PDU session ID of the first PDU session or a PDU session ID associated with the first PDU session as the pair ID. To illustrate, the UE 115 may use the PDU session ID of the first session, ie, the first PDU session ID, as the pair ID.

[0119] At 725, UE 115 may send a second PDU session establishment message to a second SMF 706 (eg, SMF2). Figure 7 As shown, the second PDU session establishment message may be sent to the second SMF 706 via the RAN 702. The second PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during the second PDU session establishment operation.

[0120] The second SMF 706 may receive a second PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 702). At 730, the second SMF 706 sends a second PDU session request message to the RAN 702. For example, the second SMF 706 generates a second PDU session request message including a pair ID, or the pair ID is sent together with the second PDU session establishment message. The RAN 702 may receive the second PDU session establishment message and the pair ID, and associate a second PDU session indicated by the second PDU session establishment message or associated with the second PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the first PDU session. As described in reference 620, the second SMF 706 may also send a second ACK to the UE 115.

[0121] RAN 702 may receive a second PDU session establishment message and a pair ID, and associate a second PDU session indicated by or associated with the second PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the first PDU session. In addition, RAN 702 may associate a redundant PDU session, a first PDU session, and a second PDU session. For example, RAN 702 may modify a table based on the pair ID to indicate that the first PDU session and the second PDU session are redundant sessions. In some implementations, RAN 702 may transmit the second PDU session. For example, RAN 802 may be a primary RAN and associated with one or more specific base stations. The primary RAN may transmit the second PDU session to another RAN, such as a second or secondary RAN. Another RAN may be associated with another base station or multiple base stations, and may transmit or coordinate the transmission of redundant data to UE 115.

[0122] At 735, one or more of 115 and 702-706 may perform a PDU session release operation. For example, the UE 115 and the RAN 702 may perform a first PDU session release and release the first PDU session, stop redundant PDU operation, while still maintaining the second PDU session. In some implementations, releasing one or more specific PDU sessions may include modifying one or more of the other remaining PDU sessions of the redundant PDU session, as described in reference to Figure 8 Further described.

[0123] At 740, UE 115 may allocate a pair ID for a service associated with a redundant PDU session. For example, UE 115 may retain the pair ID for the service by entering the pair ID (e.g., the first PDU session ID) into a service table. For illustration, when establishing a PDU session and / or a redundant PDU session for a service, UE 115 may provide a corresponding pair ID. UE 115 may not use the pair ID for other services. Although UE allocates a pair ID for a service after release, UE 115 may allocate a pair ID for a service after 720.

[0124] Therefore, the UE 115 may reuse the pair ID for the service again in the future for a PDU session or a redundant PDU session. For example, at 720, the UE 115 may reuse the assigned pair ID. Figure 7 In the example shown, the assigned pair ID is the PDU session ID of the first PDU session or the PDU session ID associated with the first PDU session, as the pair ID that has been reused as the pair ID. For illustration, the UE 115 can use the PDU session ID of the first session, i.e., the first PDU session ID, as the pair ID for a subsequent redundant PDU session for the first service.

[0125] At 745, UE 115 may send a third PDU session establishment message to a third SMF 708 (e.g., SMF3). Figure 7 As shown, the third PDU session establishment message may be sent to the third SMF 708 via the RAN 702. The third PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during the second PDU session establishment operation.

[0126] The third SMF 708 may receive a third PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 702). At 750, the third SMF 708 sends a third PDU session request message to the RAN 702. For example, the third SMF 708 generates a third PDU session request message including a pair ID, or the pair ID is sent together with the third PDU session establishment message. The RAN 702 may receive the third PDU session establishment message and the pair ID, and associate the third PDU session indicated by the third PDU session establishment message or associated with the third PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the second PDU session. As described in reference 620, the third SMF 708 may send a third ACK to the UE 115.

[0127] Figure 8 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for a fourth example of redundant PDU session operation. Figure 8, a process flow 800 for supporting redundant PDU session operations according to various aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 800 may implement various aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or 400. For example, network entities such as the RAN 802 and SMFs 808-808 and the UE may perform one or more processes described with reference to the process flow 800. The network entity may communicate with the UE 115 by sending and receiving signals via corresponding TRPs. In other cases, the RAN 802 and the SMFs 808-808 may correspond to different network components (e.g., different TRPs) of the same network entity (such as the same base station or network). The following alternative examples may be implemented, in which some of the steps are performed in a different order than described or not performed at all. In some cases, the steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional steps may be added.

[0128] At 810, UE 115 may send a first PDU session establishment message to a first SMF 804 (e.g., SMF1). Figure 8 As shown, the first PDU session establishment message may be sent to the first SMF 804 via the RAN 802. The first PDU session establishment message may not include a pair ID, such as not including a UE-determined pair ID, and the UE-determined pair ID may not be sent in another message during the PDU session establishment operation.

[0129] The first SMF 804 may receive a first PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 802). At 815, the first SMF 804 sends a first PDU session request message to the RAN 802. For example, the first SMF 804 generates a first PDU session request message that includes a first PDU session ID included in or sent with the first PDU session establishment message. The RAN 802 may receive the first PDU session establishment message and the first PDU session ID, and associate the PDU session indicated by the first PDU session establishment message with the first PDU session ID. In some implementations, the first SMF 804 may send an acknowledgment message (ACK) to the UE 115, as described in reference to FIG. Figure 6 described.

[0130] At 820, the UE 115 may reuse the PDU session ID of the first PDU session or a PDU session ID associated with the first PDU session as the pair ID. To illustrate, the UE 115 may use the PDU session ID of the first session, ie, the first PDU session ID, as the pair ID.

[0131] At 825, UE 115 may send a second PDU session establishment message to a second SMF 806 (e.g., SMF2). Figure 8 As shown, the second PDU session establishment message may be sent to the second SMF 806 via the RAN 802. The second PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during the second PDU session establishment operation.

[0132] The second SMF 806 may receive a second PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (and optionally via the RAN 802). At 830, the second SMF 806 sends a second PDU session request message to the RAN 802. For example, the second SMF 806 generates a second PDU session request message including a pair ID, or sends the pair ID together with the second PDU session establishment message. The second SMF 806 may also send a second ACK to the UE 115, as described in reference 620.

[0133] RAN 802 may receive a second PDU session establishment message and a pair ID, and associate a second PDU session indicated by or associated with the second PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the first PDU session. In addition, RAN 802 may associate a redundant PDU session, a first PDU session, and a second PDU session. For example, RAN 802 may modify a table based on the pair ID to indicate that the first PDU session and the second PDU session are redundant sessions. In some implementations, RAN 802 may transmit the second PDU session. For example, RAN 802 may be a primary RAN and associated with one or more specific base stations. The primary RAN may transmit the second PDU session to another RAN, such as a second or secondary RAN. Another RAN may be associated with another base station or multiple base stations, and may transmit or coordinate the transmission of redundant data to UE 115.

[0134] In 835, with Figure 7 Similar to 735, one or more of 115 and 802-806 may perform a first PDU session release operation. Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the example of , the first PDU session is released, but in other examples, the second PDU session or both sessions are released.

[0135] At 840, one or more of 115 and 802-806 may perform a PDU session modification operation. For example, the network entities 802-806 and UE 115 may adjust the PDU session ID, pair ID, or both of one or more remaining PDU sessions of the original redundant PDU session. Figure 8In the example of , the first PDU session is released and the second PDU session is modified. For example, the pair ID of the second PDU session is modified to the second PDU session ID of the second PDU session. For illustration, UE 115 sends a PDU session modification request message to the SMF. In a specific implementation, UE 115 includes the pair ID removal information in the session modification request message and sends the session modification request message to the corresponding SMF that manages the PDU session to be adjusted. The pair ID removal information can be a new indication in the PDU session modification request message, or a new value (e.g., a new cause value) in the PDU session modification request message to indicate the removal of the pair ID. The SMF can send a PDU session modification message in response to the session modification request message to request the RAN to remove the pair ID. In a specific implementation, the PDU session modification message is an N2 SM message.

[0136] As reference Figure 7 As described above, UE 115 may allocate a pair ID for a service associated with a redundant PDU session. For example, UE 115 may reserve or modify a pair ID for a service by entering the pair ID (e.g., a second or modified PDU session ID) into a service table. For illustration, after allocation or reservation, when a PDU session and / or a redundant PDU session for a service is established, UE 115 may provide the corresponding pair ID. UE 115 may not use the pair ID for other services. Although in Figure 8 In the example of , the UE assigns a pair ID to the service after the release, but in other implementations, the UE 115 may assign a pair ID to the service after 820.

[0137] Therefore, the UE 115 can reuse the pair ID for the service again in the future for a PDU session or a redundant PDU session. For example, at 845, the UE 115 can send a third PDU session establishment message to the third SMF 808 (e.g., SMF3). Figure 8 As shown, the third PDU session establishment message may be sent to the third SMF 808 via the RAN 802. The third PDU session establishment message may include the UE-determined pair ID, or the UE-determined pair ID may be sent in another message, such as another message during the second PDU session establishment operation.

[0138] The third SMF 808 may receive a third PDU session establishment message from the UE 115 (optionally, via the RAN 802). At 850, the third SMF 808 sends a third PDU session request message to the RAN 802. For example, the third SMF 808 generates a third PDU session request message including a pair ID, or the pair ID is sent together with the third PDU session establishment message. The RAN 802 may receive the third PDU session establishment message and the pair ID, and associate the third PDU session indicated by the third PDU session establishment message or associated with the third PDU session establishment message with the pair ID and the second PDU session. The third SMF 808 may send a third ACK to the UE 115, as described in reference 620.

[0139] although Figure 7-9 The SMF is illustrated to provide the PDU session ID and the UE determines the pair ID based on the PDU session ID provided by the network, but in other implementations, the network may provide the pair ID when establishing the first PDU session for a particular service. Then, after the pair ID is provided to the UE for the first time or once, the UE may store the pair ID and continue to use the pair ID for the service.

[0140] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating example blocks executed by a UE. Fig.13 UE 115 is shown to describe the example blocks. Fig.13 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example design of a UE. Fig.13 FIG. 1 illustrates a UE 115 configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The UE 115 includes a Figure 2 1 or 4. For example, the UE 115 includes a controller / processor 280 that operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 282 and controls the components of the UE 115 to provide the features and functions of the UE 115. The UE 115 sends and receives signals via wireless radios 1301a-r and antennas 252a-r under the control of the controller / processor 280. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless radios 1301a - r include various components and hardware for the UE 115 , including modulators / demodulators 254a - r , a MIMO detector 256 , a receive processor 258 , a transmit processor 264 , and a TX MIMO processor 266 .

[0141] As shown, the memory 282 may include pair ID generation logic 1302, redundant PDU logic 1303, PDU ID data 1304, pair ID data 1305, service table data 1306, and setting data 1307. The PDU ID data 1304, pair ID data 1305, service table data 1306, and setting data 1307 may include or correspond to PDU ID data 406, pair ID data 408, service table data 442, and setting data 444. The pair ID generation logic 1302 may include or correspond to the pair ID generator 415. The redundant PDU logic 1303 may include or correspond to the redundant PDU manager 416. In some aspects, the logic 1302 and 1303 may include or correspond to the processor 280. The UE 115 may receive signals from or send signals to one or more base stations, such as the base station 105 or the network entity 105, 405. When communicating with a single base station or serving cell, UE 115 may receive signals from or send signals to multiple TRPs of the single base station or serving cell.

[0142] refer to Fig. 9 , at block 900, UE 115 determines an identifier (ID). For example, UE 115 determines as referenced Figure 4-8 The pair ID, such as described at 510, 625, 720, 740, 820, etc. The UE 115 may generate or obtain an assigned pair ID based on the PDU ID, the service, or a combination thereof.

[0143] At block 901, the UE 115 sends a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and a pair ID. For example, the UE 115 sends the PDU session establishment message 460 and the pair ID 462 to the network entity 105, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As another example, UE 115 sends a PDU session establishment message and a pair ID 462 (which may be included in PDU session establishment message 460), as shown in reference Figure 5-8 As described, such as described at 515, 630, 725, 745, 825, etc. The PDU session establishment message may enable establishment of a redundant PDU session.

[0144] In some implementations, the UE 115 may execute one or more additional blocks to perform one or more other operations described herein. For example, the UE 115 may send a second PDU session establishment message, a third PDU session establishment message, or both, and / or may have sent a prior PDU session establishment message with the same pair ID. The pair ID determined and provided by the UE enables a network entity such as a primary RAN to associate the PDU sessions to form a redundant PDU session.

[0145] As another example, UE 115 may receive a data transmission in response to establishing a redundant PDU session. In some implementations, the UE receives multiple redundant data transmissions (e.g., the same or similar data payload) from a serving device via different connection paths. For example, the UE may receive a first data transmission from a first network entity (e.g., a first gNB) and a second data transmission from a second network entity (e.g., a second gNB). Additionally or alternatively, UE 115 may perform or participate in a PDU session release operation and / or a PDU session modification operation, as described in reference to Figure 7 and Figure 8 In addition, UE 115 may allocate or reserve a pair ID for a specific service, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 and 7 As described, such as at 645, 740, etc.

[0146] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating example blocks executed by a network entity. The network entity may include or correspond to a base station or its TRP configured according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig.14 The example boxes are described with reference to the network entities illustrated in FIG. Fig.14 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating example designs of specific network entities, base stations 105 (such as gNBs or eNBs), RANs, SMFs, or a combination thereof. Fig.14 1 shows a base station 105, also referred to as a gNB 105, configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The gNB 105 includes: Figure 2 105. For example, the gNB 105 includes a controller / processor 240 for executing logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 242 and controlling components of the gNB 105 that provide the features and functions of the gNB 105. The gNB 105 sends and receives signals via wireless radios 1401a-t and antennas 234a-r under the control of the controller / processor 240. The wireless radios 1401a-t include the following: Figure 2 105, including modulators / demodulators 232a-t, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and TX MIMO processor 230. The data 1402-1407 in memory 242 may include or correspond to the corresponding data 1302-1307 in memory 282, respectively.

[0147] refer to Fig.10, at block 1000, a network entity, such as a gNB 105 (or its RAN), receives a protocol data unit (PDU) session request message including an identifier (ID) from a second network entity (e.g., an SMF). For example, a component of the network entity 105 receives the PDU session request message 464 from another component of the network entity 105. As another example, the second network entity 405a receives the PDU session request message 464 from the network entity 105, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As another example, the RAN receives a PDU session request message from the SMF, as shown in FIG. Figure 5-8 Said, such as at 520, 635, 730, 750, 830, etc. The PDU session request message may be in response to a PDU session establishment message received at the second network entity, the PDU session establishment message including a pair identifier (ID) determined by the UE.

[0148] At block 1001, the gNB 105 (or its RAN) associates the PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with a pair ID, similar to block 901. For example, the network entity 105 (or the second network entity 405) associates the PDU session with the pair ID included in the PDU session request message, which is determined and provided by the UE. As another example, the RAN may be configured as shown in FIG. Figure 5-8 As described, the PDU session is associated, such as at 640. In some implementations, the PDU session is indicated by a PDU ID of the PDU session request message, and the gNB 105 determines the PDU session based on the PDU ID.

[0149] In some implementations, the gNB 105 may execute one or more additional blocks, such as to perform one or more other operations described herein. For example, the gNB 105 may send a second PDU Session Request message, a third PDU Session Request message, or both, and / or may have sent a prior PDU Session Request message with the same pair ID. The pair ID determined and provided by the UE enables the gNB 105 (such as a primary RAN) to associate the PDU sessions to form a redundant PDU session.

[0150] As another example, gNB 105 may send a data transmission in response to establishing a redundant PDU session. In some implementations, gNB 105 sends multiple redundant data transmissions (e.g., the same or similar data payload). For example, gNB 105 may send a first redundant data transmission to the UE and send a second redundant data transmission to the UE.

[0151] Additionally or alternatively, the gNB 105 may perform or participate in a PDU session release operation and / or a PDU session modification operation, as described in reference Figure 7 and Figure 8In addition, gNB 105 may perform the following steps as described in reference Figure 6 The RAN or gNB transmit operations described, such as at 650. In such an implementation, the gNB 105 may send a first redundant data transmission to the UE, and the second gNB may send a second redundant data transmission to the UE.

[0152] Fig.11 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a block executed by a UE. Fig. 9 The example blocks are described with reference to the UE 115 shown in FIG. Fig.11 At block 1100 , the UE 115 determines a pair identifier (ID) for a protocol data unit (PDU) session, such as described with reference to block 900 .

[0153] At block 1101, UE 115 generates a PDU session establishment message, the PDU session establishment message including a pair ID. For example, UE 115 includes the pair ID in the PDU session establishment message, as described in reference to Figure 4-8 described.

[0154] At block 1102, UE 115 sends a PDU session establishment message including a pair ID, such as described with reference to block 901. For example, UE 115 sends a PDU session establishment message including a pair ID, such as described with reference to block 901. Figure 4-8 described.

[0155] In some implementations, the UE 115 may execute one or more additional blocks to perform one or more other operations described herein. For example, the UE 115 may execute reference Figure 4-9 The one or more additional blocks.

[0156] Fig.12 1 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a block executed by a network entity. The network entity may include or correspond to a base station or a TRP thereof configured according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig.14 The example blocks are described with reference to a base station 105 (such as gNB 105) illustrated in FIG. Fig.12 At block 1200, a network entity, such as gNB 105 or an SMF associated with gNB 105, receives a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and a pair identifier (ID) from a user equipment (UE). For example, network entity 105 receives PDU session establishment message 460 and pair ID 462. As another example, as shown in FIG. Figure 5-8 As described, the SMF receives a PDU session establishment message from the UE, for example, at 515, 630, 725, 745, 825, etc. As described above, the pair ID may be a pair ID determined by the UE.

[0157] At block 1201, the gNB 105 sends a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message, the PDU session request message including the pair ID. For example, the network entity 105 sends the PDU session request message 464 in response to another component of the network entity 105 or the second network entity 405, as described in reference Figure 4 As another example, the SMF sends a PDU session request message to the RAN and receives the PDU session request message, as shown in FIG. Figure 5-8 As described, such as in 520, 635, 730, 750, 830, etc.

[0158] In some implementations, the gNB 105 may execute one or more additional blocks, such as to perform one or more other operations described herein. For example, the gNB 105 may execute as described in reference Figure 4-8 and one or more additional blocks described in 10.

[0159] Note, reference Fig. 9 , 10 , 11 or 12 may be combined with one or more blocks (or operations) of another figure. Fig. 9 or 10. One or more boxes may be connected with Figure 1 , 2 , 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. Additionally or alternatively, see above Figure 1-8 One or more of the operations described may be performed with reference to Fig. 9 , 10 , 11 or 12 described one or more combinations of operations.

[0160] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above specification may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0161] Fig. 9 , 10 The functional blocks and modules in 11 or 12 may include processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logical circuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0162] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the order or combination of components, methods, or interactions described herein are merely examples, and the components, methods, or interactions of various aspects of the present disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein.

[0163] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0164] The steps of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the disclosure herein can be directly implemented in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software module can reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from a storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative, a storage medium can be integrated with a processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0165] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or sent as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. Computer-readable storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or may be used to carry or store the required program code components in the form of instructions or data structures and may be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer, or any other media that a general or special-purpose processor may access. In addition, a connection may be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL are included in the definition of the medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wherein disks generally reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

[0166] As used herein, including in the claims, the term "and / or," when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items may be used alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items may be used. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composition may contain A alone; B alone; C alone; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C. Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, "or," as used in a list of items beginning with "at least one," indicates a disjunctive list, such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means any one of A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or any combination thereof.

[0167] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate various modifications to the disclosure, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determining a pair identifier ID, wherein the pair ID is used to associate with a plurality of protocol data unit (PDU) sessions; and Sending a first protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and the pair ID; In order to determine the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to generate or allocate the pair ID based on a service associated with the PDU session corresponding to the PDU session establishment message.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The PDU session establishment message includes the pair ID.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: To send the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to: A message including the pair ID is sent, wherein the message including the pair ID is separate from the PDU session establishment message.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: To send the PDU session establishment message, the at least one processor is configured to send the PDU session establishment message to a first network entity, and wherein the PDU session establishment message is configured to cause the first network entity to send a PDU session request message to a second network entity.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The PDU session request message includes the pair ID.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to send a second PDU session establishment message including the pair ID, and wherein the second PDU session establishment message is configured to establish a redundant PDU session.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: To send the PDU session establishment message, the at least one processor is configured to send the PDU session establishment message to the first network entity, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to: A second PDU session establishment message is sent to a third network entity, wherein the second PDU session establishment message includes the pair ID, and wherein the second PDU session establishment message is configured to cause the third network entity to send a second PDU session request message to the second network entity.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The second network entity comprises a Radio Access Network RAN; or The first network entity and the third network entity include a session management function SMF.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: To determine the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to determine a PDU session ID from a previous PDU session as the pair ID.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein: To determine the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to determine the pair ID from a service table based on a corresponding service of the PDU session associated with the PDU session establishment message.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein: To send the PDU session establishment message, the at least one processor is configured to send the PDU session establishment message to the first network entity, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Before determining the pair ID, sending a second PDU session establishment message to the third network entity, wherein the second PDU session establishment message does not include the pair ID, and wherein the second PDU session establishment message is configured to cause the third network entity to send a second PDU session request message to the second network entity.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The at least one processor is configured to: After sending the PDU session establishment message, sending a third PDU session establishment message to a fourth network entity, wherein the third PDU session establishment message includes the pair ID, and wherein the third PDU session establishment message is configured to cause the fourth network entity to send a third PDU session request message to the second network entity.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to perform a PDU session release operation, wherein the release operation includes ending a PDU session between the apparatus and a service providing device.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to assign the pair ID to a specific service, wherein, to assign the pair ID to the specific service, the at least one processor is configured to edit a service table to associate the pair ID with the specific service.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The service table is a URLLC service table.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein The at least one processor is configured to perform a PDU session modification operation, wherein the PDU session modification operation includes sending a modification request to a service providing device.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to: receiving first data via a first PDU session; and Second data is received via a second PDU session, the second data being identical to the first data.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: To receive the first data, the at least one processor is configured to receive the first data from a specific service device via a first base station; as well as To receive the second data, the at least one processor is configured to receive the second data from the specific service device via a second base station.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is configured with a redundancy handling function RHF, and the RHF is configured to determine to generate a redundant PDU session before determining the pair ID.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein The at least one processor is configured with a redundant processing function RHF configured to generate or determine the pair ID.

21. The device according to claim 1, wherein The at least one processor is configured to receive a device policy from a network entity, and wherein, to determine the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to cause the pair ID to be generated or determined based on the device policy.

22. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to: Determining a first service associated with a first PDU session determining a second service associated with the second PDU session; comparing the first service to the second service; as well as A redundant PDU session is generated based on the comparison.

23. The device according to claim 1, wherein In order to send the PDU session establishment message, the at least one processor is configured to send the PDU session establishment message to a specific network entity, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an acknowledgment ACK message from the specific network entity indicating that the PDU session has been successfully established.

24. A first network entity for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receiving a protocol data unit (PDU) session request message including a pair identifier (ID) from a second network entity, wherein the pair ID is used to associate with a plurality of PDU sessions; and associating the PDU session indicated by the PDU session request message with the pair ID; The pair ID is generated or allocated based on a service associated with a PDU session corresponding to a PDU session establishment message.

25. The first network entity according to claim 24, wherein: The pair ID includes a device-determined pair ID and is included in an N2 session management SM container of the PDU session request message, and wherein the PDU session request message is responsive to a PDU session establishment message including the device-determined pair ID.

26. The first network entity according to claim 25, wherein: To associate the PDU session with the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to modify one or more entries of a PDU table to indicate the pair ID.

27. The first network entity according to claim 24, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to: receiving a second PDU session request message in response to the second PDU session establishment message; as well as Associating a second PDU session indicated by the second PDU session request message with the pair ID, wherein, to associate the second PDU session with the pair ID, the at least one processor is configured to associate the PDU session and the second PDU session as redundant PDU sessions.

28. A first network entity for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receiving a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment message and a pair identifier (ID) from a device, wherein the pair ID is used to associate with a plurality of PDU sessions; and Sending a PDU session request message in response to the PDU session establishment message, wherein the PDU session request message includes the pair ID; The pair ID is generated or allocated based on a service associated with the PDU session corresponding to the PDU session establishment message.

29. The first network entity according to claim 28, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to: receiving, from the device, a PDU session modification request message including removal information corresponding to the pair ID; as well as A PDU session modification message is sent to the second network entity indicating the removal of the pair of IDs.

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