System and method for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device

Abstract

A system and method for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a wireless device (105, 200, 300, 400, 1000) in a wireless communication system (100) includes obtaining (503) information indicating a coverage level (113a-d) of the wireless device. Furthermore, the method includes determining (507) a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations (115a-d) associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, the method includes reporting (511) a measurement result using the determined reporting configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of communications, and more particularly to determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device. Background Art

[0002] Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, also known as machine-type communication (MTC), is used to establish communications between machines and between machines and human-operated devices. This communication may involve the exchange of data, signaling information, measurement data, configuration information, or the like. Furthermore, device size can vary from the size of a wallet to the size of a typical base station. M2M devices are quite often used for applications such as sensing environmental conditions (e.g., temperature readings), metering or measurement (e.g., electricity usage), fault or error detection, and the like. In these applications, M2M devices typically operate in a low-power, sleep mode and are rarely active. When they are active, it is typically for brief instances during much longer periodic durations (e.g., 200 milliseconds every 2 seconds, 500 milliseconds every 60 minutes), depending on the service type. M2M devices may also perform measurements on other frequencies or other radio access technologies (RATs).

[0003] Furthermore, MTC devices are expected to be of lower cost / complexity. Lower cost / complexity user equipment (UE) envisioned for M2M operation may have a smaller downlink or uplink maximum transport block size (e.g., 1000 bits) and a reduced downlink channel bandwidth (e.g., 1.4 MHz for data channels such as the physical shared data channel (PDSCH). Lower cost UEs may also support half-duplex, frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) operation and may have features such as a single receiver at the UE, a smaller downlink or uplink maximum transport block size (e.g., 1000 bits), and a reduced downlink channel bandwidth of 1.4 MHz for data channels. Low cost UEs may also be referred to as low complexity UEs.

[0004] The path loss between an M2M device and a base station can be significant in certain scenarios, such as when the M2M device is used as a metering device or sensor in a remote location, such as in the basement of a building. In these scenarios, reception of signals transmitted by the base station can be challenging due to the path loss (e.g., path loss can be 20 dB worse than normal operation). To address these challenges, reception of these signals on the uplink or downlink should be enhanced by using advanced techniques at the UE or radio network node (e.g., base station). These advanced techniques may include increasing transmit power, repeating signal transmissions, adding redundancy to the transmitted signal, or enhanced receiver technology. Generally speaking, when any of these coverage enhancement techniques are employed, the M2M device is considered to be operating in a coverage enhancement mode. Lower complexity UEs (e.g., UEs with a single receiver) may also be able to support the enhanced coverage mode of operation.

[0005] Radio measurements performed by the UE are typically performed on the serving cell and on neighboring cells (e.g., narrowband (NB) cells, NB physical resource blocks (PRBs)) using known reference symbols or pilot sequences (e.g., narrowband cell-specific reference signal (NB-CRS), narrowband secondary synchronization signal (NB-SSS), narrowband primary synchronization signal (NB-PSS)). Radio measurements are also performed on cells with intra-frequency and inter-frequency carriers, as well as on inter-RAT carriers (depending on whether the UE supports the RAT). To enable inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements, the network must configure frequency gaps to allow the UE to perform radio measurements.

[0006] These measurements are performed for various purposes, such as mobility, positioning, self-organizing networks (SON), minimization of drive tests (MDT), operations and maintenance (O&M), and network planning and optimization. In Long Term Evolution (LTE), these measurements include cell identification (i.e., physical cell identifier (PCI) acquisition), reference symbol received power (RSRP), reference symbol received quality (RSRQ), cell global identifier (CGI) acquisition, reference signal time difference (RSTD), UE RX-TX time difference measurement, and radio link monitoring (RLM) (e.g., out-of-sync / in-sync detection). Channel state information (CSI) measurements performed by the UE are used by the network for purposes such as scheduling and link adaptation. CSI reports derived from these CSI measurements include a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix index (PMI), and a rank indicator (RI). Furthermore, these measurements can be performed on reference signals, such as cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), or demodulation reference signals (DMRS).

[0007] To identify an unknown cell (e.g., a new neighboring cell), the UE must acquire the timing of that cell and, ultimately, the physical cell identifier (PCI). For cell search and cell identification in legacy LTE, downlink subframes #0 and #5 carry synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). Similarly, the synchronization signals used for narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) are called NB-PSS and NB-SSS. However, their periodicity may differ from the legacy synchronization signals of LTE. After cell search and cell identification in LTE, the UE also measures the RSRP or RSRQ of the newly identified cell and may report these measurements to the network node.

[0008] For the NB-IoT RAT, 504 PCIs are available. The measurements are performed in all Radio Resource Control (RRC) states (i.e., RRC Idle and Connected). In the RRC Connected state, the measurements are used by the UE for one or more tasks, such as reporting the results to a network node. In the RRC Idle state, the measurements are used by the UE for one or more tasks, such as cell selection or cell reselection.

[0009] The NB-IoT industry standard aims to specify cellular IoT radio access, largely based on a non-backward-compatible variant of Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA). It addresses improved indoor coverage, support for large numbers of low-throughput devices, low latency sensitivity, ultra-low device cost, low device power consumption, and an optimized network architecture. The NB-IoT carrier bandwidth (Bw2) is 200 kHz. For LTE, the operating bandwidth (Bw1) is 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, and so on. NB-IoT also supports three different deployment scenarios. First, standalone operation utilizes spectrum currently used by, for example, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN system (collectively referred to as GERAN) as a replacement for one or more GSM carriers. In principle, it operates on any carrier frequency that is neither within another system's carrier nor within the guard band of another system's operating carrier. The other system can be another NB-IoT operation or any other RAT (e.g., LTE). Second, guard band (i.e., guard bandwidth) operation utilizes unused resource blocks within the LTE carrier's guard band. As an example, for a 20 MHz LTE bandwidth (i.e., Bw1 = 20 MHz or 100 resource blocks (RBs)), NB-IoT guard band operation can occur anywhere outside the central 18 MHz LTE bandwidth but within the 20 MHz LTE bandwidth. Third, in-band operation (i.e., within-bandwidth operation) utilizes RBs within the normal LTE carrier. More generally, operation of one RAT within the bandwidth of another RAT is also referred to as in-band operation. For example, for a 50 RB LTE bandwidth (i.e., Bw1 = 10 MHz or 50 RBs), NB-IoT operation on one RB within the 50 RBs is referred to as in-band operation.

[0010] In NB-IoT for all three scenarios, downlink transmission is based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a 15kHz subcarrier spacing and the same symbol and cyclic prefix (CP) duration as that of conventional LTE. For uplink transmission, both multi-tone transmission based on single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and single-tone transmission with 3.75kHz or 15kHz subcarrier spacing are supported. This means that the physical waveforms of NB-IoT in the downlink and partially in the uplink are similar to those in conventional LTE.

[0011] In the downlink, NB-IOT supports both main information broadcast and system information broadcast, which are carried by different physical channels. For in-band operation, it is possible to enable NB-IoT UEs to decode the narrowband physical broadcast channel (NPBCH) without knowing the traditional PRB index. In addition, NB-IoT supports both the narrowband physical downlink control channel (NPDCCH) and the narrowband physical downlink shared channel (NPDSCH). In addition, the operating mode of NB-IOT must be indicated to the UE, and the current Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is considering using the narrowband secondary synchronization signal (NSSS), the narrowband master information block (NB-MIB), or possibly other downlink signals for this indication.

[0012] The narrowband reference signal (NRS) is separate from the traditional LTE CRS, but the design principles are similar. For example, the NRS does not overlap with the traditional CRS or PDCCH, can be turned off in subframes when the NPDSCH / NPSCCH is not being transmitted, and the subcarriers used are derived from the PCI. Furthermore, the downlink synchronization signal consists of the primary synchronization signal (NPSS), transmitted in subframe 5 of each radio frame, and the secondary synchronization signal (NSSS), transmitted in subframe 9.

[0013] In addition, NB-IoT supports multi-PRB operation as described in 3GPP Release 13. In this scenario, NPSS, NSSS, PBCH and system information are broadcast only in one or more anchor PRBs and when the connection is established. UEs can be assigned to carry out their connection sessions on other secondary PRBs that do not contain these signals. Thus, the UE will monitor paging and perform random access and RRC connection establishment on the anchor PRB; user plane data is transmitted on the secondary PRB, and they will return to the anchor PRB once released to RRC idle mode unless otherwise directed. As such, UE measurements based on the previously mentioned physical channels cannot be performed on the secondary PRB. However, the anchor PRB and the secondary PRB may belong to different deployment scenarios. For example, the anchor PRB may be in a guard band, while the secondary PRB is in-band, in which case only the NRS reference symbol is available on the anchor PRB, while both the NRS and the traditional CRS are available on the secondary PRB.

[0014] In addition, some PRBs may be power-boosted for in-band deployment scenarios, and typically anchor PRBs will be power-boosted to ensure good reception of NPSS, NSSS, PBCH, and NPDCCH. Anchor PRBs may also be referred to as primary PRBs, base positioning reference signals (PRS), common signal PRSs, primary PRSs, or the like. Secondary PRBs may also be referred to as companion PRSs, booster PRSs, data PRSs, or the like. PRBs may also be referred to as cells, NB cells, NB resources, resource blocks (RBs), virtual RBs (VRBs), physical resources, or the like.

[0015] Compared to traditional UEs, low-complexity and low-cost UEs have different characteristics. These characteristics lead to some limitations. One such limitation is that these UEs have limited reporting capabilities compared to traditional UEs. For example, compared to six bits (e.g., 64 values) for traditional LTE UEs, NB-IOT UEs only have two bits (e.g., 4 values) that can be used to report power headroom. Therefore, the reported values ​​may not reflect the actual power usage conditions in the NB-IoT UE (i.e., less accurate information is provided to the serving network node). Because the network uses the reported measurements for operational tasks (e.g., scheduling, mobility, positioning), the network may make less accurate or less optimal scheduling decisions. Therefore, there is a need for improved techniques for reporting coverage levels of wireless devices. In addition, in combination with the accompanying drawings and the aforementioned technical fields and background technology, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and embodiments.

[0016] The background section of this document is provided to place the embodiments of the present disclosure in technical and operational context to assist those skilled in the art in understanding their scope and usefulness. Unless explicitly identified as such, no statement herein is admitted to be prior art merely by virtue of its inclusion in the background section. Summary of the Invention

[0017] The following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding for those skilled in the art. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present disclosure and is not intended to identify key / critical elements of the embodiments of the present disclosure or to delineate the scope of the present disclosure. The sole purpose of this summary is to present some of the concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description presented later. Systems and methods for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in a wireless communication system are described herein. According to one aspect, a method performed by a wireless device (e.g., a UE) in the wireless communication system includes obtaining information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device. In addition, the method includes determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from different reporting configurations respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, the method includes reporting measurement results using the determined reporting configuration.

[0018] According to another aspect, the step of reporting the measurement results may comprise generating an indication of the measurement results using the determined reporting configuration. Additionally, the method may comprise transmitting the indication of the measurement results to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0019] According to another aspect, the method may include transmitting an indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0020] According to another aspect, obtaining the information may include determining the coverage level of the wireless device based on the information.

[0021] According to another aspect, the method may include receiving the information indicative of the coverage level for the wireless device from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0022] According to another aspect, the step of obtaining may include determining measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device, wherein the information includes the signal measurements.

[0023] According to another aspect, obtaining the information may include determining a number of repetitions used by the wireless device for random access transmissions based on a random access configuration of the wireless device, wherein the information includes the number of repetitions used for the random access transmissions.

[0024] According to another aspect, the step of determining the reporting configuration may include receiving an indication of the different reporting configuration from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0025] According to another aspect, the different reporting configurations may report the measurement results at different reporting resolutions.

[0026] According to another aspect, the different reporting configurations may report the measurement results in different reporting ranges.

[0027] According to another aspect, the different reporting configurations may report the measurement results in different reporting ranges, wherein each range has at least one of a different minimum reporting value and a different maximum reporting value.

[0028] According to another aspect, the information may include an indication that a network node serving the wireless device is using or supporting the coverage level.

[0029] According to another aspect, the information may include an indication that a network node serving the wireless device supports the different coverage levels.

[0030] According to another aspect, the information may include measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.

[0031] According to another aspect, the signal measurements may include measurements of signal levels or qualities of the signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.

[0032] According to another aspect, the information may include a random access configuration associated with the wireless device performing a random access transmission to a network node.

[0033] According to another aspect, the information may include the wireless device's ability to support the different coverage levels.

[0034] According to another aspect, the information may include data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in the obtaining.

[0035] According to another aspect, the information may include an indication of the different coverage levels for the wireless device.

[0036] According to another aspect, the information may include statistics associated with the different coverage levels.

[0037] According to another aspect, the information may include a log of the different coverage levels used by the wireless device.

[0038] According to another aspect, the step of determining the reporting configuration may be based on one or more predefined rules.

[0039] According to another aspect, determining the reporting configuration may be based on a predefined time period associated with measurements of signals received by the wireless device from a network node.

[0040] According to another aspect, the step of determining the reporting configuration may be based on one or more predefined conditions.

[0041] According to another aspect, determining the reporting configuration can be based on one or more resources associated with the different reporting configurations, the one or more resources being available for use by the wireless device.

[0042] According to another aspect, the step of determining the reporting configuration may be based on data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in said determining the reporting configuration.

[0043] According to another aspect, the step of determining the reporting configuration may be based on statistics associated with the different reporting configurations.

[0044] According to another aspect, determining the reporting configuration may be based on a log of the different reporting configurations used by the wireless device.

[0045] According to another aspect, the different coverage levels may include one or more normal coverage levels and one or more enhanced coverage levels (eg, enhanced coverage levels 0, 1, 2, etc.).

[0046] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be capable of operating as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Category Narrowband 1 (LTE Cat NB1) device, and the determined reporting configuration may include a power headroom reporting mapping for the LTE Cat NB1 device.

[0047] According to another aspect, the power headroom reporting map for the LTE Cat NB1 device operating in normal coverage may be defined as follows:

[0048] .

[0049] According to another aspect, the power headroom reporting map for the LTE Cat NB1 device operating in enhanced coverage may be defined as follows:

[0050] .

[0051] According to one aspect, a wireless device in a wireless communication system includes obtainer circuitry configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device. Furthermore, the wireless device includes determining circuitry configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, the wireless device includes reporter circuitry configured to report measurement results using the determined reporting configuration.

[0052] According to another aspect, the reporter circuitry may be configured to generate an indication of the measurement result using the determined reporting configuration. In addition, the wireless device may include a transmitter circuitry configured to transmit the indication of the measurement result to a network node (e.g., an eNB) in the wireless communication system.

[0053] According to another aspect, the wireless device may include a transmitter configured to transmit an indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0054] According to another aspect, the obtainer circuit may be configured to determine the coverage level of the wireless device based on the information.

[0055] According to another aspect, the wireless device may include a receiver configured to receive the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0056] According to another aspect, the obtainer circuit can be configured to determine a measurement of a signal transmitted or received by the wireless device.Additionally, the information can include the signal measurement.

[0057] According to another aspect, the obtainer circuit may be configured to determine a number of repetitions to use for random access transmissions by the wireless device based on a random access configuration of the wireless device.Furthermore, the information may include the number of repetitions to use for the random access transmissions.

[0058] According to another aspect, the determining circuit may be configured to receive an indication of the different reporting configuration from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0059] According to another aspect, the determining circuit may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined rules.

[0060] According to another aspect, the determining circuit may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on a predefined period associated with measurements of signals received by the wireless device from a network node.

[0061] According to another aspect, the determining circuit may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined conditions.

[0062] According to another aspect, the determining circuitry may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more resources associated with the different reporting configurations, the one or more resources being available for use by the wireless device.

[0063] According to another aspect, the determining circuitry may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in said determining the reporting configuration.

[0064] According to another aspect, the determining circuitry may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on statistics associated with the different reporting configurations.

[0065] According to another aspect, the determining circuitry may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on a log of the different reporting configurations used by the wireless device.

[0066] According to one aspect, a wireless device in a wireless communication system is configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device. Furthermore, the wireless device is configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, the wireless device is configured to report measurement results using the determined reporting configuration.

[0067] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to generate an indication of the measurement result using the determined reporting configuration.Furthermore, the wireless device may be configured to transmit the indication of the measurement result to a network node (eg, an eNB) in the wireless communication system.

[0068] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to transmit an indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0069] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the coverage level of the wireless device based on the information.

[0070] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to receive the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0071] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.Additionally, the information may include the signal measurements.

[0072] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine a number of repetitions to be used by the wireless device for random access transmissions based on a random access configuration of the wireless device.Furthermore, the information may include the number of repetitions to be used for the random access transmissions.

[0073] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to receive an indication of the different reporting configuration from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0074] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined rules.

[0075] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on a predefined period associated with measurements of signals received by the wireless device from a network node.

[0076] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined conditions.

[0077] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more resources associated with the different reporting configurations, the one or more resources being available for use by the wireless device.

[0078] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in determining the reporting configuration.

[0079] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on statistics associated with the different reporting configurations.

[0080] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on a log of the different reporting configurations used by the wireless device.

[0081] According to one aspect, a wireless device in a wireless communication system includes an obtaining module configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device. Furthermore, the wireless device includes a determining module configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, the wireless device includes a reporting module configured to report measurement results using the determined reporting configuration.

[0082] According to another aspect, the reporting module may include generating an indication of the measurement result using the determined reporting configuration.In addition, the wireless device may include a transmitting module for transmitting the indication of the measurement result to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0083] According to another aspect, the wireless device may include means for transmitting an indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0084] According to another aspect, the obtaining module may include determining the coverage level of the wireless device based on the information.

[0085] According to another aspect, the obtaining means may include receiving the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0086] According to another aspect, the obtaining means can include determining measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.Additionally, the information can include the signal measurements.

[0087] According to another aspect, the obtaining module may include determining a number of repetitions used by the wireless device for random access transmission based on a random access configuration of the wireless device.In addition, the information may include the number of repetitions used for the random access transmission.

[0088] According to another aspect, the determining means may include receiving an indication of the different reporting configuration from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0089] According to another aspect, the determining module may include determining the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined rules.

[0090] According to another aspect, the determining circuitry may include determining the reporting configuration based on a predefined period associated with measurements of signals received by the wireless device from a network node.

[0091] According to another aspect, the determining module may include determining the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined conditions.

[0092] According to another aspect, the means for determining may include determining the reporting configuration based on one or more resources associated with the different reporting configurations, the one or more resources being available for use by the wireless device.

[0093] According to another aspect, the determining module may include determining the reporting configuration based on data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in determining the reporting configuration.

[0094] According to another aspect, the determining module may include determining the reporting configuration based on statistics associated with the different reporting configurations.

[0095] According to another aspect, the determining module may include determining the reporting configuration based on a log of the different reporting configurations used by the wireless device.

[0096] According to one aspect, a wireless device in a wireless communication system includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions, executable by the processor, whereby the wireless device is configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device. Furthermore, the memory contains instructions whereby the wireless device is configured to determine from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, a reporting configuration is associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information. Furthermore, the memory contains instructions whereby the wireless device is configured to report measurement results using the determined reporting configuration.

[0097] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to generate an indication of the measurement result using the determined reporting configuration.Furthermore, the wireless device may be configured to transmit the indication of the measurement result to a network node (eg, an eNB) in the wireless communication system.

[0098] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to transmit an indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0099] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the coverage level of the wireless device based on the information.

[0100] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to receive the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0101] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.Additionally, the information may include the signal measurements.

[0102] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine a number of repetitions to be used by the wireless device for random access transmissions based on a random access configuration of the wireless device.Furthermore, the information may include the number of repetitions to be used for the random access transmissions.

[0103] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to receive an indication of the different reporting configuration from a network node in the wireless communication system.

[0104] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined rules.

[0105] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on a predefined period associated with measurements of signals received by the wireless device from a network node.

[0106] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more predefined conditions.

[0107] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more resources associated with the different reporting configurations, the one or more resources being available for use by the wireless device.

[0108] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in determining the reporting configuration.

[0109] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on statistics associated with the different reporting configurations.

[0110] According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured to determine the reporting configuration based on a log of the different reporting configurations used by the wireless device.

[0111] According to one aspect, a computer program comprises instructions that, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods described herein. Additionally, a carrier may embody the computer program, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0112] According to one aspect, a method performed by a network node in a wireless communication system includes obtaining information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system. Furthermore, the method includes determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device.

[0113] According to another aspect, the method may include communicating the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device.

[0114] According to another aspect, the method may include receiving measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration.

[0115] According to another aspect, the method may include receiving, from the wireless device, an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Additionally, the information may include the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Furthermore, obtaining the information may include determining the coverage level from the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device.

[0116] According to another aspect, determining the reporting configuration can be based on one or more measurement results reported by the wireless device.

[0117] According to another aspect, the one or more measurements may be associated with measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.

[0118] According to another aspect, the different reporting configurations may report the measurement results at different reporting clarity.

[0119] According to another aspect, the different reporting configurations may report the measurement results in different reporting ranges.

[0120] According to another aspect, the different reporting configurations may report the measurement results in different reporting ranges, wherein each range has at least one of a different minimum reporting value and a different maximum reporting value.

[0121] According to another aspect, the method may include adapting one or more operating parameters of the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0122] According to another aspect, the one or more operating parameters may include at least one of a coding rate, a modulation scheme, and a resource assignment.

[0123] According to one aspect, a network node in a wireless communication system includes an obtainer circuit configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system. Furthermore, the network node includes a determination circuit configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device.

[0124] According to another aspect, the network node may include a transmitter circuit configured to transmit the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device.

[0125] According to another aspect, the network node may include a receiver configured to receive measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration.

[0126] According to another aspect, the network node may include receiver circuitry configured to receive, from the wireless device, an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Additionally, the information may include the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Furthermore, the obtainer circuitry may be configured to determine the coverage level from the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device.

[0127] According to another aspect, the determining circuit may be further configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more measurement results reported by the wireless device.

[0128] According to another aspect, the network node may include adaptation circuitry configured to adapt one or more operating parameters of the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0129] According to one aspect, a network node in a wireless communication system is configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system. Furthermore, the network node is configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device.

[0130] According to another aspect, the network node may be configured to transmit the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device.

[0131] According to another aspect, the network node may be configured to receive measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration.

[0132] According to another aspect, the network node may be configured to receive, from the wireless device, an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Additionally, the information may include the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Furthermore, the network node may be configured to determine the coverage level from the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device.

[0133] According to another aspect, the network node may be further configured to determine the reporting configuration based on one or more measurement results reported by the wireless device.

[0134] According to another aspect, the network node may be further configured to adapt one or more operating parameters of the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0135] According to one aspect, a network node in a wireless communication system includes an obtaining module configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system. Furthermore, the network node includes a determining module configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device.

[0136] According to another aspect, the network node may include a transmitting module for transmitting the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device.

[0137] According to another aspect, the network node may include a receiving module for receiving measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration.

[0138] According to another aspect, the network node may include means for receiving, from the wireless device, an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Additionally, the information may include the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Furthermore, the obtaining means may include determining the coverage level from the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device.

[0139] According to another aspect, the determining module may include determining the reporting configuration based on one or more measurement results reported by the wireless device.

[0140] According to another aspect, the network node may include an adaptation module for adapting one or more operating parameters of the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0141] According to one aspect, a network node in a wireless communication system includes a processor and a memory. The memory further includes instructions executable by the processor, whereby the network node is configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system. The memory further includes instructions whereby the network node is configured to determine, from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device, a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information.

[0142] According to another aspect, the memory may include instructions whereby the network node transmits the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device.

[0143] According to another aspect, the memory may include instructions whereby the network node receives measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration.

[0144] According to another aspect, the memory may include instructions whereby the network node receives, from the wireless device, an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Additionally, the information may include the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device. Furthermore, the memory may include instructions whereby the network node determines the coverage level from the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device.

[0145] According to another aspect, the memory may include instructions whereby the network node determines the reporting configuration based on one or more measurement results reported by the wireless device.

[0146] According to another aspect, the memory may include instructions whereby the network node adapts one or more operating parameters of the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0147] According to one aspect, a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor of a network node, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods described herein. Additionally, the computer program may be embodied on a carrier, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0148] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. However, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Throughout the present disclosure, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

[0149] Figure 1

[0014] One embodiment of a system for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0150] Figure 2

[0014] One embodiment of a wireless device for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0151] Figure 3

[0014] Another embodiment of a wireless device for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0152] Figure 4

[0014] Another embodiment of a wireless device for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0153] Figure 5 One embodiment of a method by a wireless device for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein.

[0154] Figure 6

[0014] One embodiment of a network node for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is illustrated.

[0155] Figure 7

[0014] Another embodiment of a network node for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0156] Figure 8

[0014] Another embodiment of a network node for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0157] Figure 9 One embodiment of a method by a network node for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0158] Figure 10 Another embodiment of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown.

[0159] Figure 11 Shown is a report configuration as a function of coverage mode in accordance with various aspects as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0160] For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present disclosure is described primarily with reference to its exemplary embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In this description, well-known methods and structures are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure.

[0161] The systems and methods described herein include determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device (e.g., a UE). A wireless device operating in enhanced coverage may be power-limited compared to a wireless device operating in normal coverage. In some cases, reporting clarity may be limited for low-cost or low-complexity wireless devices, and the systems and methods described herein allow the wireless device to adapt the reporting clarity based on its coverage area. This provides more accurate information on reporting to a network node (e.g., a base station), which results in more accurate decisions (e.g., coding rate, modulation scheme, resource assignment) made by the network node that correspond to actual channel conditions. For example, Figure 1 One embodiment of a system 100 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level 113a-d of a wireless device 105 is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 1 In the present invention, a network node 101 (e.g., a base station) obtains information (e.g., signal measurements) indicating coverage levels 113a-d (e.g., normal coverage, enhanced coverage) of a wireless device 105 (e.g., a UE). This obtained information may include an indication that the network node 101 serving the wireless device 105 supports one or more coverage levels, measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device 105, a random access configuration associated with the wireless device 105 performing a random access transmission to the network node 101, the ability of the wireless device 105 to support different coverage levels, indications of different coverage levels for the wireless device 105, or the like.

[0162] exist Figure 1 In the present invention, network node 101 determines a reporting configuration 115a-b associated with the coverage level 113a-d indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations 115a-b (e.g., power headroom report maps) associated with different coverage levels 113a-d, respectively, of wireless device 105. Network node 101 then transmits the determined reporting configurations 115a-b to wireless device 105. Wireless device 105 then receives this information and determines the reporting configurations 115a-b associated with the coverage level 113a-d indicated by the obtained information. Furthermore, wireless device 105 performs measurements on signals transmitted or received by wireless device 105. Furthermore, wireless device 105 reports indications of the signal measurements using the determined reporting configurations 115a-b. Network node 101 then uses the determined reporting configurations 115a-b to receive the indications of the signal measurements and adapt one or more operating parameters (e.g., coding rate, modulation scheme, resource assignment).

[0163] Additionally or alternatively, network node 101 may be configured to support a wireless communication system (e.g., NB-IoT, NR, LTE, LTE-NR, 5G, UMTS, GSM, or the like). Furthermore, network node 101 may be a base station (e.g., an eNB), an access point, a wireless router, or the like. Network node 101 may serve a wireless device, such as wireless device 105. Wireless device 105 may be configured to support a wireless communication system (e.g., NB-IoT, NR, LTE, LTE-NR, 5G, UMTS, GSM, or the like). Wireless device 105 may be a UE, a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a cellular phone, a cellular handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a wireless phone, an organizer, a handheld computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a set-top box, a television, an appliance, a gaming device, a medical device, a display device, a metering device, or the like.

[0164] Figure 2 One embodiment of a wireless device 200 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the wireless device 200 may include a receiver circuit 201, an obtainer circuit 203, a determination circuit 205, an executor circuit 207, a reporter circuit 209, a transmitter circuit 211, or the like, or any combination thereof. The receiver circuit 201 may be configured to receive information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device 200 from a network node. The obtainer circuit 203 may be configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device 200. The determination circuit 205 may be configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. The executor circuit 207 may be configured to perform measurements on signals transmitted or received by the wireless device 200. The reporter circuit 209 may be configured to report the measurement results using the determined reporting configuration. The transmitter circuit 211 may be configured to transmit an indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to the network node.

[0165] Figure 3 Another embodiment of a wireless device 300 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 3, a wireless device 300 (e.g., a UE) may include processing circuit(s) 301, radio frequency (RF) communication circuit(s) 305, antenna(s) 307, the like, or any combination thereof. The communication circuit(s) 305 may be configured to transmit or receive information to or from one or more network nodes or one or more other wireless devices via any communication technology. This communication may occur using one or more antenna(s) 307 internal or external to the wireless device 300. The processing circuit(s) 301 may be configured to perform processing as described herein (e.g., by executing program instructions stored in memory 303). Figure 5 The processing circuit(s) 301 in this regard may implement certain functional components, units, or modules.

[0166] (For example, to implement Figure 5 The functional components, units, or modules may include a receiving module or unit 311 for receiving information indicating the coverage level of a wireless device from a network node in the wireless communication system. The functional components, units, or modules may include an obtaining module or unit 313 for obtaining information indicating the coverage level of the wireless device. The functional components, units, or modules may include a determining module or unit 315 for determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. The functional components, units, or modules may include an executing module or unit 317 for performing measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device 300. The functional components, units, or modules may include a reporting module or unit 319 for reporting measurement results using the determined reporting configuration. The functional components, units, or modules may include a transmitting module or unit 321 for transmitting the indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to the network node.

[0167] Figure 4 Another embodiment of a wireless device 400 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 4 In the wireless device 400, the wireless device 400 may (for example, via Figure 3 (One or more) processing circuits 301 or via software) to implement various functional components, units, or modules. (For example, for implementing Figure 5These functional components, units, or modules may include a receiving module or unit 401 for receiving information indicating the coverage level of a wireless device from a network node in a wireless communication system. Furthermore, these functional components, units, or modules may include an obtaining module or unit 403 for obtaining information indicating the coverage level of the wireless device. Furthermore, these functional components, units, or modules may include a determining module or unit 405 for determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. Furthermore, these functional components, units, or modules may include an executing module or unit 407 for performing measurements on signals transmitted or received by the wireless device 400. These functional components, units, or modules may include a reporting module or unit 409 for reporting measurement results using the determined reporting configuration. Finally, these functional components, units, or modules may include a transmitting module or unit 411 for transmitting the indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to the network node.

[0168] Figure 5 One embodiment of a method 500 for use by a wireless device to determine a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of the wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 5 Method 500 may begin, for example, at block 501, where it may include receiving information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device from a network node in a wireless communication system. At block 503, method 500 includes obtaining information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device. At block 505, method 500 may include transmitting the indication of the coverage level of the wireless device to the network node. At block 507, method 500 includes determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. At block 509, the method may include performing measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device. At block 511, method 500 includes reporting the measurement results using the determined reporting configuration.

[0169] Figure 6 One embodiment of a network node 600 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 6In the embodiment of the present invention, the network node 600 may include a receiver circuit 601, an obtainer circuit 603, a determination circuit 605, an adaptation circuit 607, a transmitter circuit 609, or the like, or any combination thereof. The obtainer circuit 603 is configured to obtain information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system. The determination circuit 605 is configured to determine a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. The adaptation circuit 607 may be configured to adapt one or more operating parameters corresponding to the wireless device based on the measurement results. The transmitter circuit 609 may be configured to transmit the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device. The receiver circuit 601 may be configured to receive the measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration.

[0170] Figure 7 Another embodiment of a network node 700 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 7 , a network node 700 (e.g., a base station) may include processing circuit(s) 701, radio frequency (RF) communication circuit(s) 705, antenna(s) 707, or the like, or any combination thereof. The communication circuit(s) 705 may be configured to transmit or receive information to or from one or more network nodes or one or more wireless devices via any communication technology. Such communication may occur using one or more antenna(s) 707 internal or external to the network node 700. The processing circuit(s) 701 may be configured to perform processing as described herein (e.g., by executing program instructions stored in memory 703). Figure 9 The processing circuit(s) 701 in this regard may implement certain functional components, units, or modules.

[0171] (For example, to implement Figure 9These functional components, units, or modules may include a receiving module or unit 711 for receiving measurement results from a wireless device using the determined reporting configuration. In addition, these functional components, units, or modules include an obtaining module or unit 713 for obtaining information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in a wireless communication system. Furthermore, these functional components, units, or modules include a determining module or unit 715 for determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. In addition, these functional components, units, or modules may include a transmitting module or unit 717 for transmitting the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device. Finally, these functional components, units, or modules may include an adapting module or unit 719 for adapting one or more operating parameters corresponding to the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0172] Figure 8 Another embodiment of a network node 800 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown. Figure 8 In the example, the network node 800 may (eg, via Figure 7 (One or more) processing circuits 701 or via software) to implement various functional components, units, or modules. (For example, for implementing Figure 9 These functional components, units, or modules may include a receiving module or unit 801 for receiving measurement results from a wireless device using the determined reporting configuration. In addition, these functional components, units, or modules include an obtaining module or unit 803 for obtaining information indicating the coverage level of a wireless device in a wireless communication system. Furthermore, these functional components, units, or modules include a determining module or unit 805 for determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from different reporting configurations associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. In addition, these functional components, units, or modules may include a transmitting module or unit 807 for transmitting the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device. Finally, these functional components, units, or modules may include an adapting module or unit 809 for adapting one or more operating parameters corresponding to the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0173] Figure 9 One embodiment of a method 900 for determining a reporting configuration associated with a coverage level of a wireless device by a network node is shown in accordance with various aspects as described herein. Figure 9In the present invention, method 900 may begin, for example, at block 901, where it may include receiving an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device from a wireless device. At block 903, method 900 includes obtaining information indicating a coverage level of the wireless device in a wireless communication system. At block 905, method 900 includes determining a reporting configuration associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from different reporting configurations respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device. At block 907, method 900 may include transmitting the determined reporting configuration to the wireless device. At block 909, method 900 may include receiving measurement results from the wireless device using the determined reporting configuration. At block 911, method 900 may include adapting one or more operating parameters corresponding to the wireless device based on the measurement results.

[0174] Figure 10 Another embodiment of a wireless device 1000 in accordance with various aspects as described herein is shown. In some instances, the wireless device 1000 may be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a cellular phone, a cellular handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a wireless phone, an organizer, a handheld computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a television, an appliance, a gaming device, a medical device, a display device, a metering device, or some other similar terminology. In other instances, the wireless device 1000 may be a collection of hardware components. Figure 10 In the embodiment, the wireless device 1000 can be configured to include a processor 1001, which is operatively coupled to an input / output interface 1005, a radio frequency (RF) interface 1009, a network connection interface 1011, a memory 1015 (including a random access memory (RAM) 1017, a read-only memory (ROM) 1019, a storage medium 1021, or the like), a communication subsystem 1051, a power source 1033, another component, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1021 may include an operating system 1023, an application 1025, data 1027, or the like. A particular device may utilize Figure 10 All components shown in the drawings may be utilized, or only a subset of the components may be utilized, and the level of integration may vary from device to device. In addition, a particular device may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc. For example, a computing device may be configured to include a processor and memory.

[0175] exist Figure 10In

[10] , processor 1001 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processor 1001 can be configured as any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., employing discrete logic, FPGAs, ASICs, etc.); programmable logic along with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs; a general-purpose processor (such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP)) along with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, processor 1001 may include two computer processors. In one definition, data is information in a form suitable for use by a computer. It is important to note that those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter of this disclosure can be implemented using various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0176] In the current embodiment, the input / output interface 1005 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or both. The wireless device 1000 can be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 1005. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the output device can use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a USB port can be used to provide input to and output from the wireless device 1000. The output device can be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The wireless device 1000 can be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 1005 to allow a user to capture information into the wireless device 1000. Input devices can include a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a touchpad, a presence-sensitive input device, a display such as a presence-sensitive display, a scroll wheel, a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, a microphone, a sensor, a smart card, and the like. The presence-sensitive input device may include a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, a microphone, a sensor, or the like to sense input from a user. The presence-sensitive input device may be combined with a display to form a presence-sensitive display. Additionally, the presence-sensitive input device may be coupled to a processor. The sensor may be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and a light sensor.

[0177] exist Figure 10RF interface 1009 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components, such as a transmitter, receiver, and antenna. Network connection interface 1011 can be configured to provide a communication interface to network 1043a. Network 1043a can encompass wired and wireless communication networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, network 1043a can be a Wi-Fi network. Network connection interface 1011 can be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces for communicating with one or more other nodes over a communication network according to one or more communication protocols known in the art or to be developed (such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, or the like). Network connection interface 1011 can implement receiver and transmitter functionality appropriate for a communication network link (e.g., optical, electrical, and the like). The transmitter and receiver functionality can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively can be implemented separately.

[0178] In this embodiment, RAM 1017 may be configured to interface to processor 1001 via bus 1003 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs (such as an operating system, applications, and device drivers). In one example, wireless device 1000 may include at least 128 megabytes (128 Mbytes) of RAM. ROM 1019 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processor 1001. For example, ROM 1019 may be configured to store persistent low-level system code or data for basic system functions (such as basic input and output (I / O) stored in non-volatile memory, booting, or receiving keystrokes from a keyboard). Storage media 1021 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable magnetic tape cartridges, and flash drives. In one example, the storage medium 1021 may be configured to include an operating system 1023 , an application 1025 (such as a web browser application), a gadget or widget engine or another application, and data files 1027 .

[0179] exist Figure 10In the embodiment of the present invention, the processor 1001 can be configured to communicate with the network 1043b using the communication subsystem 1051. The network 1043a and the network 1043b can be the same network or multiple networks or different networks or multiple networks. The communication subsystem 1051 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with the network 1043b. The one or more transceivers can be used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of another wireless device (such as a base station of a radio access network (RAN)) according to one or more communication protocols known in the art or to be developed (such as IEEE 802.xx, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, or the like).

[0180] In another example, the communication subsystem 1051 can be configured to include one or more transceivers that are used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of another wireless device (such as a user equipment) according to one or more communication protocols known in the art or that may be developed (such as IEEE 802.xx, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, or the like). Each transceiver can include a transmitter 1053 or a receiver 1055 to respectively implement transmitter or receiver functionality suitable for a RAN link (e.g., frequency allocation and the like). In addition, the transmitter 1053 and receiver 1055 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively can be implemented separately.

[0181] In the current embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication subsystem 1051 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication (such as Bluetooth), near-field communication, location-based communication (such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location), another similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 1051 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 1043b may include wired and wireless communication networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 1043b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and a near-field network. The power source 1013 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the wireless device 1000.

[0182] exist Figure 10In the present invention, storage medium 1021 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external small-scale dual in-line memory module (DIMM) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory (such as a subscriber identity module or removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module), other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 1021 can allow wireless device 1000 to access computer-executable instructions, applications, or the like stored on a transient or non-transitory memory medium to unload or load data. An article of manufacture (such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system) can be tangibly embodied in storage medium 1021, which can include computer-readable media.

[0183] The functionality of the methods described herein may be implemented in one of the components of wireless device 1000 or partitioned across multiple components of wireless device 1000. Furthermore, the functionality of the methods described herein may be implemented using any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 1051 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Furthermore, processor 1001 may be configured to communicate with any such components via bus 1003. In another example, any such component may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that, when executed by processor 1001, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any such component may be partitioned between processor 1001 and communication subsystem 1051. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented using software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented using hardware.

[0184] In one embodiment, a method performed by a UE capable of operating in at least two coverage levels includes obtaining information regarding a coverage enhancement level (CE) of the UE relative to a second node (e.g., a first cell (cell 1) or another UE). Furthermore, the method includes determining or selecting a reporting configuration based on the obtained information regarding the CE level of the first cell. Furthermore, the method includes performing at least one measurement of a signal received from or transmitted to a node (e.g., cell 1 or another UE (UE2)). Furthermore, the method includes reporting results of the performed measurement to the first node (e.g., a network node or another UE) using the determined or selected reporting configuration.

[0185] In another embodiment, the method may include indicating the achieved coverage level to another node (eg, a network node).

[0186] In another embodiment, the method may include storing all or part of the obtained information.

[0187] In another embodiment, the method may include selecting one of already known or obtained reporting configurations based on the obtained information.

[0188] In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node managing or serving a UE capable of operating in at least two coverage levels includes obtaining information regarding a CE level of the UE relative to a second node (e.g., a first cell (cell 1) or another UE (UE 2). Additionally, the method includes determining, based on the obtained information regarding the CE level of the UE relative to the second node (e.g., cell 1 or UE 2), a reporting configuration to be used by the UE to transmit results of measurements performed on the second node to the first node.

[0189] In another embodiment, a method may include receiving UE capabilities related to support of one or more coverage levels.

[0190] In another embodiment, the method may include sending the determined reporting configuration to the UE.

[0191] In another embodiment, the method may include adapting the schedule based on the determined and received reporting information indicative of the results of the measurements.

[0192] In one embodiment, the first node (node ​​1) and the second node (node ​​2) may be different, for example, a UE performs measurements on a neighboring cell and reports the results to a serving cell.

[0193] In another example, the first node (Node 1) and the second node (Node 2) may be the same (eg, the UE performs measurements on a serving cell and reports the results to the same serving cell).

[0194] In some embodiments, the methods described herein may enable adapted reporting by a UE depending on the coverage area in which it is operating. A UE operating in enhanced coverage may be power-constrained compared to a normal coverage UE. Reporting clarity may be limited in some cases for low-cost and low-complexity UEs, and the methods may allow the UE to adapt reporting clarity based on its coverage area. This provides more accurate information about reports to the network node and leads to more accurate decisions taken by the network node (e.g., selecting a better coding rate, a better modulation scheme, and better resources that match the actual channel conditions).

[0195] In some embodiments, the network node corresponds to any network node or any type of radio network node that communicates with a UE or with another network node. Examples of network nodes include NodeB, main evolved NodeB (MeNB), secondary evolved NodeB (SeNB), network nodes belonging to a master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG), a base station (BS), a multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node (such as a multi-standard radio base station (MSR BS)), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a network controller (NC), a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a relay, a donor node controlling a relay, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point (AP), a transmission point, a transmission node, a remote radio unit (RRU), a remote radio head (RRH), a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS), a core network node (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME)), an operations and management (O&M) node, an operations support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), a drive test minimization (MDT) node, and the like.

[0196] In some embodiments, a UE corresponds to any type of wireless device that communicates with another UE or with a network node in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UEs include a target device, a device-to-device (D2D) UE, a proximity-capable UE (e.g., a Proximity Services (ProSe) UE), a machine-type UE or a UE capable of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UE, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pad, a tablet computer, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE) device, a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, and the like. An MTC-capable UE may also be defined in terms of a UE class. Examples of such UE classes include LTE UE Class 0, LTE UE Class M1, LTE UE Class Narrowband 1 (NB1), EC-GSM-IoT, and the like. Table 1 below summarizes various characteristics of these UE classes.

[0197] Table 1: Characteristics of narrowband IoT UE categories

[0198] .

[0199] In some embodiments, the methods described herein may include single-carrier and multi-carrier or carrier aggregation (CA) operation of a UE, in which the UE is capable of receiving or transmitting data to more than one serving cell. Carrier aggregation (CA) is also referred to as a multi-carrier system, multi-cell operation, multi-carrier operation, multi-carrier transmission or reception. In CA, one of the component carriers (CCs) is a primary component carrier (PCC), also referred to as a primary carrier or anchor carrier. The remaining CCs are referred to as secondary component carriers (SCCs), secondary carriers, or supplementary carriers. The serving cell is also referred to as a primary cell (PCell) or primary serving cell (PSC). Similarly, the secondary serving cell (SSC) is also referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0200] Although some embodiments are described for LTE, these embodiments are applicable to any radio access technology (RAT) system or multi-RAT system, such as LTE frequency division duplex (FDD), LTE time division duplex (TDD), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE RAN (GERAN), Wi-Fi, wireless local area network (WLAN), CDMA2000, 3GPP New Radio (NR), and the like.

[0201] Some embodiments are applicable to any RRC state (eg, RRC_IDLE, RRC_CONNECTED).

[0202] In some embodiments, the terms UE and wireless device may be used interchangeably. A UE may be any type of wireless device capable of communicating with a network node or another UE via radio signals. A UE may also be a radio communication device, a target device, a D2D UE, a machine-type UE, an M2M-capable UE, a low-cost or low-complexity UE, a sensor equipped with a UE, a tablet computer, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a LEE, a LME, a USB dongle, customer premises equipment (CPE), and the like.

[0203] In some embodiments, the network node is a base station, a radio base station (RBS), a base transceiver station (BSS), a BSC, an NC, an RNC, an eNB, a Node B, a core network node (e.g., an MME), a NodeG, a positioning node (e.g., an E-SMLC), a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a relay node, an access point, a radio access point, an RRU, an RRH, or the like. The network node may be interchangeably referred to as a radio network node.

[0204] In some embodiments, the node is a network node or a UE.

[0205] In some embodiments, a UE is configured with a PCell and primary / secondary cells (PSCells) or a PCell, a PSCell, and one or more SCells, such as in dual connectivity or carrier aggregation. The configured cells are UE-specific (eg, a serving cell for the UE).

[0206] In some embodiments, the UE is served by a serving cell that has been identified by the UE.The UE also identifies at least one other cell, which may be referred to as a target cell or a neighboring cell.

[0207] In some embodiments, the serving cell and the neighboring cell are served or managed by respective first and second network nodes.In some embodiments, the serving cell and the neighboring cell are served or managed by the same network node (eg, the first network node).

[0208] In some embodiments, the UE operates in a low or high activity state. Examples of low activity states include RRC idle state, idle mode, and the like. Examples of low activity states include RRC connected state, active mode, active state, and the like. The UE can be configured to operate in discontinuous reception (DRX) or in non-DRX. If configured to operate in DRX, the UE may still operate in non-DRX as long as the UE receives a new transmission from the network node.

[0209] In some embodiments, a UE may perform one or more measurements of any type (e.g., radio measurements) on any one or combination of radio signals transmitted in a cell in the uplink or downlink. Furthermore, the UE may report the results of the measurements to a network node. The results may be reported using a reporting configuration. An example of a reporting configuration is a measurement report map. A measurement report map is also interchangeably referred to as a report map, measurement reporting range, reportable measurement values, measurement signaling range, measurement signaling map, and the like. At least two different measurement report maps may be available (e.g., predefined, configured by another node, or the like) for the same type of measurement, enabling the UE to signal the measurement results to the network node or to another UE. A report map includes at least three parameters: a minimum reportable measurement value, a maximum reportable measurement value, and at least one level of clarity or granularity between consecutive reportable values. A report map may include two or more reporting levels.

[0210] In some embodiments, the measurement may be performed by the UE on one or more serving cells or on one or more neighboring cells. The radio signal may be one or more physical signals, such as a reference signal or a signal carrying a physical channel (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH, enhanced PDCCH (E-PDCCH), PUSCH, PUCCH, or the like). Physical channels carry higher layer information. Examples of downlink reference signals include PSS, SSS, CRS, CSI-RS, PRS, and the like. Examples of uplink reference signals include SRS, DMRS, and the like. Reference signals (RS) are also interchangeably referred to as discovery signals. Examples of measurements that can be performed by a UE on downlink or uplink signals include signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR), cell search (e.g., cell identity), power headroom (PH), RSRP, RSRQ, RS-SINR, common reference signal SINR (CRS-SINR), CSI-RSRP, CSI-RSRQ, sidelink RSRP (S-RSRP), CQI, CSI, UE receive-transmit time difference, downlink reference signal SINR (DRS-SINR), and the like. PH is the difference between the maximum UE power and the transmit power for a signal, expressed in logarithmic terms (e.g., x dB). PH can be performed on signals (e.g., RS) transmitted on any uplink signal (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH, NPUSCH, NPUCCH, NRACH).

[0211] In some embodiments, a UE can operate in normal coverage or enhanced coverage relative to its serving cell. Enhanced coverage is also interchangeably referred to as extended coverage. The UE can also operate in multiple coverage levels (e.g., normal coverage, enhanced coverage level 1, enhanced coverage level 2, enhanced coverage level 3, and the like). Normal and extended coverage operations typically operate over a narrower UE RF bandwidth than the system bandwidth (e.g., cell bandwidth, cell transmit bandwidth, downlink system bandwidth, or the like). In some embodiments, the UE RF bandwidth can be the same as the system bandwidth. Examples of narrow RF bandwidths include 200 kHz, 1.4 MHz, and the like. Examples of system bandwidths include 200 kHz, 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, and the like. In the case of extended / enhanced coverage, the UE may be capable of operating at lower signal quality levels (e.g., SNR, SINR, ratio of average received signal energy per subcarrier to total received power per subcarrier (Ês / Iot), RSRQ, and the like) than the UE is capable of operating in a legacy system. The level of coverage enhancement may vary depending on the operating scenario and may also depend on the UE type. For example, a UE located in a basement with poor coverage may require a greater level of coverage enhancement (e.g., 10 dB) than a UE at the cell border (e.g., 5 dB). The coverage level may be expressed in terms of the received signal quality or received signal strength at the UE relative to its serving cell, or the received signal quality or received signal strength at the serving cell relative to the UE.

[0212] In some embodiments, a UE's coverage level or CE level can also be defined relative to any cell, such as a neighboring cell. For example, it can be based on the received signal quality or received signal strength at the UE relative to a target cell on which the UE performs one or more radio measurements. Examples of signal quality are SNR, SINR, CQI, RSRQ, CRS Ês / Iot, SCH Ês / Iot, and the like. Examples of signal strength are path loss, RSRP, SCH_RP, etc. The notation Ês / Iot is defined as the ratio of Ês to Iot. Ês is the received energy per resource element (e.g., power normalized for the subcarrier spacing) at the UE antenna connector during the useful portion of a symbol (e.g., the portion of the symbol excluding the cyclic prefix). Iot is the received power spectral density of the total noise and interference for a resource element, as measured at the UE antenna connector (e.g., power integrated about the resource element and normalized for the subcarrier spacing). In one example, two coverage levels defined relative to signal quality (e.g., SNR) at the UE include Coverage Enhancement Level 1 (CE1), where the SNR at the UE relative to its serving cell is ≥-6dB, and Coverage Enhancement Level 2 (CE2), where the SNR at the UE is -12dB ≤ SNR <-6dB relative to its serving cell. In another example, four coverage levels include CE1, CE2, Coverage Enhancement Level 3 (CE3), where the SNR at the UE is -15dB ≤ SNR <-12dB relative to its serving cell, and Coverage Enhancement Level 4 (CE4), where the SNR at the UE is -18dB ≤ SNR <-15dB relative to its serving cell. In these examples, CE1 may also be interchangeably referred to as a normal coverage level, a baseline coverage level, a reference coverage level, a traditional coverage level, or the like. On the other hand, CE2-CE4 may be referred to as enhanced coverage, extended coverage levels, or the like.

[0213] In another example, two different coverage levels (e.g., CE Mode A and CE Mode B) may be defined. If UE Category X is configured with CE Mode A and the cell's synchronization channel (SCH) Ês / Iot ≥ -6dB and the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) Ês / Iot ≥ -6dB, then UE Category X meets the requirements for CE Mode A (i.e., CE Mode A) for that cell. If UE Category X is configured with CE Mode B and the cell's SCH Ês / Iot ≥ -15dB and CRS Ês / Iot ≥ -15dB, then UE Category X meets the requirements for CE Mode B (i.e., CE Mode B). An example of UE Category X is UE Category M1 (e.g., 1.4 MHz RF bandwidth). CE Modes A and B are also interchangeably referred to as normal and enhanced coverage levels, respectively.

[0214] In another example, two different coverage levels (e.g., normal coverage and enhanced coverage) may be defined based on signal quality levels. If the UE's radio conditions relative to a cell are defined as SCH Ês / Iot ≥ -6dB and CRS Ês / Iot ≥ -6dB, then the normal coverage requirement may apply to UE category M1 relative to the cell. If the UE's radio conditions relative to a cell are defined as SCH Ês / Iot ≥ -15dB and CRS Ês / Iot ≥ -15dB, then the enhanced coverage requirement may apply to UE category M1 relative to the cell.

[0215] In these examples, Ês / Iot is the ratio of the received power per subcarrier to the total interference per subcarrier including noise. For example, UEs of UE category NB1 (e.g., 200 kHz RF bandwidth) are not configured with different CE modes, but the two different coverage levels differ in their minimum supported signal quality, as mentioned above.

[0216] In one embodiment, a method in a UE capable of operating in at least two coverage levels includes obtaining information regarding the CE level of the UE relative to a node (e.g., a first cell (cell 1) or another UE (UE 2)). Furthermore, the method includes determining a reporting configuration for transmitting measurement results based on the obtained information regarding the CE level of cell 1. Furthermore, the method includes performing at least one measurement of a signal received from or transmitted to the node (e.g., cell 1 or another UE (UE 2)). Furthermore, the method includes reporting or transmitting the results of the performed measurements to a node (e.g., a network node or another UE) using the determined / selected reporting configuration.

[0217] In another embodiment, the method may include indicating the achieved coverage level to another node (eg, a network node).

[0218] In another embodiment, the method may include storing the obtained information, at least a portion thereof.

[0219] In another embodiment, the method may include selecting one of already known or obtained reporting configurations based on the obtained information.

[0220] In some embodiments, the reporting configuration may include reporting of radio resource management (RRM) measurements (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, NRSRP, NRSRQ, or the like). However, the reporting configuration may also include reporting power headroom information in the UE to the network node. The reporting configuration may include information regarding the minimum reportable value, the maximum reportable value, the clarity, or the like. All types of reporting are expected to be performed in a higher activity state of the UE (e.g., the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0221] In some embodiments, the information about the CE level of the UE relative to the first cell served or managed by the first network node may be obtained based on one or more of the following:

[0222] • an indication of whether the UE is in enhanced coverage of the serving cell;

[0223] • an indication of whether the UE is in a specific coverage level (e.g. CE Level 2) of the serving cell;

[0224] • The information about the CE of a cell may further include an indication of whether the cell supports UE operation in enhanced coverage;

[0225] • radio measurements (e.g., measurements of signals transmitted in cell 1, measurements of interference or noise level, signal level, signal quality, timing measurements, or the like);

[0226] • evaluation relative to one or more conditions or criteria;

[0227] • Random access configuration for transmitting the second message (M2) in cell 1;

[0228] • UE capabilities to support one or more coverage levels;

[0229] • assistance from a network node related to coverage level (e.g., including any one or more of an applicable or recommended coverage level, a threshold (H), or the like);

[0230] • an indicator indicating that normal coverage or enhanced coverage relative to cell 2 should be considered for operation;

[0231] • Historical or past statistics (e.g., assuming a certain coverage level if that coverage level has been used by the UE at least L% of the time with respect to cell 1); and

[0232] • Stored information in the UE related to the coverage level relative to cell 1.

[0233] As another example of radio measurement, if the SINR or SNR of cell 1 is lower than -6 dB, the UE assumes that cell 1 is in enhanced coverage. However, if the SINR or SNR of cell 1 is equal to or greater than -6 dB, the UE assumes that cell 1 is in normal coverage.

[0234] For evaluation relative to one or more conditions or criteria, this may be expressed in terms of the number of repetitions (R) used for random access transmissions on cell 1 (e.g., R ≤ 8 for a UE with normal coverage relative to cell 1; and R > 8 for a UE with enhanced coverage relative to cell 1).

[0235] In some embodiments, other terms may be used instead of normal and enhanced coverage to indicate the same situation (eg, CE Mode A or CE Mode B).

[0236] In some embodiments, if the value of the UE radio measurement (e.g., signal quality) result for cell 1 is greater than or equal to a threshold (H), the UE may be determined to be in a first coverage level (CE1) with respect to cell 1, and if the value of the UE radio measurement result for cell 1 is less than H, the UE may be considered to be in a second coverage level (CE2) with respect to cell 1. Cell 1 may be a serving cell or a non-serving cell (e.g., a neighboring cell). In the latter case, cell 1 may operate on a serving carrier frequency or a non-serving carrier frequency.

[0237] In some embodiments, the UE may determine, based at least on the determined coverage level of cell 1 , one reporting configuration of at least two possible configurations for reporting the measurement result for cell 1 to the network node.

[0238] In some embodiments, the step of determining a reporting configuration to be used by the UE to report measurement results to the network node may include one or more of the following:

[0239] • Determine report configuration based on predefined rules;

[0240] • Select from a set of predefined time periods;

[0241] • Selection based on conditions;

[0242] • Calculate report configuration based on available resources;

[0243] • receiving a message or indicator from another node (e.g., a network node);

[0244] • determined based on a value or using a value received from another node (e.g., a network node); and

[0245] • Determined based on historical or stored information.

[0246] The step of determining a reporting configuration based on a predefined rule may include two possible CE levels. If the UE coverage level relative to cell 1 is CE1, the UE may determine to use a first reporting configuration, and if the UE coverage level relative to cell 1 is CE2, the UE may determine to use a second reporting configuration. For example, CE1 and CE2 may be CE mode A and CE mode B, respectively. The step of selecting from a set of predefined time periods may include each time period having a time measurement period for measurements performed on cell 1. For example, if the time period is below a threshold, the UE may determine to use the first reporting configuration, otherwise it may determine to use the second reporting configuration.

[0247] The step of selecting a report configuration based on a condition may include one or more of the following conditions:

[0248] • If the signal quality of cell 1 is higher than or equal to the threshold (G);

[0249] • If the signal quality of cell 1 is below the threshold (G);

[0250] • If the signal quality of cell 1 is higher than or equal to the threshold (G) for a period longer than the period Ty (eg Ty>Tx); and

[0251] • If the signal quality of cell 1 is below the threshold (G) for a period longer than the period Ty (e.g. Ty>Tx).

[0252] In some embodiments, the UE may not use more than a certain number of bits for reporting when operating in a certain mode (eg, coverage enhancement mode).

[0253] In some embodiments, one type of configuration report used by the UE to report the results of the measurement to the network node is a power headroom report map. The power headroom report is used by the UE to inform the serving network node of the power usage (e.g., the amount of transmit power available at the UE). This information is later used by the uplink scheduler to adapt the transmission parameters (e.g., modulation scheme, coding rate, resources, or the like). The power headroom is defined as the difference between the nominal maximum output power and the estimated output power. It is typically expressed in a logarithmic scale. It is also measured and reported per component carrier in the case where the UE is configured for multi-carrier operation (e.g., carrier aggregation (CA), dual carrier (DC), or the like). NB-IOT UE is a type of low-cost and low-complexity UE. For this UE, the power headroom is defined as follows:

[0254] PH(i)=P CMAX，c (i)-{P 0_NPUSCH，c (1) + α c (1) PL c Equation 1

[0255] The value of PH(i) can be negative or positive. A negative value means that the serving network node has used more data than the UE can handle (e.g. the UE is affected by P CMAX，c On the other hand, a positive value means that the UE has power surplus (e.g., the UE is not using maximum power or can handle a higher data rate than the currently scheduled data rate).

[0256] For the lowest configured NB-PRACH repetition level, NB-IOT UEs use two bits to report power headroom information using Message 3 (Msg3) in the random access procedure. This means that four different values ​​can be reported, compared to the sixty-four values ​​in legacy LTE, as shown in Table 2 below. Obviously, the existing clarity cannot be maintained because only four values ​​can be reported by the NB-IOT UE.

[0257] Table 2: Legacy LTE Power Headroom Report Mapping

[0258] .

[0259] Compared to traditional LTE, NB-IoT only supports low-order modulation schemes such as binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) and quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK). For LTE, high-order modulation schemes such as QPSK, 16-bit quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and 64-bit QAM are supported.

[0260] A UE in normal coverage may experience good channel quality, similar to traditional LTE, while a UE in enhanced coverage may experience significantly worse channel quality. From a power headroom reporting perspective, a UE in enhanced coverage may operate at maximum power compared to normal coverage. Therefore, having higher reporting clarity in the lower reporting range (negative values), i.e., where the UE is likely power-limited, is crucial. When a UE is power-limited, PH(i) will be negative, so having higher clarity for negative values, allowing more precise values ​​to be reported to the network node, is both desirable and important. This, in turn, will result in the network node selecting more appropriate scheduling resources that match the actual coverage conditions. This will improve uplink reception performance in the network node. Table 3 shows an example of such a reporting configuration, which can be used for enhanced coverage with higher granularity for negative values. In this example, it is assumed that the UE cannot report a limited number of values ​​(e.g., 4).

[0261] On the other hand, in normal coverage, it is more meaningful to have higher reporting clarity / granularity in the higher reporting ranges (positive values) because the UE is in good coverage and may not always need to use the maximum power or highest repetitions. Therefore, it is likely that PH(i) is often positive, and therefore better clarity for positive values ​​is desired. An example of such a reporting configuration is given in Table 3, which shows better clarity for positive values.

[0262] Table 3: NB-IOT power headroom report mapping in normal coverage

[0263] .

[0264] Table 4: NB-IOT power headroom reporting mapping in enhanced coverage

[0265] .

[0266] A clear advantage is having a reporting configuration that depends on the measurement results of the actual coverage level that the UE is operating in, rather than having a fixed reporting configuration that is always used. This will provide the serving network node with more accurate information about the actual power usage in the UE, and the network node can then adapt its scheduling resources accordingly.

[0267] Different algorithms can be used to determine the exact reporting configuration. For example, when the UE is in normal coverage, a simple algorithm (e.g., multiplication by 1) can be used. On the other hand, when the UE is in different coverage levels, a similar algorithm (e.g., multiplication by 2, which will also reduce clarity) can be used. Other examples of algorithms are subtraction, addition, and division (by different factors), all of which may depend on the actual coverage pattern. In some cases, a combination of these algorithms may be used (e.g., multiplication by a factor of 1 in the lower range and a factor of 4 in the higher range). In another example, multiplication may be used in the lower range, while addition may be used in the higher range.

[0268] In one example, assume that the UE is only able to report four different values. In this case, if Figure 11 As shown in , the UE may adapt its reporting range and reporting clarity as a function of the actual coverage pattern.

[0269] The reporting configurations in Tables 3 and 4 are exemplified only for power headroom reporting. However, the same principle of adapting the reporting scope and reporting clarity as a function of the operating coverage mode applies to all types of reports. Examples of other types of reports are RRM measurement reports, signal quality reports, signal strength reports, positioning measurement reports, timing information reports, and the like.

[0270] In some embodiments, a UE may perform at least one measurement on an uplink signal transmitted by the UE to cell 1 or on a downlink signal received at the UE from cell 1. The UE may perform the measurement based on a measurement configuration received from a node (e.g., a network node or another UE). Cell 1 herein may be a serving cell or a neighboring cell. The UE may also perform measurements on multiple cells. In another example, the UE may also perform measurements on a signal transmitted by the UE to another UE (e.g., UE2) or on a signal received at the UE from another UE (e.g., UE2).

[0271] In some embodiments, the UE may report results of measurements performed on cell 1 to a node (eg, a network node or another UE) using the determined or selected reporting configuration (eg, the determined measurement report mapping).

[0272] In some embodiments, the UE reports the results of the measurements performed on UE2 to a node (eg, a network node or another UE) using the determined or selected reporting configuration (eg, the determined measurement report mapping).

[0273] Examples of measurement results include the value of the measurement performed, an identifier of a predefined value of the measurement result, the absolute value of the result, and the like. Examples of reporting configurations for reporting measurement results include power headroom reports, RRM measurement (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, NRSRP, NRSRQ) reports, signal strength reports, signal quality reports, load balancing information reports, and the like.

[0274] The step of performing a report of the results of the measurement may further include one or more of the following processes or operational tasks:

[0275] • Perform RRM measurements on the serving cell;

[0276] • Perform RRM measurements on neighboring cells;

[0277] • Perform synchronization with neighboring nodes;

[0278] • Read system information of neighboring cells (e.g., read the MIB or one or more SIBs);

[0279] • Receive scheduling information from serving network nodes;

[0280] • Estimated power usage;

[0281] • Sending a control channel (e.g., PUCCH or MPUCCH) to cell 1; and

[0282] • Send control channels (e.g. PUSCH) to cell 1.

[0283] In one embodiment, a method may be performed in a first node serving or managing a UE, wherein the UE performs at least one measurement on a second node and reports the result to the first node. The node may be a network node or another UE. In this case, the UE is capable of operating in at least two coverage levels. The method performed by the first node includes obtaining information regarding the CE level of the UE relative to a second node (e.g., a first cell (cell 1) or another UE (UE 2)). Furthermore, the method includes determining, based on the obtained information regarding the CE level of the UE relative to the second node (e.g., cell 1 or UE 2), a reporting configuration to be used by the UE to transmit the results of the measurement performed on the second node to the first node.

[0284] In another embodiment, a method may include receiving UE capabilities related to support of one or more coverage levels.

[0285] In another embodiment, the method may include sending the determined reporting configuration to the UE.

[0286] In another embodiment, the method may include adapting the schedule based on the determined and received reporting information indicative of the results of the measurements.

[0287] In another embodiment, the first node (Node 1) and the second node (Node 2) may be different (eg, a UE performs measurements on neighboring cells and reports the results to a serving cell).

[0288] In another embodiment, the first node (Node 1) and the second node (Node 2) may be the same (eg, the UE performs measurements on a serving cell and reports the results to the same serving cell).

[0289] In another embodiment, the first node may obtain information regarding the UE's capabilities in supporting one or more coverage levels. The capability information is typically signaled by the UE to the serving node. The step of determining the reporting configuration may be based on this UE capability information. For example, the UE may or may not be able to operate under different coverage levels. The first node may obtain UE capability information for multiple coverage levels from the UE or from another network node containing such information.

[0290] In another embodiment, the steps of determining the reporting configuration may be similar to those described for the radio node.

[0291] In another embodiment, the steps of determining the reporting configuration may be similar to those described for the radio node, but may be based on the coverage level of at least the second node (eg, cell 1 or UE2).

[0292] In another embodiment, the first node may transmit or signal information related to the determined reporting configuration to other network nodes. Examples of other nodes include neighboring network nodes, core network nodes, positioning nodes, any type of relay node, UE, D2D UE, MTC UE, or any other node used for dedicated services (such as a Self-Organizing Network (SON) node). The node signals the reporting configuration to other UEs or nodes configured to operate in multiple coverage levels, or to nodes serving or managing UEs operating in multiple coverage levels. Sharing the determined information with other nodes has significant benefits. One benefit is that this information can be applied to UEs in neighboring network nodes and, in this case, can be directly reused by signaling it to their own users. This significantly improves reporting. A second benefit is that the determination of the reporting configuration, which can sometimes be quite complex, can be performed in one place and only once, and then signaled to other nodes in the network. This reduces processing within the network nodes. Signaling of information related to the reporting configuration can be performed periodically, on an event-triggered basis, or on an event-triggered periodic basis. Event triggering means that it is signaled whenever a report is executed or a configuration or coverage level is changed.

[0293] In another embodiment, the first node may use the received report information indicating the results of measurements performed using the determined reporting configuration for the operational task. Examples of operational tasks include scheduling, mobility, positioning, and the like. For example, if the received power headroom information indicates that there is power remaining after transmitting using the permitted resources, the node may select a modulation scheme of a higher order than the modulation scheme previously used. In this way, the transmission resources are adapted according to the actual power usage in the UE, which will result in efficient use of resources and, therefore, faster transmission. In the second example, the received report information may better reflect the actual channel measurement results because the reporting configuration used will be based on the actual coverage level. This will in turn improve all other operational processes that use this measurement (e.g., handover, mobility, cell change, neighboring cell measurement, and the like).

[0294] In one embodiment, a method performed by a UE capable of operating in at least two coverage levels includes obtaining information regarding the CE level of the UE relative to a second node (e.g., a first cell (cell 1) or another UE). Furthermore, the method includes determining a reporting configuration based on the obtained information regarding the CE level of cell 1. Furthermore, the method includes performing at least one measurement of a signal received from or transmitted to the node (e.g., cell 1 or another UE (UE 2)). Furthermore, the method includes reporting or transmitting results of the performed measurement to the first node (e.g., a network node or another UE) using the determined / selected reporting configuration.

[0295] In another embodiment, the method may include indicating the achieved coverage level to another node (eg, a network node).

[0296] In another embodiment, the method may include storing the obtained information, at least a portion thereof.

[0297] In another embodiment, the method may include selecting one of already known or obtained reporting configurations based on the obtained information.

[0298] In one embodiment, a method performed by a first node managing or serving a UE capable of operating in at least two coverage levels includes obtaining information regarding a CE level of the UE relative to a second node (e.g., a first cell (cell 1) or another UE (UE 2). Furthermore, the method includes determining, based on the obtained information regarding the CE level of the UE relative to the second node (e.g., cell 1 or UE 2), a reporting configuration to be used by the UE to transmit results of measurements performed on the second node to the first node.

[0299] In another embodiment, a method may include receiving UE capabilities related to support of one or more coverage levels.

[0300] In another embodiment, the method may include sending the determined reporting configuration to the UE.

[0301] In another embodiment, the method may include adapting the schedule based on the determined and received reporting information indicative of the results of the measurements.

[0302] In another embodiment, the first node (Node 1) and the second node (Node 2) may be different nodes (eg, a UE performs measurements on neighboring cells and reports the results to a serving cell).

[0303] In another example, the first node (Node 1) and the second node (Node 2) may be the same node (eg, the UE performs measurements on a serving cell and reports the results to the same serving cell).

[0304] 3GPP RAN1 has discussed power headroom for NB-IOT. 3GPP RAN1 recommends supporting the transmission of narrowband power header space (NB-PHR) reports via Msg3 of the random access procedure using two bits for the minimum configured NB-PRACH repetition level, subject to confirmation by 3GPP RAN2 of the available bits. Dynamic indication using DCI is not supported, and the Msg3 size may remain the same. 3GPP RAN1 has also agreed to use two bits for power headroom reporting. The NB-PHR is calculated based on the 15 kHz single-tone transmit power used for NB-PUSCH data transmission, regardless of the actual subcarrier spacing where the power headroom (PH(i)) is defined by Equation 1 above. Four reportable values ​​for the NB-PHR are possible.

[0305] Power headroom reporting is used by the UE to inform the serving eNB of power usage, i.e., the amount of transmit power available at the UE. This information is later used by the uplink scheduler to adapt transmit parameters (e.g., modulation scheme, coding rate, and resources). Power headroom is defined as the difference between the nominal maximum output power and the estimated output power. It is typically expressed on a logarithmic scale. It is also measured and reported per component carrier in cases where the UE is configured for multi-carrier operation. For NB-IoT, the power headroom (PH(i)) is defined by Equation 1 above.

[0306] The value of PH(i) can be negative or positive. A negative value means that the serving eNB has used more power than the UE can handle (e.g. the UE is affected by P CMAX，c On the other hand, a positive value means that the UE has power surplus (e.g., the UE is not using maximum power or can handle a higher data rate).

[0307] For the lowest configured NB-PRACH repetition level, 2 bits can be used to report the NB-PHR in Msg3 of the random access procedure. This means that 4 different values ​​can be reported, compared to 64 values ​​in legacy LTE (see Table 2). Compared to legacy LTE, only lower-order modulation schemes are supported for NB-IOT. For LTE, higher-order modulation schemes (such as QPSK, 16 QAM, 64 QAM) are used, while only QPSK / BPSK is used in NB-IOT.

[0308] Clearly, the existing clarity cannot be maintained, as only four values ​​can be reported. The question then becomes what clarity to use for NB-IOT. In our view, coverage area plays a key role here. A UE in normal coverage may experience decent channel quality similar to traditional LTE, while a UE in enhanced coverage may have much worse channel quality. From a power headroom reporting perspective, in enhanced coverage, the UE may operate at maximum power compared to normal coverage. Therefore, it makes sense to have finer reporting clarity in a lower reporting range (e.g., negative values). On the other hand, in normal coverage, it makes more sense to have finer reporting clarity in a higher reporting range (e.g., positive values), as the UE is in good coverage and may not always use maximum power, or the highest repetition, or more resources. Therefore, one set of reporting clarity is specified for normal coverage operation and another set of reporting ranges for enhanced coverage.

[0309] Furthermore, it is important to differentiate between power headroom reporting in normal and enhanced coverage. In normal coverage, a UE can operate under fairly good channel conditions, which means it may not always use maximum resources. Therefore, it is important to have finer reporting granularity in the higher range of NB-PHR. On the other hand, UEs in enhanced coverage must support operation down to -15dB SNR, which requires the use of higher repetitions and more resources. It is likely that such UEs operate at maximum power. Therefore, it is even more important to have higher granularity in the lower range of NB-PHR.

[0310] In one embodiment, the power headroom report for NB-IOT UE in normal coverage is specified as in Table 3 above, with higher clarity on the positive range.

[0311] In another embodiment, the power headroom report for NB-IOT UE in enhanced coverage is specified as in Table 4 above, with higher clarity in the negative range.

[0312] In another embodiment, the power headroom provides the serving eNB with information about the maximum output power (P CMAX) and the estimated power transmitted by the UL-NSCH for the serving cell. Additionally, the reported power headroom can be estimated over one subframe. Furthermore, the power headroom reporting delay is defined as the time between the start of the power headroom reference period and the time the UE begins transmitting the power headroom over the radio interface. The power headroom reporting delay can be zero milliseconds (0 msec), which applies to all configured triggering mechanisms for power headroom reporting. The reporting mapping for UE category NB1 in normal coverage has a power headroom reporting range from -23 dB...+28 dB. Table 5 below defines the reporting mapping.

[0313] Table 5: Power headroom report mapping for UE category NB1 in normal coverage

[0314] .

[0315] In another embodiment, the report mapping for UE category NB1 in enhanced coverage has a power headroom reporting range from -23dB...+13dB. Additionally, Table 6 below defines the report mapping.

[0316] Table 6: Power headroom report mapping for UE category NB1 in enhanced coverage

[0317] .

[0318] abbreviation

[0319] Abbreviation Explanation

[0320] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0321] ACK

[0322] ADC Analog-to-Digital Conversion

[0323] AGC Automatic Gain Control

[0324] ANR Automatic Neighbor Relationship

[0325] AP Access Point

[0326] BCH Broadcast Channel

[0327] BLER Block Error Rate

[0328] BS Base Station

[0329] BSC Base Station Controller

[0330] BTS Base Transceiver Station

[0331] Carrier Aggregation (CA)

[0332] CC component carrier

[0333] CG Cell Group

[0334] CGI Cell Global Identifier

[0335] CP Cyclic Prefix

[0336] CPICH Common Pilot Channel

[0337] CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check

[0338] CRS Cell-specific reference signal

[0339] CSG Closed User Group

[0340] CSI Channel State Information

[0341] CSS Public Search Space

[0342] DAS Distributed Antenna System

[0343] DC Dual Connectivity

[0344] DFT Discrete Fourier Transform

[0345] DL Downlink

[0346] DL-SCH Downlink Shared Channel

[0347] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0348] eNB Evolved Node B (i.e. base station)

[0349] E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

[0350] E-UTRAN Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0351] DFT Discrete Fourier Transform

[0352] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0353] FFT Fast Fourier Transform

[0354] HD-FDD Half Duplex – Frequency Division Duplex

[0355] HO Handover

[0356] IFFT Inverse Fast Fourier Transform

[0357] IoT

[0358] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0359] M2M Machine to Machine

[0360] MAC Medium Access Control

[0361] MCG Master Cell Group

[0362] MDT Drives Minimization of Tests

[0363] MeNB master eNodeB

[0364] MIB Master Information Block

[0365] MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0366] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0367] MRTD Maximum Receive Timing Difference

[0368] MSR Multi-Standard Radio

[0369] MTC Machine Type Communication

[0370] NACK Negative Acknowledgement

[0371] NB Narrowband

[0372] NB-IoT Narrowband Internet of Things

[0373] NB-LTE Narrowband LTE (e.g. 180KHz bandwidth)

[0374] NB-PBCH NB-IoT Physical Broadcast Channel

[0375] NB-PSS NB-IoT Primary Synchronization Sequence

[0376] NB-SSS NB-IoT Secondary Synchronization Sequence

[0377] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation

[0378] OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation Access

[0379] PA power amplifier

[0380] PAPR Peak to Average Power Ratio

[0381] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0382] PCI Physical Cell Identifier

[0383] PCC Primary Component Carrier

[0384] PCI Physical Cell Identity

[0385] PCell Primary Cell

[0386] PCG Primary Cell Group

[0387] PCH Paging Channel

[0388] PDCCH Physical Data Control Channel

[0389] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0390] PGW Packet Gateway

[0391] PHICH Physical HARQ Indicator Channel

[0392] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0393] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0394] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0395] PSCell Primary SCell

[0396] PSC Primary Serving Cell

[0397] PSD power spectral density

[0398] PSS Primary Synchronization Sequence

[0399] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0400] RACH Random Access Channel

[0401] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0402] RF radio frequency

[0403] RLM Radio Link Monitoring

[0404] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0405] RRH Remote Radio Head

[0406] RRU Remote Radio Unit

[0407] RSCP Received Signal Code Power

[0408] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0409] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0410] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0411] RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference

[0412] RV Redundancy Version

[0413] Rx Receiver

[0414] SCC Secondary Component Carrier

[0415] SCell Secondary Cell

[0416] SCG Secondary Cell Group

[0417] SC-FDMA Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access

[0418] SeNB Secondary eNodeB

[0419] SFBC Spatial Frequency Block Coding

[0420] SFN System Frame Number

[0421] SGW Signaling Gateway

[0422] SI System Information

[0423] SIB System Information Block

[0424] SIB1 System Information Block Type 1

[0425] SIM Subscriber Identity Module or User Identity Module

[0426] SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio

[0427] SNR signal-to-noise ratio

[0428] SON self-organizing network

[0429] SRS Sounding Reference Signal

[0430] SSC Secondary Serving Cell

[0431] SSS Secondary Synchronization Sequence

[0432] TA Timing Advance

[0433] TAG Timing Advance Group

[0434] TDD Time Division Multiplexing

[0435] Tx Transmitter

[0436] UARFCN UMTS Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number

[0437] UE User Equipment

[0438] UL Uplink

[0439] USS UE-specific search space

[0440] WB-LTE Broadband LTE (i.e., corresponding to conventional LTE)

[0441] ZC Zadoff-Chu algorithm

[0442] The previous detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure or the application and use of the present disclosure. In addition, any expressed or implied theory presented in the aforementioned field of use, background technology, summary of the invention or specific description is not intended to be restrictive. The present disclosure provides various examples, embodiments, and the like, which can be described in terms of functions or logical block elements in this article. The various aspects described herein are presented as methods, devices (or equipment), systems, or products, which may include multiple components, elements, members, modules, nodes, peripherals, or the like. In addition, these methods, devices, systems, or products may include or do not include additional components, elements, members, modules, nodes, peripherals, or the like.

[0443] Furthermore, the various aspects described herein can be implemented using standard programming or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware (e.g., circuits), or any combination thereof to control a computing device to implement the disclosed subject matter. It will be appreciated that some embodiments may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose processors, such as microprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors, and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), along with solely stored program instructions (including both software and firmware) that control the one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processor circuitry, some, most, or all of the functions of the methods, apparatuses, and systems described herein. Alternatively, some or all functions may be implemented by a state machine without stored program instructions, or in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), where each function or some combination of certain functions is implemented as custom logic circuitry. Of course, a combination of both approaches may be used. Furthermore, it is anticipated that those skilled in the art, while likely expending significant effort and making numerous design choices based on, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, will readily be able to generate such software instructions, programs, and ICs with minimal experimentation when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein.

[0444] As used herein, the term "article of manufacture" is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computing device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include: magnetic storage devices such as a hard disk, floppy disk, or magnetic strip; optical disks such as a compact disk (CD) or a digital versatile disk (DVD); smart cards; and flash memory devices such as a card, stick, or key drive. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that carrier waves may be employed to carry computer-readable electronic data, including those used in transmitting and receiving electronic data, such as electronic mail (e-mail), or in accessing a computer network, such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0445] Throughout the specification and examples, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the following terms will at least have the meanings explicitly associated herein. Relational terms such as "first" and "second," and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or," unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to indicate an exclusive form. Additionally, the terms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to mean one or more, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to indicate a singular form. The term "including" and its various forms are intended to mean including, but not limited to, "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "example embodiment," "various embodiments," and other similar terms indicate that embodiments of the disclosed technology described herein may include specific features, characteristics, structures, or properties, but not every embodiment must include those specific features, characteristics, structures, or properties. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase "in one embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. The terms "substantially," "essentially," "approximately," "about," or any other versions thereof, are defined as close to as understood by one skilled in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment, are defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1%, and in another embodiment within 0.5%. A device or structure that is "configured" in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.

Claims

1. A method performed by a wireless device (105, 200, 300, 400, 1000) in a wireless communication system (100), comprising: obtaining (503) information indicating a coverage level (113a-d) of the wireless device; determining (507) a power headroom reporting map associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device, the power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) each defining a mapping of reported values ​​of power headroom to measured values ​​of power headroom and differing from one another with respect to at least one of a minimum reported value and a maximum reported value of a reporting range of power headroom information, the power headroom being defined as a difference between a nominal maximum output power of the wireless device and an estimated output power of the wireless device; as well as The power headroom information is reported (511) using the determined power headroom reporting map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the report comprises: generating an indication of the power headroom information using the determined power headroom report mapping; as well as The indication of the power headroom information is transmitted (511) to a network node (101, 600, 700, 800) in the wireless communication system.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: An indication of the coverage level of the wireless device is transmitted (505) to a network node (101, 600, 700, 800) in the wireless communication system.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The information indicating the coverage level of the wireless device is received (501) from a network node (101, 600, 700, 800) in the wireless communication system.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the obtaining comprises: determining the coverage level of the wireless device based on the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device; and / or performing (509) measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device, wherein the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device comprises results of the measurements; and / or A number of repetitions used by the wireless device for random access transmission is determined based on a random access configuration of the wireless device, wherein the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device includes the number of repetitions used for the random access transmission.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein determining the reporting configuration comprises: An indication of the different power headroom report mappings is received from a network node (101, 600, 700, 800) in the wireless communication system.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device comprises: an indication that the network node serving the wireless device is using or supporting the coverage level; an indication that the network node serving the wireless device supports the different coverage levels; results of measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device; measurements of the signal level or quality of the signals transmitted or received by the wireless device; a random access configuration associated with the wireless device performing random access transmissions to a network node; the ability of the wireless device to support the different coverage levels; and / or an indication of the different coverage levels of the wireless device.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the determining the power headroom report mapping is based on: one or more predefined rules; a predefined time period associated with measurements of signals received by the wireless device from a network node; one or more predefined conditions; one or more resources associated with the different power headroom report mappings, the one or more resources being available for use by the wireless device; and / or data provided by a network node to assist the wireless device in determining the power headroom report mapping.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the different coverage levels include one or more normal coverage levels and one or more enhanced coverage levels.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the wireless device is capable of operating as a Long Term Evolution Class Narrowband 1 device, and the determined power headroom report mapping comprises a power headroom report mapping for the Long Term Evolution Class Narrowband 1 device.

11. A wireless device (105, 200, 300, 400, 1000) in a wireless communication system (100), the wireless device being configured to: obtaining (503) information indicating a coverage level (113a-d) of the wireless device; determining (507) a power headroom reporting map associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information from among different power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device, the power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) each defining a mapping of reported values ​​of power headroom to measured values ​​of power headroom and differing from one another with respect to at least one of a minimum reported value and a maximum reported value of a reporting range of power headroom information, the power headroom being defined as a difference between a nominal maximum output power of the wireless device and an estimated output power of the wireless device; and Power headroom information is reported (511) using the determined power headroom reporting map.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the wireless device is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 2-10.

13. A method performed by a network node (101, 600, 700, 800) in a wireless communication system (100), comprising: obtaining (903) information indicating a coverage level (113a-d) of a wireless device (105, 200, 300, 400, 1000) in the wireless communication system; A power headroom reporting map associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information is determined (905) from among different power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device, the power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) each defining a mapping of reported values ​​of a power headroom to measured values ​​of a power headroom, and differing from one another with respect to at least one of a minimum reported value and a maximum reported value of a reporting range of power headroom information, the power headroom being defined as a difference between a nominal maximum output power of the wireless device and an estimated output power of the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: transmitting (907) the determined power headroom report map to the wireless device; and / or receiving (909) power headroom information from the wireless device using the determined power headroom report mapping; and / or One or more operating parameters of the wireless device are adapted (911) based on the power headroom information, wherein the one or more operating parameters include at least one of a coding rate, a modulation scheme, and a resource assignment.

15. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 14, further comprising: receiving (901) from the wireless device an indication of one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device, wherein the information indicative of the coverage level of the wireless device includes the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device; and Wherein the obtaining comprises determining the coverage level from the one or more coverage levels supported by the wireless device.

16. The method of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the determining is based on one or more measurement results reported by the wireless device, wherein the one or more measurement results are associated with measurements of signals transmitted or received by the wireless device.

17. The method of any one of claims 13-16, wherein the different coverage levels include one or more normal coverage levels and one or more enhanced coverage levels.

18. The method of any one of claims 13-17, wherein the wireless device is capable of operating as a Long Term Evolution Class Narrowband 1 device, and the determined power headroom report mapping comprises a power headroom report mapping for the Long Term Evolution Class Narrowband 1 device.

19. A network node in a wireless communication system, the network node being configured to: obtaining information indicating a coverage level of a wireless device in the wireless communication system; and A power headroom reporting map associated with the coverage level indicated by the obtained information is determined from among different power headroom reporting maps respectively associated with different coverage levels of the wireless device, the power headroom reporting maps (115a-d) each defining a mapping of a reported value of a power headroom to a measured value of a power headroom, and differing from one another with respect to at least one of a minimum reported value and a maximum reported value of a reporting range of power headroom information, the power headroom being defined as a difference between a nominal maximum output power of the wireless device and an estimated output power of the wireless device.

20. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 14-18.

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