Power saving for sdt procedures

Abstract

A method for a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE generates first information of the UE for transmission to a network device. The first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in an inactive state of the UE. The UE obtains first configuration information from the network device. The first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information. The UE determines whether to perform the SDT procedure in the inactive state according to the first configuration information. In response to determining to perform the SDT procedure in the inactive state, the UE performs the SDT procedure in the inactive state according to the first configuration information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to power savings for small data transmission (SDT) procedures. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE); the 5th Generation (5G) 3GPP New Radio (NR) standard; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly referred to by the industry organization as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), commonly referred to by the industry organization as Wi-Fi. In the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as an Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with wireless communication equipment called User Equipment (UE). In a fifth-generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes may include 5G nodes, New Radio (NR) nodes, or gNodeBs (gNBs), which communicate with wireless communication equipment (also known as User Equipment (UE)). Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a method for a user equipment (UE) is provided, the method comprising: generating first information of the UE for transmission to a network device, wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in an inactive state of the UE; obtaining first configuration information from the network device, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information; determining, based on the first configuration information, whether to execute the SDT procedure in the inactive state; and, in response to determining that the SDT procedure is to be executed in the inactive state, executing the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information.

[0004] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a method for a network device is provided, the method comprising: obtaining first information of a user equipment (UE) from a user equipment (UE), wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in an inactive state of the UE; and generating first configuration information for transmission to the UE, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information, and wherein the first configuration information is used to determine whether the UE executes the SDT procedure in the inactive state and to configure the SDT procedure by the UE.

[0005] According to aspects of this disclosure, an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) is provided, the apparatus including one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method according to this disclosure.

[0006] According to aspects of this disclosure, an apparatus for a network device is provided, the apparatus including one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method according to this disclosure.

[0007] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided that stores computer programs thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of a method according to the steps of performing the method according to this disclosure.

[0008] According to an aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for a communication device is provided, the apparatus including components for performing steps of a method according to the steps of performing a method according to this disclosure.

[0009] According to an aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer programs that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of the method according to this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the features of this disclosure by way of example.

[0011] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a system including base stations and user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes.

[0012] Figure 2 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a user device according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0013] Figure 3A A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for an exemplary basic SDT pattern according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0014] Figure 3B A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for another exemplary basic SDT pattern according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0015] Figure 3C A flowchart is shown illustrating exemplary steps for yet another exemplary basic SDT pattern according to some implementation schemes.

[0016] Figure 4A A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for an exemplary reconstruction procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0017] Figure 4B A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for another exemplary reconstruction procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0018] Figure 4C A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for yet another reconstruction procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0019] Figure 4D A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for an exemplary recovery procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0020] Figure 5 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0021] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for SDT configuration according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0022] Figure 7 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0023] Figure 8 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0024] Figure 9 Exemplary components of a device according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0025] Figure 10 An exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0026] Figure 11 The components are shown according to some implementation schemes.

[0027] Figure 12 The architecture of a wireless network according to some implementation schemes is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In this disclosure, a "base station" may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) node B (also commonly referred to as an evolved node B, enhanced node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and / or a 5G node, New Radio (NR) node, or g node B (gNB), which communicates with wireless communication equipment also referred to as a User Equipment (UE). Although some examples may be described with reference to any of E-UTRAN node B, eNB, RNC, and / or gNB, such equipment can be replaced by any type of base station.

[0029] In wireless communication, a UE can remain in a connected state, an idle state, and an inactive state. Generally, a UE conserves more power in the inactive state and consumes more power in the connected state. However, when a UE is in an inactive state, there may be uplink (UL) data to be transmitted. In this case, the UE can switch to the connected state to transmit data. As another option, to conserve power, if the UL data to be transmitted is relatively small, the UE can remain in the inactive state and use a procedure called Small Data Transmission (SDT) to transmit data without a state transition (e.g., a transition to the connected state).

[0030] In this field, the SDT procedure is entirely controlled by the network device (e.g., any type of base station), and the UE operates within the SDT procedure according to the SDT configuration provided by the network device. For example, when the SDT procedure begins, the network device decides when to terminate it, which may result in a waste of power.

[0031] Figure 1 A wireless network 100 according to some embodiments is shown. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 101 and a base station 150 connected via an air interface 190.

[0032] UE 101 and any other UE in the system can be, for example, a laptop computer, smartphone, tablet computer, printer, machine-type device, such as a smart meter or dedicated device for healthcare monitoring, remote security monitoring, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless device with or without a user interface. Base station 150 provides UE 101 with network connectivity to a wider network (not shown) via air interface 190 within the base station service area provided by base station 150. In some embodiments, such a wider network can be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or it can be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with base station 150 is supported by an antenna integrated with base station 150. The service area is divided into multiple sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors can be physically associated with fixed antennas, or can be assigned to physical areas with tunable antennas or antenna configurations that can be adjusted during beamforming to direct signals to a particular sector. For example, one implementation of base station 150 includes three sectors, each covering a 120-degree area, wherein the antenna array is pointed at each sector to provide 360-degree coverage around base station 150.

[0033] UE 101 includes control circuitry 105 coupled to transmission circuitry 110 and reception circuitry 115. Transmission circuitry 110 and reception circuitry 115 may each be coupled to one or more antennas. Control circuitry 105 may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. In some embodiments, control circuitry 105 of UE 101 may perform calculations or initiate measurements associated with air interface 190 to determine the channel quality of an available connection to base station 150. These calculations may be performed in conjunction with control circuitry 155 of base station 150. Transmission circuitry 110 and reception circuitry 115 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively. Control circuitry 105 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as those associated with the UE described elsewhere in this disclosure. Transmission circuitry 110 may transmit multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. These multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM). Transmission circuitry 110 may be configured to receive block data from control circuitry 105 for transmission across air interface 190. Similarly, receiving circuitry 115 can receive multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels from air interface 190 and relay these physical channels to control circuitry 105. Uplink and downlink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Transmitting circuitry 110 and receiving circuitry 115 can transmit and receive structured control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) within data blocks carried by the physical channels.

[0034] Figure 1 Base station 150 according to various embodiments is also shown. Base station 150 circuitry may include control circuitry 155 coupled to transmission circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165. Transmission circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165 may each be coupled to one or more antennas, which may be used for communication via air interface 190.

[0035] Control circuitry 155 can be adapted to perform operations associated with the MTC. Transmit circuitry 160 and receive circuitry 165 can be adapted to transmit and receive data respectively within a narrow system bandwidth, which is narrower than the standard bandwidth used for personal communications. In some embodiments, for example, the transmission bandwidth can be set to or close to 1.4 MHz. In other embodiments, other bandwidths can be used. Control circuitry 155 can perform various operations, such as those associated with the base station described elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0036] Within a narrow system bandwidth, transmission circuit 160 can transmit multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels. These multiple downlink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Transmission circuit 160 can transmit these multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels in a downlink superframe composed of multiple downlink subframes.

[0037] Within a narrow system bandwidth, receiver circuit 165 can receive multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. These multiple uplink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Receiver circuit 165 can receive these multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels in an uplink superframe composed of multiple uplink subframes.

[0038] As further described below, control circuits 105 and 155 may be involved in measuring the channel quality of air interface 190. Channel quality may be based, for example, on physical barriers between UE 101 and base station 150, electromagnetic interference from other sources, reflections, or indirect paths between UE 101 and base station 150, or other such signal noise sources. Based on channel quality, multiple retransmissions of data blocks can be scheduled, allowing transmission circuit 110 to transmit multiple copies of the same data, and receiving circuit 115 to receive multiple copies of the same data.

[0039] The UE and network device described in the following implementation scheme can be provided by Figure 1 This is implemented using UE 101 and base station 150 as described in the document.

[0040] Figure 2 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a user device according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 2 The method 200 shown can be derived from Figure 1 Implemented using UE 101 as described in the document.

[0041] In some implementations, the method 200 for the UE may include the following steps: S202, generating first information for the UE to be transmitted to a network device, wherein the first information is associated with a Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure in the inactive state of the UE; S204, obtaining first configuration information from the network device, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information; S206, determining whether to execute the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information; and S208, in response to determining that the SDT procedure should be executed in the inactive state, executing the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information.

[0042] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can report first information associated with the SDT procedure to the network device, enabling the network device to provide first configuration information based on this first information. Then, the UE can determine whether to execute the SDT procedure based on the first configuration information taking into account the first information, and if it determines to execute the SDT procedure, it can execute the SDT procedure based on the first configuration information taking into account the first information. In this way, by utilizing the first information reported by the UE, the UE can participate in controlling the SDT procedure according to its own circumstances, which better conforms to the actual situation of the SDT procedure between the UE and the network device, thereby reducing power waste and improving power savings.

[0043] Each step of method 200 will be described in detail below.

[0044] At step S202, the UE generates first information for transmission to the network device, wherein the first information is associated with a Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure in the inactive state of the UE.

[0045] The Small Data Transfer (SDT) procedure is used to transfer small data without a state transition (e.g., transition to a connected state) when the UE is inactive. The size of the small data is limited by a threshold size well known to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the threshold size of "small data" is not an absolute value, but rather relative to each UE. For example, the threshold size of "small data" relative to a wearable watch may be smaller than the threshold size of "small data" relative to a mobile phone, and the threshold size of "small data" relative to a mobile phone may be smaller than the threshold size of "small data" relative to an Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) device.

[0046] According to some implementations, the UE can be in a connected state, an idle state, or an inactive state. In some implementations, the connected state, idle state, and inactive state can be defined relative to Radio Resource Control (RRC). For example, the connected state may include the RRC_CONNECTED state, the idle state may include the RRC_IDLE state, and the inactive state may include the RRC_INACTIVE state. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0047] According to some implementations, the first information can be transmitted from the UE to the network device before the UE enters an inactive state (e.g., when the UE is in a connected state). In some implementations, the first information can be transmitted when the UE is in a connected state. In some implementations, the first information is transmitted when the UE is in an idle state.

[0048] According to some implementations, the first information can be transmitted from the UE to the network device when the UE has already entered an inactive state. In some implementations, the first information can be transmitted when the UL data to be transmitted to the network device arrives. For example, the first information can be transmitted along with the UL data. Alternatively, the first information can be transmitted before the UL data is transmitted. In some implementations, the first information can be transmitted before the uplink (UL) data to be transmitted to the network device arrives.

[0049] According to some embodiments, the first information generated by the UE can indicate the UE's status relative to the SDT procedure. In some embodiments, the first information may include UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure. In some embodiments, the first information may include UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, in addition to UE-specific capabilities and UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure, the first information may include other parameters associated with the SDT procedure.

[0050] In the following sections, UE-specific capabilities and UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures will be described in detail separately. However, it should be noted that the separate description of UE-specific capabilities and UE-specific preferences is for clarity only. In fact, in some implementations, the initial information may include both UE-specific capabilities and UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures.

[0051] According to some implementation schemes, the UE's first information includes the UE's UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure.

[0052] In some implementations, the UE's UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures can be reported by the UE to the network device when the UE is inactive. In some implementations, the UE's UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures can be reported by the UE to the network device when the UL data arrives, even when the UE is inactive. For example, the UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures can be transmitted along with the UL data.

[0053] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure indicate the UE's capabilities in the SDT procedure, and thus by receiving first information including the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the network device can attempt to provide first configuration information within the UE's capabilities, thereby reducing the probability of duplicate configuration and thus improving power savings.

[0054] According to some implementation schemes, the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates the type of SDT procedure supported by the SDT procedure, and the type of SDT procedure supported by the UE includes at least one of the SDT procedure based on the random access channel (RACH) and the SDT procedure based on the configured authorization (CG).

[0055] In some implementations, the UE may support only RACH-based SDT procedures, only CG-based SDT procedures, both RACH-based and CG-based SDT procedures, or other types of SDT procedures.

[0056] Before receiving UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures indicating the types of SDT procedures supported by the SDT procedure, the network device may not know which types of SDT procedures the UE can support. Therefore, by including this capability in the first information, the UE can notify the network device of this capability, so that if the UE supports RACH-based SDT procedures, the network device can generate, for example, first configuration information related to RACH (or if the UE supports CG-based SDT procedures, generate first configuration information related to RACH), thereby reducing unnecessary duplication of configuration information and thus improving both efficiency and power savings.

[0057] According to some implementations, the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates the frequency factors supported by the UE's SDT procedure. According to some implementations, the frequency factors include at least one of the frequency location, frequency bandwidth, and bandwidth portion (BWP) used for the SDT procedure.

[0058] A BWP may include an initial BWP and other BWPs. The initial BWP may refer to the center band of a wider frequency band used for broadcasting and paging. In some implementations, UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures may instruct the UE to support only the initial BWP, meaning that SDT procedures can only be executed on the initial BWP. In some implementations, UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures may instruct the UE to support both the initial BWP and other BWPs in a wider frequency band, meaning that SDT procedures can be executed not only on the initial BWP but also on other BWPs.

[0059] According to some implementation schemes, UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures may indicate one or more of other capabilities such as beam fault detection (BFD), beam fault recovery (BFR), L1 channel state information (CSI) reporting, discontinuous reception (DRX), configured license (CG) transmission, and dynamic license (DG) transmission.

[0060] According to some implementation schemes, the UE-specific capability for SDT procedures indicates one or more SDT modes supported by the UE's SDT procedure. According to some implementation schemes, the one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure are selected from a normal SDT mode, a power-efficient SDT mode, and a basic SDT mode, wherein the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: in normal SDT mode, the UE supports both the first and subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports SDT procedures on the initial bandwidth portion (BWP) and other BWPs; in power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports both the first and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phases in power-efficient SDT mode is limited; in basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports SDT procedures on the initial BWP.

[0061] According to some implementation schemes, in the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phase in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited.

[0062] In some implementations, the duration of subsequent SDT phases in the power-efficient SDT mode is shorter than that in the standard SDT mode. In this case, due to the limited duration of subsequent SDT phases in the power-efficient SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode saves more power energy than the standard SDT mode.

[0063] In some implementations, the time period of subsequent SDT stages in the power-efficient SDT mode is predefined. For example, the time period can be predefined as a very short period. Alternatively, the time period can be predefined as 0, meaning that for the power-efficient SDT mode, the SDT procedure may only include the first SDT stage and not subsequent SDT stages.

[0064] According to some implementation schemes, the SDT procedure may include a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases.

[0065] According to some implementation schemes, in the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, but the UE only supports the SDT procedure on the initial BWP.

[0066] As can be seen from the above discussion of the normal SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode saves more power than the normal SDT mode because it requires less frequency resources (only on the initial BWP). The basic SDT mode saves more power than the power-efficient SDT mode because in the basic SDT mode, the SDT procedure only includes the first SDT stage and does not include subsequent SDT stages, and at the same time, the basic SDT mode requires less frequency resources (only on the initial BWP).

[0067] In some implementations, the first SDT phase may begin with the transmission of UL data from the UE to the network device and the request for recovery (e.g., RRCResumeReq in RRC) (in some implementations, this may also be the start of the SDT procedure). In some implementations, the first SDT phase may end upon receiving an acknowledgment from the network device to the UE. However, it should be understood that the start and end of the first SDT phase may differ for different SDT modes and different types of SDT procedures, which will be described later herein.

[0068] In some implementations, the subsequent SDT phase may begin upon receiving an acknowledgment from the network device to the UE and end upon receiving a release message from the network device to the UE (e.g., RRC Release in some implementations) (which also marks the end of the SDT procedure). In some implementations, upon receiving the release message from the network device to the UE, the UE may enter an inactive state without performing the SDT procedure.

[0069] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by introducing one or more SDT modes supported by the UE included in the first information, the UE can inform the network device of its supported SDT mode capabilities, and thus the network device can configure SDT procedures with reference to the SDT modes supported by the UE. Furthermore, indicating one or more SDT modes supported by the UE included in the first information consumes fewer bits compared to specific capabilities included in the first information. For example, if there are a total of three SDT modes (e.g., including a normal SDT mode, a power-efficient SDT mode, and a basic SDT mode), only two bits are needed to indicate the one or more SDT modes supported by the UE included in the first information.

[0070] The basic SDT pattern will be described in detail below.

[0071] As discussed above, the start and end of the first SDT phase can differ for different SDT models and different types of SDT procedures.

[0072] According to some implementation schemes, if the SDT procedure is an SDT procedure based on the Random Access Channel (RACH), then the first SDT phase is considered to be completed when the RACH procedure is completed.

[0073] According to some implementation schemes, in the basic SDT mode, for a RACH-based SDT procedure, the UE considers the first SDT phase to be successfully completed when the RACH procedure is successful. However, the UE does not support subsequent data transmission. In some implementation schemes, if the RACH procedure is a two-step RACH procedure (e.g., including Msg-A and Msg-B), then the first SDT phase is successfully completed when both steps of the RACH procedure are successful. In some implementation schemes, if the RACH procedure is a four-step RACH procedure (e.g., including Msg-A, Msg-B, Msg-C, and Msg-D), then the first SDT phase is successfully completed when all four steps of the RACH procedure are successful.

[0074] According to some implementation schemes, if the SDT procedure is based on the configured license (CG) SDT procedure, the first SDT phase is considered complete when the CG transfer is completed.

[0075] According to some implementation schemes, in the basic SDT mode, for CG-based SDT procedures, the UE can consider the first SDT phase to be successfully completed when the CG transmission (including HARQ retransmission) is successful. However, the UE does not support subsequent SDT phases.

[0076] According to some implementation schemes, if the first SDT phase fails to complete successfully, the UE will follow an SDT failure procedure. For example, in the SDT failure procedure, the UE may switch to an inactive state. Alternatively, in the SDT failure procedure, the UE may switch to an idle state.

[0077] It should be understood that although in the basic SDT model, the SDT procedure only includes the first SDT phase and does not include subsequent SDT phases, the completion of the first SDT phase does not necessarily mean the termination of the SDT procedure in the basic SDT model.

[0078] According to some implementation schemes, in the basic SDT mode, when the first SDT phase is successfully completed, the UE can consider the SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode to have been successfully completed. In the following text, references... Figure 3A An exemplary method for an SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode is described. Figure 3A A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for an exemplary basic SDT pattern according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0079] As can be seen, Figure 3AAn exemplary SDT procedure in basic SDT mode is illustrated, which is based on a two-step RACH procedure. For example, after receiving an RRC message (e.g., RRC Release) indicating basic SDT mode with a pause configuration (e.g., SuspendCfg), the UE can enter an inactive state. While the UE remains in the inactive state, when UL data to be transmitted to the network device arrives, the SDT procedure in basic SDT mode begins, and the UE transmits Msg-A of the RACH procedure to the network device. The network device then transmits Msg-B of the RACH procedure to the UE. Upon receiving Msg-B from the network device, the UE can consider the first SDT phase to have been successfully completed and simultaneously consider the SDT procedure in basic SDT mode to have been successfully completed.

[0080] According to some implementation schemes, in the basic SDT mode, when the first SDT phase is successfully completed, the UE can wait for the first time period so that the SDT procedure can terminate.

[0081] According to some implementations, the termination of the SDT procedure can be triggered by an RRC message (e.g., RRC Release) transmitted from the network device to the UE. In some implementations, the message may request the UE to return to an inactive state without performing the SDT procedure. In other implementations, the message may request the UE to enter an idle state or a connected state.

[0082] According to some implementations, the first time period can be predetermined, for example, according to a predefined protocol. According to some implementations, the first time period can be configured by the network device. For example, the first time period can be 0.1s, 0.2s, 0.5s, or 1s, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0083] In the following text, see references Figure 3B Another exemplary method for an SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode is described. Figure 3B A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for another exemplary basic SDT pattern according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0084] As can be seen, Figure 3B An exemplary SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode is shown, wherein the SDT procedure is based on a two-step RACH procedure. Figure 3B The two-step RACH procedure in Figure 3A The two RACH steps are identical, and therefore, for clarity, identical descriptions have been omitted. Figure 3ACompared to the SDT procedure shown, the SDT procedure in basic SDT mode does not terminate upon receiving Msg-B from the network device. Instead, the UE waits for a first period so that the termination of the SDT procedure is triggered by an RRC message (e.g., RRCRelease) with a pause configuration (e.g., SuspendCfg). Figure 3B As shown, the UE receives an RRC message transmitted from the network device during the first time period, and then the SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode terminates upon receiving the RRC message.

[0085] However, in some cases, the UE may not receive the RRC message transmitted from the network device during the first time period. In the following text, refer to... Figure 3C Another exemplary method for an SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode is described. Figure 3C A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps of yet another exemplary basic SDT pattern according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0086] As can be seen, Figure 3C An exemplary SDT procedure in the basic SDT mode is shown, wherein the SDT procedure is based on a two-step RACH procedure. Figure 3C The two-step RACH procedure in Figure 3B The two RACH steps are identical, and therefore, for clarity, identical descriptions are omitted. Figure 3B Compared to the SDT procedure shown, the UE does not receive RRC messages from the network device during the first time period. In some implementations, the UE can trigger an RRC reconstruction procedure or an RRC recovery procedure to enter the connected state. In some implementations, the UE can follow an SDT failure procedure. As discussed above, for example, in an SDT failure procedure, the UE can switch to an inactive state. As another example, in an SDT failure procedure, the UE can switch to an idle state.

[0087] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by introducing a basic SDT mode for the UE, only the first SDT phase is included in the SDT procedure, and thus the time period of the UE in the SDT procedure can be reduced, thereby further improving power savings.

[0088] According to some implementation schemes, the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure indicate the type of UE from multiple types of UEs.

[0089] According to some implementation schemes, the UE type corresponds to the UE-specific SDT configuration.

[0090] According to some implementation schemes, UE-specific SDT configurations are specific to the UE type, which means that if the type of UE is indicated, the SDT configuration specific to that type of UE can be known.

[0091] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, including the UE type corresponding to a specific UE SDT configuration consumes fewer bits compared to including specific capabilities in the first information, because the number of UE types is very limited. For example, if there are a total of 32 UE types, 5 bits are required. Or, if there are a total of 16 UE types, only 4 bits are required.

[0092] According to some implementation schemes, a UE-specific SDT configuration may include one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure, wherein the one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure are selected from the normal SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode, wherein the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: in the normal SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports SDT procedures on the initial bandwidth portion (BWP) and other BWPs; in the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phases in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited; in the basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports SDT procedures on the initial BWP.

[0093] According to some implementation schemes, the type of UE may include wearable UE, mobile phone, tablet computer, tablet computer, laptop computer, computer, vehicle, industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) UE, etc., but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0094] According to some implementation schemes, the UE type can correspond to one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT program.

[0095] In some implementations, the UE type can indicate the wearable UE. For example, a wearable UE can correspond to the basic SDT mode supported by the SDT procedure, meaning that the wearable UE supports the basic SDT mode. Alternatively, a wearable UE can correspond to both the basic SDT mode and the power-efficient SDT mode supported by the SDT procedure, meaning that the wearable UE supports both. In some implementations, the wearable UE may not support the standard SDT mode because wearable UEs are more sensitive to power consumption.

[0096] In some implementations, the UE type can indicate an IIOT UE. For example, an IIOT UE can correspond to the standard SDT mode supported by the SDT procedure, meaning that the IIOT UE supports the standard SDT mode. In some implementations, the IIOT UE may not support the basic SDT mode and the power-efficient SDT mode because the IIOT UE is less sensitive to power consumption.

[0097] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by including the UE type in the first information and having a correspondence between the UE type and one or more SDT modes supported by the UE, the UE can notify the network device of the UE type, and the network device can configure the SDT procedure according to the UE type corresponding to one or more SDT modes supported by the UE.

[0098] According to some implementation schemes, the UE's first information includes UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure.

[0099] According to some implementation schemes, any information included in the UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures may also be included in the UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures. However, it should be understood that UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures are not equivalent to UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures, because UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures are merely parameters indicating preferences, not capabilities. For example, UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures may indicate a basic SDT mode, but this does not mean that the UE can only support the basic SDT mode. The UE may also support a power-efficient SDT mode and / or a normal SDT mode, but the UE prefers the basic SDT mode.

[0100] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by including UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure, the UE can notify the network of its preferences, and the network can refer to these preferences to configure the SDT procedure, thereby better suiting the UE's situation and improving the SDT procedure.

[0101] According to some implementation schemes, the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, wherein UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure indicate the preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phases.

[0102] In some implementations, the preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phase can be transmitted from the UE to the network device while the UE is in a connected state. In some implementations, the preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phase can be transmitted from the UE to the network device while the UE is in an inactive state. In other implementations, the preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phase can be transmitted from the UE to the network device during the SDT procedure.

[0103] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by indicating the preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phase in the first information, the UE can notify the network device of the time period during which the UE prefers to remain in the SDT procedure, and the network device can be advised to trigger the termination of the SDT procedure based on the preferred time period, thereby better aligning with the UE's situation and improving power savings.

[0104] According to some implementation schemes, UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures indicate the UE's preference for leaving or remaining in an SDT procedure.

[0105] In some implementations, the UE's preference to leave or remain in an SDT procedure can be transmitted from the UE to the network device when the UE is connected. In some implementations, the UE's preference to leave or remain in an SDT procedure can be transmitted from the UE to the network device when the UE is inactive. In other implementations, the UE's preference to leave or remain in an SDT procedure can be transmitted from the UE to the network device during the SDT procedure.

[0106] According to some implementations, when UL data arrives, the UE may prefer to remain in the SDT procedure. According to some implementations, when UL data arrives, the UE may prefer to exit the SDT procedure and prefer to transmit UL data in a connected state rather than an inactive state.

[0107] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by instructing the UE in the first information on its preference to leave or remain in the SDT procedure, the UE can notify the network device of this preference, and the network device can then be advised to configure the SDT procedure with reference to this preference, thereby better suiting the UE's situation and improving data transmission when the UE is inactive.

[0108] According to some implementation schemes, the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the preferred SDT mode of the UE's SDT procedure. The preferred SDT mode is selected from a normal SDT mode, a power-efficient SDT mode, and a basic SDT mode. The SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases. Specifically: in normal SDT mode, the UE supports both the first and subsequent SDT phases of the SDT procedure, and the UE supports SDT procedures on the initial bandwidth portion (BWP) and other BWPs; in power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports both the first and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phases is limited; in basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports SDT procedures on the initial BWP.

[0109] In some implementations, the UE's preference for the SDT mode can be transmitted from the UE to the network device when the UE is connected. In some implementations, the UE's preference for the SDT mode can be transmitted from the UE to the network device when the UE is inactive. In other implementations, the UE's preference for the SDT mode can be transmitted from the UE to the network device during the SDT procedure.

[0110] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by introducing one or more SDT modes preferred by the UE included in the first information, the UE can inform the network device of its preference for SDT modes, and thus the network device can configure the SDT procedure with reference to the UE's preferred SDT mode, thereby better conforming to the UE's preference and improving the SDT procedure. Furthermore, only two bits are needed to indicate one or more SDT modes preferred by the UE included in the first information.

[0111] According to some implementation schemes, UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures indicate the service mode of uplink data to be transmitted by the UE.

[0112] In some implementations, the service mode may include the frequency of incoming UL data to be transmitted. In some implementations, the service mode may include the amount of UL data to be transmitted (i.e., the data size). In some implementations, the service mode may include the scheduling pattern of the UL data to be transmitted. This disclosure is not limited thereto; the service mode may include other information about the uplink data to be transmitted.

[0113] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, since the UE is more familiar with the service mode of the UL data, by indicating the service mode of the UL data in the first information, the UE can notify the network device of information about the UL data to be transmitted, and the network device can refer to the service mode to configure the SDT procedure, thereby better conforming to the UL data to be transmitted and further improving power savings.

[0114] According to some implementation schemes, the first information of the UE includes UE assistance information, wherein the UE assistance information includes UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure.

[0115] According to some implementation schemes, UE Auxiliary Information (UAI) is also used in connected mode. For example, the purpose of UE Auxiliary Information is to allow the UE to notify the network of at least one of the following: the UE's delay budget report carrying the expected increment / decrement of the connected mode DRX cycle length, the UE's overheating auxiliary information, the UE's IDC auxiliary information, the UE's preference for DRX parameters for power saving, the UE's preference for the maximum aggregate bandwidth for power saving, the UE's preference for the maximum number of secondary component carriers for power saving, the UE's preference for the maximum number of MIMO layers for power saving, the UE's preference for the minimum scheduling offset for cross-slot scheduling for power saving, the UE's preference for the RRC status and configured license auxiliary information for NR-side downlink communication, and the UE's preference when reference time information is provided.

[0116] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by including UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure in the UE assistance information, it is not necessary to use new parameters to participate in the configuration of the SDT procedure.

[0117] Steps S204 through S208 will be discussed together below, as they are all related to the first configuration information. In fact, some of these steps have already been discussed in conjunction with S202, as they are all interactive.

[0118] In step S204, the UE obtains first configuration information from the network device, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to first information.

[0119] It should be understood that the first configuration information determined by referring to the first information is not exactly the same as the first configuration information determined based on the first information, because "referring to" is less mandatory than "based on". Sometimes the first configuration information may not be determined based on the first information. For example, as discussed above, the first information may include UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure, and these preferences for the SDT procedure are merely suggestions to the network device rather than mandatory requests.

[0120] According to some implementation schemes, in response to determining that the first configuration information is not determined based on UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure, the UE may retransmit the UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure to the network device.

[0121] However, network devices may not want to receive UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures from the UE too frequently. In some implementations, network devices can be configured to disable timers to control the frequency of UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures being transmitted from the UE to the network device, thereby reducing interference.

[0122] In step S206, the UE determines whether to execute the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information.

[0123] As discussed above, since the first configuration information may not always be determined based on the first information, this disclosure introduces a step S206 to determine whether to execute the SDT procedure in an inactive state based on the first configuration information. In this step S206, the UE is able to determine whether the first configuration information matches its capabilities (or preferences), and the method proceeds to step 208 only if the determination result is yes.

[0124] At step S208, in response to determining that the SDT procedure is to be executed in the inactive state, the UE executes the SDT procedure in the inactive state according to the first configuration information.

[0125] According to some implementation schemes, the first configuration information indicates the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure, and wherein determining whether to execute the SDT procedure includes: determining whether the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure.

[0126] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by determining whether the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the UE can estimate whether the SDT procedure will be successfully completed before execution, thereby avoiding unnecessary attempts at the SDT procedure and thus improving power savings.

[0127] According to some implementation schemes, in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the UE triggers a reconstruction procedure to report that the first configuration information is incorrect for the UE.

[0128] The following content will refer to Figures 4A-4C Three examples of the reconstruction procedure are discussed.

[0129] Figure 4A A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for an exemplary reconstruction procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown. (See also: From...) Figure 4AAs can be seen, in connected mode, the UE reports first information (e.g., including the UE type, one or more SDT modes supported by the UE, etc.) to the network device. In response, the network device transmits first configuration information, including a first RRC message (e.g., RRC Release) with a pause configuration (e.g., SuspendCfg), referencing the first information. However, at step S206, the UE recognizes that the SDT configuration contained in the first RRC message is incorrect (e.g., it is determined that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure), and the UE may not execute the SDT procedure. Instead, the UE requests a procedure rebuild by transmitting a second RRC message (e.g., RRC ReestablishmentReq) to the network device. In response to the request via the second RRC message, the network device transmits a third RRC message (e.g., RRC Reestablishment) to the UE. The UE then transmits a fourth RRC message (e.g., RRC ReestablishmentCmp) to the network device, wherein the fourth RRC message contains information indicating that the SDT configuration (e.g., included in the first configuration information) is incorrect. Upon receiving the fourth RRC message, the network device can recognize that the SDT configuration previously provided by itself (e.g., included in the first configuration information) is incorrect.

[0130] Figure 4B A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for another exemplary reconstruction procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 4B The steps shown are the same as Figure 4A The steps are almost identical, except that a second RRC message named RRCReconfiguration is introduced and transmitted from the network device to the UE along with a third RRC message, and a third RRC message named RRCReconfigurationCmp is introduced and transmitted from the UE to the network device along with a fourth RRC message. The information indicating that the SDT configuration (e.g., included in the first configuration information) is incorrect is contained in RRCReconfigurationCmp instead of... Figure 4A The fourth RRC message shown (e.g., RRCReestablishmentCmp).

[0131] Figure 4C A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for yet another reconstruction procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 4C The steps shown are the same as Figure 4AThe steps are almost identical, except that the UE does not transmit the fourth RRC message to the network device. In this scheme, upon receiving the second RRC message (e.g., RRCReestablishmentReq), the network device can recognize that the SDT configuration previously provided by itself (e.g., included in the first configuration information) is incorrect. For example, the network device may not expect to receive a rebuild request after transmitting the first RRC message (e.g., RRCReestablishment), and therefore the network device can determine that the SDT configuration is incorrect due to receiving an unexpected rebuild request transmitted from the UE.

[0132] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for an SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the UE can notify the network device that its capabilities cannot meet the network device's requirements by triggering a reconstruction procedure, and the network device can provide an alternative SDT configuration for configuring future SDT procedures, thereby avoiding unsuccessful SDT procedures and thus improving power savings.

[0133] According to some implementation schemes, in response to the determination that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the UE triggers a recovery procedure to enter the UE's connected state.

[0134] The following content will refer to Figure 4D Discuss examples of recovery procedures.

[0135] Figure 4D A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for an exemplary recovery procedure according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 4D The steps shown are similar to Figure 4A The steps differ from those in the previous section, except that the reconstruction procedure and all RRC messages related to the reconstruction procedure are replaced by the recovery procedure and all RRC messages related to the recovery procedure. Specifically, Figure 4D The second RRC message in the message can be a request for recovery (e.g., RRCResumeReq). Figure 4D The third RRC message in the message can be a recovery RRC message (e.g., RRCResume), and Figure 4D The fourth RRC message can be an RRC message indicating the completion of the recovery procedure (e.g., RRCReestablishmentCmp). The UE transmits the fourth RRC message (e.g., RRCReestablishmentCmp) to the network device, where the fourth RRC message contains information indicating that the SDT configuration (e.g., included in the first configuration information) is incorrect. Upon receiving the fourth RRC message, the network device can recognize that the SDT configuration previously provided by itself (e.g., included in the first configuration information) is incorrect.

[0136] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the UE can notify the network device by triggering a reconstruction procedure that the UE's capabilities cannot meet the network device's requirements and that the UE prefers to transmit UL data in the connected state and does not want to perform the SDT procedure, thereby avoiding unnecessary attempts to perform the SDT procedure and improving power savings.

[0137] According to some implementation schemes, in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, the UE triggers a release procedure to enter the UE's idle state.

[0138] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for SDT procedures exceed the UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures, the UE can notify the network device by triggering a release procedure that the UE preference has been switched to an idle state and does not want to execute SDT procedures, thereby avoiding unnecessary attempts to execute SDT procedures and improving power savings.

[0139] According to some implementation schemes, the first configuration information indicates the maximum time period available for the UE to execute SDT procedures.

[0140] In some implementations, the maximum time period available for the UE to execute SDT procedures can be configured by the network device with reference to UE-specific capabilities for SDT procedures. In other implementations, the maximum time period available for the UE to execute SDT procedures can be configured by the network device with reference to UE-specific preferences for SDT procedures.

[0141] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the time period within the SDT procedure is constrained by receiving a maximum time period provided by the network device for the UE to execute the SDT procedure. When the maximum time period is exceeded, the UE can automatically terminate the SDT procedure, thereby avoiding unnecessary power waste and further improving power savings.

[0142] According to some implementation schemes, determining whether to perform an SDT procedure includes: predicting the potential time period for the UE to perform an SDT procedure based on the service pattern of the uplink data to be transmitted by the UE; and determining whether the potential time period is longer than the maximum time period.

[0143] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, since the arrival of UL data occurs at the UE, the UE has a better understanding of the UL data to be transmitted to the network device than the network device. Therefore, by predicting the potential time period for the UE to perform SDT procedures based on the service pattern of uplink data, the UE can determine whether the maximum time period provided by the network device is acceptable before performing SDT procedures, thereby avoiding unnecessary unsuccessful SDT procedures and thus improving power savings.

[0144] According to some implementation schemes, in response to determining that a potential time period is longer than the maximum time period, the UE triggers a recovery procedure to enter the UE's connected state.

[0145] In some implementations, since the maximum time period configured by the network device is determined to be insufficient for transmitting UL data, the UE may decide to trigger a recovery procedure to enter the UE's connected state and transmit UL data in the connected state. This allows for more efficient transmission of UL data.

[0146] According to some implementation schemes, in response to determining that the potential time period is no longer than the maximum time period, the UE executes the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information.

[0147] In some implementations, the UE may decide to execute the SDT procedure because it is determined that the maximum time period configured by the network device is sufficient to transmit UL data.

[0148] According to some implementation schemes, the UE is configured with a timer to monitor the actual time period during which the SDT procedure is executed.

[0149] In some implementations, a timer can be used to monitor the actual time period for executing the SDT procedure. For example, when the timer indicates that the actual time period has exceeded the maximum time period (e.g., the timer expires), the UE can automatically exit the SDT procedure and return to an inactive state without performing the SDT procedure. Alternatively, when the timer indicates that the actual time period has exceeded the maximum time period (e.g., the timer expires), the UE can automatically exit the SDT procedure and, if other abnormal conditions occur, can switch to an idle state.

[0150] In some implementations, the UE can start a timer at the beginning of the SDT procedure. For example, the UE can start a timer at the beginning of the first SDT phase of the SDT procedure. In some implementations, the UE can stop the timer when it receives a message from the network device to terminate the SDT procedure (e.g., an RRC message), as discussed above. In some implementations, the UE can restart the timer at the beginning of each first SDT phase of the SDT procedure.

[0151] In some implementations, the UE can start a timer at the beginning of a subsequent SDT phase of the SDT procedure. In some implementations, the UE can stop the timer when it receives a message from the network device to terminate the SDT procedure (e.g., an RRC message). In some implementations, the UE can restart the timer at the beginning of a subsequent SDT phase of the SDT procedure.

[0152] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by configuring a timer for the actual time period of executing the SDT procedure, the UE can have a better understanding of the time period used to execute the SDT procedure, and when the time expires, the UE can leave the SDT procedure, thereby further improving the power saving of the SDT procedure.

[0153] Figure 5 A flowchart of an exemplary method for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 5 The method 500 shown can be derived from Figure 1 This is implemented using the base station 150 described herein. For example, the network device can be the network device of the base station 150.

[0154] In some implementations, the method 500 for a network device may include the following steps: S502, obtaining first information about a user equipment (UE) from the UE, wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in an inactive state of the UE; and S504, generating first configuration information for transmission to the UE, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information, and wherein the first configuration information is used to determine whether the UE executes the SDT procedure in an inactive state and to configure the SDT procedure by the UE.

[0155] The following sections will describe each step of method 500. Note that, for clarity, references to other methods have been omitted. Figure 2 The components, expressions, features, etc., described, and their corresponding descriptions (regarding the UE).

[0156] At step S502, the network device obtains first information about the user equipment (UE) from the UE, wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in the inactive state of the UE.

[0157] In step S504, the network device generates first configuration information for transmission to the UE, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to first information, and wherein the first configuration information is used to determine whether the UE executes the SDT procedure in an inactive state and to configure the SDT procedure by the UE.

[0158] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by receiving first information associated with the SDT procedure from the UE, the network device can refer to the first information to provide first configuration information regarding the SDT procedure. Thus, utilizing the first information reported by the UE, the network device can provide SDT configuration considering the UE's situation, which better aligns with the actual situation of the SDT procedure between the UE and the network device, thereby reducing power waste and improving power savings.

[0159] It should be noted that, for clarity, references have been omitted from this article. Figures 3A-3C , Figures 4A-4D The components, expressions, features, etc., described, and their corresponding descriptions (regarding the UE).

[0160] According to some implementation schemes, the first configuration information indicates the maximum time period available for the UE to execute SDT procedures.

[0161] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the time period in the SDT procedure is constrained by providing a maximum time period for the UE to execute the SDT procedure. When the maximum time period is exceeded, the SDT procedure can be automatically terminated, thereby avoiding unnecessary power waste and further improving power savings.

[0162] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for SDT configuration according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0163] exist Figure 6 The document illustrates the steps of the methods used for the UE and the methods used for the network device during SDT configuration.

[0164] At step 602, the UE can transmit UE-specific information associated with the SDT to the network device. Step 602 can be implemented according to the description of steps S202 and / or S502.

[0165] At step 604, the network device may transmit the SDT configuration to the UE, wherein the SDT configuration may be determined with reference to UE-specific information associated with the SDT. Step 604 may be implemented according to the description of steps S204 and / or S504.

[0166] At step 606, the UE can determine whether to execute the SDT procedure based on the SDT configuration provided by the network device. Step 606 can be implemented according to the description referring to step S206.

[0167] At step 608, in response to step 606 determining the execution of the SDT procedure based on the SDT configuration provided by the network device, the UE can execute the SDT procedure according to the SDT configuration provided by the network device. Step 608 can be implemented according to the description referring to step S208. Note that step 608... Figure 6 The dashed line indicates that step 608 may not occur because step 606 determines that the SDT procedure should not be executed based on the SDT configuration provided by the network device.

[0168] Figure 7 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 7 The device 700 shown can be used to achieve, for example, a combination Figure 2 Method 200 is shown.

[0169] like Figure 7 As shown, the device 700 includes a generation unit 710, an acquisition unit 720, a determination unit 730, and an execution unit 740.

[0170] The generation unit 710 can be configured to generate first information for the UE to be transmitted to the network device, wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in the inactive state of the UE.

[0171] The obtaining unit 720 can be configured to obtain first configuration information from a network device, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to first information.

[0172] The determining unit 730 can be configured to determine whether to execute the SDT program in an inactive state based on the first configuration information.

[0173] The execution unit 740 can be configured to execute the SDT program in an inactive state in response to determining that the SDT program will be executed in an inactive state, based on the first configuration information.

[0174] According to the implementation scheme of this application, the UE can report first information associated with the SDT procedure to the network device, enabling the network device to provide first configuration information with reference to the first information. Then, the UE can determine whether to execute the SDT procedure based on the first configuration information taking into account the first information, and if it is determined to execute the SDT procedure, it can execute the SDT procedure based on the first configuration information taking into account the first information. In this way, by utilizing the first information reported by the UE, the UE can participate in controlling the SDT procedure according to its own circumstances, which better conforms to the actual situation of the SDT procedure between the UE and the network device, thereby reducing power waste and improving power savings.

[0175] Figure 8 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus for a network device according to some implementation schemes is shown. Figure 8 The device 800 shown can be used to achieve, for example, a combination Figure 5 Method 500 is shown.

[0176] like Figure 8 As shown, the apparatus 800 includes an acquisition unit 810 and a generation unit 820.

[0177] The obtaining unit 810 can be configured to obtain first information of the user equipment (UE) from the user equipment (UE), wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in the inactive state of the UE.

[0178] The generation unit 820 can be configured to generate first configuration information for transmission to the UE, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to first information, and wherein the first configuration information is used to determine whether the UE executes the SDT procedure in an inactive state and to configure the SDT procedure by the UE.

[0179] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, by receiving first information associated with the SDT procedure from the UE, the network device can refer to the first information to provide first configuration information regarding the SDT procedure. Thus, utilizing the first information reported by the UE, the network device can provide SDT configuration considering the UE's situation, which better aligns with the actual situation of the SDT procedure between the UE and the network device, thereby reducing power waste and improving power savings.

[0180] Figure 9 Example components of a device 900 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, device 900 may include at least application circuitry 902, baseband circuitry 904, radio frequency (RF) circuitry (shown as RF circuitry 920), front-end module (FEM) circuitry (shown as FEM circuitry 930), one or more antennas 932, and power management circuitry (PMC) (shown as PMC 934) coupled together as shown. Components of the illustrated device 900 may be included in a UE or RAN node. In some embodiments, device 900 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 902, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 900 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0181] Application circuitry 902 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 902 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 900. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 902 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0182] Baseband circuitry 904 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 904 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 920 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 920. Baseband circuitry 904 may interact with application circuitry 902 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 920. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 904 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor (3G baseband processor 906), a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor (4G baseband processor 908), a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor (5G baseband processor 910), or other existing, under development, or future generations of baseband processors 912 (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 904 (e.g., one or more baseband processors) can handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 920. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the illustrated baseband processor may be included in modules stored in memory 918 and executed via a central processing unit ETnit (CPET 914). Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, RF shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 904 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 904 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Implementations of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0183] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 904 may include a digital signal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSPs 916. The one or more audio DSPs 916 may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 904 and the application circuitry 902 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0184] In some implementations, baseband circuit 904 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 904 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 904 is configured to support radio communication with more than one radio protocol are referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0185] RF circuit 920 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 920 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 920 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 930 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 904. RF circuit 920 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 904 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 930.

[0186] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 920 may include mixer circuit 922, amplifier circuit 924, and filter circuit 926. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 920 may include filter circuit 926 and mixer circuit 922. RF circuit 920 may also include synthesizer circuit 928 for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 922 for both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 930 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 928. Amplifier circuit 924 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 926 may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 904 for further processing. In some embodiments, although not required, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 922 for receiving the signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0187] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 922 of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 928 to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 930. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 904 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 926.

[0188] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 922 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 922 for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0189] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 920 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuit 904 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 920.

[0190] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0191] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 928 may be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 928 may be a Δ-Σ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0192] Synthesizer circuit 928 can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 922 of RF circuit 920. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 928 may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0193] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not mandatory. The divider control input may be provided by baseband circuitry 904 or application circuitry 902 (such as an application processor) according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by application circuitry 902.

[0194] The synthesizer circuit 928 of the RF circuit 920 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0195] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 928 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 920 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0196] FEM circuit 930 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 932, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 920 for further processing. FEM circuit 930 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 920 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 932. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 920, only in FEM circuit 930, or in both RF circuit 920 and FEM circuit 930.

[0197] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 930 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 930 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 930 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 920). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 930 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify the input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 920), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 932).

[0198] In some implementations, the PMC 934 manages the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 904. Specifically, the PMC 934 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 934 is typically included when the device 900 is capable of being battery powered, for example, when the device 900 is included in an EGE. The PMC 934 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0199] Figure 9The PMC 934 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 904. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 934 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 902, the RF circuit 920, or the FEM circuit 930) and perform similar power management operations for those components.

[0200] In some implementations, the PMC 934 can control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the device 900. For example, if the device 900 is in an RRC connected state, where it remains connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive communication soon, the device can enter a state called Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after an inactive period. During this state, the device 900 can be powered down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0201] If there is no data service activity during the extended period, device 900 can transition to RRC Idle state. In RRC Idle state, the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 900 enters a very low power state and performs paging. In this very low power state, the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then powers off again. Device 900 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, the device transitions back to RRC Connected state.

[0202] An additional power-saving mode allows the device to be unavailable from the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (ranging from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0203] The processors of application circuitry 902 and baseband circuitry 904 are elements that can be used to execute one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuitry 904 can be used alone or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of application circuitry 902 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0204] Figure 10 An exemplary interface 1000 of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments is shown. As discussed above, Figure 9 The baseband circuitry 904 may include a 3G baseband processor 906, a 4G baseband processor 908, a 5G baseband processor 910, other baseband processors 912, a CPU 914, and a memory 918 utilized by the processors. As shown, each of these processors may include a corresponding memory interface 1002 to send data to / receive data from the memory 918.

[0205] The baseband circuit 904 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1004 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 904) or an application circuit interface 1006 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 904). Figure 9 Application circuit 902 (interface for sending / receiving data), RF circuit interface 1008 (e.g., for sending / receiving data to / from...). Figure 9 The RF circuit 920 is an interface for transmitting / receiving data, and the wireless hardware connection interface 1010 is used for transmitting / receiving data to / from near field communication (NFC) components. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Interfaces for sending / receiving data to / from components and other communication components) and power management interface 1012 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from PMC 934).

[0206] Figure 11 This is a block diagram illustrating a component 1100, according to some exemplary embodiments, capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of executing any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Specifically, Figure 11 A schematic representation of hardware resources 1102 is shown, including one or more processors 1112 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1118, and one or more communication resources 1120, each of which is communicatively coupled via bus 1122. For implementations utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), an executable hypervisor 1104 provides an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resources 1102.

[0207] Processor 1112 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1114 and processor 1116.

[0208] The memory / storage device 1118 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1118 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0209] Communication resource 1120 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1106 or one or more databases 1108 via network 1110. For example, communication resource 1120 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Components and other communication components.

[0210] Instructions 1124 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least any of processors 1112 to perform one or more of the methods discussed herein. Instructions 1124 may reside wholly or partially within processor 1112 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), memory / storage device 1118, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instructions 1124 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 1106 or database 1108 to hardware resource 1102. Therefore, the memory of processor 1112, memory / storage device 1118, peripheral device 1106, and database 1108 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0211] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0212] Figure 12 The architecture of a system 1200 of a network according to some embodiments is shown. System 1200 includes one or more user equipments (UEs), shown in this example as UE 1202 and UE 1204. UE 1202 and UE 1204 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), pager, laptop computer, desktop computer, wireless handheld terminal, or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0213] In some implementations, either UE 1202 or UE 1204 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connectivity. The IoT UE may exchange data with an MTC server or device via technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC), through a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or an IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connectivity. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0214] UE 1202 and UE 1204 can be configured to connect (e.g., communicatively coupled) to a radio access network (RAN) (shown as RAN 1206). RAN 1206 can be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a Next Generation RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. UE 1202 and UE 1204 utilize connection 1208 and connection 1210, respectively, where each connection includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, connection 1208 and connection 1210 are shown as air interfaces for communicative coupling and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocols, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocols, Cellular PTT protocols (POC), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols, 5G protocols, New Radio (NR) protocols, etc.

[0215] In this implementation, UE 1202 and UE 1204 can also directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 1212. ProSe interface 1212 may alternatively be referred to as a sideline interface including one or more logical channels, including but not limited to the physical sideline control channel (PSCCH), physical sideline shared channel (PSSCH), physical sideline discovery channel (PSDCH), and physical sideline broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0216] UE 1204 is shown configured to access an access point (AP) (shown as AP 1214) via connection 1216. Connection 1216 may include local wireless connectivity, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, while AP 1214 will include Wireless Fibre. Router. In this example, AP 1214 can connect to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0217] RAN 1206 may include one or more access nodes that enable connections 1208 and 1210. These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BS), node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next-generation Node Bs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). RAN 1206 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, such as macro RAN node 1218, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells with smaller coverage, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), such as low-power (LP) RAN nodes (e.g., LP RAN node 1220).

[0218] Either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for UE 1202 and UE 1204. In some implementations, either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 can fulfill various logical functions of RAN 1206, including but not limited to the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0219] According to some implementations, EGE 1202 and EGE 1204 can be configured to communicate with each other or with either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals based on various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication)). However, the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0220] In some implementations, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from either RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 to UE 1202 and UE 1204, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which represents the physical resources in the downlink within each time slot. This time-frequency plane representation is common practice for OFDM systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises multiple resource blocks that describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a set of resource elements. In the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources currently available for allocation. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0221] The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 1202 and UE 1204. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries information about the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH can also inform UE 1202 and UE 1204 of the transmission format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 1204 within the cell) can be performed at either macro RAN node 1218 or LP RAN node 1220 based on channel quality information fed back from either UE 1202 or UE 1204. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each of UE 1202 and UE 1204.

[0222] PDCCH can use Control Channel Elements (CCEs) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the complex-valued symbols of the PDCCH are first organized into quadruplets, which are then arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to a set of four physical resource elements (REGs) of nine. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. In LTE, four or more different PDCCH formats with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L = 1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0223] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similarly, each ECCE may correspond to a set of nine physical resource elements, referred to as an enhanced resource element group (EREG). In some cases, an ECCE may have a different number of EREGs.

[0224] RAN 1206 is communicatively coupled to the core network (CN) (shown as CN 1228) via S1 interface 1222. In this implementation, CN 1228 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next-generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this implementation, S1 interface 1222 is divided into two parts: S1-U interface 1224, which carries service data between macro RAN node 1218 and LP RAN node 1220 and the serving gateway (S-GW) (shown as S-GW 1132); and S1-Mobility Management Entity (MME) interface (shown as S1-MME interface 1226), which is the signaling interface between macro RAN node 1218 and LP RAN node 1220 and MME 1230.

[0225] In this implementation, CN 1228 includes an MME 1230, an S-GW 1232, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) (shown as P-GW 1234), and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) (shown as HSS 1236). The MME 1230 can functionally resemble the control plane of a legacy General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). The MME 1230 can manage access-related mobility aspects such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 1236 can include a database for network users, containing subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, etc., CN 1228 may include one or more HSS 1236s. For example, the HSS 1236 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

[0226] The S-GW 1232 can terminate the S1 interface 1222 toward RAN 1206 and route data packets between RAN 1206 and CN 1228. Additionally, the S-GW 1232 can serve as a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handover and can also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, billing, and enforcement of certain policies.

[0227] P-GW 1234 can terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN. P-GW 1234 can route data packets between CN 1228 (e.g., an EPC network) and external networks (such as a network including application server 1242 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface (shown as IP communication interface 1238). Generally, application server 1242 can be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., ETMTS Packet Service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). In this embodiment, P-GW 1234 is shown communicatively coupled to application server 1242 via IP communication interface 1238. Application server 1242 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UE 1202 and UE 1204 via CN 1228.

[0228] P-GW 1234 can also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) (shown as PCRF 1240) is the policy and charging control element of CN 1228. In non-roaming scenarios, a single PCRF may exist in the domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with the ETE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In roaming scenarios with local traffic breaches, two PCRFs may exist associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: a domestic PCRF within the HPLMN (H-PCRF) and a visited PCRF within the visited public land mobile network (VPLMN) (V-PCRF). PCRF 1240 can be communicatively coupled to application server 1242 via P-GW 1234. Application server 1242 can signal PCRF 1240 to indicate new service flows and select appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. PCRF 1240 can provide this rule to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with an appropriate Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Category Identifier (QCI), which begins with QoS and charging specified by application server 1242.

[0229] Additional Examples

[0230] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0231] The following examples relate to other implementation schemes.

[0232] Example 1 is a method for a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: generating first information of the UE for transmission to a network device, wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in an inactive state of the UE; obtaining first configuration information from the network device, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information; determining whether to execute the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information; and executing the SDT procedure in the inactive state based on the first configuration information in response to determining that the SDT procedure is to be executed in the inactive state.

[0233] Example 2 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first information of the UE includes the UE's UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure.

[0234] Example 3 is the method according to Example 2, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates the type of SDT procedure supported by the SDT procedure, and wherein the type of SDT procedure supported by the UE includes at least one of SDT procedures based on the Random Access Channel (RACH) and SDT procedures based on the Configured Grant (CG).

[0235] Example 4 is the method according to Example 2, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates the frequency factors supported by the UE's SDT procedure.

[0236] Example 5 is the method according to Example 4, wherein the frequency factor includes at least one of the frequency position, frequency bandwidth, and bandwidth portion (BWP) for the SDT procedure.

[0237] Example 6 is the method according to Example 2, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates one or more SDT modes supported by the UE's SDT procedure.

[0238] Example 7 is the method according to Example 6, wherein one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure are selected from the normal SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode, wherein the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: in the normal SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports performing SDT procedures on the initial bandwidth portion (BWP) and other BWPs; in the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phase in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited; in the basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports performing SDT procedures on the initial BWP.

[0239] Example 8 is the method according to Example 7, wherein: if the SDT procedure is an SDT procedure based on the Random Access Channel (RACH), then when the RACH procedure is completed, the first SDT phase is considered to be completed.

[0240] Example 9 is the method described in Example 7, wherein: if the SDT program is an SDT program based on the configured license (CG), then the first SDT phase is considered complete when the CG transmission is completed.

[0241] Example 10 is the method according to Example 2, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates the type of UE from multiple types of UEs.

[0242] Example 11 is the method according to Example 10, wherein the type of UE corresponds to a UE-specific SDT configuration.

[0243] Example 12 is the method according to Example 11, wherein the UE-specific SDT configuration includes one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure, wherein the one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure are selected from the normal SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode, wherein the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: in the normal SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports SDT procedures on the initial bandwidth portion (BWP) and other BWPs; in the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phases in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited; in the basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports SDT procedures on the initial BWP.

[0244] Example 13 is a method according to any one of Examples 2-12, wherein the first configuration information indicates the network device’s required capabilities for the SDT procedure, and wherein determining whether to execute the SDT procedure includes: determining whether the network device’s required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure.

[0245] Example 14 is the method according to Example 13, the method further comprising: in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, triggering a reconstruction procedure to report that the first configuration information is incorrect for the UE.

[0246] Example 15 is the method according to Example 13, the method further comprising: in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, triggering a recovery procedure for entering the UE's connected state.

[0247] Example 16 is the method according to Example 13, the method further comprising: in response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, triggering a release procedure for entering the UE's idle state.

[0248] Example 17 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first information of the UE includes UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure.

[0249] Example 18 is the method according to Example 17, wherein the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and a subsequent SDT phase, and wherein UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure indicate a preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phase.

[0250] Example 19 is the method according to Example 17, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the UE's preference for leaving the SDT procedure or staying in the SDT procedure.

[0251] Example 20 is the method according to Example 17, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the preferred SDT mode of the UE's SDT procedure, wherein the preferred SDT mode of the SDT procedure is selected from the normal SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode, wherein the SDT procedure includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: in the normal SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports performing SDT procedures on the initial bandwidth portion (BWP) and other BWPs; in the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phases in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited; in the basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports performing SDT procedures on the initial BWP.

[0252] Example 21 is the method according to Example 17, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the service mode of the uplink data to be transmitted by the UE.

[0253] Example 22 is a method according to any one of Examples 17-21, wherein the first information of the UE includes UE assistance information, and wherein the UE assistance information includes UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure.

[0254] Example 23 is the method according to Example 1, wherein the first configuration information indicates the maximum time period for the UE to execute the SDT procedure.

[0255] Example 24 is the method according to Example 23, wherein determining whether to execute an SDT procedure includes: predicting a potential time period for the UE to execute an SDT procedure based on the service mode of the uplink data to be transmitted by the UE; and determining whether the potential time period is longer than the maximum time period.

[0256] Example 25 is the method according to Example 24, the method further comprising: in response to determining that a potential time period is longer than a maximum time period, triggering a recovery procedure for entering the connected state of the UE.

[0257] Example 26 is the method according to Example 24, the method further comprising: in response to determining that the potential time period is not longer than the maximum time period, executing the SDT procedure in an inactive state according to the first configuration information.

[0258] Example 27 is the method according to Example 24, the method further comprising: configuring a timer for monitoring the actual time period during which the SDT program is executed.

[0259] Example 28 is a method for a network device, the method comprising: obtaining first information of a user equipment (UE) from a user equipment (UE), wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission (SDT) procedure in an inactive state of the UE; and generating first configuration information for transmission to the UE, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information, and wherein the first configuration information is used to determine whether the UE executes the SDT procedure in the inactive state and to configure the SDT procedure by the UE.

[0260] Example 29 is the method according to Example 28, wherein the first configuration information indicates the maximum time period for the UE to execute the SDT procedure.

[0261] Example 30 is an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1-27.

[0262] Example 31 is an apparatus for a network device, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 28-29.

[0263] Example 32 is a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer programs that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1-29.

[0264] Example 33 is an apparatus for a communication device, the apparatus including components for performing steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1-29.

[0265] Example 34 is a computer program product comprising computer programs that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1-29.

[0266] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0267] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., may be combined with or replace parameters / attributes, etc., of another implementation.

[0268] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0269] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Generate first information for transmission to a network device, wherein the first information is associated with a Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure in the inactive state of the UE; First configuration information is obtained from the network device, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information; Determine whether to execute the SDT program in the inactive state based on the first configuration information; as well as In response to determining that the SDT procedure will be executed in the inactive state, the SDT procedure will be executed in the inactive state according to the first configuration information; The first information about the UE includes the UE's UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure. The UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure of the UE. The SDT program supports one or more SDT modes selected from the standard SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode. The SDT program includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: In the normal SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and the subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports performing the SDT procedure on the initial bandwidth portion BWP and other BWPs. In the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and the subsequent SDT phase, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phase in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited. In the basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports performing the SDT procedure on the initial BWP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure further indicates the type of SDT procedure supported by the SDT procedure, and wherein the type of SDT procedure supported by the UE includes an SDT procedure based on a random access channel (RACH) or an SDT procedure based on a configured licensed CG.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure further indicates the frequency factor supported by the SDT procedure of the UE.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the frequency factor includes at least one of the frequency position, frequency bandwidth, and bandwidth portion BWP for the SDT procedure.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: If the SDT procedure is an SDT procedure based on the Random Access Channel (RACH), then the first SDT phase is considered complete when the RACH procedure is completed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: If the SDT program is based on the configured authorized CG, then the first SDT phase is considered complete when the CG transmission is completed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure further indicates the type of the UE from multiple types of the UE.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of the UE corresponds to a UE-specific SDT configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the UE-specific SDT configuration includes one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT program.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the first configuration information indicates the network device's required capabilities for the SDT program.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, a reconstruction procedure is triggered to report that the first configuration information is incorrect for the UE.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, a recovery procedure is triggered to enter the UE's connected state.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: In response to determining that the network device's required capabilities for the SDT procedure exceed the UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure, a release procedure is triggered to enter the UE's idle state.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information of the UE further includes UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates a preferred time period for the subsequent SDT phase.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the UE's preference to leave the SDT procedure or remain in the SDT procedure.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the SDT mode preferred by the SDT procedure of the UE, wherein the SDT mode preferred by the SDT procedure is selected from the normal SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE-specific preference for the SDT procedure indicates the service mode of the uplink data to be transmitted by the UE.

19. The method of any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the first information of the UE includes UE assistance information, and wherein the UE assistance information includes the UE-specific preferences for the SDT procedure.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first configuration information indicates a maximum time period for the UE to execute the SDT procedure, and wherein, in order to determine whether to execute the SDT procedure, the method further comprises: Based on the service pattern of the uplink data to be transmitted by the UE, the potential time period for the UE to execute the SDT procedure is predicted; as well as Determine whether the potential time period is longer than the maximum time period.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: In response to determining that the potential time period is longer than the maximum time period, a recovery procedure is triggered to enter the connected state of the UE.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising: In response to determining that the potential time period is not longer than the maximum time period, the SDT procedure is executed in the inactive state according to the first configuration information.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising: Configure a timer to monitor the actual time period during which the SDT program is executed.

24. A method for a network device, the method comprising: First information about the user equipment (UE) is obtained from the user equipment (UE), wherein the first information is associated with a small data transmission SDT procedure in the inactive state of the UE. as well as First configuration information is generated for transmission to the UE, wherein the first configuration information is determined with reference to the first information, and wherein the first configuration information is used to determine whether the UE executes the SDT procedure in the inactive state and is used to configure the SDT procedure by the UE; The first information about the UE includes the UE's UE-specific capabilities for the SDT procedure. The UE-specific capability for the SDT procedure indicates one or more SDT modes supported by the SDT procedure of the UE. The SDT program supports one or more SDT modes selected from the standard SDT mode, the power-efficient SDT mode, and the basic SDT mode. The SDT program includes a first SDT phase and subsequent SDT phases, and wherein: In the normal SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and the subsequent SDT phases in the SDT procedure, and the UE supports performing the SDT procedure on the initial bandwidth portion BWP and other BWPs. In the power-efficient SDT mode, the UE supports the first SDT phase and the subsequent SDT phase, but the time period of the subsequent SDT phase in the power-efficient SDT mode is limited. In the basic SDT mode, the UE only supports the first SDT phase, and the UE only supports performing the SDT procedure on the initial BWP.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first configuration information indicates the maximum time period for the UE to execute the SDT procedure.

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