Prioritization of scheduling request and physical uplink shared channel without logical channel association

Abstract

A method (1000) for priority handling of a scheduling request (SR) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) without logical channel (LCH) association by a wireless device (110) is provided. The method comprises determining (1002) that the SR and the PUSCH are not associated with an LCH, and determining (1004) a priority of the SR and the PUSCH.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to systems and methods for prioritizing scheduling requests (SRs) and physical uplink shared channels (PUSCHs) without logical channel (LCH) association. Background Technology

[0002] Configuration licenses are always overridden by overlapping dynamic licenses. However, when the gNodeB (gNB) must allocate short-period configuration licenses to accommodate sporadic low-latency critical services, non-robust dynamic licenses may overlap with robust configuration licenses, potentially leading to the loss of critical service transmissions. Therefore, a tool is needed to protect critical uplink configuration license transmissions.

[0003] Non-critical uplink data transmissions may overlap with uplink control information for critical services (i.e., scheduling requests (SRs) or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgments (ACKs). As a result, SRs used for critical transmissions may be delayed because including information about critical services in the buffer status report (BSR) may be too late. Furthermore, BSR reception takes longer than shorter SRs. The situation is similar from the perspective of HARQ-ACK. Due to the multiplexing of uplink control information (UCI) on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), HARQ-ACK reliability or latency may be affected.

[0004] Non-critical and critical uplink control information may conflict. For example, a critical SR or HARQ-ACK may occur during the transmission of a long physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) with channel state information (CSI) reporting.

[0005] Intra-UE prioritization features span both physical (PHY) operations and media access control (MAC) operations to prioritize uplink transmissions that overlap in time. Regarding PHY, a PHY priority index has been introduced, along with PHY prioritization between uplink transmissions with different PHY priority indices. Regarding MAC, enhanced prioritization between dynamic grant and configuration grant, as well as enhanced Logical Channel Prioritization (LCP) rules, already exist.

[0006] The general principle of prioritization is that the MAC performs prioritization between uplink grants (both dynamic and configured grants) and SRs based on LCH priority and the signaled / configured PHY priority index, and then triggers the PHY to perform the selected transmission. The PHY then continues the UE-internal prioritization process and prioritizes uplink signals based on the PHY priority index and instructions from the MAC.

[0007] From the perspective of MAC, two scenarios can be considered when resolving resource conflicts between uplink licenses:

[0008] 1. Selection situation If no MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) has been generated and there are overlapping licenses, one of which will be de-prioritized (assuming there is data available for both licenses), only one MAC PDU will be generated.

[0009] 2. Situation of the scramble If a MAC PDU has already been generated and there is an overlapping permission that is considered to have higher priority, the MAC PDU is delivered to the PHY for transmission, and the previously delivered MAC PDU should be de-prioritized in the PHY layer.

[0010] A similar scenario applies to resource conflicts between SR and uplink licenses.

[0011] 1. Selection situation In this scenario, the MAC PDU for licensing has not yet been constructed, and it is assumed that data is available for licensing. If the license is de-prioritized, no MAC PDU is generated; instead, an SR is sent. If the license is prioritized, a MAC PDU is generated, and the MAC suppresses the transmission of the SR on the PUCCH resource that overlaps with the uplink license.

[0012] 2. Situation of the scramble If a MAC PDU has already been generated and an overlapping SR is considered to have a higher priority, the MAC PDU is delivered to the PHY for transmission, and the previously delivered MAC PDU should be de-prioritized in the PHY layer. If the overlapping SR has a lower priority, the MAC suppresses the transmission of the SR on the PUCCH resource that overlaps with the uplink grant.

[0013] From the MAC's perspective, according to LCP restrictions, the priority of a license is determined by the highest priority among the logical channels with available data that are multiplexed (corresponding to preemption) or can be multiplexed (corresponding to selection) in the MAC PDU. Similarly, the LCH-based priority of an SR is the priority of the logical channel that triggered the SR. This means that when no data is multiplexed or can be multiplexed on a license due to no data arrival or LCP restrictions, the priority of that license is lower than any other license with multiplexed or multiplexable data. This can be collectively referred to as the license or the LCH-based priority of the SR.

[0014] From the PHY's perspective, the selection scenario is filtered out by MAC, and the only scenario it needs to address is the preemption scenario mentioned above.

[0015] To further promote prioritization, a two-level PHY index-based prioritization system, using licenses or SRs, can be indicated in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) or Radio Resource Control (RRC):

[0016] The scheduling request configuration can have a PHY priority index indication as an RRC field in the SR resource configuration: For HARQ-ACK, the PHY priority index can be indicated in the DL DCI (formats 11 and 12) used for dynamic allocation, while for SPS, the PHY priority index can be indicated by the RRC configuration. For PUSCH: For DG (Dynamic License), the PHY priority index can be indicated in the UL DCI (formats 01 and 02), while for CG, the PHY priority index can be indicated by the CG configuration.

[0017] Periodic and semi-persistent CSI on PUSCH: PHY priority indexes can be indicated in UL DCI (formats 0_1 and 0_2).

[0018] Several challenges exist. For example, at the MAC layer, the priority of a license or SR should be determined based on the LCH priority in a conflicting license. However, if the PHY index-based priority of physical resources is considered, there are situations where intra-UE prioritization based on LCH-based priority cannot resolve conflicts and can lead to conflicting results.

[0019] One example, which could be referred to as Example A, is whether a MAC CE communicated by a permission should be considered for prioritization, since the MAC CE does not originate from the LCH and is therefore not associated with a priority level. A candidate suggestion is to ignore this MAC CE in prioritization. Some MAC CEs may require further clarification. A BSR MAC CE is triggered by the arrival of new data from the LCH and can reuse a priority based on that LCH. Some newly introduced Rel-16 MAC CEs (e.g., BFR and LBT failure MAC CEs) can also trigger an SR if they cannot be sent. Therefore, from the MAC's perspective, the associated priority of the SR is unclear.

[0020] Some other examples involve generating MAC PDUs with only padding bits. The MAC specification 3GPP TS 38.321 describes the allocation of resources as follows. If the MAC entity is configured with skipUplinkTxDynamic with a value of true and the license indicated to the HARQ entity is addressed to C-RNTI, or the license indicated to the HARQ entity is a configured uplink license, then the MAC entity should not generate a MAC PDU for the HARQ entity; and (a) as specified in TS 38.212[9], no non-periodic CSI is requested for the PUSCH transmission; (b) the MAC PDU includes zero MAC SDUs; and (c) the MAC PDU includes only periodic BSRs and no data is available for any LCG, or the MAC PDU includes only padding BSRs.

[0021] Based on the above description, if a periodic CSI is requested for the PUSCH transfer and the other three conditions are met, then a MAC PDU with only padding bits is also generated. This can be referred to as Example B in this document.

[0022] If the MAC entity is not configured with skipUplinkTxDynamic, then a MACPDU with padding bits is generated. This can be referred to as Example C in this document.

[0023] Another example is the Configuration License Activation Confirmation MAC CE. In Rel-16, a new multi-bit confirmation MAC CE is used to confirm the activation of multiple configuration licenses. This is because each configuration license can have a different (PHY) priority index and be associated with a different LCH with different LCH priorities. Summary of the Invention

[0024] To address the aforementioned issues with existing solutions, a system and method for prioritizing SR and PUSCH in the absence of LCH association are disclosed.

[0025] According to some embodiments, a method is provided for a wireless device to prioritize SR and PUSCH in the absence of LCH association. The wireless device determines that SR and PUSCH are independent of LCH and determines the priority of SR and PUSCH.

[0026] According to some embodiments, a wireless device for prioritizing SR and PUSCH in the absence of LCH association includes: processing circuitry configured to determine that SR and PUSCH are independent of LCH and to determine the priority of SR and PUSCH.

[0027] According to some embodiments, a method for configuring a wireless device by a network node to prioritize SR and PUSCH in the absence of LCH association includes: configuring the wireless device to determine the priority of SR and PUSCH when SR and PUSCH are not related to LCH.

[0028] According to some embodiments, a network node for configuring a wireless device to prioritize SR and PUSCH in the absence of LCH association includes: processing circuitry configured to determine the priority of SR and PUSCH when SR and PUSCH are unrelated to LCH.

[0029] Certain embodiments of this disclosure may provide one or more technical advantages. For example, some embodiments may provide a clear prioritization rule between uplink transmissions without LCH association and uplink transmissions with LCH association. Another advantage may be that this prioritization rule considers the importance of the uplink transmission not only by the data to be transmitted, but also by the PHY layer priority of the transmission and the reason for triggering the uplink transmission. Yet another advantage may be that this prioritization rule prioritizes the chance of successful transmission over what can be transmitted, allowing the UE to discard transmissions carrying more important data (e.g., high LCH priority) if the probability of failure is high.

[0030] Other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Some embodiments may not have, have some, or have all of the advantages described. Attached Figure Description

[0031] To gain a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0033] Figure 2 An example network node according to some embodiments is shown;

[0034] Figure 3 An example wireless device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0035] Figure 4 An example user device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0036] Figure 5 A virtualized environment is shown according to some embodiments in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized;

[0037] Figure 6A telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network, according to certain embodiments, is shown;

[0038] Figure 7 A general block diagram is shown illustrating a host computer communicating with a user equipment via a base station through a partial wireless connection according to certain embodiments;

[0039] Figure 8 A method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0040] Figure 9 Another method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0041] Figure 10 Another method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0042] Figure 11 Another method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0043] Figure 12 Example methods performed by a wireless device according to certain embodiments are shown;

[0044] Figure 13 An example virtual device according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0045] Figure 14 Example methods performed by network nodes according to certain embodiments are shown; and

[0046] Figure 15 Another example virtual device according to certain embodiments is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0047] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0048] Generally, all terms used herein will be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant art, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or implied from the context of their use. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references to elements, devices, components, parts, steps, etc., will be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of that element, device, component, part, step, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless the steps are explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or implied that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment applies to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the appended embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0049] Because user equipment (UE) used in industrial use cases can simultaneously handle traffic flows initiated by different applications / devices, the issue of intra-UE prioritization / multiplexing, which involves data / control channel and downlink / uplink resource conflicts related to dynamic / configuration allocation / licensing, has been included as part of the Enhanced Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (eURLLC) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) specifications. Leveraging these features, traffic flows with different priorities within the UE can be appropriately processed to meet corresponding Quality of Service (QoS) requirements.

[0050] As mentioned above, there are certain challenges regarding the prioritization of some Media Access Control (MAC) control elements (CEs). Specific embodiments eliminate these problems. For example, in a first set of embodiments, if the priority of the SR / PUSCH is not explicitly related to any LCH, then the MAC does not consider LCH-based priority; instead, the MAC considers the PHY-based priority of the SR and PUSCH.

[0051] Note that the priority of the SRs associated with the BFR MAC CE and the LBT failed MAC CE is configured in RRC IE (MAC-CellGroupConfig), that is:

[0052] schedulingRequestID-LBT-SCell-r16 SchedulingRequestId OPTIONAL, --NeedM

[0053] schedulingRequestID-BFR-SCell-r16 SchedulingRequestId OPTIONAL--NeedR

[0054] More specifically, for Example A, if the scheduling request resource associated with the schedulingRequestId is configured high (i.e., high PHY-index-based priority) and other overlapping resources have low PHY-index-based priorities, then the triggered SR has a higher priority. Otherwise, the triggered SR has a lower priority. This already takes into account that when an SR conflicts with a PUSCH resource of the same PHY-index priority, it is de-prioritized.

[0055] For Example B, according to some embodiments, the license is always prioritized as long as the PHY index priority of the non-periodic CSI report is high. The license is also prioritized if the PHY index priority of the non-periodic CSI report is low, but other overlapping resources also have low PHY index priorities. This already takes into account that dynamic licenses take precedence over configuration licenses with the same PHY index priority. The same applies to Example C.

[0056] As an alternative to Examples B and C, according to certain embodiments, MAC PDUs are always de-prioritized in the MAC because they do not carry useful information. One implementation of the specification could be to specify that a license with a MAC PDU that only includes padding always has the lowest LCH-based priority.

[0057] In the second set of embodiments, during the priority comparison between LCH and MAC CE in UE prioritization, the LCH-based priority of the SR associated with the two MAC CEs, BFR MAC CE and LBT failure MAC CE, is associated with the "LCH priority" of the MAC CE.

[0058] According to some embodiments, in the first method, the MAC CE follows the priority order in Clause 5.4.3.1.3 of the MAC specification TS 38.321, as described below. Logical channels will be prioritized according to the following order (highest priority listed first):

[0059] -C-RNTI MAC CE or data from UL-CCCH;

[0060] - Configuration license confirmation MAC CE or BFR MAC CE or multi-entry configuration license confirmation MAC CE;

[0061] - Side-link configuration license confirmation MAC CE;

[0062] -LBT failure MAC CE;

[0063] - MAC CE for SL-BSRs prioritized under Clause 5.22.1.6;

[0064] - MAC CE for BSR, except for BSR included for filling;

[0065] - Single entry PHR MAC CE or multiple entries PHR MAC CE;

[0066] - MAC CE for the number of symbols expected to be protected;

[0067] - MAC CE for preemptive BSR;

[0068] - MAC CE for SL-BSR, except for SL-BSRs prioritized according to Clause 5.22.1.6 and SL-BSRs included for filling;

[0069] - Data from any logical channel, except for data from UL-CCCH;

[0070] - MAC CE for recommending bitrate queries;

[0071] - MAC CE for inclusion in the BSR used for filling;

[0072] - MAC CE for inclusion in the SL-BSR for filling.

[0073] Note 2: The priority between configuration license confirmation MAC CE and BFR MAC CE depends on the UE implementation.

[0074] According to some embodiments, in the second method, the MAC CE is always considered to have an LCH-based priority lower than any LCH data.

[0075] In a specific embodiment that can be considered an extension of the second method, LCH-based priorities are also assigned to MAC PDUs with only non-periodic CSI reports in the table above, and two methods can be applied (prioritization based on MAC CE priority or always considered the lowest priority). For example, in method 1, a PUSCH with non-periodic CSI can be considered to have the same priority as an LBT failure MAC CE. In method 2, a PUSCH with non-periodic CSI reports is considered to have the lowest LCH priority.

[0076] In other embodiments, since they are all considered to have the lowest LCH priority, only some network configurations are meaningful. This is to avoid de-prioritizing high PHY index priority resources compared to low PHY index priority resources in MAC. For example, in some network implementations, their associated physical resources are always configured with low PHY index priority; for instance, the SR associated with the LBT failure MAC CE and the BFR MAC CE has a low PHY index priority. In some other network implementations, if the network configures its associated physical resources with high PHY index priority, then they do not overlap with other PHY resources.

[0077] According to some embodiments, the above network implementation is applicable to semi-persistent CSI reports on the PUSCH. The reason is that the PHY index priority of the semi-persistent CSI report on the PUSCH is the same as that of the DCI that schedules its transmission; however, the transmission of this semi-persistent CSI report on the PUSCH is not visible in the MAC (which makes it essentially the lowest LCH-based priority).

[0078] In a particular embodiment, the Configuration License Activation Confirmation (MAC CE) is considered to have the same priority as the LCH with the lowest LCH priority that can be mapped to the configuration license. In other examples, if P is the priority of the LCH with the lowest LCH priority that can be mapped to the configuration license, then the Configuration License Activation Confirmation (MAC CE) is considered to have a priority of P-1.

[0079] In an embodiment, when the UE is configured with multiple configuration licenses and the UE uses a multi-bit MAC-CE for confirmation to confirm activation, the priority of the multi-bit MAC-CE is determined to be priority P or P-1, where P is the lowest priority that can be mapped to the LCH on the configuration license indicated as active in the multi-bit MAC-CE.

[0080] Figure 1 A wireless network according to some embodiments is shown.

[0081] While the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any appropriate components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to wireless networks, for example... Figure 1 The example wireless network shown is for simplicity. Figure 1The wireless network depicted only includes network 106, network nodes 160 and 160b, and WDs 110, 110b, and 110c. In practice, the wireless network may also include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (e.g., a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). Among the components shown, network node 160 and wireless device (WD) 110 are depicted in additional detail. The wireless network can provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access to and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0082] A wireless network may include any type of communications, telecommunications, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar system, and / or interface with any type of communications, telecommunications, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of a wireless network may implement: communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and / or ZigBee standards.

[0083] Network 106 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.

[0084] Network node 160 and WD 110 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connectivity in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals (whether via wired or wireless connections).

[0085] Figure 2A network node 160 according to certain embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with wireless devices and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to the wireless devices and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, based on their transmit power levels), and thus they can also be referred to as femtocells, picocells, microcells, or macrocells. A base station can be a relay node or a relay host node controlling a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU) (sometimes referred to as a remote radio headend (RRH)). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. A portion of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment (such as an MSR BS), network controllers (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC)), base transceiver stations (BTS), transport points, transport nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSC, MME), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, location nodes (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or MDTs. As another example, a network node can be a virtual network node, as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node can represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to or a service to wireless devices already connected to a wireless network.

[0086] exist Figure 2 In this network node 160, processing circuitry 170, device-readable medium 180, interface 190, auxiliary equipment 184, power supply 186, power supply circuitry 187, and antenna 162 are included. Although Figure 1The network node 160 shown in the example wireless network can represent a device including the illustrated combination of hardware components, but other embodiments may include network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that a network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, while the components of network node 160 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 180 may include multiple separate hard disk drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0087] Similarly, network node 160 may consist of multiple physically separate components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own respective components. In some scenarios where network node 160 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single, separate network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node 160 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 180 for different RATs), and some components may be duplicated (e.g., the same antenna 162 may be shared by the RATs). Network node 160 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for different wireless technologies (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated into network node 160. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 160.

[0088] Processing circuitry 170 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 170 may include processing information acquired by processing circuitry 170 by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0089] Processing circuitry 170 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic, operable to provide network node 160 functionality, either alone or in combination with other network node 160 components (e.g., device-readable medium 180). For example, processing circuitry 170 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 180 or in memory within processing circuitry 170. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0090] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., radio units and digital units). In alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0091] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device can be performed by processing circuitry 170, which executes instructions stored on device-readable medium 180 or memory within processing circuitry 170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions can be provided by processing circuitry 170, for example, in a hard-wired manner, without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable media. In any of these embodiments, processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to processing circuitry 170 or other components of network node 160, but are enjoyed by network node 160 as a whole and / or generally by end users and the wireless network.

[0092] Device-readable medium 180 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, compact discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 170. Device-readable medium 180 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 170 and usable by network node 160. Device-readable medium 180 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 170 and / or any data received via interface 190. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 and device-readable medium 180 may be considered integrated.

[0093] Interface 190 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 160, network 106, and / or WD 110. As shown, interface 190 includes a port / terminal 194 for transmitting and receiving data to and from network 106, for example, via a wired connection. Interface 190 also includes radio front-end circuitry 192, which may be coupled to antenna 162, or in some embodiments, is part of antenna 162. Radio front-end circuitry 192 includes a filter 198 and an amplifier 196. Radio front-end circuitry 192 may be connected to antenna 162 and processing circuitry 170. Radio front-end circuitry 192 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 162 and processing circuitry 170. Radio front-end circuitry 192 may receive digital data that will be transmitted outward to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radio front-end circuitry 192 may use a combination of filter 198 and / or amplifier 196 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be transmitted via antenna 162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 162 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 192. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 170. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0094] In some alternative embodiments, network node 160 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 192. Instead, processing circuitry 170 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 162 without requiring a separate radio front-end circuitry 192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 172 may be considered part of interface 190. In other embodiments, interface 190 may include one or more ports or terminals 194, radio front-end circuitry 192, and RF transceiver circuitry 172 (as part of a radio unit (not shown),) and interface 190 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 174 (as part of a digital unit (not shown)).

[0095] Antenna 162 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 162 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 190 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 162 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector, or planar antennas operable to transmit / receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas can be used to transmit / receive radio signals to / from devices within a specific area, and planar antennas can be line-of-sight antennas used to transmit / receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 162 may be detachable from network node 160 and may be connected to network node 160 via an interface or port.

[0096] Antenna 162, interface 190, and / or processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquire operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 162, interface 190, and / or processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0097] Power supply circuit 187 may include or be coupled to power management circuitry and is configured to provide power to the components of network node 160 to perform the functions described herein. Power supply circuit 187 may receive power from power source 186. Power source 186 and / or power supply circuit 187 may be configured to provide power to various components of network node 160 in a manner suitable for the individual components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power source 186 may be included in or outside power supply circuit 187 and / or network node 160. For example, network node 160 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a cable, thereby supplying power to power supply circuit 187. As another example, power source 186 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated into power supply circuit 187. The battery can provide backup power if the external power source fails. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0098] Alternative embodiments of network node 160 may include more than Figure 2 Additional components of the illustrated components may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node (including any of the functions described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein). For example, network node 160 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into and output from network node 160. This can allow users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on network node 160.

[0099] Figure 3Example wireless devices according to certain embodiments are illustrated. As used herein, a wireless device (WD) means a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise stated, the term "WD" may be used interchangeably with user equipment (UE) herein. Wireless communication may involve transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to send information to the network in a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to: smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, devices embedded in laptop computers (LEE), devices installed in laptop computers (LME), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), in-vehicle wireless terminal equipment, etc. A WD can, for example, support device-to-device (D2D) communication (vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-anything (V2X)) by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, and in this case, can be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. In this case, the WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which in the 3GPP context can be referred to as an MTC device. As a specific example, a WD can be a UE implementing the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (e.g., electricity meters), industrial machines, or household or personal devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD can refer to a vehicle or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. As described above, a WD can represent a wirelessly connected endpoint, in which case the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, as described above, a WD can be mobile, in which case it can also be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0100] As shown in the figure, wireless device 110 includes an antenna 111, an interface 114, processing circuitry 120, a device-readable medium 130, a user interface device 132, auxiliary devices 134, a power supply 136, and a power circuit 137. WD 110 may include one or more of the components shown for various wireless technologies supported by WD 110 (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name just a few). These wireless technologies may be integrated into a chip or chipset that is the same as or different from other components within WD 110.

[0101] Antenna 111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to interface 114. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 111 may be detached from WD 110 and may be connected to WD 110 via an interface or port. Antenna 111, interface 114, and / or processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any receive or transmit operations described herein as performed by a WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front-end circuitry and / or antenna 111 may be considered as an interface.

[0102] As shown, interface 114 includes radio front-end circuitry 112 and antenna 111. Radio front-end circuitry 112 includes one or more filters 118 and amplifiers 116. Radio front-end circuitry 112 is connected to antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120 and is configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120. Radio front-end circuitry 112 may be coupled to antenna 111 or be a portion of antenna 111. In some embodiments, WD 110 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 112; instead, processing circuitry 120 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be considered part of interface 114. Radio front-end circuitry 112 can receive digital data that will be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or WD. Radio front-end circuitry 112 may use a combination of filters 118 and / or amplifiers 116 to convert the digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 111 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 112. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 120. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0103] Processing circuitry 120 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic, operable to provide WD 110 functionality, either alone or in combination with other WD 110 components (e.g., device-readable medium 130). Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 120 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 130 or in memory within processing circuitry 120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0104] As shown in the figure, the processing circuit 120 includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit 122, a baseband processing circuit 124, and an application processing circuit 126. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 120 of the WD 110 may include a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 122, the baseband processing circuit 124, and the application processing circuit 126 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the baseband processing circuit 124 and the application processing circuit 126 may be combined into a single chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 122 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In further alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 122 and the baseband processing circuit 124 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 126 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 122, the baseband processing circuit 124, and the application processing circuit 126 may be combined in the same chip or chipset. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 122 may be part of the interface 114. The RF transceiver circuit 122 may modulate the RF signal for use by the processing circuit 120.

[0105] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by WD may be provided by processing circuitry 120, which executes instructions stored on device-readable medium 130, which in some embodiments may be computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry 120, for example, in a hard-wired manner, without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable storage media. In any of these embodiments, processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on device-readable storage media are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to processing circuitry 120 or other components of WD 110, but are enjoyed by WD 110 as a whole and / or generally by the end user and wireless network.

[0106] Processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. These operations performed by processing circuitry 120 may include processing information acquired by processing circuitry 120 by, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored by WD 110, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of said processing.

[0107] Device-readable medium 130 is operable to store computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by processing circuitry 120. Device-readable medium 130 may include computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., CD or DVD) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device storing information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 120. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 120 and device-readable medium 130 may be considered integrated.

[0108] User interface device 132 can provide components that allow a human user to interact with WD 110. This interaction can take many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. User interface device 132 is operable to produce output to the user and allow the user to provide input to WD 110. The type of interaction can vary depending on the type of user interface device 132 installed in WD 110. For example, if WD 110 is a smartphone, the interaction can be via a touchscreen; if WD 110 is a smart meter, the interaction can be via a screen providing usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker providing an audible alarm (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface device 132 can include input interfaces, devices, and circuitry, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuitry. User interface device 132 is configured to allow information to be input into WD 110 and is connected to processing circuitry 120 to allow processing circuitry 120 to process the input information. User interface device 132 can include, for example, a microphone, proximity or other sensors, buttons / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface device 132 is also configured to allow information output from WD 110, and processing circuitry 120 to output information from WD 110. User interface device 132 may include, for example, a speaker, display, vibration circuitry, USB port, headphone jack, or other output circuitry. By using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry of user interface device 132, WD 110 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks, allowing them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0109] The auxiliary device 134 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not typically be performed by the WD. This may include dedicated sensors for measurements for various purposes, interfaces for other types of communication such as wired communication, etc. The components included and the types of the auxiliary device 134 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0110] In some embodiments, power supply 136 may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery cell. WD 110 may also include power circuitry 137 for supplying power from power supply 136 to various parts of WD 110 that require power from power supply 136 to perform any function described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, power circuitry 137 may include power management circuitry. Power circuitry 137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, WD 110 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a power cable. In some embodiments, power circuitry 137 may also be operable to supply power from an external power source to power supply 136. This may be used, for example, for charging power supply 136. Power circuitry 137 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from power supply 136 to suit the power supply for the various components of the WD 110 being powered.

[0111] Figure 4 An embodiment of a UE according to the various aspects described herein is illustrated. As used herein, "User Equipment" or "UE" may not necessarily have the meaning of a "user" in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Alternatively, a UE may refer to a device intended for sale to or operated by a human user but which may not or initially may not be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may refer to a device not intended for sale to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter). UE 200 can be any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including NB-IoT UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs. Figure 4 As shown, UE 200 is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communication standards (e.g., 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards) published under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). As previously stated, the terms "WD" and "UE" are used interchangeably. Therefore, although... Figure 4 This is for UE, but the components discussed in this article also apply to WD, and vice versa.

[0112] exist Figure 4In this embodiment, UE 200 includes processing circuitry 201 operatively coupled to an input / output interface 205, a radio frequency (RF) interface 209, a network connectivity interface 211, a memory 215 including random access memory (RAM) 217, read-only memory (ROM) 219, and a storage medium 221, a communication subsystem 231, a power supply 233, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 221 includes an operating system 223, application programs 225, and data 227. In other embodiments, the storage medium 221 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may use... Figure 4 This refers to all components shown, or only a subset of those components. The level of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0113] exist Figure 4 In this embodiment, processing circuitry 201 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 201 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in memory. The state machine can be, for example, one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., implemented with discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, a general-purpose processor (e.g., a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP)) together with appropriate software; or any combination thereof. For example, processing circuitry 201 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data can be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0114] In the depicted embodiments, the input / output interface 205 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or both input and output devices. The UE 200 can be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 205. The output device can use an interface port of the same type as the input device. For example, a USB port can be used to provide input to and output from the UE 200. The output device can be a speaker, sound card, video card, display, monitor, printer, actuator, transmitter, smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 200 can be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 205 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 200. The input device can include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, digital camcorder, webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a steering wheel, a touchpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. A presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from the user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, other similar sensors, or any combination thereof. For example, input devices can be accelerometers, magnetometers, digital cameras, microphones, and optical sensors.

[0115] exist Figure 4 In this configuration, RF interface 209 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Network connectivity interface 211 can be configured to provide a communication interface to network 243a. Network 243a may include wired and / or wireless networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), computer networks, wireless networks, telecommunications networks, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, network 243a may include a Wi-Fi network. Network connectivity interface 211 can be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces for communicating with one or more other devices over the communication network according to one or more communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc.). Network connectivity interface 211 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for the communication network link (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0116] RAM 217 can be configured to interface with processing circuitry 201 via bus 202 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers. ROM 219 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 201. For example, ROM 219 can be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions stored in non-volatile memory, such as basic input and output (I / O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard. Storage medium 221 can be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable tape cassette, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 221 can be configured to include operating system 223, application 225 such as a web browser application, widget or utility engine or another application, and data file 227. Storage medium 221 can store any one or a combination of various operating systems for use by UE 200.

[0117] Storage medium 221 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb disk drive, a pen disk drive, a key disk drive, a high-density digital multifunction disc (HD-DVD) drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory such as a user identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 221 can allow UE 200 to access computer-executable instructions, applications, etc., stored on a transient or non-transient storage medium to unload or upload data. Articles such as those utilizing a communication system can be tangibly embodied in storage medium 221, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0118] exist Figure 4In this configuration, processing circuitry 201 can be configured to communicate with network 243b using communication subsystem 231. Networks 243a and 243b can be one or more of the same networks or one or more different networks. Communication subsystem 231 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with network 243b. For example, communication subsystem 231 can be configured to include one or more remote transceivers for communicating with another device (e.g., another WD, UE) or a base station of a radio access network (RAN) capable of wireless communication according to one or more communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.2, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.). Each transceiver can include transmitter 233 and / or receiver 235 to implement transmitter or receiver functions suitable for the RAN link (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). Furthermore, the transmitter 233 and receiver 235 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, can be implemented separately.

[0119] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication (e.g., the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) for determining location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 243b may include wired and / or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 200.

[0120] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 200 or divided among multiple components of UE 200. Furthermore, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Additionally, processing circuitry 201 may be configured to communicate with any such component via bus 202. In another example, any such component may be represented by program instructions stored in memory, which, when executed by processing circuitry 201, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any such component may be divided between processing circuitry 201 and communication subsystem 231. In yet another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0121] Figure 5 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment 300, in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating virtual versions of devices or equipment, which may include virtualized hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to nodes (e.g., virtualized base stations or virtualized radio access nodes) or devices (e.g., UEs, wireless devices, or any other type of communication equipment) or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0122] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 300 hosted on one or more hardware nodes 330. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node), the network node may be fully virtualized.

[0123] These functionalities can be implemented by one or more applications 320 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual devices, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.), one or more applications 320 being operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 320 run in a virtualization environment 300, which provides hardware 330 including processing circuitry 360 and memory 390. Memory 390 contains instructions 395 executable by the processing circuitry 360, thereby enabling application 320 to operate to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0124] The virtualization environment 300 includes general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 330, which include one or more processors or processing circuitry 360, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special-purpose processors. Each hardware device may include memory 390-1, which may be non-permanent memory for temporarily storing instructions 395 or software executed by the processing circuitry 360. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 370, also referred to as network interface cards, which include physical network interfaces 380. Each hardware device may also include non-transitory, permanent machine-readable storage media 390-2 in which software 395 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuitry 360 are stored. Software 395 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 350 (also referred to as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machines 340, and software that allows them to perform the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein.

[0125] Virtual machine 340 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 320 may be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 340, and these implementations may be made in different ways.

[0126] During operation, the processing circuitry 360 executes software 395 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 350 can present a virtual operating platform, which appears to the virtual machine 340 as networked hardware.

[0127] like Figure 5 As shown, hardware 330 can be a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 330 may include antenna 3225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 330 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and coordination (MANO) 3100, which oversees the lifecycle management of application 320, and so on.

[0128] In some contexts, hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to unify numerous network device types onto industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that can reside in data centers and customer premises.

[0129] In the context of NFV, virtual machine 340 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, and its programs run as if they were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 340, along with the portion of hardware 330 that executes that virtual machine (which can be hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware shared by that virtual machine and other virtual machines in virtual machine 340), forms a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0130] Still within the context of NFV, a Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 340 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 330, and corresponds to... Figure 5 Application 320.

[0131] In some embodiments, each of the one or more radio units 3200, including one or more transmitters 3220 and one or more receivers 3210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 3225. The radio unit 3200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 330 via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in conjunction with virtual components to provide a radio-capable virtual node, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0132] In some embodiments, the control system 3230 may be used to implement some signaling, and the control system 3230 may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 330 and the radio unit 3200.

[0133] Figure 6 A telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network is shown according to some embodiments.

[0134] refer to Figure 6 According to an embodiment, the communication system includes a telecommunications network 410 (e.g., a 3GPP-type cellular network), which includes an access network 411 (e.g., a radio access network) and a core network 414. The access network 411 includes multiple base stations 412a, 412b, and 412c (e.g., NB, eNB, gNB, or other types of wireless access points), each defining a corresponding coverage area 413a, 413b, or 413c. Each base station 412a, 412b, or 412c can be connected to the core network 414 via a wired or wireless connection 415. A first UE 491 located in coverage area 413c is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 412c. A second UE 492 located in coverage area 413a can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station 412a. Although multiple UEs 491, 492 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is in the coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station 412.

[0135] Telecommunications network 410 is connected to host computer 430, which may be implemented as a standalone server, a cloud-based server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource within a server cluster. Host computer 430 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 421 and 422 between telecommunications network 410 and host computer 430 may extend directly from core network 414 to host computer 430, or may be made via optional intermediate network 420. Intermediate network 420 may be one or more of public, private, or bearer networks; intermediate network 420 (if present) may be a backbone network or the Internet; specifically, intermediate network 420 may include two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0136] Figure 6 The communication system as a whole establishes a connection between the connected UEs 491 and 492 and the host computer 430. This connection can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 450. The host computer 430 and the connected UEs 491 and 492 are configured to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 450 using access network 411, core network 414, any intermediate network 420, and possibly other infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 450 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices traversing the OTT connection 450 are unaware of the routes of uplink and downlink communications. For example, it may not be necessary to notify the base station 412 of past routes of input downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 430 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 491. Similarly, the base station 412 is unaware of future routes of output uplink communications originating from the UE 491 to the host computer 430.

[0137] Figure 7 The illustration shows a host computer communicating with a user equipment via a base station through a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments.

[0138] Reference Figure 7This section describes example implementations of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs according to embodiments. In the communication system 500, the host computer 510 includes hardware 515, which includes a communication interface 516 configured to establish and maintain wired or wireless connections to interfaces with different communication devices of the communication system 500. The host computer 510 also includes processing circuitry 518, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. Specifically, the processing circuitry 518 may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 510 also includes software 511, which is stored in or accessible by the host computer 510 and executable by the processing circuitry 518. The software 511 includes a host application 512. The host application 512 is operable to provide services to a remote user (e.g., UE 530), which is connected via an OTT connection 550 terminated at both the UE 530 and the host computer 510. When providing services to remote users, host application 512 can provide user data sent using OTT connection 550.

[0139] The communication system 500 also includes a base station 520 provided in the telecommunications system. The base station 520 includes hardware 525 enabling it to communicate with a host computer 510 and a UE 530. Hardware 525 may include: a communication interface 526 for establishing and maintaining wired or wireless connections with different communication devices of the communication system 500; and a radio interface 527 for establishing and maintaining connections with at least the coverage area served by the base station 520. Figure 7 The UE 530 (not shown in the image) has a wireless connection 570. The communication interface 526 can be configured to facilitate a connection 560 to the host computer 510. The connection 560 can be direct, or it can be via the core network of the telecommunications system (…). Figure 7 (Not shown) and / or via one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 525 of base station 520 also includes processing circuitry 528, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Base station 520 also has software 521 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0140] The communication system 500 also includes the previously mentioned UE 530. Its hardware 535 may include a radio interface 537 configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 570 with a base station serving the coverage area currently occupied by the UE 530. The hardware 535 of the UE 530 also includes processing circuitry 538, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The UE 530 also includes software 531, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 530 and executable by the processing circuitry 538. The software 531 includes a client application 532. The client application 532 is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 530 with the support of the host computer 510. In the host computer 510, a host application 512 executing may communicate with the client application 532 via an OTT connection 550 terminated at both the UE 530 and the host computer 510. When providing services to a user, client application 532 can receive request data from host application 512 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 550 can transmit both request data and user data. Client application 532 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0141] Notice, Figure 7 The host computer 510, base station 520, and UE 530 shown can be respectively connected to Figure 6 The host computer 430, base stations 412a, 412b, and 412c, and UEs 491 and 492 are similar to or identical to each other. That is, the internal workings of these entities can be as follows: Figure 7 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Figure 6 The network topology.

[0142] exist Figure 7 The OTT connection 550 has been abstractly depicted to illustrate communication between the host computer 510 and the UE 530 via the base station 520, without explicitly mentioning any intermediate devices or the precise routing of messages via these devices. The network infrastructure can determine this route, which can be configured to be hidden from the UE 530, the service provider operating the host computer 510, or both. When the OTT connection 550 is active, the network infrastructure can further make decisions to dynamically change the route (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or network reconfiguration).

[0143] The wireless connection 570 between UE 530 and base station 520 is based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more embodiments in various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 530 using OTT connection 550, wherein wireless connection 570 forms the final segment of OTT connection 550.

[0144] Measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors improved in one or more embodiments. Optional network functions may also be available for reconfiguring the OTT connection 550 between host computer 510 and UE 530 in response to changes in measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 550 may be implemented using software 511 and hardware 515 of host computer 510, or software 531 and hardware 535 of UE 530, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with communication equipment traversed by the OTT connection 550; sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above or by providing values ​​of other physical quantities that software 511, 531 can use to calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 550 may include message formatting, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; this reconfiguration does not need to affect base station 520 and may be unknown or imperceptible to base station 520. Such procedures and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host computer 510 in measuring throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. This measurement may be implemented such that software 511 and 531 enable the use of OTT connection 550 to send messages (specifically, empty messages or "fake" messages) while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0145] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 8The diagram is referenced. In step 610, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 611 of step 610 (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 620, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. In step 630 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 640 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0146] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 9 The diagram is referenced. In step 710 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 720, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. Based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, this transmission may be via a base station. In step 730 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0147] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 10 The diagram references [the relevant information]. In step 810 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 820, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 821 of step 820 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 811 of step 810 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may also consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, the UE initiates the transmission of user data to the host computer in sub-step 830 (which may be optional). In step 840 of the method, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0148] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be a reference... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The host computer, base station, and UE are described. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include descriptions of... Figure 11 The diagram is referenced. In step QQ910 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ920 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step QQ930 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0149] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry (which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers) and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc.). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may be used to cause corresponding functional units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0150] The term “unit” may have the conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, programs, calculations, output and / or display functions, etc. (such as those described herein).

[0151] Figure 12 A method 1000 is described, according to certain embodiments, for prioritizing SR and PUSCH by a wireless device 110 in the absence of LCH association. In step 1002, the wireless device 110 determines that SR and PUSCH are independent of LCH. In step 1004, the wireless device 110 determines the priority of SR and PUSCH.

[0152] In a particular embodiment, the priorities of SR and PUSCH are determined based on the priority of at least one MAC CE.

[0153] In a particular embodiment, the MAC CE includes at least one of a BFR MAC CE or an LBT failure MAC CE.

[0154] In a particular embodiment, the wireless device receives the priority of at least one MAC CE in the RRC IE.

[0155] In a particular embodiment, the priorities of SR and PUSCH are determined based on the physical index-based priorities of SR and PUSCH.

[0156] In a particular embodiment, the wireless device receives the physical index-based priority of SR and PUSCH in the RRC IE.

[0157] In a particular embodiment, the wireless device receives the priority of the PUSCH associated with the non-periodic CSI report in the RRC IE.

[0158] In a particular embodiment, the priorities of SR and PUSCH are determined to be high, and the wireless device prioritizes SR and PUSCH over overlapping resources with lower priorities than the high priority of SR and PUSCH.

[0159] In certain embodiments, the wireless device prioritizes SR and PUSCH over licenses associated with only a padded MAC PDU.

[0160] In various specific embodiments, the method may additionally or alternatively include one or more steps or features of the example embodiments of Group A and Group C described below.

[0161] Figure 13 A wireless network (e.g.) is shown. Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic block diagram of a virtual device 1100 in a wireless network. This device can be used in wireless devices or network nodes (e.g., Figure 1 Implemented in the wireless device 110 or network node 160 shown. Device 1100 is operable to perform reference... Figure 12 The example methods described herein, as well as any other procedures or methods that may be performed as disclosed herein, should also be understood. Figure 12 The method need not be performed solely by device 1100. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0162] The virtual device 1100 may include processing circuitry (which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers) and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc.). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory, optical storage devices, etc. In several embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may be used to cause a first determining module 1110, a second determining module 1120, and any other suitable unit of the device 1100 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0163] According to some embodiments, the first determining module 1110 may perform certain determining functions of the device 1100. For example, the first determining module 1110 may determine that SR and PUSCH are unrelated to LCH.

[0164] According to some embodiments, the second determining module 1120 may perform certain other determining functions of the device 1100. For example, the second determining module 1120 may determine the priorities of SR and PUSCH.

[0165] Optionally, in a particular embodiment, the virtual device may additionally include one or more modules for performing the functions described above. Figure 12 The description and / or any steps described below with respect to the example embodiments of Groups A and C, or the provision above regarding... Figure 12 The features described and / or any features described below with respect to the example embodiments of Groups A and C.

[0166] As used herein, the terms “module” and “unit” may have the conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, programs, calculations, output and / or display functions, etc. (such as those described herein).

[0167] Figure 14 A method 1200, according to certain embodiments, is described for a network node 160 to configure a wireless device to prioritize SR and PUSCH in the absence of LCH association. In step 1202, when SR and PUSCH are independent of LCH, the network node 160 configures the wireless device to determine the priority of SR and PUSCH.

[0168] In a particular embodiment, the priorities of SR and PUSCH are determined based on the priority of at least one MAC CE.

[0169] In a particular embodiment, the MAC CE includes at least one of a BFR MAC CE or an LBT failure MAC CE.

[0170] In a particular embodiment, the network node sends the priority of at least one MAC CE in the RRC IE.

[0171] In a particular embodiment, the priorities of SR and PUSCH are determined based on the physical index-based priorities of SR and PUSCH.

[0172] In a particular embodiment, network nodes send SR and PUSCH with physical index-based priority in the RRC IE.

[0173] In a particular embodiment, network nodes send the priority of PUSCH associated with non-periodic CSI reports in the RRC IE.

[0174] In a particular embodiment, the network node configures the wireless device to prioritize SR and PUSCH over overlapping resources when the priority of SR and PUSCH is determined to be higher than the priority of overlapping resources.

[0175] In a particular embodiment, the network node configures the wireless device to prioritize SR and PUSCH over licenses associated with MAC PDUs that only include padding.

[0176] In various specific embodiments, the method may include one or more steps or features of the example embodiments of Groups B and C described below.

[0177] Figure 15 A wireless network (e.g.) is shown. Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic block diagram of a virtual device 1300 in a wireless network. This device can be used in wireless devices or network nodes (e.g., Figure 1 This is implemented in the wireless device 110 or network node 160 shown. The device 1300 is operable to perform reference... Figure 14 The example methods described herein, as well as any other procedures or methods that may be performed as disclosed herein, should also be understood. Figure 14 The method need not be performed solely by device 1300. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0178] The virtual device 1300 may include processing circuitry (which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers) and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc.). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. In several embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the configuration module 1310 of device 1300 and any other suitable units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0179] According to some embodiments, configuration module 1310 may perform certain configuration functions of device 1300. For example, when SR and PUSCH are independent of LCH, configuration module 1310 may configure the wireless device to determine the priority of SR and PUSCH.

[0180] Optionally, in a particular embodiment, the virtual device may additionally include one or more modules for performing the functions described above. Figure 14 The description and / or any steps described below with respect to the example embodiments of Groups B and C, or the provision above regarding... Figure 14 The features described and / or any features described below with respect to the example embodiments of Groups B and C.

[0181] Example Implementation

[0182] Group A Examples

[0183] Example 1: A method performed by a wireless device, the method comprising: any wireless device steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0184] Example 2: The method according to Example 1 further includes one or more additional wireless device steps, features, or functions described above.

[0185] Example 3: The method according to any one of the foregoing embodiments further includes: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via transmission to a base station.

[0186] Group B Implementation Examples

[0187] Example 4: A method performed by a base station, the method comprising: any base station steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0188] Example 5: The method according to Example 4 further includes one or more additional base station steps, features, or functions described above.

[0189] Example 6: The method according to any one of the foregoing embodiments further includes: acquiring user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device.

[0190] Group C Implementation Examples

[0191] Example 7: A wireless device includes: processing circuitry configured to perform any step of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device.

[0192] Example 8: A base station includes: processing circuitry configured to perform any step of any of the Group B embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to a wireless device.

[0193] Example 9: A user equipment (UE) includes: an antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; a radio front-end circuit connected to the antenna and a processing circuit, configured to modulate signals transmitted between the antenna and the processing circuit; a processing circuit configured to perform any step of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to allow information to be input into the UE for processing by the processing circuit; an output interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to output information already processed by the processing circuit from the UE; and a battery connected to the processing circuit and configured to power the UE.

[0194] Example 10: A communication system including a host computer, the host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the cellular network includes a base station having a radio interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the base station being configured to perform any step of any of the Group B embodiments.

[0195] Example 11: The communication system according to the previous embodiment further includes: a base station.

[0196] Example 12: The communication system according to the first two embodiments further includes: a UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with a base station.

[0197] Example 13: A communication system according to the first three embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing user data; and the UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0198] Example 14: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data at the host computer; and initiating, at the host computer, a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network including the base station, wherein the base station performs any step of any of the Group B embodiments.

[0199] Example 15: The method described in the previous embodiment further includes: transmitting user data at the base station.

[0200] Example 16: The method according to the preceding two embodiments, wherein user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising: executing a client application associated with the host application at the UE.

[0201] Example 17: A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station, the UE including a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform any of the first three embodiments.

[0202] Example 18: A communication system including a host computer, the host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry, and components of the UE are configured to perform any step of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0203] Example 19: A communication system according to the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a base station configured to communicate with the UE.

[0204] Example 20: A communication system according to the preceding two embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing user data; and the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0205] Example 21: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data at the host computer; and initiating, at the host computer, a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network including the base station, wherein the UE performs any step of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0206] Example 22: The method according to the previous embodiment further includes: receiving user data from the base station at the UE.

[0207] Example 23: A communication system including a host computer, the host computer including: a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from transmissions from a user equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any step of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0208] Example 24: The communication system according to the previous embodiment further includes: UE.

[0209] Example 25: The communication system according to the preceding two embodiments further includes: a base station, wherein the base station includes: a radio interface configured to communicate with the UE; and a communication interface configured to forward user data carried by transmissions from the UE to the base station to a host computer.

[0210] Example 26: A communication system according to the first three embodiments, wherein: the processing circuit of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and the processing circuit of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data.

[0211] Example 27: A communication system according to the preceding four embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing requested data; and the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data in response to the requested data.

[0212] Example 28: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving user data transmitted from the UE to the base station, wherein the UE performs any step of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0213] Example 29: The method according to the previous embodiment further includes: providing user data to the base station at the UE.

[0214] Example 30: The method according to the preceding two embodiments further includes: at the UE, executing a client application to provide user data to be sent; and at the host computer, executing a host application associated with the client application.

[0215] Example 31: The method according to the preceding three embodiments further includes: executing a client application at the UE; and receiving input data to the client application at the UE, the input data being provided at a host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application, wherein the client application provides user data to be sent in response to the input data.

[0216] Example 32: A communication system including a host computer, the host computer including: a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from transmissions from a user equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the base station includes a radio interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the base station being configured to perform any step of any of the Group B embodiments.

[0217] Example 33: The communication system according to the previous embodiment further includes: a base station.

[0218] Example 34: The communication system according to the first two embodiments further includes: a UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with a base station.

[0219] Example 35: A communication system according to the first three embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data to be received by the host computer.

[0220] Example 36: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving from the base station user data transmitted from the base station that has already been received from the UE, wherein the UE performs any step of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0221] Example 37: The method according to the previous embodiment further includes: receiving user data from the UE at the base station.

[0222] Example 38: The method described in the preceding two embodiments further includes: at the base station, initiating the transmission of received user data to the host computer.

[0223] Abbreviations

[0224] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure. In the event of inconsistencies between abbreviations, the one used above shall prevail. If listed multiple times below, the first list shall take precedence over any subsequent list.

[0225] 1x RTT CDMA2000 1x Radio Transmission Technology

[0226] 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project

[0227] 5G 5th Generation

[0228] 5GS 5G System

[0229] ABS Almost Blank Subframe

[0230] ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

[0231] AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise)

[0232] BCCH Broadcast Control Channel

[0233] BCH Broadcast Channel

[0234] BW Bandwidth

[0235] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0236] CC Carrier Component

[0237] CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDU

[0238] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0239] CE Control Element

[0240] CGI Cell Global Identifier

[0241] CIR Channel Impulse Response

[0242] CNC Central Network Controller (for TSN)

[0243] CP Cyclic Prefix

[0244] CPICH Common Pilot Channel

[0245] CPICH Ec / No CPICH Received energy per chip divided by the power

[0246] Power density in the band: Energy received by each CPICH chip divided by the power density within the frequency band.

[0247] CQI Channel Quality Information

[0248] C-RNTI Cell RNTI Community RNTI

[0249] CSI Channel State Information

[0250] D2D Device-to-Device

[0251] DCCH Dedicated Control Channel

[0252] DL Downlink downlink

[0253] DM Demodulation

[0254] DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal

[0255] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0256] DS-TT Device Side TSN Translator

[0257] DTX Discontinuous Transmission

[0258] DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel

[0259] DUT Device Under Test

[0260] E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (positioning method)

[0261] E-SMLC Evolved-Serving Mobile Location Centre

[0262] ECGI Evolved CGI

[0263] eNB E-UTRAN NodeB E-UTRAN NodeB (NodeB)

[0264] ePDCCH enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0265] E-SMLC evolved Serving Mobile Location Center

[0266] E-UTRA Evolved UTRA

[0267] E-UTRANEvolved UTRAN evolved UTRAN

[0268] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0269] FFS For Further Study

[0270] GERAN GSM EDGE Radio Access Network

[0271] GM Grand Master Supreme Controller

[0272] gNB Base station in NR (Non-Navigate Node B)

[0273] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0274] GSM Global System for Mobile Communication

[0275] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0276] HO Handover Switch

[0277] HSPA High Speed ​​Packet Access

[0278] HRPD High Rate Packet Data

[0279] IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)

[0280] LOS Line of Sight

[0281] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0282] LTE Long-Term Evolution

[0283] MAC Medium Access Control

[0284] MBMS Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services

[0285] MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network

[0286] MBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe MBSFN Approximately Blank Subframe

[0287] MDT Minimization of Drive Tests

[0288] MIB Master Information Block

[0289] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0290] MSC Mobile Switching Center

[0291] NPDCCH (Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel)

[0292] NR New Radio

[0293] NW-TT Network-side TSN Trahslator

[0294] OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator

[0295] Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)

[0296] Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)

[0297] OSS Operations Support System

[0298] OTA Over the Air

[0299] OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

[0300] O&M Operation and Maintenance

[0301] PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel)

[0302] P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel

[0303] PCell Primary Cell

[0304] PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel

[0305] PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel)

[0306] PD Propagation Delay

[0307] PDP Profile Delay Profile Contour Delay Distribution

[0308] PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel)

[0309] PGW Packet Gateway

[0310] PHICH Physical Hybrid-ARQ Indicator Channel

[0311] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0312] PMI Precoder Matrix Indicator

[0313] ppb parts per billion

[0314] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0315] PRS Positioning Reference Signal

[0316] PSS Primary Synchronization Signal

[0317] PTP Precision Time Protocol

[0318] PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0319] PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel)

[0320] RACH Random Access Channel

[0321] QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

[0322] RAN Radio Access Network

[0323] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0324] RAR Random Access Response

[0325] RLM Radio Link Management

[0326] RNC Radio Network Controller

[0327] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0328] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0329] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0330] RS Reference Signal

[0331] RSCP Received Signal Code Power

[0332] RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power OR Reference Signal Received Power

[0333] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality OR Reference Symbol Received Quality

[0334] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0335] RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference

[0336] RTT Round Trip Time

[0337] SCH Synchronization Channel

[0338] SCell Secondary Cell

[0339] SCS Subcarrier Spacing

[0340] SDU Service Data Unit

[0341] SFN System Frame Number

[0342] SGW Serving Gateway

[0343] SI System Information

[0344] SIB System Information Block

[0345] SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio)

[0346] SON Self-Optimized Network

[0347] SS Synchronization Signal

[0348] SSS Secondary Synchronization Signal

[0349] TA Timing Advance

[0350] TDD Time Division Duplex

[0351] TDOA Time Difference of Arrival

[0352] Time of Arrival

[0353] TS Time Synchronization

[0354] TSN Time Sensitive Networking

[0355] TSS Tertiary Synchronization Signal

[0356] TTI Transmission Time Interval

[0357] UE User Equipment

[0358] UL Uplink uplink

[0359] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

[0360] UPF User Plane Function

[0361] URLLC Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications

[0362] USIM Universal SubscriberIdentity Module

[0363] UTDOA Uplink Time Difference of Arrival

[0364] UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

[0365] UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0366] WCDMA Wide CDMA

[0367] WLAN (Wide Local Area Network)

Claims

1. A method (1000) performed by a wireless device (110) for prioritizing a scheduling request (SR) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) in the absence of logical channel (LCH) association, the method comprising: It is determined that SR and PUSCH described in (1002) are independent of LCH; as well as Determine the priority of SR and PUSCH as described in (1004). The method further includes receiving the priority of the PUSCH associated with the aperiodic channel state information (CSI) report in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE). The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on the priority of at least one Media Access Control (MAC) CE element, or The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on their physical index-based priorities.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The MAC CE includes at least one of a beam fault recovery (BFR) MAC CE or a listen-before-speak (LBT) failure MAC CE.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The priority of receiving the at least one MAC CE in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The physical index-based priority of the SR and PUSCH is received in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The priority of the SR and PUSCH is determined to be high priority, and the method further includes: prioritizing the SR and PUSCH over overlapping resources with a priority lower than the high priority of the SR and PUSCH.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: The SR and PUSCH are given priority over licenses associated with Media Access Control Packet Data Units (MAC PDUs) that only include padding.

7. A wireless device (110) for prioritizing scheduling requests (SR) and physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH) without logical channel (LCH) association, the wireless device comprising: The processing circuit (120) is configured as follows: It is determined that the SR and PUSCH are independent of the LCH; as well as Determine the priority of the SR and PUSCH. The processing circuit is configured to receive the priority of the PUSCH associated with the aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) report in the Radio Resource Control Information (RRC) IE. The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on the priority of at least one Media Access Control (MAC) CE element, or The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on their physical index-based priorities.

8. The wireless device according to claim 7, wherein, The MAC CE includes at least one of a beam fault recovery (BFR) MAC CE or a listen-before-speak (LBT) failure MAC CE.

9. The wireless device according to claim 7, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to receive the priority of the at least one MAC CE in a Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

10. The wireless device according to claim 7, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to receive the physical index-based priorities of the SR and PUSCH in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

11. The wireless device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, The SR and PUSCH are assigned a high priority, and the processing circuit is configured to prioritize the SR and PUSCH over overlapping resources with a lower priority than the high priority of the SR and PUSCH.

12. The wireless device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, The processing circuitry is configured to prioritize the SR and PUSCH over licenses associated with Media Access Control Packet Data Units (MAC PDUs) that only include padding.

13. A method (1200) performed by a network node (160) for configuring a wireless device (110) to prioritize scheduling requests (SR) and physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH) in the absence of logical channel (LCH) association, the method comprising: The wireless device is configured to determine the priority of the SR and PUSCH when the SR and PUSCH are independent of the LCH. The method also includes transmitting the priority of PUSCH associated with aperiodic channel state information (CSI) reports in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) IE. The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on the priority of at least one Media Access Control (MAC) CE element, or The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on their physical index-based priorities.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The MAC CE includes at least one of a beam fault recovery (BFR) MAC CE or a listen-before-speak (LBT) failure MAC CE.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: The priority of the at least one MAC CE is transmitted in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: The physical index-based priority of the SR and PUSCH is transmitted in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, further comprising: The wireless device is configured to prioritize the SR and PUSCH over the overlapping resources when the priority of the SR and PUSCH is determined to be higher than the priority of the overlapping resources.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, further comprising: The wireless device is configured such that the SR and PUSCH take precedence over licenses associated with Media Access Control Packet Data Units (MAC PDUs) that consist only of padding.

19. A network node (160) for configuring a wireless device (110) to prioritize scheduling requests (SR) and physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH) without logical channel (LCH) association, the network node comprising: The processing circuit (170) is configured to configure the wireless device to determine the priority of the SR and PUSCH when the SR and PUSCH are independent of the LCH. The processing circuit is further configured to: transmit the priority of PUSCH associated with aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) reports in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) IE. The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on the priority of at least one Media Access Control (MAC) CE element, or The priorities of the SR and PUSCH are determined based on their physical index-based priorities.

20. The network node according to claim 19, wherein, The MAC CE includes at least one of a beam fault recovery (BFR) MAC CE or a listen-before-speak (LBT) failure MAC CE.

21. The network node according to claim 19, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to transmit the priority of the at least one MAC CE in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

22. The network node according to claim 19, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to transmit the physical index-based priorities of the SR and PUSCH in the Radio Resource Control Information Element (RRC IE).

23. The network node according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to: configure the wireless device to prioritize the SR and PUSCH over the overlapping resources when the priority of the SR and PUSCH is determined to be higher than the priority of the overlapping resources.

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