Configuration of radio connections in multi-rat networks

Abstract

In one aspect, a method performed by a terminal device is provided. The terminal device has a first connection with a serving base station using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology. The method comprises: receiving, from the serving base station over the first connection, a connection configuration message comprising configuration information for the second connection; and in response to successful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection, sending, to the serving base station over the first connection, a first response message comprising an indication that the configuration information is successfully implemented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for configuring radio connections in a multiple radio access technology (RAT) network. Background Technology

[0002] The Cellular Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) aims to define a new cellular ecosystem for the delivery of vehicle services and their propagation. This ecosystem includes short- and long-range vehicle-to-everything (V2X) service delivery, such as... Figure 1 As described, short-range communication specifically involves transmissions to other vehicle user equipment (UEs) or roadside units (RSUs) via device-to-device (D2D) links (also defined as secondary links or PC5 interfaces in the 3GPP). Long-range transmissions utilize the Uu interface between the UE and the base station, from which data packets can be propagated to various ITS service providers, such as road traffic authorities, road operators, automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), cellular operators, etc.

[0003] When it comes to secondary link interfaces, the first standardization efforts in 3GPP go back to Rel.12, targeting public safety use cases. Since then, many enhancements have been introduced to expand the use cases that can benefit from D2D technology. In particular, in LTE Rel-14 and Rel-15, the extensions for D2D include support for V2X communications, including any combination of direct communication between vehicles (V2V), pedestrians (V2P), and infrastructure (V2I).

[0004] In RAN#80, a new research project entitled "Research on New Radio (NR) V2X" was approved to study enhancements supporting advanced V2X services beyond those supported in LTE Rel-15. One of the goals for NR V2X design is to study technical solutions for Quality of Service (QoS) management of the radio interfaces, including both Uu (network-to-vehicle UE communication) and secondary links (vehicle UE-to-vehicle UE communication) for V2X operation.

[0005] While LTE V2X primarily targets traffic safety services, NR V2X has a much broader scope, encompassing not only basic safety services but also non-safety applications such as extended sensor / data sharing between vehicles to enhance awareness of their surroundings. Therefore, a new set of applications, such as advanced driving, vehicle platooning, cooperative maneuvering between vehicles, and remote driving, has been captured in TR 22.886 v16.2.0, which will require enhanced NR systems and a new NR sublink framework.

[0006] In this new context, the expected requirements for data rates, capacity, reliability, latency, communication range, and speed are more stringent. Furthermore, considering the radio conditions and the environment in which enhanced V2X (eV2X) scenarios occur, both the PC5 and Uu communication interfaces can be used to support advanced V2X use cases. For example, given the various services that can be transmitted via secondary links, a robust QoS framework that considers the different performance requirements of different V2X services seems necessary. In addition, new radio protocols should be designed to handle more robust and reliable communication. All these issues are currently under investigation by 3GPP in NR Rel-16.

[0007] In NR, a secondary link (SL) QoS flow model is adopted. At the non-access stratum (NAS) layer, the UE maps a V2X packet to the corresponding SL QoS flow, and then maps the QoS flow to the SL radio bearer at the Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer.

[0008] In NR, the SLRB configuration, which includes the mapping of QoS flows to SL radio bearers (SLRBs), is either pre-configured or configured by the network (NW) when the UE is within coverage area. For example, as Figure 2 As shown, when a UE wants to establish a new SLQoS flow / SLRB for a new service, it can send a request to the associated 5G Node B (gNB). This request can include QoS information for the service. The gNB then determines the appropriate SLRB configuration to support this SL QoS flow. After receiving the SLRB configuration from the gNB, the UE establishes a local SLRB accordingly and prepares for data transmission via SL. Note that in order for successful reception on the receiving (RX) UE side, the transmitting (TX) UE may need to notify the RX UE of necessary parameters before data transmission begins, such as the sequence number space for Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) or Radio Link Control (RLC).

[0009] The crossRAT (Radio Access Technology) sublink feature refers to the situation where an eNB (i.e., an LTE or 4G base station) can control / configure an NR SL UE (i.e., a 5G UE) and a gNB (a 5G base station) can control / configure an LTE V2X UE (4G UE). This feature is standardized in Rel-16 and works by embedding RRC messages generated to / from devices or nodes using different RATs using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) container. According to the current specification in TS 38.331 v16.0.0, the gNB uses the following signaling to configure the LTE V2X UE. Similar principles apply to the situation where the eNB wants to control / configure the NR SL UE, and these principles are described in TS 36.331 v16.0.0.

[0010] From section 5.3.5.3 of TS 38.331, we obtain the following information on how to configure an LTE V2X UE:

[0011] 1> If the RRCReconfiguration message includes sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA:

[0012] 2> If sl-V2X-ConfigDedicated is included in sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA

[0013] 3> Perform the V2X secondary link communication-specific configuration procedure as specified in 5.3.10.15a of TS 36.331

[10] ;

[0014] 2> If sl-V2X-SPS-Config is included in sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA

[0015] 3> Perform V2X secondary chain SPS reconfiguration as specified in 5.3.10.5 of TS 36.331

[10] ;

[0016] The corresponding ASN.1 is as follows:

[0017] - RRCReconfiguration

[0018] The RRCReconfiguration message is a command to modify the RRC connection. It can convey information for measurement configuration, mobility control, radio resource configuration (including RB, MAC master configuration, and physical channel configuration), and AS security configuration.

[0019] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1 or SRB3

[0020] RLC-SAP: AM

[0021] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0022] Direction: Network to UE

[0023] RRCReconfiguration message

[0024]

[0025]

[0026] --Editor's note: Whether an explicit indication is required to configure / deconfigure the on-demand SIB request for the CONNECTED UE is FFS.

[0027]

[0028] Summary of the Invention

[0029] This overview is provided to introduce the selection of concepts in a simplified form, as further described in the detailed embodiments below. This overview is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0030] Given the background description, several challenges exist. According to current signaling, in the case of a cross-RAT secondary link (e.g., when the gNB wants to control / configure an LTE V2X UE), the UE receives an E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message (with V2X SL-related fields) embedded within an NRRRCReconfiguration message. However, there is no signaling that supports the UE sending an acknowledgment to the gNB to notify it of the correct reception and decoding of RRC messages received from the gNB. This means that the current process for configuring LTE V2X cannot be satisfactorily completed.

[0031] A similar issue arises when the eNB wants to control / configure the NR V2X UE. The UE receives an NRRRCConnectionReconfiguration message (with V2X SL-related fields) embedded within an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) RRCReconfiguration message. However, there is no signaling that enables the UE to send an acknowledgment to the eNB to notify it of the correct reception and decoding of the RRC message.

[0032] Certain aspects of this disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0033] For example, in a scenario where the gNB wants to control / configure an LTE V2X UE, some methods disclosed in this disclosure enable the UE to send an RRC reconfiguration complete message in response to an RRC reconfiguration message received from the gNB. Based on this, the following options can be performed:

[0034] 1. Upon receiving an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message embedded within an NR RRC Reconfiguration message, the UE sends an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration completion message embedded within an NR RRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0035] 2. Upon receiving an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message embedded within an NR RRC Reconfiguration message, the UE sends an indication within the NR RRC reconfiguration complete message to notify the gNB that the relevant V2X fields / configurations have been correctly applied.

[0036] 3. When the UE receives an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message embedded in the NR RRC Reconfiguration message, it only sends an NR RRC reconfiguration complete message, which implicitly tells the gNB that the relevant V2X fields / configurations have been correctly applied.

[0037] It could also be that the received configuration was not applied correctly (e.g., because the RRC Reconfiguration message was not received or decoded correctly, because the information cannot be applied, etc.). In this case, when the UE cannot correctly apply the received V2X-related information, the following options can be executed:

[0038] 1. If the UE fails to apply the V2X-related fields / configurations, it triggers a failure procedure to notify the gNB by including an indication in the sidelink message (e.g., SidelinkUEInformation). Note that if Uu connectivity between the SL UE and the gNB is in progress (for a different purpose than the sidelink), the failure procedure does not affect that Uu connectivity.

[0039] 2. If the UE fails to apply the V2X-related fields / configurations, it triggers a failure procedure to notify the gNB by including an indication in the NR RRC reconfiguration complete message. Note that if Uu connectivity between the SL UE and the gNB is in progress (for a different purpose than the secondary link), the failure procedure does not affect that Uu connectivity.

[0040] 3. If the UE fails to apply the V2X-related fields / configurations, it will not send an NR RRC reconfiguration message to the gNB; instead, it will trigger an RRC re-establishment process. Note that if a Uu connectivity is in progress between the SL UE and the gNB (for a different purpose than the secondary link), this will affect that Uu connectivity, as the entire Uu connectivity will be dropped.

[0041] This document presents various embodiments for solving one or more of the problems disclosed herein.

[0042] In one aspect, a method performed by a terminal device is provided. The terminal device has a first connection with a serving base station using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology. The method includes: receiving, via the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection from the serving base station; and, in response to successful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection, sending, via the first connection, the first response message including an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented to the serving base station.

[0043] Another method is also provided, executed by a terminal device. The terminal device has a first connection with a serving base station using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology. The method includes: receiving a connection configuration message from the serving base station via the first connection, including configuration information for the second connection; and triggering a failure process in response to an unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection.

[0044] In a further aspect, a method performed by a base station is provided. The base station has a first connection with a terminal device using a first radio access technology. The terminal device has a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology. The method includes: sending a connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection to the terminal device via the first connection; and receiving a first response message including an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented from the terminal device via the first connection.

[0045] In a further aspect, a method performed by a base station is provided. The base station has a first connection with a terminal device using a first radio access technology. The terminal device has a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology. The method includes: sending the connection configuration message, including configuration information for the second connection, to the terminal device via the first connection; and receiving the second response message, including an indication of unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information, from the terminal device via the first connection.

[0046] Specific embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. According to the disclosed methods and solutions, the UE is able to notify the network that the received fields / configurations (e.g., for crossRAT secondary link features) have been correctly applied, thereby preventing the network from being in an uncertain or “uncertain” state in which the network does not know whether the UE has received and applied the fields / configurations.

[0047] Furthermore, when the UE fails to apply the received V2X fields / configuration for the crossRAT feature, it will be able to report such a failure to the network, which can then take the necessary actions. Attached Figure Description

[0048] Figure 1 The C-ITS environment is shown;

[0049] Figure 2 The NR SL radio bearer configuration is shown;

[0050] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method in a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 4 An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0052] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method in a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 6 An apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0054] Figure 7 A wireless system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0055] Figure 8 A user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0056] Figure 9 A virtualized environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0057] Figure 10 A telecommunications network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0058] Figure 11 An example of a host computer communicating with a user equipment via a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0059] Figures 12 to 15 A method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0060] Figure 16 This is a signaling diagram illustrating the UL transmission of RAT information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0061] Figure 17 This is a signaling diagram illustrating the transmission of failure information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0062] Generally, all terms used herein will be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant art, unless a different meaning is explicitly given and / or implied in the context of their use. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references to elements, devices, components, methods, steps, etc., will be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, device, component, method, step, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein are not necessarily to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as occurring after or before another step and / or it is implied that a step must occur after or before another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

[0063] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that can access a communication network and receive services therefrom. By way of example, and not limitation, a terminal device can refer to a mobile terminal, user equipment (UE), or other suitable device. A UE can be, for example, a user station, portable user station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, portable computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), vehicles, etc.

[0064] As another specific example, in the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a terminal device can also be referred to as an IoT device, and it refers to a machine or other device that performs monitoring, sensing, and / or measurement, and transmits the results of such monitoring, sensing, and / or measurement to another terminal device and / or network device. In this case, the terminal device can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which is referred to as a machine-type communication (MTC) device in the context of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0065] As a specific example, a terminal device can be a UE that implements the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (such as power meters), industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, personal wearable devices such as watches). In other scenarios, a terminal device can represent a vehicle or other equipment, such as a medical instrument capable of monitoring, sensing, and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0066] As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., refer to different elements. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “containing,” and / or “comprising” as used herein specify the presence of the described features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The term “based on” will be understood as “at least partially based on.” The terms “one embodiment” and “embodiment” will be understood as “at least one embodiment.” The term “another embodiment” will be understood as “at least one other embodiment.” Further explicit and implicit definitions may be included below.

[0067] 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 limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example only to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. Additional information may also be found in the appendix.

[0068] The methods and solutions disclosed herein address problems that arise when a base station implementing a first radio access technology (RAT) wants to control or configure a terminal device implementing both the first and second RATs. This scenario may occur, for example, in a situation where a terminal device or UE is configured with a secondary link connection (such as a V2X connection) to one or more other terminal devices or UEs. In such a scenario, for example, a gNB (i.e., a base station implementing a 5G standard or NR) may wish to control or configure a terminal device or UE configured with an LTE secondary link connection. Alternatively, an eNB (i.e., a base station implementing a 4G standard or LTE) may wish to control or configure a terminal device or UE configured with an NR secondary link connection. In both cases, the terminal device has a first connection to the base station using the first RAT and a second secondary link connection to one or more other devices using the second RAT. The following description focuses on the former case (i.e., the gNB configuring an LTE SL UE). However, the described messages (e.g., E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration and NR RRC reconfiguration, or E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration complete and NR RRC reconfiguration complete) can be used interchangeably to describe either situation. The principles described herein can also be applied to other scenarios, such as those where the second connection is not a secondary link connection but a connection to a second base station or network node.

[0069] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device (which may also refer to a wireless device) has a first connection with a serving base station using a first RAT (e.g., one of NR and LTE), and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second RAT (e.g., another of NR and LTE). The one or more nodes may also be the terminal device, in which case the second connection is a secondary link connection. The terminal device receives a connection reconfiguration message via the first connection, which includes reconfiguration information for the second connection. For example, the reconfiguration information may be provided in a connection reconfiguration sub-message (configured according to the second RAT) embedded within the connection reconfiguration message. In response to the successful implementation of the reconfiguration information for the second connection (e.g., successful reconfiguration of the second connection based on the reconfiguration information), the terminal device sends a first response message to the serving base station via the first connection, which includes an indication that the reconfiguration information has been successfully implemented.

[0070] Further methods are provided for cases where the reconfiguration of the second connection fails to be successfully implemented or completed. In this case, the terminal device triggers a failure procedure.

[0071] These methods are described in more detail below and with reference to the accompanying illustrated embodiments.

[0072] First, an example of sending a complete message / instruction to a gNB that wants to control / configure an LTE V2X UE is described.

[0073] In one embodiment, upon receiving an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message (i.e., an E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message) embedded within an NR RRC Reconfiguration message, the UE sends an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration completion message embedded within an NR RRC reconfiguration completion message to notify the gNB that the relevant E-UTRAV2X fields / configurations have been correctly applied. Alternatively, in another embodiment, upon receiving an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message (i.e., an E-UTRARRCConnectionReconfiguration message) embedded within an NR RRCReconfiguration message, the UE sends an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration completion message embedded within an existing RRC message for inter-RAT purposes (e.g., ULInformationTransferIRAT).

[0074] In another embodiment, upon receiving an E-UTRARRC connection reconfiguration message embedded within an NR RRC Reconfiguration message, the UE sends an indication within the NR RLC reconfiguration complete message to notify the gNB that the relevant E-UTRAV2X fields / configurations have been correctly applied.

[0075] • In one sub-implementation, the indication can be a flag set to "true" or "false", where "true" indicates that the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message has been correctly received and applied, and "false" indicates that the UE has not successfully decoded the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message (and vice versa).

[0076] • In another sub-implementation, the indication can be a binary value set to "1" or "0", where "1" means that the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message has been correctly received and applied, and "0" means that the UE has not successfully decoded the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message (and vice versa).

[0077] • In another sub-implementation, the indication is a flag that exists / is signaled only if the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message has been correctly received and applied. In this case, the presence of the flag indicates to the gNB that the reconfiguration has been successfully applied.

[0078] In one embodiment, upon receiving an E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message embedded within an NR RRC Reconfiguration message, the UE only sends an NR RRC Reconfiguration Complete message. This implicitly tells the gNB that the E-UTRA V2X-related fields / configurations (i.e., those received within the E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration message) have been correctly received and applied. If the E-UTRA V2X-related fields / configurations are not successfully received or applied, an NR RRC Reconfiguration Complete message is not sent to the gNB.

[0079] An example of handling failure to decode / apply E-UTRA V2X related fields / configurations generated by a gNB that wants to control / configure an LTE V2X UE.

[0080] In one embodiment, if the UE fails to apply V2X-related fields / configurations, it triggers a failure procedure to notify the gNB by including an indication in a secondary link-related RRC message (e.g., SidelinkUEInformation). Note that if a Uu connection between the SL UE and the gNB is in progress (for a different purpose than the secondary link), the failure procedure does not affect the Uu connection between the SL UE and the gNB.

[0081] • In one sub-implementation, the failure process means releasing PC5-RRC connectivity and sending an indication (i.e., the reason for failure) to the network within an existing (e.g., SidelinkUEInformation, UEAssistanceInformation) or new RRC message.

[0082] In another embodiment, if the UE fails to apply the V2X-related fields / configurations, it triggers a failure procedure to notify the gNB by including an indication in the NR RRC reconfiguration completion message. Note that if a Uu connection between the SL UE and the gNB is in progress (for a different purpose than the secondary link), the failure procedure does not affect the Uu connection between the SL UE and the gNB.

[0083] • In one sub-implementation, the failure process means releasing PC5-RRC connectivity and sending an indication (i.e., the reason for failure) to the network within an NR RRC reconfiguration complete message, wherein the NR RRC reconfiguration complete message is sent anyway to acknowledge receipt of the NR RRC reconfiguration (i.e., to configure normal Uu connectivity).

[0084] • In another sub-implementation, the failure process means triggering an existing Uu process, such as a failure information process, to notify the network that the received V2X-related fields / configurations cannot be decoded / applied. The UE can set a dedicated failure reason for this specific situation.

[0085] However, in one embodiment, if the UE fails to apply the V2X-related fields / configurations, it does not send an NRRRC reconfiguration complete message to the gNB; instead, it triggers an RRC re-establishment process. Note that if Uu connectivity between the SL UE and the gNB is in progress (for a different purpose than the secondary link), this affects the Uu connectivity between the SL UE and the gNB because the entire Uu connection will be dropped.

[0086] In another embodiment, if the UE fails to apply the V2X-related fields / configurations, it does not send an NR RRC reconfiguration complete message (or indication, as described in the previous embodiment) to the gNB.

[0087] In another embodiment, when the UE receives an indication that it cannot decode / apply E-UTRA V2X related fields / configurations, the network triggers an RRC re-establishment process (i.e., both Uu and SL transmissions are discarded and re-established). However, in another embodiment, when the UE receives an indication that it cannot decode / apply E-UTRA V2X related fields / configurations, the network triggers an RRC release to send the UE to RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE.

[0088] However, in one embodiment, when the network receives an indication from the UE that it cannot decode / apply E-UTRA V2X related fields / configurations, it maintains the Uu RRC connection with the UE, but it does release the E-UTRA V2X related fields or configurations that the UE cannot decode / apply from the UE context. Further, in another embodiment, when the network receives an indication from the UE that it cannot decode / apply E-UTRA V2X related fields / configurations, it does not perform any action.

[0089] Figure 3 A method according to a specific embodiment is described. This method can be performed by a terminal device (also referred to herein as a wireless device or UE), such as wireless device 710 or user equipment 800 described below. The terminal device is configured with a first wireless connection to a serving base station (e.g., eNB, gNB, etc.) and a second wireless connection to one or more other nodes. The one or more other nodes may include other terminal devices (in which case the second connection may be referred to as a secondary link connection) or other radio access network nodes. The second connection may be a V2X connection. The first connection utilizes a first RAT, while the second connection uses a different second RAT. In one example, the first RAT is one of NR and LTE, and the second RAT is another of NR and LTE. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many different RATs are known, and this disclosure is not limited to this aspect.

[0090] The method begins at step 302, where the terminal device receives a connection configuration message from the serving base station via a first connection. Therefore, the connection configuration message can be configured according to the first RAT. The connection configuration message may also include an RRC message. For example, the connection configuration message may be an NR RRC Connection Reconfiguration message or an E-UTRAN RRCConnection Reconfiguration message.

[0091] The connection configuration message includes configuration information for the second connection, such as RRC configuration parameters and data. In other words, the serving base station wants to control or configure the second connection. In one example, the configuration information for the second connection is contained within a connection configuration sub-message configured according to the second RAT and embedded within the connection configuration message. For example, the configuration information could be contained within an E-UTRAN RRCConnection Reconfiguration sub-message embedded within an NR RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or within an NR RRC Connection Reconfiguration sub-message embedded within an E-UTRAN RRC Connection Reconfiguration message.

[0092] After receiving the connection configuration message, the terminal device attempts to decode and implement the configuration information, that is, to apply the configuration information to the second connection.

[0093] If the implementation is successful, for example, the configuration information is successfully decoded and the configuration of the second connection based on the configuration information is completed, the method proceeds to step 304. In step 304, the terminal device sends a first response message to the serving base station through the first connection. The first response message includes an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented (i.e., in the second connection).

[0094] The first response message can be configured based on the first RAT and may include, for example, an RRC ReconfigurationComplete message. Therefore, if the first RAT is NR, for example, the first response message may include an NR RRC Reconfiguration Complete message; if the first RAT is LTE, for example, the first response message may include an E-UTRAN RRC Reconfiguration Complete message. In another example, the first response message may be an alternative message, such as a message defined for the purpose of inter-RAT data transfer, such as ULInformationTransferIRAT.

[0095] The indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented can be implicit or explicit. In the former case, the transmission of the first response message itself can be an implicit indication of the successful configuration of the second connection. That is, the base station interprets the reception of the first response message itself as an indication of the successful configuration of the second connection.

[0096] When the indication is explicit, it can be included within a Reconfiguration completion sub-message configured according to the second RAT, which is embedded within the first response message. For example, the indication can be included within an NR RRC Reconfiguration completion sub-message embedded within an E-UTRAN RRC Reconfiguration completion message; alternatively, the indication can be included within an E-UTRAN RRC Reconfiguration completion sub-message embedded within an NR RRC Reconfiguration completion message.

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, the indication may include a flag. The flag may be set to a predetermined value (e.g., "1" or "true") to indicate successful configuration of the second connection. Alternatively, the presence or absence of the flag itself may indicate that the second connection has been successfully configured.

[0098] If the implementation of the configuration information in the second connection fails—for example, the configuration information is not successfully decoded, or the configuration of the second connection based on the configuration information is not successfully applied—the method proceeds from step 302 to step 306. In step 306, the terminal device triggers a failure procedure.

[0099] In one embodiment, the failure process is predefined for another process, such as failure information, SCG failure information, or MCG failure information. Alternatively, the failure process can be newly defined, for example, as an RRC failure process.

[0100] In one embodiment, the failure process includes sending a second response message, including configuration information, to the serving base station via the first connection, indicating that the implementation failed. The second response message can be configured according to the first RAT. For example, the second response message may include a connection configuration complete message, such as NR Connection Configuration Complete (where NR is the first RAT) or E-UTRAN Connection Configuration Complete (where LTE is the first RAT). Alternatively, the second response message may include an information delivery message, such as SidelinkUEInformation or UEAssistanceInformation. For example, the indication may again include set bits or flags. The indication may additionally or alternatively include a failure code indicating the reason for the second connection configuration failure, i.e., the second connection failed due to a failure in decoding or applying the configuration message in the connection configuration message received in step 302.

[0101] The failure process may additionally or alternatively include releasing the second connection and / or the first connection. The release of the first and / or second connection may be initiated autonomously by the terminal device or by the base station upon receiving the second response message described above (in the embodiment sending the second response information). The first and second connections may be released simultaneously or at different times. For example, the second connection may be released first. The first connection may be released at a later time, for example, in response to a further message delivery failure. In this way, the general connectivity of the terminal device is not affected by the configuration failure of the second connection.

[0102] Figure 4 A wireless network (e.g.) is shown. Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of device 400 in a wireless network (as shown). The device can be implemented in a terminal device or a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 710 or user equipment 800). Device 400 is operable to perform reference... Figure 3 The example methods described herein and any other processes or methods possibly disclosed herein. It should also be understood that... Figure 3 The method does not necessarily need to be performed solely by device 400. At least some operations of the method can be performed by one or more other entities.

[0103] The terminal device has a first connection with a serving base station using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology.

[0104] The device 400 may include processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware, including 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 various 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 receiving unit 402, the transmitting unit 404, and the triggering unit 406, as well as any other suitable unit of the device 400, to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0105] like Figure 4As shown, the apparatus 400 includes a receiving unit 402, a transmitting unit 404, and a triggering unit 406. The receiving unit 402 is configured to receive a connection configuration message from a serving base station via a first connection. The connection configuration message includes configuration information for a second connection. In one embodiment, the transmitting unit 404 is configured to send a first response message to the serving base station via the first connection in response to successful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection. The first response message includes an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented. In another embodiment, the triggering unit 406 is configured to trigger a failure process in response to unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection.

[0106] Figure 5 A method according to a specific embodiment is described. This method can be performed by a base station or a network node (such as network node 760 described below). The base station has a first wireless connection to a terminal device. The terminal device has a second wireless connection to one or more other nodes. The one or more other nodes may include other terminal devices (in which case the second connection may be referred to as a secondary link connection) or other radio access network nodes. The second connection may be a V2X connection. The first connection utilizes a first RAT, while the second connection uses a different second RAT. In one example, the first RAT is one of NR and LTE, and the second RAT is another of NR and LTE. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many different RATs are known, and this disclosure is not limited to this aspect.

[0107] The method begins at step 502, where the base station sends a connection configuration message to the terminal device via a first connection. Therefore, the connection configuration message can be configured according to the first RAT. The connection configuration message may also include an RRC message. For example, the connection configuration message may be an NR RRC Connection Reconfiguration message or an E-UTRAN RRC Connection Reconfiguration message.

[0108] The connection configuration message includes configuration information for the second connection, such as RRC configuration parameters and data. In other words, the serving base station wants to control or configure the second connection. In one example, the configuration information for the second connection is contained within a connection configuration sub-message embedded within the connection configuration message, according to the second RAT configuration. For example, the configuration information could be contained within an E-UTRAN RRC ConnectionReconfiguration sub-message embedded within an NR RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or within an NR RRC Connection Reconfiguration sub-message embedded within an E-UTRAN RRC ConnectionReconfiguration message.

[0109] After receiving the connection configuration message, the terminal device attempts to decode and implement the configuration information, that is, to apply the configuration information to the second connection.

[0110] If the implementation is successful, for example, the configuration information is successfully decoded and the configuration of the second connection based on the configuration information is completed, the method proceeds to step 504. In step 504, the base station receives a first response message from the terminal device through the first connection. The first response message includes an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented (i.e., in the second connection).

[0111] The first response message can be configured based on the first RAT and may include, for example, an RRC ReconfigurationComplete message. Therefore, if the first RAT is NR, for example, the first response message may include an NR RRC Reconfiguration Complete message; if the first RAT is LTE, for example, the first response message may include an E-UTRAN RRC Reconfiguration Complete message. In another example, the first response message may be an alternative message, such as a message defined for the purpose of inter-RAT data transfer, such as ULInformationTransferIRAT.

[0112] The indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented can be implicit or explicit. In the former case, the transmission of the first response message itself can be an implicit indication of the successful configuration of the second connection. That is, the base station interprets the reception of the first response message itself as an indication of the successful configuration of the second connection.

[0113] When the indication is explicit, it can be included in a reconfiguration completion sub-message configured according to the second RAT and embedded within the first response message. For example, the indication can be included in an NR RRC reconfiguration completion sub-message embedded within an E-UTRAN RRC reconfiguration completion message; alternatively, the indication can be included in an E-UTRAN RRC reconfiguration completion sub-message embedded within an NRRRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0114] Alternatively or additionally, the indication may include a flag. The flag may be set to a predetermined value (e.g., "1" or "true") to indicate successful configuration of the second connection. Alternatively, the presence or absence of the flag itself may indicate successful configuration of the second connection.

[0115] If the implementation of the configuration information in the second connection fails—for example, the configuration information is not successfully decoded, or the configuration of the second connection based on the configuration information is not successfully applied—the method proceeds from step 502 to step 506. In step 506, the base station receives a second response message, for example, as part of the failure process.

[0116] In one embodiment, the failure process is predefined for another process, such as failure information, SCG failure information, or MCG failure information. Alternatively, the failure process can be newly defined, for example, as an RRC failure process.

[0117] The second response message can be configured based on the first RAT. For example, the second response message may include a connection configuration complete message, such as NR Connection Configuration Complete (where NR is the first RAT) or E-UTRANConnection Configuration Complete (where LTE is the first RAT). Alternatively, the second response message may include an information delivery message, such as SidelinkUEInformation or UEAssistanceInformation. For example, the indication may also include setting bits or flags. Additionally or alternatively, the indication may include a failure code indicating the reason for the configuration failure for the second connection, i.e., the second connection failed due to a failure in decoding or applying the configuration message in the connection configuration message sent in step 502.

[0118] Additionally or alternatively, the failure process may include releasing the second connection and / or the first connection. In the former case, the base station may release the stored context (e.g., parameters associated with the second connection) used for the second connection. In the latter case, a connection re-establishment process may be initiated. The release of the first and / or second connection may be initiated autonomously by the terminal device or by the base station upon receiving the second response message described above. The first and second connections may be released simultaneously or at different times. For example, the second connection may be released first. The first connection may be released at a later time, for example, in response to a further message delivery failure. In this way, the general connectivity of the terminal device is not affected by the configuration failure of the second connection.

[0119] Figure 6 A wireless network (e.g.) is shown. Figure 7 A schematic block diagram of device 600 in a wireless network (shown). This device can be implemented in a base station or network node having a first connection to a terminal device using a first RAT (e.g., Figure 7 In the network node 760 shown, the terminal device has a second connection to one or more nodes using a second RAT. The device 600 is operable to perform a reference... Figure 5 The example methods described herein and any other processes or methods possibly disclosed herein. It should also be understood that... Figure 5 The method does not necessarily need to be performed solely by device 600. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0120] The device 600 may include processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware, including 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 transmitting unit 602 and the receiving unit 604, as well as any other suitable unit of the device 600, to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0121] like Figure 6As shown, the apparatus 600 includes a transmitting unit 602 and a receiving unit 604. The transmitting unit 602 is configured to send a connection configuration message to a terminal device via a first connection. The connection configuration message includes configuration information for a second connection. In one embodiment, the receiving unit 604 is configured to receive a first response message from the terminal device via the first connection. The first response message includes an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented. In another embodiment, the receiving unit 604 is configured to receive a second response message from the terminal device via the first connection. The second response message includes an indication that the implementation of the configuration information was unsuccessful.

[0122] 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, processes, calculations, outputs, and / or display functions, such as those described herein.

[0123] 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, such as... Figure 7 The example wireless network shown. For simplicity, Figure 7 The wireless network depicted only includes network 706, network nodes 760 and 760b, and WD 710, 710b, and 710c. 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 (such as a landline telephone, service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). With respect to the components shown, network node 760 and wireless device (WD) 710 are shown in additional detail. The wireless network can provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access to the wireless network and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0124] Wireless networks may include 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 standard such as WiMax, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0125] Network 706 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 that enable communication between devices.

[0126] Network node 760 and WD 710 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 may facilitate or participate in communication of data and / or signals via wired or wireless connections.

[0127] As used herein, a network node is a device that is capable of, configured, positioned, 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 wireless devices and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in a wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels) and may also be referred to as femtocells, picocells, microcells, or macrocells. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may 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 head (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 may 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. More generally, however, a network node can represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable of, configured, positioned, and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to a wireless network to wireless devices or to provide some service to wireless devices already connected to the wireless network.

[0128] exist Figure 7 In the network node 760, processing circuitry 770, device-readable medium 780, interface 790, auxiliary equipment 784, power supply 786, power supply circuitry 787, and antenna 762 are included. Although in Figure 7The network node 760 shown in the example wireless network can represent a device including the illustrated combination of hardware components; however, 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 760 are depicted as single boxes located within larger boxes or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 780 may include multiple separate hard disk drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0129] Similarly, network node 760 may include multiple physically separate components (e.g., node B components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In some scenarios where network node 760 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple node Bs. In such scenarios, in some instances, each unique node B and RNC pair may be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 760 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 780 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 762 may be shared by RATs). Network node 760 may also include multiple sets of illustrated components for various wireless technologies integrated into network node 760, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chip sets within network node 760.

[0130] The processing circuit 770 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 the processing circuit 770 may include processing information acquired by the processing circuit 770, such as 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.

[0131] Processing circuitry 770 may include one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic operable to provide the functionality of network node 760, alone or in combination with other network node 760 components, such as device-readable medium 780. For example, processing circuitry 770 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 780 or in memory within processing circuitry 770. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 770 may include a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0132] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 770 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 772 and a baseband processing circuitry 774. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 772 and the baseband processing circuitry 774 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (such as radio units and digital units). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 772 and the baseband processing circuitry 774 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0133] 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 may be executed by processing circuitry 770, which executes instructions stored in memory within device-readable medium 780 or processing circuitry 770. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry 770 without executing instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable medium, such as by hard-wiring. In any of those embodiments, processing circuitry 770 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited solely to the processing circuitry or other components of network node 760, but are enjoyed by network node 760 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0134] Device-readable medium 780 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to persistent 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, optical discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory device-readable memory device and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 770. Device-readable medium 780 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 770 and utilized by network node 760. Device-readable medium 780 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 770 and / or any data received via interface 790. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 770 and device-readable medium 780 may be considered integrated.

[0135] Interface 790 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 760, network 706, and / or WD 710. As shown, interface 790 includes, for example, one or more ports / terminals 794 for sending and receiving data to and from network 706 via a wired connection. Interface 790 also includes radio front-end circuitry 792, which may be coupled to antenna 762 or, in some embodiments, is part of antenna 762. Radio front-end circuitry 792 includes filter 798 and amplifier 796. Radio front-end circuitry 792 may be connected to antenna 762 and processing circuitry 770. Radio front-end circuitry 792 may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 762 and processing circuitry 770. Radio front-end circuitry 792 may receive digital data to be transmitted wirelessly to other network nodes or WD. Radio front-end circuitry 792 may use a combination of filter 798 and / or amplifier 796 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 762. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 762 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 792. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 770. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0136] In some alternative embodiments, network node 760 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 792; instead, processing circuitry 770 may include radio front-end circuitry and be connectable to antenna 762 without a separate radio front-end circuitry 792. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of RF transceiver circuitry 772 may be considered part of interface 790. In other embodiments, interface 790 may include one or more ports or terminals 794, radio front-end circuitry 792, and RF transceiver circuitry 772 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 790 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 774, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0137] Antenna 762 may include one or more antennas or an antenna array configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 762 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 792 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 762 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector, or planar antennas operable to transmit / receive radio signals, for example, between 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 from devices within a specific area, and planar antennas can be line-of-sight antennas for transmitting / receiving radio signals along a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 762 may be detachable from network node 760 and can be connected to network node 760 via an interface or port.

[0138] Antenna 762, interface 790, and / or processing circuitry 770 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquisition 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 762, interface 790, and / or processing circuitry 770 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.

[0139] Power supply circuitry 787 may include or be coupled to power management circuitry and is configured to supply power to components of network node 760 for performing the functions described herein. Power supply circuitry 787 may receive power from power source 786. Power source 786 and / or power supply circuitry 787 may be configured to supply power to various components of network node 760 in a manner suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power source 786 may be included in power supply circuitry 787 and / or network node 760, or may be external to power supply circuitry 787 and / or network node 760. For example, network node 760 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via input circuitry or an interface (such as a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to power supply circuitry 787. As another example, power source 786 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated into power supply circuitry 787. The battery can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0140] Alternative embodiments of network node 760 may include, in addition to Figure 7 Additional components, other than those shown, 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 topics described herein. For example, network node 760 may include a user interface device that allows information to be input into and output from network node 760. This allows users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for network node 760.

[0141] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) means a device capable of, configured, positioned, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other WDs. Unless otherwise stated, the term WD may be used interchangeably with User Equipment (UE) herein. Wireless communication may involve sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information over the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to send information to a network according to 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, cell 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, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless pre-installed devices (CPEs), in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, etc. A WD can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, such as through 3GPP standards implementing secondary link communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in this context 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 can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. 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 (such as power meters), industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), and personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD can represent a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. As described above, WD can represent a wireless connection endpoint, in which case the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, as described above, WD can be mobile, in which case the WD can also be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0142] As shown in the figure, the wireless device 710 includes an antenna 711, an interface 714, processing circuitry 720, a device-readable medium 730, a user interface device 732, auxiliary devices 734, a power supply 736, and a power supply circuitry 737. WD 710 may include multiple sets of components for one or more of the different wireless technologies supported by WD 710, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name just a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets within WD 710.

[0143] Antenna 711 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to interface 714. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 711 may be detachable from WD 710 and may be connected to WD 710 via an interface or port. Antenna 711, interface 714, and / or processing circuitry 720 may be configured to perform any receive or transmit operations described herein as being 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 711 may be considered as an interface.

[0144] As shown, interface 714 includes radio front-end circuitry 712 and antenna 711. Radio front-end circuitry 712 includes one or more filters 718 and amplifiers 716. Radio front-end circuitry 712 is connected to antenna 711 and processing circuitry 720 and is configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 711 and processing circuitry 720. Radio front-end circuitry 712 may be coupled to antenna 711 or is part of antenna 711. In some embodiments, WD 710 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 712; instead, processing circuitry 720 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 711. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 722 may be considered part of interface 714. Radio front-end circuitry 712 can receive digital data to be transmitted via a wireless connection to other network nodes or WD. Radio front-end circuitry 712 can use a combination of filters 718 and / or amplifiers 716 to convert the digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna 711. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 711 can collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 712. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry 720. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0145] Processing circuitry 720 may include one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic operable alone or in combination with other WD 710 components (such as device-readable medium 730) to provide WD 710 functionality. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 720 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 730 or in memory within processing circuitry 720 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0146] As shown in the figure, the processing circuit 720 includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit 722, a baseband processing circuit 724, and an application processing circuit 726. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 720 of the WD 710 may include a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the baseband processing circuit 724 and the application processing circuit 726 may be combined into a single chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 722 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722 and the baseband processing circuit 724 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 726 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a portion or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726 may be combined into a single chip or chipset. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 722 may be part of the interface 714. The RF transceiver circuit 722 can regulate the RF signal used for processing circuit 720.

[0147] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein, as performed by WD, may be provided by processing circuitry 720 that executes instructions stored on device-readable medium 730, which in some embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry 720 without executing instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, processing circuitry 720 may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited solely to processing circuitry 720 or other components of WD 710, but are enjoyed by WD 710 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0148] Processing circuitry 720 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. Such operations performed by processing circuitry 720 may include processing information acquired by processing circuitry 720, performing one or more operations, for example, converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored by WD 710, and / or based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0149] Device-readable medium 730 may be 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 720. Device-readable medium 730 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., optical disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory computer-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 720. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 720 and device-readable medium 730 may be considered integrated.

[0150] User interface device 732 can provide components that allow a human user to interact with WD 710. Such interaction can take many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. User interface device 732 can be operable to produce outputs to the user and allow the user to provide inputs to WD 710. The type of interaction can vary depending on the type of user interface device 732 installed in WD 710. For example, if WD 710 is a smartphone, interaction can be via a touchscreen; if WD 710 is a smart meter, 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 732 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuitry, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuitry. User interface device 732 is configured to allow information to be input into WD 710 and is connected to processing circuitry 720 to allow processing circuitry 720 to process the input information. User interface device 732 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity sensor or other sensor, keys / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface device 732 is also configured to allow information output from WD 710 and to allow processing circuitry 720 to output information from WD 710. User interface device 732 may include, for example, a speaker, display, vibration circuitry, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry of user interface device 732, WD 710 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks, allowing them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0151] The auxiliary device 734 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not normally be performed by the WD. This may include specialized sensors for measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication (such as wired communication), etc. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device 734 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0152] In some embodiments, power supply 736 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., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. WD 710 may also include power circuitry 737 for supplying power from power supply 736 to various parts of WD 710 that require power from power supply 736 to perform any of the functions described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, power circuitry 737 may include power management circuitry. Additionally or alternatively, power circuitry 737 may be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, WD 710 may be connected to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a power cable. In some embodiments, power circuitry 737 may also be operable to supply power from an external power source to power supply 736. This may be used, for example, for charging power supply 736. Power circuitry 737 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from power supply 736 to produce power suitable for the respective components of the WD 710 being powered.

[0153] Figure 8 An embodiment of a UE according to the aspects described herein is illustrated. As used herein, a user equipment or UE need not necessarily be a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Instead, a UE may represent a device intended to be sold 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 represent a device not intended to be sold 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 800 may be a 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 8 As shown, UE 800 is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communication standards (such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards) issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). As previously mentioned, the terms WD and UE can be used interchangeably. Therefore, although... Figure 8 It is a UE, but the components discussed in this article also apply to WD, and vice versa.

[0154] exist Figure 8In this embodiment, UE 800 includes processing circuitry 801 operatively coupled to an input / output interface 805, a radio frequency (RF) interface 809, a network connectivity interface 811, a memory 815 (including random access memory (RAM) 817, read-only memory (ROM) 819, and storage medium 821, etc.), a communication subsystem 831, a power supply 813, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 821 includes an operating system 823, application programs 825, and data 827. In other embodiments, storage medium 821 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize... Figure 8 The components shown may be all or only a subset of the components. The degree 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.

[0155] exist Figure 8 In this embodiment, processing circuitry 801 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 801 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored in memory as a machine-readable computer program, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic along with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general-purpose processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), along with appropriate software; or any combination of the foregoing. For example, processing circuitry 801 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0156] In the depicted embodiments, the input / output interface 805 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or both. The UE 800 can be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 805. 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 800. 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 800 can be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 805 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, digital video camera, webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a steering wheel, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. A presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor that senses input from the user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, input devices can be accelerometers, magnetometers, digital cameras, microphones, and optical sensors.

[0157] exist Figure 8 In this configuration, RF interface 809 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Network connectivity interface 811 can be configured to provide a communication interface to network 843a. Network 843a may encompass 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 843a may include a Wi-Fi network. Network connectivity interface 811 can be configured to include receiver and transmitter interfaces for communicating with one or more other devices over a communication network according to one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc. Network connectivity interface 811 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). Transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[0158] RAM 817 can be configured to connect to processing circuitry 801 via bus 802 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs (such as operating systems, application programs, and device drivers). ROM 819 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 801. For example, ROM 819 can be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions, such as basic input and output (I / O), boot, or receive signals from a keyboard, stored in non-volatile memory. Storage medium 821 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 disk, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 821 can be configured to include operating system 823, application program 825 (such as a web browser application, widget or accessory engine, or another application), and data file 827. Storage medium 821 can store any of the various operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by UE 800.

[0159] Storage medium 821 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppy disk drives, flash memory, USB flash drives, external hard disk drives, thumb drives, pen drives, key drives, high-density digital universal optical disc (HD-DVD) drives, internal hard disk drives, Blu-ray disc drives, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) drives, external mini dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), 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 821 can allow UE 800 to access computer-executable instructions, applications, etc., stored on transient or non-transient storage media to unload or upload data. Articles of manufacture (such as articles utilizing communication systems) can be tangibly embodied in storage medium 821, which may include device-readable media.

[0160] exist Figure 8In this embodiment, processing circuitry 801 can be configured to communicate with network 843b using communication subsystem 831. Networks 843a and 843b can be the same one or more networks or different one or more networks. Communication subsystem 831 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with network 843b. For example, communication subsystem 831 can be configured to include one or more remote transceivers for communicating with another device (such as another WD, UE, or base station of a radio access network (RAN)) capable of wireless communication according to one or more communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.). Each transceiver can include transmitter 833 and / or receiver 835, respectively implementing transmitter or receiver functions suitable for RAN links (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). Further, transmitter 833 and receiver 835 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively can be implemented separately.

[0161] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 831 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication (such as Bluetooth, near-field communication), location-based communication (such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 831 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 843b may encompass 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 843b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 813 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 800.

[0162] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one component of UE 800 or divided among multiple components of UE 800. Further, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 831 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, processing circuitry 801 may be configured to communicate with any of such components via bus 802. In another example, any such component may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that, when executed by processing circuitry 801, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any such component may be divided between processing circuitry 801 and communication subsystem 831. In 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.

[0163] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 900 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 at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as an implementation of 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).

[0164] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 900 hosted in one or more hardware nodes 930. Further, 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.

[0165] The functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 920 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual devices, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.), which are operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of the embodiments disclosed herein. The application 920 runs in a virtualization environment 900 that provides hardware 930 including processing circuitry 960 and memory 990. The memory 990 contains instructions 995 executable by the processing circuitry 960, wherein the application 920 is operable to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0166] The virtualization environment 900 includes general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 930, which include one or more processors or processing circuitry 960, 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 a memory 990-1, which may be a non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 995 or software executed by the processing circuitry 960. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 970 (also referred to as network interface cards), which include physical network interfaces 980. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent machine-readable storage medium 990-2 in which software and / or instructions executable by the processing circuitry 960 are stored. The software may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 950 (also referred to as a hypervisor), software for executing virtual machines 940, and software that allows the performance of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein.

[0167] Virtual machine 940 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 950 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 920 may be implemented on one or more virtual machines 940, and these implementations may be carried out in different ways.

[0168] During operation, the processing circuitry 960 executes the software of the instantiation management program or virtualization layer 950, which may sometimes be referred to as the virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 950 can present a virtual operating platform that appears to the virtual machine 940 as network hardware.

[0169] like Figure 9As shown, hardware 930 can be a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 930 may include antenna 9225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 930 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 orchestration (MANO) 9100, which in particular oversees the lifecycle management of application 920.

[0170] Hardware virtualization is sometimes referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can reside in data centers and client terminal devices.

[0171] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 940 can be a software implementation of a physical machine, and its programs run as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 940 and the portion of hardware 930 that executes that virtual machine (i.e., hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware shared by that virtual machine and other virtual machines 940) form a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0172] Still within the context of NFV, Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) are responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 940 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 930, and correspond to... Figure 9 Application 920 in the text.

[0173] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 9200, each including one or more transmitters 9220 and one or more receivers 9210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 9225. The radio unit 9200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 930 via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be combined with virtual components to provide a radio-capable virtual node, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0174] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented using the control system 9230, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 930 and the radio unit 9200.

[0175] refer to Figure 10According to an embodiment, the communication system includes a telecommunications network 1010, such as a 3GPP cellular network, which includes an access network 1011 (such as a radio access network) and a core network 1014. The access network 1011 includes multiple base stations 1012a, 1012b, and 1012c, such as NBs, eNBs, GNBs, or other types of wireless access points, each base station 1012a, 1012b, and 1012c defining a corresponding coverage area 1013a, 1013b, and 1013c. Each base station 1012a, 1012b, and 1012c can be connected to the core network 1014 via a wired or wireless connection 1015. A first UE 1091 located in coverage area 1013c is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 1012c. A second UE 1092 located in coverage area 1013a can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station 1012a. Although multiple UEs 1091 and 1092 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is in a coverage area or a single UE is connected to the corresponding base station 1012.

[0176] Telecommunication network 1010 connects itself to host computer 1030, which may be implemented in the hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server cluster. Host computer 1030 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. Connections 1021 and 1022 between telecommunication network 1010 and host computer 1030 may extend directly from core network 1014 to host computer 1030 or may be made via optional intermediate network 1020. Intermediate network 1020 may be one or a combination of public, private, or host networks; if any, intermediate network 1020 may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 1020 may include two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0177] Figure 10The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 1091 and 1092 and the host computer 1030. This connectivity can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1050. The host computer 1030 and the connected UEs 1091 and 1092 are configured to use access network 1011, core network 1014, any intermediate network 1020, and possibly further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 1050. The OTT connection 1050 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices traversed by the OTT connection 1050 are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 1012 may not be informed, or need not be informed, of the past routes of incoming downlink communications originating from the host computer 1030 and to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 1091. Similarly, base station 1012 does not need to know the future route of the output uplink communication originating from UE 1091 toward host computer 1030.

[0178] Now refer to Figure 11 Example implementations of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs according to embodiments are described. In the communication system 1100, the host computer 1110 includes hardware 1115, which includes a communication interface 1116 configured to establish and maintain wired or wireless connections with different communication devices of the communication system 1100. The host computer 1110 also includes processing circuitry 1118, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 1118 may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The host computer 1110 also includes software 1111, which is stored in or accessible by the host computer 1110 and executable by the processing circuitry 1118. The software 1111 includes a host application 1112. Host application 1112 is operable to provide services to remote users, such as UE 1130 connected via OTT connection 1150 terminated at UE 1130 and host computer 1110. When providing services to remote users, host application 1112 can provide user data sent using OTT connection 1150.

[0179] The communication system 1100 also includes a base station 1120, which is provided in the telecommunications system and includes hardware 1125 enabling the base station 1120 to communicate with the host computer 1110 and the UE 1130. Hardware 1125 may include a communication interface 1126 for establishing and maintaining wired or wireless connections with different communication devices of the communication system 1100, and for establishing and maintaining connections with at least the coverage area served by the base station 1120 (not shown in the image). Figure 11 The UE 1130 in the middle has a radio interface 1127 for wireless connection 1170. Communication interface 1126 can be configured to facilitate a connection 1160 to host computer 1110. Connection 1160 can be direct or it can traverse the core network of the telecommunications system (not shown in the diagram). Figure 11 (In the middle) and / or one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 1125 of base station 1120 also includes processing circuitry 1128, which may include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Base station 1120 also includes software 1121 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0180] The communication system 1100 also includes the previously mentioned UE 1130. Its hardware 1135 may include a radio interface 1137 configured to establish and maintain a radio connection 1170 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 1130 is currently located. The hardware 1135 of the UE 1130 also includes processing circuitry 1138, 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 1130 also includes software 1131, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1130 and executable by the processing circuitry 1138. The software 1131 includes a client application 1132. The client application 1132 may be operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 1130 with the support of a host computer 1110. In host computer 1110, the executing host application 1112 can communicate with the executing client application 1132 via OTT connection 1150 terminated at UE 1130 and host computer 1110. When providing services to a user, client application 1132 can receive request data from host application 1112 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 1150 can transmit both request data and user data. Client application 1132 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0181] It should be noted that Figure 11The host computer 1110, base station 1120, and UE 1130 shown can be respectively connected to Figure 10 One of the host computer 1030, base stations 1012a, 1012b, and 1012c, and one of the UEs 1091 and 1092 are similar to or the same. That is to say, the internal operation of these entities can be as follows: Figure 11 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Figure 10 The network topology.

[0182] exist Figure 11 In this diagram, OTT connection 1150 is abstractly depicted to illustrate communication between host computer 1110 and UE 1130 via base station 1120, without explicitly referencing any intermediate devices and the precise routes of messages via those devices. The network infrastructure can determine the route, which can be configured to hide it from UE 1130 or the service provider operating host computer 1110, or both. While OTT connection 1150 is active, the network infrastructure can also make decisions to dynamically change the route (e.g., based on network load balancing considerations or reconfiguration).

[0183] The wireless connection 1170 between UE 1130 and base station 1120 is based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more improvements in various embodiments utilize wireless connection 1170 to form the final segment of OTT connection 1150 to provide OTT services to UE 1130. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve data rates and latency in communications, and thus provide benefits such as reduced user wait times and better responsiveness.

[0184] The measurement process can be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors improved in one or more embodiments. Optional network functions may also exist for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 between host computer 1110 and UE 1130 in response to changes in measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 may be implemented in the software 1111 and hardware 1115 of host computer 1110, or in the software 1131 and hardware 1135 of UE 1130, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with communication equipment through which the OTT connection 1150 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by supplying values ​​of the monitored quantities illustrated above, or by supplying values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software 1111, 1131 can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1150 may include message formatting, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not need to affect base station 1120, and the reconfiguration may be unknown or imperceptible to base station 1120. Such processes and functions are known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement results may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of the host computer 1110's throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. Measurements can be implemented because software 1111 and 1131 cause messages (particularly empty or "fake" messages) to be sent using OTT connection 1150 while it monitors propagation time, errors, etc.

[0185] Figure 12 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 10 and Figure 11 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE are included in this section. Figure 12 Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1210, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 1211 of step 1210 (which may be optional), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 1220, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. In step 1230 (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 host computer-initiated transmission to the UE. In step 1240 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0186] Figure 13 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 10and Figure 11 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE are included in this section. Figure 13 Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1310 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 1320, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying user data to the UE. Based on the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may be carried out via a base station. In step 1330 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0187] Figure 14 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 10 and Figure 11 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE are included in this section. Figure 14 Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1420, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1421 of step 1420 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1411 of step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data as a response to 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, in sub-step 1430 (which may be optional), the UE initiates the transmission of user data to the host computer. In step 1440 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE.

[0188] Figure 15 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 10 and Figure 11 The host computer, base station, and UE described herein. For the sake of simplicity in this disclosure, only the host computer, base station, and UE are included in this section. Figure 15Reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings. In step 1510 (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 1520 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1530 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0189] appendix

[0190] The following text illustrates how signaling support can be provided to enable the UE to report a successful implementation of RRC configuration messages, for example, in a cross-RAT secondary link. The example is shown as a modification to TS 38.331. Those skilled in the art will understand that corresponding modifications can be made to TS 36.331 for cases where the eNB wants to configure an NR V2X UE.

[0191] 1.1 Example 1: E-UTRA RRC connection reconfiguration completed within NR RRC reconfiguration completion

[0192] 5.3.5.3 UE reception of RRCReconfiguration

[0193] The UE should perform the following actions upon receiving RRCReconfiguration or when performing conditional configuration (CHO or CPC):

[0194] 1> If, when timer T311 is running, RRCReconfiguration is applied due to the conditional configuration execution during cell selection, as defined in 5.3.7.3:

[0195] <Text omitted>

[0196] 1> Set the content of the RRCReconfigurationComplete message as follows:

[0197] <Text omitted>

[0198] 2> If the RRCReconfiguration message includes sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0199] 3> Include the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Complete;

[0200] 2> If the UE has recorded measurements that can be used for NR, and if the RPLMN is included in the plmn-IdentityList stored in the VarLogMeasReport:

[0201] <Text omitted>

[0202] 2> The process is over.

[0203] Note 3: If the UE can obtain the broadcast SIB1 without interrupting unicast data reception, i.e. the broadcast and unicast beams are quasi-co-addressable, then the UE is only required to obtain the broadcast SIB1.

[0204] The corresponding ASN.1 changes are as follows:

[0205] 6.2.2 Message Definition

[0206] –RRCReconfigurationComplete

[0207] The RRCReconfigurationComplete message is used to confirm the successful completion of RRC connection reconfiguration.

[0208] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1 or SRB3

[0209] RLC-SAP: AM

[0210] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0211] Direction: UE to network

[0212] RRCReconfigurationComplete message

[0213]

[0214] 1.2 Example 2: E-UTRA RRC connection sent via NR ULInformationTransferIRAT message Reconfiguration complete message

[0215] 5.3.5.3 UE reception of RRCReconfiguration

[0216] The UE should perform the following actions upon receiving RRCReconfiguration or when performing conditional configuration (CHO or CPC):

[0217] 1> If, when timer T311 is running, RRCReconfiguration is applied due to the conditional configuration execution during cell selection, as defined in 5.3.7.3:

[0218] <Text omitted>

[0219] 1> Set the content of the RRCReconfigurationComplete message as follows:

[0220] <Text omitted>

[0221] 2> If the RRCReconfiguration message includes sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0222] 3> According to clause 5.7.x, include the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message within the ULInformationTraferRAT message;

[0223] 3> Submit the ULInformationTrasferIRAT message to the lower layer for transmission via SRB1.

[0224] 2> If the UE has recorded measurements that can be used for NR, and if the RPLMN is included in the plmn-IdentityList stored in the VarLogMeasReport:

[0225] <Text omitted>

[0226] 2> The process is over.

[0227] Note 3: If the UE can obtain the broadcast SIB1 without interrupting unicast data reception, i.e. the broadcast and unicast beams are quasi-co-addressable, then the UE is only required to obtain the broadcast SIB1.

[0228] 5.7.x UL Transmission of IRAT Information

[0229] 5.7.x.1 Overview

[0230] See Figure 16 .

[0231] The purpose of this process is to transmit from the UE to the NR MCG specific information that terminates at the NR MCG but is defined by another RAT, such as the E-UTRA MeasurementReport message, the E-UTRA SidelinkUEInformation message, or the E-UTRAUEAssistanceInformation message. The specific information transmitted in this message is set according to the following:

[0232] - The procedure specified in 5.6.10 of TS 36.331

[10] for the E-UTRA UEAssistanceInformation message;

[0233] - The procedure specified in 5.10.2 of TS 36.331

[10] for the E-UTRA SidelinkUEInformation message;

[0234] - The procedure specified for E-UTRA MeasurementReport messages in 5.5.5 of TS 36.331

[10] .

[0235] 5.7.x.2 Startup

[0236] Whenever it is necessary to transmit dedicated RAT information as specified in TS 36.331

[10] , the UE in RRC_CONNECTED initiates the UL information transmission process.

[0237] 5.7.x.3 Actions related to the transmission of ULInformationTransferIRAT messages

[0238] The UE should set the content of the ULInformationTransferIRAT message as follows:

[0239] 1> If it is necessary to transmit dedicated LTE information related to V2X secondary link communication:

[0240] 2> Set ul-DCCH-MessageEUTRA to include the V2X secondary link communication information to be transmitted (e.g., E-UTRA RRC MeasurementReport message, E-UTRA RRC SidelinkUEInformation message, E-UTRARRC UEAssistanceInformation message, or E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete).

[0241] 1> Submit a ULInformationTransferIRAT message to the lower layer for transmission, after which the process ends;

[0242] The relevant ASN.1 changes are as follows:

[0243] –ULInformationTransferIRAT

[0244] The ULInformationTransferIRAT message is used for uplink transmission of information that is terminated at the NR MCG but is specified by another RAT. In this version of the specification, this message is used for V2X secondary link communication information as specified in TS 36.331

[10] .

[0245] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1

[0246] RLC-SAP: AM

[0247] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0248] Direction: UE to NR

[0249] ULInformationTransferIRAT message

[0250]

[0251]

[0252] 1.3 Example 3: UE sends indication within NR RRC reconfiguration completion

[0253] 5.3.5.3 UE reception of RRCReconfiguration

[0254] The UE should perform the following actions upon receiving RRCReconfiguration or when performing conditional configuration (CHO or CPC):

[0255] 1> If, when timer T311 is running, RRCReconfiguration is applied due to the conditional configuration execution during cell selection, as defined in 5.3.7.3:

[0256] <Text omitted>

[0257] 1> Set the content of the RRCReconfigurationComplete message as follows:

[0258] <Text omitted>

[0259] 2> If the RRCReconfiguration message includes sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0260] 3> If, according to Clause 5.4.2.4 of TS 36.331

[10] , the UE cannot comply with (a portion of) the configuration included in the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message:

[0261] 4> Set the value of sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Complete to false;

[0262] 3> Otherwise:

[0263] 4> Set the value of sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Complete to true;

[0264] 2> If the UE has recorded measurements that can be used for NR, and if the RPLMN is included in the plmn-IdentityList stored in the VarLogMeasReport:

[0265] <Text omitted>

[0266] 2> The process is over.

[0267] Note 3: If the UE can obtain the broadcast SIB1 without interrupting unicast data reception, i.e. the broadcast and unicast beams are quasi-co-addressable, then the UE is only required to obtain the broadcast SIB1.

[0268] The corresponding ASN.1 changes are as follows:

[0269] 6.2.2 Message Definition

[0270] –RRCReconfigurationComplete

[0271] The RRCReconfigurationComplete message is used to confirm the successful completion of RRC connection reconfiguration.

[0272] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1 or SRB3

[0273] RLC-SAP: AM

[0274] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0275] Direction: UE to network

[0276] RRCReconfigurationComplete message

[0277]

[0278] The following text illustrates an example of how signaling support can be provided to enable the UE to report unsuccessful or failed RRC configuration messages, for example, in a cross-RAT secondary link. The example is shown as a modification to TS 38.331. Those skilled in the art will understand that corresponding modifications can be made to TS 36.331 for cases where the eNB wants to configure an NR V2X UE.

[0279] 2.1 Alternative Solution 1: By including the indication in the secondary link-related RRC message (e.g. Notify gNB in ​​SidelinkUEInformation)

[0280] 5.3.5.3 UE reception of RRCReconfiguration

[0281] The UE should perform the following actions upon receiving RRCReconfiguration or when performing conditional configuration (CHO or CPC):

[0282] 1> If, when timer T311 is running, RRCReconfiguration is applied due to the conditional configuration execution during cell selection, as defined in 5.3.7.3:

[0283] <Text omitted>

[0284] 1> Set the content of the RRCReconfigurationComplete message as follows:

[0285] <Text omitted>

[0286] 2> If the RRCReconfiguration message includes sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0287] 3> If, according to Clause 5.4.2.4 of TS 36.331

[10] , the UE cannot comply with (a portion of) the configuration included in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message received within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0288] 4> Initiate the transmission of a SidelinkUEInformationNR message to indicate that the configuration (part of) received in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info cannot be followed.

[0289] 2> If the UE has recorded measurements that can be used for NR, and if the RPLMN is included in the plmn-IdentityList stored in the VarLogMeasReport:

[0290] <Text omitted>

[0291] 2> The process is over.

[0292] Note 3: If the UE can obtain the broadcast SIB1 without interrupting unicast data reception, i.e. the broadcast and unicast beams are quasi-co-addressable, then the UE is only required to obtain the broadcast SIB1.

[0293] 5.8.3.3 Actions related to the transmission of SidelinkUEInformationNR messages

[0294] The UE should set the content of the SidelinkUEInformationNR message as follows:

[0295] 1> If the UE initiates this procedure to indicate that it is (no longer) interested in receiving NR secondary link communication or to request (configure / release) NR secondary link communication transmission resources (i.e., the UE includes all relevant information regardless of what triggered the procedure):

[0296] 2> If SIB12, including sl-ConfigCommonNR, is provided by PCell:

[0297] 3> If configured by the upper layer to receive NR secondary link communication:

[0298] 4> Include sl-RxInterestedFreqList and set it to the frequency used for NR secondary link communication reception;

[0299] 3> If configured by the upper layer to send NR secondary link communication:

[0300] 4> Include sl-TxResourceReqList, and set its fields (if needed) for each destination for which it requests NR secondary link communication resources, as follows:

[0301] 5> Set sl-DestinationIdentity to the destination identifier configured by the upper layer for NR sublink communication transmission;

[0302] 5> Set sl-CastType to the broadcast type associated with the destination identifier configured by the upper layer for NR secondary link communication transmission;

[0303] 5> If an associated bidirectional secondary link DRB has been established due to the configuration of RRCReconfigurationSidelink, then set sl-RLC-ModeIndication to one or more QoS profiles of secondary link QoS flows that include one or more RLC modes and optionally associated one or more RLC modes;

[0304] 5> If a secondary link RLF is detected, set sl-Failure to rlf for the associated destination of the NR secondary link communication transmission;

[0305] 5> If the RRCReconfigurationFailureSidelink fails to reconfigure as a secondary link RRC, the associated destination for NR secondary link communication transmission will set sl-Failure to configFailure;

[0306] 5> Configure sl-QoS-InfoList to include one or more QoS profiles of the associated destination(s) of the secondary link QoS flows(s) configured by the upper layer for NR secondary link communication transmissions;

[0307] 5> Configure sl-InterestedFreqList to indicate the frequency used for NR secondary link communication transmission;

[0308] 5> Set sl-TypeTxSyncList to the current synchronization reference type used on the associated sl-InterestedFreqList for NR sublink communication transmission.

[0309] 1> If the UE initiates the procedure to indicate that it cannot comply with the configuration (part of) included in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message received in sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info, in accordance with Clause 5.4.2.4 of TS 36.331

[10] .

[0310] 2> Set sl-Failure to configFailureEUTRA;

[0311] 1> The UE should submit a SidelinkUEInformationNR message to the lower layer for transmission.

[0312] The corresponding ASN.1 is as follows:

[0313] 6.2.2 Message Definition

[0314] –SidelinkUEInformationNR

[0315] The SidelinkUEinformationNR message is used to indicate NR secondary link UE information to the network.

[0316] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1

[0317] RLC-SAP: AM

[0318] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0319] Direction: UE to network

[0320] SidelinkUEInformationNR message

[0321]

[0322] 2.2 Alternative Solution 2: By including the indication in the secondary link-related RRC message (e.g. Notify gNB in ​​SidelinkUEInformation)

[0323] 5.3.5.3 UE reception of RRCReconfiguration

[0324] The UE should perform the following actions upon receiving RRCReconfiguration or when performing conditional configuration (CHO or CPC):

[0325] 1> If RRCReconfiguration is applied during cell selection due to the conditional configuration execution when timer T311 is running, as defined in 5.3.7.3:

[0326] <Text omitted>

[0327] 1> Set the content of the RRCReconfigurationComplete message as follows:

[0328] <Text omitted>

[0329] 2> If the RRCReconfiguration message includes sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0330] 3> If, according to Clause 5.4.2.4 of TS 36.331

[10] , the UE cannot comply with (a portion of) the configuration included in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message received within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0331] 4> Initiate a failure message procedure as specified in 5.7.5 to indicate that the configuration (part of) received in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info cannot be followed.

[0332] 2> If the UE has recorded measurements that can be used for NR, and if the RPLMN is included in the plmn-IdentityList stored in the VarLogMeasReport:

[0333] <Text omitted>

[0334] 2> The process is over.

[0335] Note 3: If the UE can obtain the broadcast SIB1 without interrupting unicast data reception, i.e. the broadcast and unicast beams are quasi-co-addressable, then the UE is only required to obtain the broadcast SIB1.

[0336] 5.7.5 Failure Information

[0337] 5.7.5.1 Overview

[0338] See Figure 17 .

[0339] The purpose of this process is to notify the network of the failure detected by the UE.

[0340] 5.7.5.2 Startup

[0341] The UE initiates this procedure when it needs to notify the network of a failure detected by the UE. Specifically, the UE initiates this procedure when the following conditions are met:

[0342] 1> According to 5.3.10.3, when a failure for an RLC bearer is detected;

[0343] 1> According to 5.3.5.8.3, when a DAPS handover failure is detected;

[0344] 1> According to 5.3.5.3, when the configuration (part of) received in the E-UTRARRCConnectionReconfiguration message within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info cannot be complied with;

[0345] When initiating this process, the UE should:

[0346] 1> Initiate the transmission of a FailureInformation message as specified in 5.7.5.3;

[0347] 5.7.5.3 Actions related to the transmission of FailureInformation messages

[0348] UE should:

[0349] 1> If the request is to provide RLC failure information, set FailureInfoRLC-Bearer as follows:

[0350] 2> Set logicalChannelIdentity to the logical channel identifier of the failed RLC bearer;

[0351] 2> Set cellGroupId to the cell group identifier of the failed RLC bearer;

[0352] 2> Set failureType to rlc-failure;

[0353] 1> If initiating to provide DAPS failure information, set FailureInfoDAPS as follows:

[0354] 2> Set failureType to daps-failure;

[0355] 1> If the request is to provide information about a portion of the configuration received in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info that cannot be followed, set FailureInfoSidelink as follows:

[0356] 2> Set failureType to configFailureEUTRA;

[0357] 1> If used to notify the network of failures or DAPS failures for MCG RLC bearers:

[0358] 2> Submit the FailureInformation message to the lower layer for transmission via SRB1;

[0359] 1> Otherwise, if used to notify the network of a failure for the SCG RLC bearer:

[0360] 2> If SRB3 is configured;

[0361] 3> Submit the FailureInformation message to the lower layer for transmission via SRB3;

[0362] 2> Otherwise;

[0363] 3> If the UE is in (NG)EN-DC:

[0364] 4> Submit the FailureInformation message embedded in the E-UTRA RRC message ULInformationTransferMRDC via E-UTRA, as specified in TS 36.331

[10] .

[0365] 3> Otherwise, if the UE is in NR-DC:

[0366] 4> Submit a FailureInformation message embedded in the NR RRC message ULInformationTransferMRDC via SRB1, as specified in Clause 5.7.2a.3.

[0367] 1> Otherwise, if the network notification cannot comply with (part of) the configuration included in the E-UTRA RRCConnectionReconfiguration message received within sl-ConfigDedicatedEUTRA-Info:

[0368] 2> Submit the FailureInformation message to the lower layer for transmission via SRB1;

[0369] The corresponding ASN.1 changes are as follows:

[0370] 6.2.2 Message Definition

[0371] –FailureInformation

[0372] The FailureInformation message is used to notify the network of failures detected by the UE.

[0373] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1 or SRB3

[0374] RLC-SAP: AM

[0375] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0376] Direction: UE to network

[0377] FailureInformation message

[0378]

[0379] To avoid ambiguity, the following numbered statements illustrate embodiments of this disclosure:

[0380] 1. A method performed by a terminal device having a first connection with a serving base station using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology, the method comprising:

[0381] - Receive a connection configuration message from the serving base station via the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection; and

[0382] - In response to the successful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection, a first response message is sent to the serving base station via the first connection, the first response message including an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented.

[0383] 2. The method according to paragraph 1, wherein the first response message is configured according to the first radio access technology.

[0384] 3. The method according to paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented includes a connection configuration completion sub-message embedded in the first response message according to the second radio access technology configuration.

[0385] 4. The method according to paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the indication includes a flag.

[0386] 5. The method according to paragraph 4, wherein the flag is set to a predetermined value to indicate that the configuration information has been successfully implemented.

[0387] 6. The method according to paragraph 4, wherein the presence of the flag in the response message indicates that the configuration information has been successfully implemented.

[0388] 7. The method according to paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented is implicit in the transmission of the first response message.

[0389] 8. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the first response message includes one of the following: a connection configuration complete message; and an uplink information transmission message.

[0390] 9. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, further comprising: triggering a failure process in response to the unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection.

[0391] 10. A method performed by a terminal device having a first connection with a serving base station using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology, the method comprising:

[0392] - Receive a connection configuration message from the serving base station via the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection; and

[0393] - In response to the unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information used for the second connection, a failure process is triggered.

[0394] 11. The method according to paragraph 9 or 10, wherein the failure process includes sending a second response message, including an indication that the implementation of the configuration information was unsuccessful, to the serving base station via the first connection.

[0395] 12. The method according to paragraph 11, wherein the second response message includes one of the following: a connection configuration complete message; and an information transmission message.

[0396] 13. The method according to paragraph 11 or 12, wherein the indication that the implementation of the configuration information is unsuccessful includes an indication of the reason for the unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information.

[0397] 14. The method according to any one of paragraphs 9 to 13, wherein the failure process includes not sending a response message to the connection configuration message.

[0398] 15. The method according to any one of paragraphs 9 to 14, wherein the failure process includes releasing the second connection.

[0399] 16. The method according to any one of paragraphs 9 to 15, wherein the failure process includes releasing the first connection.

[0400] 17. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the connection configuration message is configured according to the first radio access technology, wherein the connection configuration message includes a connection configuration sub-message configured according to the second radio access technology, and wherein the connection configuration sub-message includes the configuration information for the second connection.

[0401] 18. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the second connection is a secondary link connection to one or more other terminal devices.

[0402] 19. The method according to paragraph 18, wherein the secondary link connection is a vehicle-to-everything V2X connection.

[0403] 20. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the first radio access technology is New Radio (NR) and the second radio access technology is Long Term Evolution (LTE); or wherein the first radio access technology is LTE and the second radio access technology is NR.

[0404] 21. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, further comprising:

[0405] - Provide user data, and

[0406] - The user data is forwarded to the host computer via transmission to the base station.

[0407] 22. A method performed by a base station, the base station having a first connection to a terminal device using a first radio access technology, the terminal device having a second connection to one or more nodes using a second radio access technology, the method comprising:

[0408] - Sending a connection configuration message to the terminal device via the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection; and

[0409] - Receive a first response message from the terminal device via the first connection, the first response message including an indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented.

[0410] 23. The method according to paragraph 22, wherein the first response message is configured according to the first radio access technology.

[0411] 24. The method according to paragraph 22 or 23, wherein the indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented includes a connection configuration completion sub-message embedded within the first response message, configured according to the second radio access technology.

[0412] 25. The method according to paragraph 22 or 23, wherein the indication includes a sign.

[0413] 26. The method according to paragraph 25, wherein the flag is set to a predetermined value to indicate that the configuration information has been successfully implemented.

[0414] 27. The method according to paragraph 25, wherein the presence of the flag in the response message indicates that the configuration information has been successfully implemented.

[0415] 28. The method according to paragraph 22 or 23, wherein the indication that the configuration information has been successfully implemented is implicit with the transmission of the first response message.

[0416] 29. The method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 28, wherein the first response message includes one of: a connection configuration complete message; and an uplink information transmission message.

[0417] 30. A method performed by a base station, the base station having a first connection to a terminal device using a first radio access technology, the terminal device having a second connection to one or more nodes using a second radio access technology, the method comprising:

[0418] - Sending a connection configuration message to the terminal device via the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection; and

[0419] - Receive a second response message from the terminal device via the first connection, the second response message including an indication that the implementation of the configuration information was unsuccessful.

[0420] 31. The method according to paragraph 30, wherein the second response message includes one of the following: a connection configuration complete message; and an information transfer message.

[0421] 32. The method according to paragraph 30 or 31, wherein the indication that the implementation of the configuration information is unsuccessful includes an indication of the reason for the unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information.

[0422] 33. The method according to any one of paragraphs 30 to 32, further comprising: initiating a connection re-establishment process for the terminal device in response to receiving the second response message.

[0423] 34. The method according to any one of paragraphs 30 to 32, further comprising: in response to receiving the second response message, releasing radio resources on the first connection for the terminal device.

[0424] 35. The method according to any one of paragraphs 30 to 32, further comprising: in response to receiving the second response message, releasing the stored context of the terminal device for the second connection.

[0425] 36. The method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 35, wherein the connection configuration message is configured according to the first radio access technology, wherein the connection configuration message includes a connection configuration sub-message configured according to the second radio access technology, and wherein the connection configuration sub-message includes the configuration information for the second connection.

[0426] 37. The method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 36, wherein the second connection is a secondary link connection to one or more other terminal devices.

[0427] 38. The method according to paragraph 37, wherein the secondary link connection is a vehicle-to-everything V2X connection.

[0428] 39. The method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 38, wherein the first radio access technology is New Radio (NR) and the second radio access technology is Long Term Evolution (LTE); or wherein the first radio access technology is LTE and the second radio access technology is NR.

[0429] 40. The method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 39 further comprises:

[0430] - Obtain user data; and

[0431] - Forward the user data to the host computer or terminal device.

[0432] 41. A terminal device, the terminal device comprising:

[0433] - Processing circuitry configured to perform the method described according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21; and

[0434] - A power supply circuit configured to supply power to the terminal device.

[0435] 42. A base station, the base station comprising:

[0436] - A processing circuit configured to perform the method described according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 40;

[0437] - A power supply circuit configured to supply power to the base station.

[0438] 43. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising:

[0439] - An antenna, which is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals;

[0440] - A radio front-end circuit, which is connected to the antenna and the processing circuit, and is configured to modulate the signal transmitted between the antenna and the processing circuit;

[0441] - The processing circuit is configured to perform the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21;

[0442] - An input interface, which is connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow information to be input into the UE for processing by the processing circuitry;

[0443] - An output interface, which is connected to the processing circuit and configured to output information that has been processed by the processing circuit from the UE; and

[0444] - A battery, which is connected to the processing circuit and configured to power the UE.

[0445] 44. A communication system, comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

[0446] - Processing circuitry, configured to provide user data; and

[0447] - A communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE).

[0448] - 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 the method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 40.

[0449] 45. The communication system according to paragraph 44 further includes the base station.

[0450] 46. ​​The communication system according to paragraph 44 or 45 further includes the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0451] 47. A communication system according to any one of paragraphs 44 to 46, wherein:

[0452] - The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and

[0453] - The UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0454] 48. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0455] - Provide user data at the host computer; and

[0456] - At the host computer, a transmission carrying the user data is initiated to the UE via a cellular network including the base station, wherein the base station performs the method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 40.

[0457] 49. The method according to paragraph 48 further includes: transmitting the user data at the base station.

[0458] 50. The method according to paragraph 48 or 49, wherein the user data is provided at a host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application associated with the host application.

[0459] 51. A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station, the UE including a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform the method according to any one of paragraphs 48 to 50.

[0460] 52. A communication system, comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

[0461] - Processing circuitry, configured to provide user data; and

[0462] - A communication interface configured to forward user data to the cellular network for transmission to the user equipment (UE).

[0463] - Wherein, the UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry, and the components of the UE are configured to perform the method described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 21.

[0464] 53. The communication system according to paragraph 52, wherein the cellular network further includes a base station configured to communicate with the UE.

[0465] 54. The communication system according to paragraph 52 or 53, wherein:

[0466] - The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and

[0467] - The UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0468] 55. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0469] - Provide user data at the host computer; and

[0470] - At the host computer, a transmission carrying the user data is initiated to the UE via a cellular network including the base station, wherein the UE performs the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21.

[0471] 56. The method according to paragraph 55 further includes: receiving the user data from the base station at the UE.

[0472] 57. A communication system, comprising a host computer, the host computer including:

[0473] - A communication interface configured to receive user data originating from transmissions from a user equipment (UE) to a base station.

[0474] - Wherein, the UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21.

[0475] 58. The communication system according to paragraph 57 further includes the UE.

[0476] 59. The communication system according to paragraph 57 or 58 further includes the 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 the host computer.

[0477] 60. A communication system according to any one of paragraphs 57 to 59, wherein:

[0478] - The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute host applications; and

[0479] - The UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data.

[0480] 61. A communication system according to any one of paragraphs 57 to 60, wherein:

[0481] - The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing requested data; and

[0482] - The UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data in response to the requested data.

[0483] 62. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0484] - At the host computer, user data transmitted from the UE to the base station is received, wherein the UE performs the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21.

[0485] 63. The method according to paragraph 62 further includes: providing the user data to the base station at the UE.

[0486] 64. The method described according to paragraph 62 or 63 further includes:

[0487] - At the UE, a client application is executed to provide user data to be sent; and

[0488] - At the host computer, the host application associated with the client application is executed.

[0489] 65. The method according to any one of paragraphs 62 to 64 further includes:

[0490] - At the UE, execute the client application; and

[0491] - At the UE, input data for the client application is received, the input data being provided at the host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application.

[0492] - Wherein, the user data to be sent is provided by the client application in response to the input data.

[0493] 66. 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 the method according to any one of paragraphs 22 to 40.

[0494] 67. The communication system according to paragraph 66 further includes: the base station.

[0495] 68. The communication system according to paragraph 66 or 67 further includes: the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0496] 69. A communication system according to any one of paragraphs 66 to 68, wherein:

[0497] - The processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute host applications;

[0498] - 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.

[0499] 70. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0500] - At the host computer, user data transmitted from the base station that the base station has already received from the UE is received from the base station, wherein the UE performs the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21.

[0501] 71. The method according to paragraph 70 further includes: receiving the user data from the UE at the base station.

[0502] 72. The method according to paragraph 70 or 71 further includes: at the base station, initiating the transmission of received user data to the host computer.

Claims

1. A method performed by a terminal device (400, 710, 800), the terminal device having a first connection with a serving base station (760) using a first radio access technology, and a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology, the method comprising: - Receive a (302) connection configuration message from the serving base station via the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection; as well as - In response to the unsuccessful implementation of the configuration information for the second connection, a failure procedure (306) is triggered. The failure process includes: sending a second response message to the serving base station via the first connection, the second response message including an indication that the implementation of the configuration information was unsuccessful. The indication that the configuration information was not successfully implemented includes an indication of the reason for the failure. Wherein, the first radio access technology is New Radio (NR) and the second radio access technology is Long Term Evolution (LTE); or wherein, the first radio access technology is LTE and the second radio access technology is NR.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration information used for the second connection is embedded in the connection configuration message received from the serving base station.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The failure process also includes: suppressing the response to the connection configuration message.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The failure process also includes: releasing the second connection.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The second connection is a secondary link connection, and the one or more nodes are one or more other terminal devices.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The secondary link connection is a vehicle-to-everything V2X connection.

7. A method performed by a base station (600, 760), the base station having a first connection with a terminal device (710, 800) using a first radio access technology, the terminal device having a second connection with one or more nodes using a second radio access technology, the method comprising: - Send a (502) connection configuration message to the terminal device through the first connection, the connection configuration message including configuration information for the second connection; as well as - Receive (506) a second response message from the terminal device via the first connection, the second response message including an indication that the implementation of the configuration information was unsuccessful. The indication that the configuration information was not successfully implemented includes an indication of the reason for the failure. Wherein, the first radio access technology is New Radio (NR) and the second radio access technology is Long Term Evolution (LTE); or wherein, the first radio access technology is LTE and the second radio access technology is NR.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The configuration information used for the second connection is embedded within the connection configuration message.

9. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, further comprising: Upon receiving the second response message, a connection re-establishment process is initiated for the terminal device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, further comprising: In response to receiving the second response message, the radio resources on the first connection for the terminal device are released, or the stored context of the terminal device for the second connection is released.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein, The connection configuration message is configured according to the first radio access technology, wherein the connection configuration message includes a connection configuration sub-message configured according to the second radio access technology, and wherein the connection configuration sub-message includes the configuration information for the second connection.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein, The second connection is a secondary link connection, and the one or more nodes are one or more other terminal devices.

13. A terminal device (400, 710, 800), said terminal device comprising: - Processing circuitry (720), configured to cause the terminal device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6; as well as - A power supply circuit (737) configured to supply power to the terminal device.

14. A base station (600, 760), the base station comprising: - Processing circuitry (770), configured to cause the base station to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12; - A power supply circuit (787) configured to supply power to the base station.

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