Base Station, Method, and Storage Medium for Reducing Latency in High Propagation Delay Networks

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to techniques for reducing latency in a high propagation delay wireless communication system. A base station (BS) may receive a first buffer status report (BSR) from a user equipment (UE), the first BSR indicating an amount of uplink data buffered by the UE for transmission to the BS, and may subsequently receive a first BSR update message, the first BSR update message indicating that the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data after transmission of the first BSR. The first BSR update message may be received before a timer expires for transmission of a second BSR after authorization of the first BSR. In response, the BS may allocate resources for transmission to the UE based on the first BSR and the first BSR update message. The BS may provide an uplink grant identifying the allocated resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to systems, apparatuses, and methods for reducing latency in high propagation delay wireless communication systems. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment devices or UEs) now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these features. Additionally, there are many different wireless communication technologies and wireless communication standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with the WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH TM etc.

[0003] The introduction of an increasing number of features and functions in wireless communication devices also requires continuous improvement in wireless communication and in wireless communication devices. In particular, as multiple network technologies are integrated with more traditional cellular network technologies, new network characteristics may emerge. As an example, the introduction of new classes of cellular base stations or repeater stations may introduce significantly greater and significantly more variable propagation delays than those associated with more traditional base stations. These characteristics may lead to a degraded user experience in such networks. Accordingly, improvements in this area are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods for reducing latency in high propagation delay wireless communication systems are provided herein.

[0005] According to the technology described herein, a base station may be configured to receive a first buffer status report (BSR) from a user equipment device (UE), the first BSR indicating an amount of uplink data buffered by the UE for transmission to the base station. The base station may also receive a first BSR update message from the UE, the first BSR update message indicating that after transmission of the first BSR, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data for transmission to the base station. The first BSR update message may be received after the first BSR and before a timer for transmission of a second BSR after authorization of the first BSR expires. In response to the first BSR and the first BSR update message, the base station may allocate resources for transmission by the UE. The amount of the allocated resources may be based on the first BSR and the first BSR update message. Then, the base station may transmit an uplink grant identifying the allocated resources to the UE.

[0006] In some scenarios, the base station may also receive uplink data and the second BSR from the UE on the allocated resources, the second BSR indicating an amount of remaining uplink data for transmission from the UE.

[0007] In some scenarios, the base station may provide configuration information related to the BSR update message to the UE. In such scenarios, the first BSR update message may be received according to the configuration information.

[0008] In some scenarios, the configuration information may be transmitted to the UE in one or more of a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message, an RRC reconfiguration message, or an RRC resume message.

[0009] In some scenarios, providing the configuration information to the UE may include broadcasting the configuration information in a system information block (SIB).

[0010] In some scenarios, the base station may receive a traffic type indication from the UE identifying a type of uplink data traffic to be transmitted by the UE. The base station may also determine the configuration information based on the traffic type indication.

[0011] In some scenarios, the configuration information may define how frequently the wireless device may transmit BSR update messages.

[0012] In some scenarios, the base station may receive a UE capability indication from the UE indicating that the UE is capable of supporting BSR update messages. In such scenarios, providing the configuration information to the UE may be in response to the UE capability indication.

[0013] In some scenarios, the base station may receive a second BSR update message from the UE, which indicates that after the first BSR update message, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data to transmit to the base station. The second BSR update message may be received after the first BSR update message and before the timer for transmitting the second BSR after authorizing the first BSR expires. The amount of allocated resources may also be based on the second BSR update message.

[0014] Devices and methods having features similar to those outlined above are also disclosed.

[0015] Note that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with several different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, mobile phones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned flight controllers, automobiles, and / or motor vehicles, and various other computing devices.

[0016] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] A better understanding of the subject matter may be obtained when considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 An exemplary base station communicating with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) device is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a base station is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 5 is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a typical UL service call flow.

[0023] Figure 6is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a UL service call flow according to some embodiments, where the 4-step RA process has been modified to reduce the delay between the initial authorization request and the receipt of the uplink data UL authorization.

[0024] Figure 7 is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a UL service call flow according to some embodiments, where the 4-step RA process has been modified to provide an additional initial UL authorization.

[0025] Figure 8 is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a UL service call flow including a BSR update message according to some embodiments.

[0026] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Description

[0027] Acronyms

[0028] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0029] ··BS: Base Station

[0030] ··BSR: Buffer Status Report

[0031] ·CQI: Channel Quality Indicator

[0032] ·CSI: Channel State Information

[0033] ·CSI-RS: Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0034] ·DL: Downlink

[0035] ·GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0036] ·IE: Information Element

[0037] ·LI: Layer Indicator

[0038] ·LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0039] ·MCS: Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0040] ·NR: New Radio

[0041] · PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0042] · PMI: Precoding Matrix Indicator

[0043] · PRACH: Physical Random Access Channel

[0044] · RACH: Random Access Channel

[0045] · RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0046] · RF: Radio Frequency

[0047] · RI: Rank Indicator

[0048] · RO: RACH Opportunity

[0049] · RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power

[0050] · RX: Receive

[0051] · SINR: Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio

[0052] · SR: Scheduling Request

[0053] · SSB: Synchronization Signal Block

[0054] · TX: Transmit

[0055] · UE: User Equipment

[0056] · UL: Uplink

[0057] · UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0058] Terms

[0059] The following is a glossary of terms that will appear in this disclosure:

[0060] Memory Medium - Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system that executes a program, or may be located in a different second computer system that is connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside at different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) executable by one or more processors.

[0061] Carrier Medium - The memory medium as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0062] Computer System (or Computer) - Any of various types of computing systems or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, Internet appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. Generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0063] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE Device") - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone TM , Android TM -based phones), tablet computers (e.g., iPad TM , Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM , Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM) Wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), laptop computers, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0064] Wireless device - Any one of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. The wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a certain location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0065] Communication device - Any one of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication can be wired or wireless. The communication device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a certain location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0066] Base station (BS) - The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and at least includes a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0067] Processing element (or processor) - Refers to various elements or combinations of elements that can perform functions in a device (such as a user equipment device or a cellular network device). The processing element can include, for example: a processor and associated memory, parts or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any combination of the above.

[0068] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and at least includes a wireless communication network or RAT that is served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provides connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0069] Automatically - refers to the performance of an action or operation by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the action or operation being directly specified or performed through user input. Thus, the term "automatically" contrasts with a user manually performing or specifying an operation, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are "automatically" performed are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not "manually" performed, where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a spreadsheet by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be filled out automatically by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executing on a computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but they are completed automatically). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0070] Configured to - various components can be described as "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such an environment, "configured to" is a broad statement generally meaning "having" the "structure" to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently performing a task, the component can be configured to perform the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad statement generally meaning "having" the "circuitry" to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently powered on, the component can be configured to perform the task. Generally, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" can include hardware circuitry.

[0071] For ease of description, various components can be described as performing one or more tasks. Such a description should be interpreted to include the phrase "configured to". A component described as configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6 with respect to that component.

[0072] Figure 1 and Figure 2 — Exemplary communication system

[0073] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system that can implement various aspects of the present disclosure according to some embodiments. Note thatFigure 1 The system is only one example of possible systems, and this implementation can be realized in any of various systems as needed.

[0074] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102, which communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user equipments 106A, 106B, etc. up to 106N via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or UE device. Thus, the user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0075] The base station 102 may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software for implementing wireless communication with the UEs 106A to 106N. If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If the base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". The base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, as well as various possible networks). Thus, the base station 102 can facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and the network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a "cell". Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, the base station may sometimes be considered to represent the network when considering the uplink and downlink communications of the UE. Thus, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in the network can also be understood as a UE communicating with the network.

[0076] The base station 102 and the user equipment may be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs), which are also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, advanced LTE (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2, CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0077] Base stations 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can thus provide a network of one or more cells, which can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to the UEs 106 and similar devices over a certain geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0078] Note that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using either or both of the 3GPP cellular communication standard or the 3GPP2 cellular communication standard. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may be configured to perform techniques for reducing latency in a multi-beam wireless communication system, such as according to the various methods described herein. The UE 106 may also be configured or alternatively configured to communicate using WLAN, BLUETOOTH TM , one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0079] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with a base station 102 is shown according to some embodiments. The UE 106 may be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a wearable device, a computer or a tablet, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an unmanned aircraft controller (UAC), a car, or almost any type of wireless device. The UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. The UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described in the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, the UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an integrated circuit, and / or any of various other possible hardware components configured to perform (e.g., individually or in combination) any one of the method embodiments described herein or any part of any one of the method embodiments described herein. The UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any one of multiple wireless communication protocols. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0080] UE 106 may include one or more antennas that communicate using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio components may include a single antenna or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Generally, the radio components may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio components may use the foregoing hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0081] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include separate transmit chains and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol it is configured to communicate with. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols and one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating using any one of LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or NR, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH TM individually. Other configurations are possible.

[0082] Figure 3 — Block diagram of an exemplary UE device

[0083] Figure 3A block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 in accordance with some embodiments is shown. As shown, the UE 106 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include portions for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the UE 106, and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide a display signal to a display 360. The SOC 300 may also include a sensor circuit 370, which may include components for sensing or measuring any of a variety of possible characteristics or parameters of the UE 106. For example, the sensor circuit 370 may include a motion sensing circuit configured to detect the motion of the UE 106 using, for example, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or any of a variety of other motion sensing components. As another possibility, the sensor circuit 370 may include one or more temperature sensing components for measuring the temperature of each of one or more antenna panels and / or other components of the UE 106. As needed, any of a variety of other possible types of sensor circuits may also or alternatively be included in the UE 106. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 306, read only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as the display circuit 304, radio components 330, connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0084] As shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, docking station, charging station, etc.), a display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH TM, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 may include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., as shown by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communication with the base station and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and the UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. Generally speaking, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 335. For example, the UE device 106 may use antenna 335 via radio circuitry 330 to perform wireless communication. As described above, in some embodiments, the UE may be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0085] The UE 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing methods by which the UE 106 performs techniques for reducing latency in a multi-beam wireless communication system as further described herein. The processor 302 of the UE device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Additionally, as Figure 3 shown, the processor 302 may be coupled to and / or interoperate with other components to perform techniques for reducing latency in a multi-beam wireless communication system in accordance with the various embodiments disclosed herein. The processor 302 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106.

[0086] In some embodiments, the radio components 330 may include separate controllers dedicated to controlling communication for various respective RAT standards. For example, as Figure 3 shown, the radio components 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 352, a cellular controller (e.g., an LTE-A and / or NR controller) 354, and a BLUETOOTH TM controller 356, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as respective integrated circuits (referred to simply as ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (more specifically with the processor 302). For example, the Wi-Fi controller 352 may communicate with the cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link or a WCI interface, and / or BLUETOOTH TMThe controller 356 may communicate with the cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link or the like. Although three separate controllers are shown within the radio component 330, other implementations with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs may be implemented in the UE device 106. In some implementations, the cellular controller 354 may include a baseband processor configured to implement or cause the UE 106 to implement one or more of the processes or portions thereof disclosed herein.

[0087] Additionally, implementations are contemplated in which the controller may implement functions associated with multiple radio access technologies. For example, according to some implementations, in addition to the hardware and / or software components for performing cellular communication, the cellular controller 354 may further include hardware and / or software components for performing one or more activities associated with Wi-Fi, such as Wi-Fi preamble detection, and / or generation and transmission of Wi-Fi physical layer preamble signals.

[0088] Figure 4 —Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0089] Figure 4 A block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some implementations is shown. Note that Figure 4 the base station is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that can execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuits or devices, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0090] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices such as the UE device 106 to the telephone network as described above in Figure 1 and Figure 2 . The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to couple to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0091] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. Antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be designed to communicate via various radio communication standards, which include but are not limited to NR, LTE, LTE-A, WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. Processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement and / or support the implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), base station 102 may be designed as an access point (AP), in which case network port 470 may be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or a local area network, for example, it may include at least one Ethernet port, and radio component 430 may be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0092] High propagation delay network

[0093] As various network technologies are integrated with more traditional cellular network technologies, new network characteristics may emerge. As an example, the introduction of new classes of cellular base stations or repeater stations may introduce significantly greater and significantly more variable propagation delays than those associated with more traditional base stations.

[0094] For example, 3GPP has been involved in multiple research projects regarding the integration of non-terrestrial networks (NTN) into the 3GPP ecosystem. For example, see 3GPP TR 38.811, 3GPP TR 22.822, 3GPP work item 860046 (sNR_NTN_solutions). In such systems, the propagation delay between a UE such as UE 106 and a non-terrestrial network may be much greater than the propagation delay between the UE and a traditional terrestrial base station. Additionally, such systems may include cells that cover a larger geographical area than traditional cells, which may result in a large difference in the propagation delay at two points within the cell. In other words, in such systems, a UE located at a first point in the cell may experience a significantly greater propagation delay compared to a UE located at a second point in the same cell. Such delays and differentials may be multiplied for processes that require multiple round-trip communications.

[0095] Figure 5It is a communication flow chart showing an example of a typical UL service call flow. As shown in the figure, a UE such as UE 106 can communicate with a base station such as BS 102.

[0096] UE 106 can transmit an initial authorization request 502 for reporting authorization to BS 102. In some scenarios, the initial authorization request 502 may represent or include a scheduling request (SR) for requesting BSR authorization, as defined by the 3GPP standard, for example. In other scenarios, the initial authorization request 502 may represent or include a random access (RA) initiation message that is configured to initiate a process for random access communication with BS 102. As an example, such an RA initiation message may include or consist of an RA preamble (sometimes also referred to as MSG1), as defined by the 3GPP standard. Such a message may initiate a RACH process, such as a 4-step or 2-step RACH process as defined by the 3GPP standard. Regardless of the format used, the initial authorization request 502 may convey a simplified request for resource allocation to allow the transmission of a more detailed report or resource request. Since the initial authorization request 502 initiates a new communication exchange, it may consist of predefined values. For example, an SR may consist of a single bit, while MSG1 may consist of a predefined preamble. These signals do not include an uplink data payload. As used herein, the term "uplink data" refers to the payload data of UE 106, as distinguished from control signaling, etc. For example, a BSR is not considered uplink data.

[0097] In response to receiving the initial authorization request 502, BS 102 can transmit a limited UL authorization 504 to UE 106. The limited UL authorization 504 can identify UL resources sufficient for UE 106 to transmit a more detailed report or resource request. For example, the limited UL authorization 504 may include a UL authorization for UE 106 to transmit a BSR or a similar report. As another example, if the initial authorization request 502 includes an RA preamble, the limited UL authorization 504 may include or consist of an RA response (sometimes also referred to as MSG2), as defined by the 3GPP standard, which may include a UL authorization for UE 106 to transmit a further authorization request such as an RRC connection request. The limited UL authorization 504 allocates resources sufficient for UE 106 to transmit a more detailed report or resource request but not sufficient to transmit an uplink data payload. For example, in some scenarios, the limited UL authorization 504 may allocate resources sufficient for UE 106 to transmit approximately 60 bytes or some similar value (e.g., significantly less than 1 MB).

[0098] In response to receiving a limited UL grant 504, UE 106 may transmit an extended UL grant request 506 to BS 102. For example, the extended UL grant request 506 may include a buffer status report (BSR), which may report the amount of data buffered by UE 106 for transmission to BS 102. The BSR may represent a request to transmit a certain amount of data to BS 102. In some scenarios, the BSR 506 may be formatted as defined by the 3GPP standard. As another example, if the limited UL grant 504 includes a RA response, the extended UL grant request 506 may include an RRC connection request (sometimes also referred to as MSG3), as defined by the 3GPP standard, which may include a UL grant for UE 106 to transmit further communications.

[0099] In response to receiving the extended grant request 506, BS 106 may transmit a UL grant 508 to UE 106. The UL grant 508 may identify UL resources that may be used by UE 106 to transmit uplink data. For example, the UL grant 508 may identify UL resources that may be used by UE 106 to transmit at least a portion of the amount of data identified in the BSR included in the extended grant request 506. The UL grant 508 may be significantly larger than the limited UL grant 504. For example, in some scenarios, the UL grant 508 may allocate resources sufficient for UE 106 to transmit many MBs (e.g., up to 80 MB).

[0100] In response to receiving the UL grant 508, UE 106 may convey uplink data 510 to BS 102. As shown, the uplink data 510 may represent one or more transmissions of uplink data and, in some scenarios, may also include one or more responses from BS 102, such as ACK / NACK messages.

[0101] Upon receiving Figure 5 Between receiving any of the signals shown and transmitting the next subsequent signal, due to processing the received signal, the receiving device will introduce some processing delay. The duration of this delay is generally not affected by the signal propagation time. Thus, the processing delay may remain relatively constant across networks of different sizes. In contrast, the round-trip time required for each individual signal to travel from UE106 to BS 102 (or vice versa) is defined as the propagation delay and will increase with the distance between UE 106 and BS 102. Thus, compared to the delay experienced in a geographically smaller cell, during an execution process such as Figure 5When the process shown is performed, a geographically larger cell may experience significantly longer delays. Additionally, a geographically larger cell may experience significant differential delays, meaning that BS 102 may experience a significantly longer propagation delay when communicating with UE 102 at a first location within the cell than it would experience when communicating with a second UE at a second location within the cell. As an example, an NTN-supported cell may have a sufficient geographic size such that such propagation delays and differential delays will become so large that they will have a negative impact on the user experience when performing a BSR authorization process as shown Figure 5 when performed.

[0102] Additionally, such long round-trip propagation delays can magnify the impact of bursts in two-way communication, where for example UE 106 transmits a large amount of data and must wait for an acknowledgement of the entire data set before performing additional communication. The extended propagation delay exacerbates the impact of such waiting times.

[0103] Therefore, it would be advantageous if Figure 5 the process shown could be adapted to high propagation delay networks to reduce the delay between an initial authorization request and the receipt of an uplink data UL authorization. It would also be advantageous if the process could be adapted to smooth the signal flow to reduce bursts.

[0104] Figure 6 —Implementing a Modified PRACH for Reducing Delay

[0105] One way to reduce the delay between an initial authorization request and the receipt of an uplink data UL authorization in a high propagation delay network is to immediately provide an initial uplink data UL authorization in response to an initial request (e.g., before UE 106 transmits a BSR or similar report / request). This initial uplink data UL authorization may allow UE 106 to transmit at least a portion of its uplink data earlier than would be allowed according to Figure 5 the process shown.

[0106] Figure 6 is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a UL service call flow according to some embodiments, where the 4-step RA process has been modified to reduce the delay between an initial authorization request and the receipt of an uplink data UL authorization.

[0107] As shown, UE 106 may initiate the call flow by transmitting an RA initiation message 602 (such as an RA preamble or similar message) to BS 102. The difference between the RA initiation message 602 and the initial authorization request 502 may be that the RA initiation message 602 may be configured to indicate the type or size of the UL authorization that should be authorized (e.g., requested to be authorized) in response to the RA initiation message 602. Thus, subsequent authorizations may not be limited to Figure 5The limited authorization provided during the process.

[0108] As an example, the RA initiation message 602 can be configured to indicate the type or size of the desired UL authorization by including a specific preamble sequence. For example, a conventional RA initiation message currently defined by the 3GPP standard can consist of a preamble sequence randomly selected from a set of sequences available in the cell (e.g., based on cyclic shift and PRACH root sequence index). In contrast, in Figure 6 a specific implementation of, the UE 106 can intentionally select a specific preamble sequence (e.g., by intentionally selecting the PRACH root sequence index and cyclic shift). Specifically, a first preamble sequence can indicate that the RA initiation message 602 is requesting a limited UL authorization, e.g., consistent with Figure 5 the conventional process shown. A second different preamble sequence can indicate that the RA initiation message 602 is requesting an extended UL authorization that includes an allocation of resources sufficient for the UE 106 to transmit uplink data. In some specific implementations, the size of the authorization requested by the second preamble sequence can be pre-determined. In some specific implementations, other preamble sequences can be used to request UL authorizations of different sizes. In some scenarios, the association between the available preamble and the UL authorization request can be configured in a "PRACH-config" information element (IE).

[0109] As a second example, the RA initiation message 602 can be configured to indicate the type or size of the desired UL authorization based on the RACH opportunity (RO) in which the RA initiation message 602 is transmitted. A RACH opportunity is an area specified in the time domain and frequency domain that can be used for the transmission of RACH preambles. In LTE, for all possible RACH preambles, there is only one RO specified by an RRC message (SIB2). However, in NR, the synchronization signal (SSB) is associated with different beams, and the UE 106 can select a specific beam and use that beam to send the PRACH. To enable the network to determine which beam the UE 106 has selected, 3GPP defines a specific mapping between the SSB and the RO. By detecting the RO on which the UE 106 transmits the PRACH, the BS 102 can determine which SSB beam the UE 106 has selected. In this example, the selected RO can additionally indicate the type or size of the desired UL authorization. For example, transmitting the RA initiation message 602 on a first RO can indicate that the RA initiation message 602 is requesting a limited UL authorization, e.g., consistent with Figure 5Consistent with the traditional process shown. Transmitting the RA initiation message 602 on a second different RO may indicate that the RA initiation message 602 is requesting an extended UL grant, which includes an allocation of resources sufficient for the UE 106 to transmit uplink data. In some specific implementations, the size of the grant requested by the second RO may be predetermined. In some specific implementations, other ROs may be used to request UL grants of different sizes. In some scenarios, the association between the available RO and the UL grant request may be configured in the "PRACH-config" IE.

[0110] Other methods may also or alternatively be used to configure the RA initiation message 602 to indicate the type or size of the desired UL grant. The significant feature of the above examples is that the RA initiation message 602 continues to consist of a preamble sequence compatible with the existing 3GPP standards. For example, the RA initiation message configured according to any of the above examples does not include additional bits, fields, or other messages for conveying the type or size of the desired UL grant. Specifically, the RA initiation message 602 may not include a BSR and may not include a MAC header.

[0111] In some scenarios, the UE 106 may determine the type or size of the UL grant to request based on one or more factors, such as the amount of data buffered for transmission to the BS 102, the data type, the quality of service (QoS), the propagation between the UE 106 and the BS 102, and / or the type of network, cell, or BS. For example, in some scenarios, the UE 106 may request an extended UL grant in response to determining that the BS 102 is an NTN BS and thus expected to exhibit high propagation delay. In contrast, the UE 106 may request a limited UL grant in response to determining that the BS 102 is a traditional terrestrial BS. The UE 106 may accordingly configure the RA initiation message 602.

[0112] In response to receiving the RA initiation message 602, the BS 102 may transmit a UL grant 604 to the UE 102. The UL grant 604 may identify the UL resources that can be used by the UE 106 to transmit data consistent with the request indicated by the RA initiation message 602. As Figure 6 shown, the UL grant 604 is an extended UL grant that identifies the UL resources that can be used by the UE 106 to transmit uplink data.

[0113] In Figure 6In the scenario, UE 102 may transmit an uplink data message 606 to BS 102 in response to receiving a UL grant 604. The uplink data message 606 may include some or all of the data buffered by UE 106 for transmission to BS 102 using the resources identified in the UL grant 604. The uplink data message 606 may also include a BSR that reports the remaining amount of buffered data for transmission to BS 102. For example, the BSR may be included in or consist of a MAC control element (CE) included in the uplink data message 606.

[0114] In response to receiving the uplink data message 606 with the included BSR, BS 102 may transmit an additional UL grant 608 that identifies UL resources that may be used by UE 106 to transmit at least a portion of the buffered data reported by the BSR.

[0115] In response to receiving the additional UL grant 608, UE 106 may convey an uplink data message 610 to BS 102. As shown, the uplink data message 610 may represent one or more transmissions of uplink data and, in some scenarios, may also include one or more responses from BS 102, such as ACK / NACK messages.

[0116] It should be understood that a similar process may be used to update the two-step RA process. For example, in the two-step RA process, the RA initiation message may be configured to indicate the type or size of the requested UL grant, for example, using any of the methods described above. In some scenarios, such methods may be used to request a larger grant than would otherwise be requested in the RA initiation message of the two-step RA process.

[0117] Figure 7 — Modified PRACH for initial uplink data UL grant

[0118] Another method for reducing the delay between the initial authorization request and the receipt of the uplink data UL grant and for reducing burstiness in a high propagation delay network is to immediately provide an additional fixed initial UL grant in response to the initial request (e.g., before UE 106 transmits a BSR or similar report / request). This additional initial UL grant may allow UE 106 to transmit at least a portion of its uplink data earlier than permitted by the process shown Figure 5 and illustrated.

[0119] Figure 7 is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a UL traffic call flow according to some embodiments, where the four-step RA process has been modified to provide an additional initial UL grant.

[0120] As shown in the figure, UE 106 can initiate a call flow by transmitting a RA initiation message 702 (such as, a RA preamble or a similar message) to BS 102. In some scenarios, the RA initiation message 702 can be similar to or the same as Figure 5 the initial authorization request 502.

[0121] In response to receiving the RA initiation message 702, BS 102 can transmit a configured authorization 704 to UE 106. For example, the configured authorization 704 can be included in a RA response or can be broadcast in a SIB. The configured authorization 704 can identify UL resources that can be used by UE 106 to transmit uplink data. In some scenarios, the size of the configured authorization 704 can be fixed or pre-determined.

[0122] The transmission of the configured authorization 704 can be based on one or more factors. For example, if BS 102 is of a particular type or is included in a particular type of network (such as NTN), then BS 102 can transmit the configured authorization 704 in response to receiving the RA initiation message 702. As another example, BS 102 can transmit the configured authorization 704 in response to receiving the RA initiation message 702 based on the cell size or the propagation delay observed within the cell.

[0123] In response to receiving the configured authorization 704, UE 106 can convey an uplink data message 708 to BS 102. As shown in the figure, the uplink data message 708 can represent one or more transmissions of uplink data and, in some scenarios, can also include one or more responses from BS 102, such as ACK / NACK messages. In some scenarios, the uplink data message 708 can also include a BSR that reports the amount of buffered data remaining for transmission to BS 102. For example, the BSR can be included in or composed of a MAC control element (CE) included in the uplink data message 708.

[0124] In some scenarios, the configured authorization 704 can be configured such that the allocated resources (and thus the uplink data message 708) occur shortly after the transmission of an RRC connection establishment message (not shown) from BS 102 to UE 106. In the case where the RRC connection is not completed (e.g., due to a contention resolution failure for UE 106), BS 102 can discard the configured authorization 704.

[0125] In response to receiving the RA initiation message 702, BS 102 can also transmit a limited UL authorization 706 to UE 106, such as a RA response. In some scenarios, the limited UL authorization 706 can be similar to Figure 5is similar to or the same as the limited UL grant 504. The limited UL grant 706 can identify UL resources sufficient for the UE 106 to transmit a more detailed report or resource request.

[0126] In response to receiving the limited UL grant 706, the UE 106 can complete the RA procedure, for example, by exchanging an RRC connection request and an RRC connection establishment message with the BS 102, substantially as described in conjunction with Figure 5 as outlined.

[0127] In response to receiving an uplink data message 708 including a BSR, the BS 102 can transmit an additional UL grant 710 to the UE 106, and the additional UL grant can identify UL resources that can be used by the UE 106 to transmit uplink data.

[0128] In response to receiving the additional UL grant 710, the UE 106 can transmit an uplink data message 712 to the BS 102. As shown, the uplink data message 712 can represent one or more transmissions of uplink data, and in some scenarios, can also include one or more responses from the BS 102, such as ACK / NACK messages.

[0129] Figure 7 The call flow shown can be used to provide uplink data authorization to the UE 106 at an earlier stage than the call flow shown in Figure 5 This can allow the initial data transmission to start faster and can also reduce burstiness.

[0130] As Figure 7 a possible variation of the call flow shown, the BS 102 can send a configured grant, such as the configured grant 704, in response to receiving an SR from the UE 106. This will provide similar benefits that allow the initial data transmission to start faster and reduce burstiness.

[0131] Figure 8 — Supplemental BSR

[0132] Another way to reduce latency and smooth the signal flow in a high propagation delay network is to provide a BSR update message before the BSR timer expires to signal additional data buffered at the UE. The BSR update message can allow the buffered status to be reported more real - time to compensate for the increased propagation delay.

[0133] Once an RRC connection is established between the UE 106 and the BS 102, a typical process includes the UE 106 reporting a periodic BSR, which is performed by the network. This periodic reporting allows the UE to report buffered data at regular intervals to receive uplink data grants as needed. However, this process is designed and optimized for traditional networks and may exhibit problems if applied to high propagation delay networks without modification. For example, if the propagation delay is too high, the time between transmitting the BSR and receiving the grant can become too long because a large amount of additional data can enter the buffer during this period. This can result in large and infrequent transmission windows.

[0134] Figure 8 is a communication flow diagram showing an example of a UL traffic call flow including a BSR update message according to some embodiments.

[0135] As shown, the UE 106 may transmit a BSR 802 to the BS 102 to request an uplink data UL grant. The BSR 802 may convey the amount of data buffered at the UE 106 for transmission to the BS 102.

[0136] After the transmission of the BSR 802, the UE 106 may buffer additional data for transmission to the BS 102. However, if the BSR timer has not expired, the UE 106 may not be allowed to transmit another BSR. If a BSR update message is allowed and configured to be used by the UE 106, the UE 106 may transmit a BSR update message 804 to the BS 102, for example, in response to determining that the additional buffered data has reached a threshold amount. The BSR update message 804 may be transmitted before the BSR timer expires and may indicate to the BS 102 that additional data has been buffered by the UE 106 after the transmission of the BSR 802. For example, in some scenarios, the BSR update message 804 may indicate that the additional data buffered by the UE 106 has reached at least the threshold amount. In some scenarios, the BSR update message 804 may explicitly indicate the amount of additional data buffered by the UE 106 after the transmission of the BSR 802, or may explicitly indicate the total amount of data currently buffered by the UE 106. In some scenarios, the BSR update message 804 may be transmitted only if a UL grant has not been received in response to the BSR 802 and / or if the BSR timer has not expired since the transmission of the BSR 802. In some scenarios, the BSR update message 804 may include or consist of a MAC CE.

[0137] In some scenarios, the UE 106 may transmit one or more additional BSR update messages (not shown) before the BSR timer expires, for example, when buffering additional data.

[0138] In response to receiving both the BSR 802 and the BSR update message 804, the BS 102 may transmit a UL grant 806 to the UE 106, which identifies the resources allocated for transmitting at least a portion of the buffered data reported in the BSR 802 and the BSR update message 804. In some scenarios, the BS 102 may treat the BSR update message as a long BSR. The size of the uplink grant (or, in other words, the amount of resources allocated by the uplink grant) may be based on the BSR 802 and the BSR update message 804. For example, the size of the uplink grant may be based on the amount of data buffered at the UE 106 for transmission to the BS 102, as indicated by the BSR 802 and the BSR update message 804.

[0139] In response to receiving the UL grant 806, the UE 106 may transmit an uplink data message 808 to the BS 102. The uplink data message 808 may include some or all of the data buffered at the UE 106 for transmission to the BS 102 using the resources identified in the UL grant 806. If the UE 106 has buffered additional data and if the BSR timer has expired, the uplink data message 808 may also include a BSR that reports the remaining amount of buffered data for transmission to the BS 102. For example, the BSR may be included in or consist of a MAC CE included in the uplink data message 808.

[0140] After transmission of the uplink data message 808 with a BSR, the UE 106 may buffer additional data for transmission to the BS 102 again. If the BSR timer has not expired and if a UL grant has not been received in response to the uplink data message 808, the UE 106 may transmit a second BSR update message 810 to the BS 102. The second BSR update message 810 may be similar to the BSR update message 804.

[0141] In response to receiving the BSRs included in the uplink data message 808 and the second BSR update message 810, the BS 102 may transmit a second UL grant 812 to the UE 106, which identifies the resources allocated for transmitting at least a portion of the buffered data reported in the BSRs included in the uplink data message 808 and the second BSR update message 810. For example, the grant size is based on the BSRs included in the uplink data message 808 and the second BSR update message 810.

[0142] In response to receiving the second UL grant 812, the UE 106 may transmit a second uplink data message 814 to the BS 102. As Figure 8As shown in the example of, the second uplink message 814 may include all the data buffered by the UE 106 for transmission to the BS 102 using the resources identified in the second UL grant 812, such that the second uplink message 814 does not include an additional BSR. In other scenarios, an additional BSR may be included as needed.

[0143] In some scenarios, the network (e.g., BS 102 and / or other network components) may provide configuration information regarding BSR update messages used by the UE 106 based on various factors, such as the base station type of the BS 102, the network type, the propagation delay between the BS 102 and the UE 106 and / or one or more other UEs, and / or the capabilities of the UE 106. For example, the network may configure the number or frequency of times the UE106 may transmit BSR update messages. In some scenarios, the network may approve / disapprove the use of BSR update messages by the UE 106 and / or other UEs. In some scenarios, the UE 106 may provide an indication to the BS 102 as to whether the UE 106 supports the functionality for transmitting BSR update messages, e.g., as a UE capability indication.

[0144] In some scenarios, configuration information related to BSR update messages may be sent to UEs (such as UE 106) in the cell before the transmission of the BSR 802 or before the transmission of the BSR update message 804. For example, the BS 102 may broadcast configuration information regarding BSR update messages in a predefined system information block (SIB). This may allow the configuration information to be received by multiple UEs (e.g., all UEs) in the cell. As another example, the BS 102 may provide configuration information to the UE 106 in an RRC connection establishment message (e.g., RA MSG4) or in an RRC reconfiguration message, e.g., based on the traffic type indication sent by the UE. This may allow for a more dynamic reconfiguration of BSR update messages for individual UEs.

[0145] Such service type indications can help the network determine whether the uplink data service to be transmitted by UE 106 is of a type that may quickly fill the data buffer at UE 106. The network can thus provide configuration information for BSR update messages, or can choose not to configure such messages based on such service type indications. For example, UE 106 can provide an indication of an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) service type. In response, the network can determine not to configure a BSR update message for UE 106 because the service is of a type that is unlikely to generate a large amount of uplink data. As another example, UE 106 can provide an indication that its buffer is full. In response, the network can determine to provide an aggressive configuration for BSR update messages, such as a configuration that allows a large number and / or frequent BSR update messages. As yet another example, UE 106 can provide an indication of some intermediate data type. In response, the network can determine to provide a non-aggressive configuration for BSR update messages, for example, a configuration that allows less frequent and / or less numerous BSR update messages.

[0146] In some scenarios, such an indication can be provided as an IE. Other formats are also envisioned.

[0147] In some scenarios, when transitioning to a high propagation delay network, information about configuration information can be transmitted to UE 106. For example, BS 102 can provide configuration information to UE 106 in an RRC resume message in response to UE 106 transitioning to the network of BS 102 from, for example, a network that is not a high propagation delay network.

[0148] It should be understood that for all the foregoing examples, BS 102 can allocate as many available resources as possible for use by UE 106 in response to receiving any kind of authorization request (e.g., a limited authorization request, a full authorization request, a BSR, a BSR update message, etc.). In some scenarios, BS 102 may not provide an uplink authorization of the size requested by the authorization request; for example, BS 102 may not allocate resources sufficient to transmit all the data buffered at UE 106 for transmission to BS 102. For example, in some scenarios, sufficient resources may not be available.

[0149] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly explained to the user.

[0150] Any method among the methods for operating a user equipment (UE) described herein can form the basis for a corresponding method for operating a base station by interpreting each message / signal X received by the UE in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station.

[0151] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of various forms. For example, in some embodiments, the subject matter can be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the subject matter can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as an ASIC. In other embodiments, the subject matter can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA.

[0152] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) can be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to execute a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0153] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) can be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium (or a memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, and wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any one of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets). The device can be implemented in any of various forms.

[0154] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. The present disclosure is intended that the following claims be construed to cover all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising: an antenna; radio components, the radio components being operably coupled to the antenna; and a processor, the processor being operably coupled to the radio components; wherein the base station is configured to: receive a first buffer status report (BSR) from a user equipment (UE), the first BSR indicating an amount of uplink data buffered by the UE for transmission to the base station; receive a traffic type indication from the UE, the traffic type indication identifying a type of uplink data traffic of the uplink data buffered by the UE; provide the UE with configuration information related to a BSR update message, wherein the configuration information is determined based on the traffic type indication; receive a first BSR update message configured according to the provided configuration information from the UE, the first BSR update message indicating that after transmitting the first BSR, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data for transmission to the base station, wherein the first BSR update message is received after the first BSR and before a timer for transmitting a second BSR expires after authorizing the first BSR; allocate resources for transmission by the UE in response to the first BSR and the first BSR update message, wherein a quantity of the allocated resources is based on the first BSR and the first BSR update message; and transmit an uplink grant identifying the allocated resources to the UE.

2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the base station is further configured to: receive uplink data and the second BSR from the UE on the allocated resources, the second BSR indicating an amount of remaining uplink data for transmission from the UE.

3. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information is transmitted to the UE in one or more of a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message, an RRC reconfiguration message, or an RRC resume message.

4. The base station according to claim 1, wherein providing the configuration information to the UE includes broadcasting the configuration information in a system information block (SIB).

5. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information defines how frequently a wireless device can transmit a BSR update message.

6. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the base station is further configured to: receive a UE capability indication from the UE, wherein the UE capability indication indicates that the UE is capable of supporting a BSR update message, and wherein providing the configuration information to the UE is performed in response to the UE capability indication.

7. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the base station is further configured to: Receive a second BSR update message from the UE, the second BSR update message indicating that after the first BSR update message, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data for transmission to the base station, wherein the second BSR update message is received after the first BSR update message and before the timer for transmission of a second BSR after authorization of the first BSR expires, and wherein the amount of resources allocated is further based on the second BSR update message.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing software instructions executable by a processor of a base station, the software instructions configured to cause the base station to: Receive a first buffer status report (BSR) from a user equipment (UE), the first BSR indicating the amount of uplink data buffered by the UE for transmission to the base station; Receive a traffic type indication from the UE, the traffic type indication identifying the type of uplink data traffic of the uplink data buffered by the UE; Provide the UE with configuration information related to a BSR update message, wherein the configuration information is determined based on the traffic type indication; Receive a first BSR update message configured according to the provided configuration information from the UE, the first BSR update message indicating that after transmission of the first BSR, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data for transmission to the base station, wherein the first BSR update message is received after the first BSR and before the timer for transmission of a second BSR after authorization of the first BSR expires; In response to the first BSR and the first BSR update message, allocate resources for transmission by the UE, wherein the amount of resources allocated is based on the first BSR and the first BSR update message; And Transmit an uplink grant identifying the allocated resources to the UE.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 8, wherein the software instructions are further configured to cause the base station to: Receive uplink data from the UE on the allocated resources.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 8, wherein the configuration information is provided to the UE in one or more of a system information block (SIB), a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment message, an RRC reconfiguration message, or an RRC resume message.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 8, wherein the software instructions are further configured to cause the base station to: Receive a UE capability indication from the UE, wherein the UE capability indication indicates that the UE is capable of supporting a BSR update message, and wherein providing the configuration information to the UE is in response to the UE capability indication.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 8, wherein the software instructions are further configured to cause the base station to: Receive a second BSR update message from the UE, the second BSR update message indicating that after the first BSR update message, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data for transmission to the base station, wherein the second BSR update message is received after the first BSR update message and before a timer for authorizing transmission of a second BSR after the first BSR expires, and wherein the amount of allocated resources is further based on the second BSR update message.

13. A method for performing wireless communication within a high propagation delay network, the method comprising: by a base station: providing configuration information and a traffic type indication to a user equipment device UE, the configuration information being related to a buffer status report BSR update message, the traffic type indication identifying the type of uplink data buffered by the UE, wherein the configuration information is determined based on the traffic type indication; receiving a first BSR from the UE according to the configuration information, the first BSR indicating the amount of uplink data buffered by the UE for transmission to the base station; receiving a first BSR update message configured according to the provided configuration information from the UE, the first BSR update message indicating that after transmitting the first BSR, the UE has buffered an additional amount of uplink data for transmission to the base station, wherein the first BSR update message is received after the first BSR and before a timer for authorizing transmission of a second BSR after the first BSR expires; allocating resources for transmission by the UE in response to the first BSR and the first BSR update message, wherein the amount of allocated resources is based on the first BSR and the first BSR update message; and transmitting an uplink grant identifying the allocated resources to the UE.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the configuration information is provided to the UE in one or more of a system information block SIB, a radio resource control RRC connection establishment message, an RRC reconfiguration message, or an RRC resume message.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: receiving a UE capability indication from the UE, wherein the UE capability indication indicates that the UE is capable of supporting a BSR update message, and wherein providing the configuration information to the UE is in response to the UE capability indication.

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