Reducing contention by improving target of identification response signal

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program for assisting in identifying a target of a response to a request. The apparatus comprises means for generating a request. Means for determining a timing advance to be applied to a transmission of the request so that the request reaches a destination at a predetermined time. Means for transmitting a request signal to the destination. Means for receiving a response comprising a timing advance indication indicating a time difference between receipt of the request signal and the predetermined time. Means for determining whether the received response is a response to the request in dependence on the timing advance indication and the determined timing advance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments involve reducing contention by enabling devices, such as user equipment, to better determine whether a response signal is directed to that device or to another device. Background Technology

[0002] In wireless communication, numerous request signals, such as connection requests, trigger responses, which in turn trigger further messages. When several devices send requests at similar times and locations, a response to one device may be received by several devices, and since devices may not know whether the response is for them, multiple devices may reply, potentially leading to contention.

[0003] It is hoped that this contention can be reduced by providing additional components that identify the intended target of the response signal for the device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The scope of protection sought by the various embodiments of this disclosure is defined by the independent claims. Embodiments, examples, and features (if any) described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding the various embodiments of the invention.

[0005] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus is provided, comprising: components for generating a request; components for determining a timing advance to be applied to a predetermined time for sending the request so that the request arrives at a destination at the predetermined time; components for sending the request signal to the destination; components for receiving a response, the response including a timing advance indication indicating a time difference between the reception of the request signal and the predetermined time; and components for determining, from the timing advance indication and the determined timing advance, whether the received response is a response to the request.

[0006] It has been recognized that for signals transmitted from devices such as user equipment to network nodes, timing advance can be applied to ensure that the signals arrive at a predetermined time, which allows for synchronization between uplink and downlink frames at the destination node and effectively compensates for delays caused by transmission. In effect, timing advance is a negative offset, which, if applied at the device, allows downlink and uplink frames to be synchronized at the receiving node. In this respect, synchronization means that the uplink and downlink frames are time-aligned, or that there is a deterministic offset between them. Timing advance compensates for delays during transmission, enabling uplink signals from different devices to be received at similar instants, substantially independent of propagation delays. For example, in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) where satellite links are used to provide cellular communication, there may be significant delays in signals transmitted from the UE to the destination node via satellite links, and therefore, timing advance can be particularly useful in these situations.

[0007] The device can be configured with components that allow it to determine how long this timing advance should be. The network node can also be configured to determine the required timing advance from the time the signal is received, and can send an indication of the timing advance in response to the request. In practice, the timing advance can be determined at both the device and the network node.

[0008] It has been recognized that when a device has components for determining the required timing advance of a signal by determining the expected delay for signal transmission, then comparing that determined timing advance with the timing advance indicated by the network node in the response can be used as an indication of whether the response is for that particular device. In this way, an additional method for determining whether a response is for a particular device is provided, and contention can be reduced.

[0009] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for providing a timing offset; the components for sending the request signal to the destination are configured to send the request signal using the selected timing offset; wherein the components for determining whether the received response is a response to the request are configured to determine this based on the timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance.

[0010] In some embodiments, the component for providing the offset includes a component for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets.

[0011] In some embodiments, the component for providing the timing offset includes a component for selecting an offset from a plurality of predetermined offsets. In other embodiments, the timing offset may be provided in an alternative manner, such as by means of a random number generator configured to generate timing offset values ​​within a predefined range.

[0012] In the case where the component used for provision is a component used for selection, the component used for selection can randomly select one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets. In other embodiments, it can select the timing offset based on a specific scheme, such as an algorithm based on the detection of the density of other user equipment in the area.

[0013] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for adding the selected timing offset to the timing advance to generate an updated timing advance; the components for sending the request are configured to send the request to the destination using the updated timing advance; and components for determining whether the received response is a response to the request by determining whether the indication of the selected timing offset and the timing advance differs by less than a predetermined amount.

[0014] In some embodiments, the predetermined amount is an acceptable error for determining the expected time delay.

[0015] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of predetermined timing offsets is less than the time period during which the request can be safely received at the destination.

[0016] In some embodiments, the random number generator generates timing offset values ​​within a predefined range that are smaller than the time period during which the request can be safely received at the destination.

[0017] In some embodiments, the plurality of timing offsets includes no offset, i.e., a timing offset of 0 seconds.

[0018] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a data repository for storing the plurality of predetermined timing offsets.

[0019] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving the plurality of timing offsets.

[0020] In some embodiments, the timing offset value can be received from the network, or it can be received from the base station.

[0021] In some embodiments, the component provided is configured to determine where a conflict is unlikely to occur and to choose not to apply a timing offset to the timing in advance.

[0022] In some embodiments, the device may be able to determine where a conflict is unlikely to occur, and in such cases may choose not to apply a timing offset and not to determine whether a received response is a response to a request based on a timing advance indication and the determined timing advance, as it may assume that a conflict will be impossible and that the additional overhead of performing these comparisons is unnecessary.

[0023] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for determining an expected time delay in sending the request signal to the destination, the timing advance being determined based on the expected time delay.

[0024] In some embodiments, the component for determining is configured to determine the expected time delay based on at least one of the device speed, the speed of a satellite configured to relay the connection request to the destination, and the device location.

[0025] Although the request can be for many things, in some embodiments the request includes a connection request and the response includes a connection response.

[0026] While this technique can be applied to any request where the destination sends a timed advance indication, it is particularly suitable for connection requests that trigger multiple subsequent messages, because in such cases, significant delays can occur if contention exists and message sending fails.

[0027] In some embodiments, the connection request includes a random access preamble and the connection response includes a random access response.

[0028] In some embodiments, the component includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the device to execute together with the at least one processor.

[0029] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided according to another aspect, comprising: generating a request; determining a timing advance required for the request to arrive at a destination at a predetermined time; outputting the sending request to the destination; receiving a response, the response including a timing advance indicator indicating a time difference between the receipt of the request at the destination and the predetermined time; and determining whether the received response is a response to the request based on the timing advance indicator and the determined timing advance.

[0030] In some embodiments, the method further includes providing a timing offset; sending the request signal to the destination with the selected timing offset; and determining whether the received response is a response to the request based on the timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance.

[0031] In some embodiments, the step of providing the offset includes selecting one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets.

[0032] In some embodiments, the method further includes adding the selected timing offset to the timing advance to generate an updated timing advance; the step of sending the request includes sending the request to the destination with the updated timing advance; and the step of determining whether the received response is a response to the request includes determining whether the indications of the selected timing offset and the timing advance differ by less than a predetermined amount.

[0033] In some embodiments, the method includes an initial step of determining whether a conflict is unlikely to occur, and the selection step includes selecting not to apply a timing offset to the timing advance if it is determined that a conflict is unlikely to occur.

[0034] In some embodiments, the step of determining the timing advance includes: determining the expected time delay for sending the request signal to the destination.

[0035] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention, a computer program is provided that includes computer-readable instructions operable, when executed by a processor, to control the processor to perform a method according to another aspect.

[0036] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a circuit system configured to generate a request; a circuit system configured to determine a timing advance to be applied to a predetermined time for sending the request so that the request arrives at a destination at the predetermined time; a circuit system configured to send a request signal to the destination; a circuit system configured to receive a response, the response including a timing advance indication indicating a time difference between the reception of the request signal and the predetermined time; and a circuit system configured to determine, based on the timing advance indication and the determined timing advance, whether the received response is a response to the request.

[0037] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a circuit system configured to select one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets; a circuit system configured to send the request signal to the destination at the selected timing offset; wherein the circuit system configured to determine whether the received response is a response to the request is configured to determine this based on the timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance.

[0038] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a circuit system configured to add the selected timing offset to the timing advance to generate an updated timing advance; the circuit system configured to send the request to the destination via the updated timing advance; and the circuit system configured to determine whether the received response is a response to the request, and to determine whether the indication of the selected timing offset and the timing advance differs by less than a predetermined amount.

[0039] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes a circuit system configured to store the at least one predetermined timing offset.

[0040] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes a circuit system configured to receive the value of the timing offset.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the device further includes a selection circuitry configured to determine where a conflict is unlikely to occur and to select not to apply a timing offset to the timing advance.

[0042] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes a circuitry configured to determine an expected time delay for sending the request signal to the destination, the timing advance depending on the expected time delay.

[0043] Further specific and preferred aspects are set forth in the appended independent and dependent claims. Features of the dependent claims may be suitably combined with features of the independent claims, and may be combined with those not expressly set forth in the claims.

[0044] When a device feature is described as operable to provide a function, it should be understood that this includes device features that provide that function or are adapted or configured to provide that function. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0046] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the random access procedure for a UE to connect to a network in LTE / 5G NR;

[0047] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the contents of a RAR random access response;

[0048] Figure 3 It is a flowchart illustrating the steps in the method according to an embodiment;

[0049] Figure 4 A user equipment according to an embodiment is schematically illustrated; and

[0050] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the steps of the method according to an embodiment is shown schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Before discussing the example embodiments in more detail, an overview will first be provided.

[0052] Example implementations can be used where UEs are able to estimate their signal-to-network node latency with high accuracy. Examples include non-terrestrial network (NTN) domains or industrial environments where network nodes are access points, and more specifically, domains where satellite links are used to provide cellular communications to UEs in remote areas, disaster zones, or at sea.

[0053] By examining the NTN examples, one can consider various types of satellite deployments. For the scope of this application, the most important definition is:

[0054] • Satellite altitude:

[0055] o GEO (Geostationary Orbit): Located above the equator at an altitude of approximately 36,000 kilometers from Earth, this satellite's orbital period is equivalent to one astronomical day. Therefore, from the perspective of a user on Earth, the satellite appears stationary.

[0056] LEO (Low Earth Orbit): Located at altitudes of 300 to 1500 kilometers above the Earth. They can be deployed around the Earth at different orbital inclinations and orientations, and travel at significant speeds (approximately 7500 meters per second at 600 kilometers) and have very high relative speeds as observed from Earth.

[0057] • Architecture:

[0058] o Regenerative: In this architecture, at least the lower layers are implemented on the hardware located on the satellite, which means that some of the central functions deployed by gNb are deployed on the satellite (scheduling, retransmission, random access response).

[0059] o Transparent: In a transparent architecture, the satellite hardware acts only as a repeater (or frequency converter) for gNb located on the ground. In this case, the scheduling algorithm latency is approximately twice that of the previous case.

[0060] GEO satellites have been around for decades, primarily for low-throughput applications. Recent technological advancements have made LEO deployments more attractive for new medium- to high-throughput satellite applications. Several private companies are working to provide communication solutions using LEO systems.

[0061] Compared to traditional 3GPP systems, providing NTN coverage in systems natively designed to provide terrestrial coverage presents several challenges. These include:

[0062] • Ultra-high speed: The relative speed between the LEO satellite and the UE on the ground is in the range of 7 km / s, which is far higher than any speed previously studied for 3GPP deployment. It affects frequency synchronization, channel model, handover rate, etc.

[0063] • Very high latency: In transparent scenarios, signal propagation delay can be as high as 500 milliseconds in the case of GEO satellites (approximately 40 milliseconds in the case of LEO).

[0064] In the current 3GPP Release 17 work project on Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), several protocols have been reached to address the significant latency experienced by UEs due to excessive distance from satellites (which exceeds the limit that can be easily corrected via 5G NR general signaling, as the distance between the UE and the satellite is at least 600 kilometers). Other protocols have also been reached to support calibrated frequency Doppler measurements introduced by high satellite speeds.

[0065] Among these agreements:

[0066] Agreement: (RAN1#102e)

[0067] • In Rel-17 NR NTN, at least the following UEs are supported, which can be derived from their GNSS implementations:

[0068] o its position

[0069] oReference time and frequency

[0070] Furthermore, based on one or more of these elements and additional information transmitted by the network via signals (e.g., serving satellite ephemeris or timestamps), timing and frequency can be calculated, and timing advance and frequency adjustment can be applied to UEs in at least the RRC idle / inactive mode.

[0071] There is growing interest in introducing solutions to reduce latency in NTN communications within 3GPP. This is for two reasons. First, RTT latency in NTN is already very high (ranging from tens of milliseconds in LEO deployments to as high as 500 milliseconds in GEO), and every additional step in signaling or radio control switching represents a significant additional delay in payload transmission. Second, NTN is expected to provide coverage in underserved and / or remote areas, and if UEs require longer times to perform simple procedures, they will consume additional energy, which can be a scarce resource.

[0072] The example embodiment utilizes the idea that both the UE and the network node can independently determine the timing advance required to compensate for the round-trip time delay when transmitting a signal, and this independent determination can be used to help identify whether the response is an expected response to the sent request or a response to a request from another device. In this regard, the inventors recognize that if the user equipment has components that accurately determine the expected round-trip time delay of the signal between itself and the network node, and the network node provides an indication of the timing advance required to receive the signal in its response, then a comparison of the two can indicate whether the response is for the user equipment or for another device. Therefore, the embodiment compares the timing advance determined by the UE with the timing advance indicated by the network node to determine whether the response is a response to a request sent by the user equipment, or whether the indicated timing advance is unrelated to the estimated timing advance and therefore may not be an expected response and should be ignored.

[0073] In the example implementation, the UE determines the expected time delay and performs time pre-compensation using available information (satellite ephemeris, cell broadcast, GNSS, etc.). The UE calculates timing advance to compensate for RTT (Round-Trip Time) as agreed by 3GPP. Ideally, this will result in perfect pre-compensation, meaning that the Timing Advance Command (TAC) response in msg 2 is zero or at least very close to zero.

[0074] In some cases, a user equipment (UE) may apply a specific offset to the request signal in addition to a determined timing advance, and then compare the timing advance indicated in the received response with the applied specific offset and the determined timing advance to determine whether the response is a response to its request. In some embodiments, the applied offset may be selected from a plurality of predetermined offsets that may be stored on the UE, while in other embodiments, it may be a value generated by a random number generator configured to generate values ​​within a predefined range. This allows individual UEs to more accurately distinguish between responses using the indicated timing advance, provided that each in a group of UEs may select a different specific offset from a set of offset values.

[0075] The implementation seeks to address contention resolution issues, particularly during initial access (from idle mode to connected mode). When a UE initially in idle mode detects incoming data in its buffer to be transmitted on the UL, or when the UE receives a paging from the eNb, the UE must initiate connected mode. To do this, the UE sends a random access preamble to the eNb, such as... Figure 1 As depicted in the text.

[0076] After the UE sends message 1, it waits for message 2 (Random Access Response). The RAR contains synchronization and identity information for the UE used by the eNb, and it also contains scheduling information for the subsequent transmission of message 3, such as... Figure 2 As described in [the document]. The RAPID (RA preamble ID) in the header indicates that this response is for a UE that used the same RAPID in message 1. If two or more UEs use the same RAPID during the same RA (Random Access) scenario, all of them will read this message and follow up with the sending of message 3.

[0077] In this scenario, these UEs might act as disruptive interference, causing them all to fail to send Msg 3. Alternatively, only one UE might be able to send Msg 3, but this will only become clear after receiving Msg 4. The "failed" UE will only realize the RACH attempt failed after four messages before attempting a new one. In a GEO scenario, this could add up to more than two seconds.

[0078] In the example embodiment, the UE selects a random value for the offset delay to be added to the timing pre-compensation before sending MSG1 (request). This could be an expected timing advance "mismatch" between the UE and the gNB, which the gNB will detect and notify the UE via RAR (Random Access Response). Upon receiving a Random Access Response with a valid RAPID (Random Access Preamble Identifier), the UE reads the TA (Timing Advance) field (see...). Figure 2 If the TA information provided by gNb is not within the range estimated by the UE for "mismatch", the UE assumes that the RAR is not for itself and continues to make a new RA attempt after the backoff sequence.

[0079] In an example embodiment, a UE capable of performing very fine-grained TA pre-compensation will add a "manageable and known" offset to the compensation in order to check the validity of the gNB TA response. The goal is to compare the TA command provided by the gNB in ​​the RAR with the RAPID associated with the UE with the expected value of timing advance determined by the UE.

[0080] The principle of the example embodiment is Figure 3 The flowchart is presented and described below.

[0081] In step 1, the UE calculates timing advance compensation (TAest) at a fine level by estimating RTT (using ephemeris, broadcast, GNSS, etc.).

[0082] In step 2, the UE estimates the potential error ε in the timing advance estimate based on the difference between TAest and the actual timing advance (TAreal). This difference may originate from various sources, namely potential inaccuracies and shifts between the elapsed times of message exchange during initial access. The difference depends on certain parameters, such as the frequency of checking information like satellite ephemeris and GNSS, other error sources, and the step size of TA. In some embodiments, the UE can obtain the value of ε from a lookup table, where the value is obtained based on the current value of the parameter that has the minimum impact on ε.

[0083] In some embodiments, the network (RAN) may specify a minimum value for this difference.

[0084] In step 3, the UE selects the offset delay κ to be added to the timing advance information. This offset is better chosen if it falls within the range of subsequent remaining TA provided in the TA command that cannot be entirely attributed to the inaccuracy of the initial estimate; therefore, the suggested (optional) rule is: κ - ε ≤ TAest + κ - TAreal ≤ κ + ε. The offset delay can be a random value, or it can be selected from a set of values ​​supplied to the UE by the network.

[0085] Note: The value of κ may be negative, but the principle of this approach remains unchanged.

[0086] Note: It is best to choose a value for κ to ensure that the delay does not exceed the cyclic prefix in the gNB, i.e., the time delay is within the period of time during which the request can be correctly received at the destination. In some embodiments, the network, in some cases the RAN, may specify a range of values ​​for k from which the UE can choose or a set of predefined values.

[0087] In step 4, the UE sends a preamble associated with RAPID (Random Access Preamble ID), but instead of using the fully compensated TAest, the UE uses the offset value TAest+κ as a timing advance.

[0088] In step 5, the UE scans the RAR with the same RAPID.

[0089] In step 6, the UE reads the TA command (TAc) from the RAR associated with the same RAPID. That is the timing advance indicated by the network node.

[0090] In step 7, it is determined whether the TAc in the RAR is a reasonable response to its initial transmission. In the example, if the TA command magnitude satisfies: κ-ε≤TAc≤κ+ε.

[0091] If the conditions are met, the method proceeds to step 8, and the UE completes the RA procedure and sends message 3. Following the conventional procedure, potential contention is further resolved in message 4.

[0092] If the UE detects that this message is not within the expected timing range, the UE proceeds to step 9 and stops the process, directly attempting a new RA (saving two message exchanges on top of the further interference caused in sending message 3).

[0093] Note: The differential TA associated with satellite and UE movement during the elapsed time between Msg1 (RA preamble) and Msg2 (RAR) can be used by the UE algorithm to subtract it from TAc in the formula above.

[0094] Because the algorithm is expected to be highly accurate, the offset value κ could be on the order of microseconds. Even for very strict preamble formats with very short cyclic prefixes, there may still be opportunities to add this offset delay to the preamble transmission.

[0095] - The larger the cyclic prefix of the preamble, the more κ values ​​can be selected, thus avoiding more collisions.

[0096] Even in strict scenarios where only one κ value (which is non-zero) is feasible, the UE will have two options: "apply or not apply the delay offset". This will significantly improve collision avoidance.

[0097] For example, in a scenario where the probability of a collision from different UEs in the RA is 1%, by using 32 preambles and artificially creating two additional transmission options (with and without delay offset), the probability of a collision is almost halved. Another advantage is that most collisions will be detected faster by UEs capable of using this feature, thus saving time and energy.

[0098] While the above examples pertain to NTN, the example embodiments are not limited to NTN. In industrial settings (Industry 4.0), there are many scenarios where the UE can estimate its latency to the access point with high accuracy, which may be due to high device synchronization, the use of the access point as the master clock, or the static characteristics of some industrial settings over time. In such cases, where there are only a few RA attempts per second in industrial settings, this solution offers the possibility of reducing random access contention.

[0099] The embodiment provides a gain when multiple UEs simultaneously access the system using the same preamble, and this gain depends on the load (the number of random access attempts in the cell). The invention can be configured to use this gain only when the RAN load is high. In this regard, Figure 3 The method may have an initial step in which the network sends a signal indicating that the load is high and the contention reduction method should be applied, or the load is low and steps 2 to 7 do not need to be applied, in which case the method proceeds from step 1 to step 8.

[0100] Figure 4 An example embodiment is shown where user equipment 5 communicates with network node 105 via a satellite link. User equipment 5 includes a transmitting circuitry 10 for sending signals to the network node and a receiving circuitry 12 for receiving signals from the network node. In this example, the signal travels via a satellite link, and therefore there is some delay in the transmission of the signal. User equipment 5 has a circuitry 50 for estimating the expected time delay of the signal transmitted to the network node via the satellite, and for determining, based on this, a timing advance that should be applied to the signal to compensate for the delay.

[0101] There is also a selection circuit system 20 for selecting one of a plurality of timing offsets stored in the data repository 30. These timing offsets may have already been received from the network.

[0102] When UE5 needs to send a request such as a connection request to network node 105 and the network determines that the load is high and contention may occur, UE5 can be configured to apply the contention reduction techniques of the implementation. In this case, UE5 will use circuit system 50 to estimate timing advance and select circuit system 20 to select timing offset, and when sending the request to network node 105, the timing advance will be applied to the request at transmission circuit system 10 based on the estimated timing advance plus the selected offset.

[0103] Upon receiving a response at receiving circuitry 12, and if it has an ID corresponding to the UE, determining circuitry 40 (which may be in the form of a comparator) compares the timing advance supplied by the network node and indicated in the received response with the timing advance applied to the request before transmission. If the indicated timing advance is the same as or similar to the timing advance applied by transmitting circuitry 10, then circuitry 40 determines that the response is for UE5 and the UE continues to respond to the response. If the indicated timing advance differs from the applied timing advance by more than a predetermined amount, then UE5 determines that the received signal is not a response to its request and discards the signal.

[0104] It should be noted that the circuit system 50 for estimating timing advance, the circuit system 20 for selecting timing offset, and the circuit system 40 for comparing timing advance can be processing circuit systems configured by hardware or software to perform these functions.

[0105] Figure 5 The steps in a method according to a simplified embodiment are illustrated schematically, wherein no timing offset is selected or applied.

[0106] In this embodiment, in step S20, the UE generates a request, and in step S30, it estimates the timing delay for sending the request to the destination node. In step S40, the UE sends the request to the destination with a timing advance based on the calculated timing delay. In step S50, a response is received, and the response has an associated timing advance indicator. If it is determined at D5 that the current network load is high and contention reduction techniques should be employed, then at step D15, the UE determines the difference between the applied timing advance and the indicated timing advance, and if it is less than a certain value, it determines that the response is for the UE and responds in step S70. If it is not less than the value, then the UE discards the response in step S60. If the network does not indicate high load, then the UE simply proceeds to step S70 and responds to the response.

[0107] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the steps of the various methods described above can be performed by a programmed computer. In this document, some embodiments are also intended to cover program storage devices, such as digital data storage media, which are machine- or computer-readable and encode machine-executable or computer-executable programs of instructions that perform some or all of the steps of the methods described above. Program storage devices can be, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media such as disks and tapes, hard disk drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. Embodiments are also intended to cover computers programmed to perform the steps of the methods described above.

[0108] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more of the following:

[0109] (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementations only in analog and / or digital circuit systems) and

[0110] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0111] (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0112] (ii) Any part of the (multiple) hardware processors having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) and

[0113] (c) Multiple hardware circuits and / or multiple processors, such as multiple microprocessors or a portion thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when operation is not required.

[0114] This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term in this application, including all uses in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuit system also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. For example, and where applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuit system also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0115] Although embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to various examples in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that modifications can be made to the given examples without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

[0116] The features described above can be used in combinations other than those explicitly described.

[0117] Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, these functions can be performed by other features, whether or not they are described.

[0118] Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments, those features may also exist in other embodiments, whether or not they are described.

[0119] Although the foregoing description has been intended to draw attention to those features of the invention that are considered particularly important, it should be understood that the applicant claims protection with respect to any patentable features or combinations thereof mentioned above and / or shown in the drawings, whether or not they are specifically emphasized.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising: The component used to generate the request; A component for determining a predetermined time to be applied to the transmission of the request so that the request arrives at the network node at the predetermined time; Components used to send the request to the network node; Components for receiving a response from the network node, the response including a timing advance indication indicating the time difference between the receipt of the request and the predetermined time; A component for determining whether the received response is a response to the request based on the timing advance indication and the determined timing advance; A component for determining the expected time delay of sending the request to the network node, the timing advance being determined based on the expected time delay; characterized in that the user equipment further includes: A component for providing a timing offset, wherein the timing offset is provided by randomly selecting one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets, or the timing offset is provided by a random number generator configured to generate values ​​for the timing offset within a predetermined range; The component for sending the request to the network node is configured to: send the request using the selected timing offset and the determined timing advance; wherein The component used to determine whether the received response is a response to the request is configured to determine this from the timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the component for providing the timing offset comprises: A component used to select one of several predefined timing offsets.

3. The user equipment according to claim 1, further comprising: Components for adding the timing offset to the timing advance to generate an updated timing advance; The component used to send the request is configured to send the request using the updated timing advance; The component for determining whether the received response is a response to the request is configured to: determine whether the selected timing offset and the indication of timing advance differ by less than a predetermined amount.

4. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the predetermined amount is an acceptable error in determining the expected time delay.

5. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined timing offsets is less than a time period in which the request can be correctly received at the network node.

6. The user equipment according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of timing offsets includes a timing offset with no offset, i.e., a timing offset of 0 seconds.

7. The user equipment according to claim 2, comprising: A component for storing the plurality of predetermined timing offsets.

8. The user equipment according to claim 1, comprising: A component for receiving the plurality of predetermined timing offsets.

9. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the component for providing is configured to: determine where a conflict is unlikely to occur, and select not to apply a timing offset to the timing advance.

10. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the request includes a connection request and the response includes a connection response.

11. The user equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the component comprises: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the execution of the user equipment together with the at least one processor.

12. A method performed at a user equipment, comprising: Generate a request; Determine the expected time delay for sending the request to the network node; Determine the timing advance required for the request to arrive at the network node at a predetermined time, the timing advance being determined based on the expected time delay; Output the sent request to the network node; In response to receiving a response, the response includes a timing advance indication, depending on the timing advance indication and the determined timing advance to determine whether the received response is a response to the request, the timing advance indication indicating the time difference between the receipt of the request at the network node and the predetermined time; The method is characterized in that it further includes: The timing offset is provided by randomly selecting one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets, or by using a random number generator configured to generate values ​​for the timing offset within a predetermined range. And outputting the request to the network node includes: outputting the request using the selected timing offset and the determined timing advance; and Determining whether the received response is a response to the request includes: depending on the timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance.

13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor of a user equipment, causes the user equipment to perform the method according to claim 12.

14. An apparatus for communication, comprising: The circuit system configured to generate requests; A circuit system configured to determine a timing advance to be applied to the transmission of the request so that the request arrives at its destination at the predetermined time; A circuit system configured to determine an expected time delay for sending the request to the destination, the timing advance being determined based on the expected time delay; A sender configured to send the request to the destination; A circuit system configured to provide a timing offset, wherein the timing offset is provided by randomly selecting one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets, or the timing offset is provided by a random number generator configured to generate a value for the timing offset within a predetermined range; The transmitter is configured to send the request using the timing offset and the determined timing advance; as well as A receiver configured to receive a response from the destination, the response including a timing advance indication indicating the time difference between the receipt of the request and the predetermined time; A circuit system configured to determine whether a received response is a response to a request based on the timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus includes user equipment.

16. An apparatus for communication, comprising: At least one processor; and At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to perform at least the following: Generate a connection request; The timing is advanced to determine the predetermined time to be applied to the transmission of the connection request so that the connection request arrives at its destination at the predetermined time; Determine the expected time delay for sending the request to the destination, wherein the timing advance is determined based on the expected time delay; The timing offset is provided by randomly selecting one of a plurality of predetermined timing offsets, or by using a random number generator configured to generate values ​​for the timing offset within a predetermined range. The connection request is sent to the destination in advance using the timing offset and the determined timing. Receive a response from the destination, the response including a timing advance indication, the timing advance indication indicating the time difference between the receipt of the connection request and the predetermined time; The timing advance indication, the timing offset, and the determined timing advance are used to determine whether the received response is a response to the connection request.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus includes user equipment.

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