User equipment activity alignment for power saving

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to user equipment activity alignment for power saving. Methods, systems, and apparatuses for synchronizing data transmission activities by a user equipment (UE) are disclosed. In an aspect, the method includes determining, by the UE, that an alignment of a subsequent use of resources is to be adjusted based on a current use of the resources; generating, by the UE, data indicating a plurality of activity alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to cause an adjusted alignment of the subsequent use of the resources; encoding, by the UE, the generated data for transmission to a base station; and transmitting, by the UE, the encoded data to the base station.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] UE data transmission activities can occur periodically across multiple cycles of active data transmission and rest. Conventional systems may have related transactions spaced out across multiple cycles of active transmission and rest. Summary of the Invention

[0002] This disclosure relates overall to user equipment (UE)-assisted activity alignment to enable power savings by the UE. NR network traffic may include periodic transmissions of data across the network. The periodic nature of this data transmission can result in periods of UE activity and inactivity, which can consume power. Furthermore, the emergence of technologies such as Extended Reality (XR) makes XR traffic possible, which may include multiple parallel traffic streams with the characteristic of synchronizing data content between them. For example, video and audio traffic may require synchronization, while simultaneously other data (such as gesture data, sensor data, or scene data) may be correlated with image frames. All of this data is highly dynamic and latency / delay sensitive. Therefore, enhancements to support inter-stream traffic synchronization are desired. Additionally, traffic streams scheduled for transmission in separate transport blocks can generate high demands on UE battery consumption.

[0003] During the RAN Rel-18 workshop, several companies indicated a need to enhance inter-stream synchronization for 5G NR data transmission activities, including those generated by XR and other immersive media.

[0004] According to one innovative aspect of this disclosure, a method for synchronizing data transmission activities by a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. In one aspect, the method may include the following actions: determining, by the UE, that the alignment of subsequent use of the resource will be adjusted based on the current use of the resource; generating, by the UE, data indicating a plurality of activity alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjustment alignment of subsequent use of the resource; encoding, by the UE, the generated data for transmission to a base station; and transmitting, by the UE, the encoded data to the base station.

[0005] Other aspects include systems, apparatus, and computer programs used to perform the actions described above.

[0006] This innovative method may include other optional features. For example, in some implementations, the method may also include: the UE receiving data from the base station configuring the UE to adjust subsequent resource usage; and the UE adjusting subsequent resource usage based on multiple network parameters.

[0007] In some implementations, multiple activity alignment parameters may include: first data indicating the data transmission activity to be synchronized; and second data indicating one or more of the following: transmission direction, group synchronization tolerance, individual synchronization tolerance, synchronization point, request for a single transport block, or request to map a group of network traffic to n transport blocks.

[0008] In some specific implementations, the resource includes or is associated with one or more Data Radio Bearers (DRBs), one or more Logical Channels (LCHs), one or more Component Carriers (CCs), one or more Logical Channel Groups (LCGs), one or more Quality of Service (QOS) streams, or one or more Configuration Grants (CGs), or one or more SPSs.

[0009] In some implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent resource use, determined by the UE based on the current resource usage, may include the UE determining that multiple resources are each associated with a packet arrival time that meets a threshold arrival time. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent resource use may include generating data that instructs the base station to use the same component carrier (CC) to aggregate multiple resources within a single cycle of transmission activity.

[0010] In some specific implementations, the multiple activity alignment parameters include at least one of the parameters defined in claim 4.

[0011] In some implementations, the alignment of subsequent resource usage determined by the UE based on the current resource usage may include the UE determining that multiple configuration authorizations are each associated with data requiring synchronous transmission. In such implementations, the alignment of subsequent resource usage determined by the UE based on the current resource usage may include generating data that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting aggregation of multiple resources using the same component carrier (CC) within a single cycle of transmission activity performed by the UE.

[0012] In some specific implementations, multiple activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data that identifies multiple configuration authorizations; and (ii) data that identifies group synchronization tolerances.

[0013] In some specific implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent resource use, determined by the UE based on the current use of the resource, may include the UE determining that multiple resources are each associated with a packet arrival time that meets a threshold arrival time. The UE generating data indicating multiple activity alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent resource use may include generating data that instructs the base station to aggregate multiple resources using different component carriers (CCs) for each of the multiple radio resources within a single cycle of transmission activity.

[0014] In some specific implementations, the multiple activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data that identifies multiple configuration authorizations; (ii) data that identifies each of the different CCs; and (iii) data that identifies group synchronization tolerances.

[0015] In some implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent use of resources, determined by the UE based on the current use of the resources, may include the UE determining that multiple resources are each associated with data requiring synchronous transmission. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating multiple activity alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent use of resources may include generating data that instructs the base station that the UE will request the aggregation of multiple resources using different component carriers (CCs) for each of the multiple resources within a single cycle of transmission activity performed by the UE.

[0016] In some specific implementations, the multiple activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data that identifies multiple configuration authorizations; (ii) data that identifies each of the different LCHs; and (iii) data that identifies group synchronization tolerances.

[0017] In some implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent resource use, determined by the UE based on the current resource usage, may include the UE determining that multiple resources require synchronous transmission. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating multiple activity alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent resource use may include generating data that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting the aggregation of multiple resources using a single transport block within a single cycle of transmission activity performed by the UE.

[0018] In some implementations, multiple activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying multiple configuration authorizations; and (ii) data including requests to transfer multiple configuration authorizations into a single transport block.

[0019] In some implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent resource use, determined by the UE based on the current resource usage, may include the UE determining that multiple sets of resources have different periodicities. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating multiple activity alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent resource use may include generating data indicating to the base station that the UE is requesting the aggregation of a first set of resources with a first periodicity in a first period of transmission activity and the aggregation of a second set of resources with a second periodicity in a second period of transmission activity.

[0020] In some implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent use of resources determined by the UE based on current radio resource usage may include: the UE identifying a specific radio resource among multiple resources as a synchronization point; and the UE determining that the remaining resources among the multiple resources have a synchronization delay tolerance less than a threshold synchronization delay tolerance for that specific resource. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent use of radio resources may include generating data that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting a delayed use of a single carrier to implement the remaining resources until the period of transmission activity when the specific radio resource is to be implemented.

[0021] In some implementations, the multiple active alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying multiple UL grants or DL ​​allocations; and (ii) data identifying individual delay tolerances for each of the multiple UL grants or DL ​​allocations. In some implementations, the UE determining the alignment to be adjusted for subsequent radio resource use based on current radio resource usage may include: the UE identifying a specific radio resource among the multiple resources as a synchronization point; and the UE determining that the remaining resources among the multiple resources have a synchronization delay tolerance less than a threshold synchronization delay tolerance for the specific radio resource. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating the multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent resource use may include generating data indicating to the base station that the UE is requesting a delay in using multiple component carriers (CCs) to implement the remaining resources until the transmission period when the specific radio resource is to be implemented.

[0022] In some specific implementations, the multiple active alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying multiple UL licenses or DL ​​assignments; (ii) data identifying each of multiple component carriers (CCs); and (iii) data identifying the individual delay tolerance of each of the multiple UL licenses or DL ​​assignments.

[0023] In some implementations, the alignment adjustment for subsequent use of resources determined by the UE based on current radio usage may include: the UE identifying a specific radio resource among multiple resources as a synchronization point; and the UE determining that the remaining resources among the multiple resources have a synchronization delay tolerance less than a threshold synchronization delay tolerance of the specific radio resource. In such implementations, the UE generating data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent use of resources may include generating data that instructs the base station that the UE will request a delay of using a single transport block on a single component carrier to implement the remaining resources until the transmission period when the specific radio resource is to be implemented.

[0024] In some implementations, the multiple network parameters include at least: (i) data identifying multiple configuration grants or SPSs; (ii) data identifying the individual delay tolerance of each of the multiple configuration grants / SPSs; and (iii) data identifying the request to transmit the multiple configuration grants / SPSs into a single transport block.

[0025] Compared to conventional systems, this disclosure offers several advantages. First, it reduces the power consumption of the UE because relevant network resources can be aggregated and communicated by the UE within a reduced number of active transmission cycles. This is achieved by leveraging temporal locality to more efficiently schedule network resources. Second, compared to conventional methods, this disclosure achieves better synchronization between relevant traffic flows at a lower network layer that is unaware of the relationships between different traffic flows and lacks available timestamp data. Third, the alignment of data transmission activities according to this disclosure reduces the need for memory in the UE because buffering data across multiple active transmission cycles is unnecessary. Furthermore, the alignment of data transmission activities described herein also reduces the need for network buffers, as the network will have to rely less on buffering packets across multiple cycles of UE transmission activities.

[0026] These and other advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings and claims of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is an example of a flowchart illustrating communication between a gNB and a user equipment (UE) to facilitate UE auxiliary activity alignment.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for UE-assisted activity alignment.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a comparative illustration between an example of an unaligned data transmission activity according to this disclosure and an example of the same transaction that has been aligned on the same component carrier.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a comparative illustration between an example of an unaligned data transmission activity according to this disclosure and an example of the same transaction that has been aligned on different component carriers.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a comparative illustration between an example of an unaligned network transaction according to this disclosure and an example of the same transaction aligned on the same component carrier using delayed transmission.

[0032] Figure 6 An example of a wireless communication system is shown.

[0033] Figure 7 An exemplary architecture of the system is shown.

[0034] Figure 8 The architecture of the system, including the second CN, is shown.

[0035] Figure 9 Examples of infrastructure equipment according to various implementation schemes are shown.

[0036] Figure 10 An example of the platform is shown.

[0037] Figure 11 Exemplary components of the baseband circuitry and radio front-end module (RFEM) are shown.

[0038] Figure 12 This illustrates the various protocol functions that can be implemented in wireless communications.

[0039] Figure 13 The components of the core network are shown.

[0040] Figure 14 This is a block diagram showing the components of a system used to support NFV.

[0041] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0042] This disclosure relates in its entirety to methods, systems, and apparatus for user equipment (UE)-assisted activity alignment to achieve power savings by the UE. This disclosure achieves these power savings by providing activity alignment parameters to the network (e.g., gNB) in a request to align certain data transmission activities. The periodic nature of this data transmission can result in periods of UE activity and inactivity, which can consume power. By employing one or more of multiple network resource alignment, network resource aggregation, or network resource delay strategies, this disclosure can reduce the number of active transmission cycles required for the UE to communicate via the network.

[0043] Figure 1 This is an example of a flowchart 100 illustrating communication between gNB 102 and user equipment (UE) 104 to facilitate UE-assisted activity alignment. Flowchart 100 describes a process that enables the UE to report traffic flow synchronization requests to gNB 102, and then the network gNB 102 can update the resource allocation of UE 104 accordingly. In some implementations, this process may be combined with UE scheduling assistance information reporting or other methods for UE assistance information reporting, if applicable.

[0044] Flow 100 may begin with the gNB configuring the UE to provide initial synchronization assistance information (110) for flow synchronization. This initial synchronization assistance information can be provided at a selected protocol layer via various options. The protocol layer used to transmit the UE synchronization assistance information may include Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Serving Data Application Protocol (SDAP), or Media Access Control (MAC) elements. This procedure can be used to configure uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) parameters separately. This step can be optional, or a fixed reporting method can be specified. In some implementations, the gNB can configure parameters including reporting frequency, a timer to prevent the UE from sending frequent synchronization assistance messages within a predetermined time period, or other parameters.

[0045] UE 104 detects or identifies the traffic flow synchronization requirements provided by 110. Synchronization requirements may be based on application layer configuration or lower layer requirements. In some specific implementations, UE 104 may consider the current radio resource allocation (e.g., the CG / SPS configuration allocated to UE 104).

[0046] UE 104 can report synchronization assistance information to the network to request resource adjustments, alignments, or realignments, and to report the UE's preferences for radio resource adjustments, alignments, or realignments. Synchronization assistance information can be mapped to different Radio Access Network (RAN) layers. For example, synchronization assistance information can be provided using RRC UE assistance information (with an extended parameter set), a new MACCE, or new parameters in an existing MACCE (with an extended parameter set), a new SDAP control PDU, or new parameters in an existing SDAP control PDU (with an extended parameter set).

[0047] The synchronization assistance information generated by UE 104 for inclusion in the synchronization assistance information may include at least two active alignment parameters. The active alignment parameters may include data identifying multiple resources for which UE 104 is requesting adjustment, alignment, or realignment. The data identifying multiple resources may include, for example, a resource list, a resource bitmap, etc. For the purposes of this disclosure, resources may include, for example, one or more data radio bearers to be synchronized, one or more component carriers, one or more logical channels (LCHs), one or more logical channel groups (LCGs), one or more QoS flows, one or more configuration grants, one or more semi-persistent (SPS) scheduling grants, etc. Furthermore, the active alignment parameters may also include transmission directions including uplink, downlink, or both, and one or more of the following:

[0048] ■ Group synchronization preference or common synchronization delay (or jitter) tolerance: The preferred maximum time interval used to schedule all streams in a group (e.g., for a set defined by the list or bitmap above); or

[0049] ■ Individual synchronization delay (or jitter) tolerance for specific traffic flows, i.e., per QFI / per LCH / per LCG / per CG; or

[0050] ■ Preferences regarding synchronization points (or aggregation points / reference streams, such as which CG is used for CG aggregation or an indication of which synchronization point is preferred); or

[0051] ■ A request to map all streams to a single transport block; or

[0052] ■ The request to map all streams into multiple (n) multiple transport blocks.

[0053] UEs configured to be compatible with synchronization requirements will be configured to have the ability to include single or multiple lists or bitmaps.

[0054] As mentioned above, in some specific implementations, this synchronization tolerance parameter can also be expressed as synchronization jitter (i.e., accuracy). The difference between synchronization delay and synchronization jitter / accuracy is that delay only relates to synchronization tolerance in one direction, while synchronization jitter can be a delay that is too early or too late. Note that these parameters are not related to the pure packet arrival time. Instead, jitter can be an acceptable variation in the time domain for other fixed resource allocations such as, for example, CG / SPS indicators. Therefore, the tolerance parameter can also be expressed as synchronization jitter / accuracy, even if it may not be a precise requirement but a preferred value.

[0055] gNB 102 may receive synchronization assistance information 120 provided by UE 104. gNB 102 may determine whether to adjust, align, or realign resources based on the received synchronization assistance information 120 provided by UE 104. gNB 102 may provide 130 resource allocation alignment information to UE 104, which: (i) causes adjustment, alignment, or realignment of resources based on the synchronization assistance information 120 provided by the UE, or (ii) rejects or ignores the UE's request to adjust, align, or realign resources based on the request of UE 104. The provided resource allocation alignment information 130 may be provided by gNB 102 using, for example, configuration authorization or SPS signaling adjacent to the resource alignment request of UE 104. In some specific implementations, the provided resource allocation alignment information 130 may include data corresponding to the values ​​of one or more of the active alignment parameters described above and in stage 220 of method 200 below.

[0056] This process can continue as UE 104 monitors radio resource usage and determines whether to request a subsequent synchronization request for adjustment, alignment, or realignment. If a subsequent change in radio resource synchronization requirements is expected, UE 104 may submit another request for updated synchronization assistance information 140 to the gNB and receive a response from the gNB 150 that: (i) causes adjustment, alignment, or realignment of resources based on the synchronization assistance information provided by the UE 120, or (ii) rejects the UE's request for adjustment, alignment, or realignment of resources based on the request from UE 104. The request for updated resources may generally be the same as synchronization assistance information 120 and resource realignment 130, but indicates UE 104's continued monitoring of radio resource usage.

[0057] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method 200 for UE-assisted activity alignment. In one aspect, method 200 may determine, by the UE, that the alignment of subsequent resource usage will be adjusted based on the current resource usage (210). In some implementations, the UE may make this determination by analyzing current resource usage. For example, the UE may determine that subsequent resource usage will be adjusted based on the detection that resources with similar or shared activity alignment parameters are being spread by the UE in multiple different cycles of active transmission.

[0058] The UE can continue performing method 200 by generating data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted, so as to cause adjustment alignment (220) for subsequent use of resources. The data generated at 220 may include a request from the UE for adjustment, alignment, or realignment of resources. The active alignment parameters may include data identifying multiple resources for which the UE 104 is requesting adjustment, alignment, or realignment. The data identifying multiple resources may include, for example, a resource list, a resource bitmap, etc. For the purposes of this disclosure, resources may include, for example, one or more data radio bearers to be synchronized, one or more component carriers, one or more logical channels, one or more QoS streams, one or more configuration grants, one or more semi-persistent (SPS) scheduling grants, etc. In addition, the active alignment parameters may also include transmission directions including uplink, downlink, or both, and one or more of the following:

[0059] ■ Group synchronization preference or common synchronization delay (or jitter) tolerance: The preferred maximum time interval used to schedule all streams in the group (e.g., the set defined by the list or bitmap above); or

[0060] ■ Individual synchronization delay (or jitter) tolerance for specific traffic flows, i.e., per QFI / per LCH / per LCG / per CG; or

[0061] ■ Preferences regarding synchronization points (or aggregation points / reference streams, such as which CG is used for CG aggregation or an indication of which synchronization point is preferred); or

[0062] ■ A request to map all streams to a single transport block; or

[0063] ■ The request to map all streams into multiple (n) multiple transport blocks.

[0064] The UE can continue performing method 200 by encoding the generated data for transmission to the base station (230). The UE can complete this process by transmitting the encoded data to the base station (240).

[0065] In some implementations, method 200 may optionally include additional procedures. For example, in some implementations, the UE may continue performing method 200 by receiving data from a base station that configures the UE to adjust subsequent use of resources. In such implementations, the UE may process data from the base station and configure itself to adjust subsequent use of resources based on data received from the base station. The UE may continue the procedure by adjusting subsequent use of resources based on multiple network parameters. For the purposes of this disclosure, resources should be understood to include at least one or more data radio bearers (DRBs), one or more logical channels (LCHs), one or more component carriers (CCs), one or more logical channel groups (LCGs), one or more Quality of Service (QoS) streams, or one or more configuration grants (CGs), one or more SPSs, one or more application requirements of one or more applications, or any combination thereof.

[0066] The foregoing process describes the UE detecting that resource usage will be adjusted, aligned, or realigned, and then the UE requesting such adjustment, alignment, or realignment of resources from the gNB. However, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to this. Rather, other specific embodiments of this disclosure enable the network (e.g., the gNB) to detect the need for adjusting, aligning, or realigning resources, and then generate resource allocation alignment data for transmitting to the UE the adjustment, alignment, or realignment of subsequent resource usage by the UE. For example, the gNB may be configured to allocate radio resource patterns for multiple QoS flows based on service-related information known to the network (such as the QoS characteristics inherent in a particular 5QI / QoS flow). In such embodiments, the network can then simply adjust, arrange, or rearrange resources accordingly, i.e., appropriately adjacent (temporal locality). This option also assumes that the network has a degree of traffic pattern awareness, which includes awareness of timing and / or correlation relationships between traffic flows.

[0067] The aspects of this disclosure can also be used to implement delayed MAC PDU transmissions. In some specific implementations, the synchronous transmission of traffic flows with multiple CG / SPSs can be achieved by delaying / ignoring certain authorizations until a "synchronization point" or "aggregation point" (e.g., delaying transmission until the network provides another time-limited instance of authorization (known in advance)). For example, devices such as UEs or gNBs may be allowed to use the original CG / SPS resources or additional authorizations / allocations at the "synchronization point." This additional authorization / allocation is known in advance and typically occurs before the next regular instance of the CG / SPS, i.e., the additional authorization / allocation occurs in the middle of a period.

[0068] In addition to using synchronization delay / jitter tolerance as an activity alignment parameter, the gNB can also configure a maximum “hop tolerance” for the UE for a set of resources or a single radio resource. The network can also enable / disable this mode using parameters, and / or limit UE capabilities. This allows the gNB to introduce new types of radio resources with configurable delay amounts. For example, generating and transmitting modified configuredGrantConfig IEs and / or SPS-Config IEs that include new parameters describing the maximum permissible variation in radio resource execution. However, this does not limit this disclosure to delaying radio resources to a subsequent radio resource in the radio resource configuration or a subsequent radio resource associated with the LCH. Rather, radio resources can also be delayed to any subsequent radio resource mapped to the same LCH.

[0069] For delayed transmissions where the UE has available data, the delay can be implemented as a Tx skip. That is, even when the UE has available data for transmission, the MAC can be modified to allow UL skipping (where the MAC entity is allowed to skip UL transmission and / or not generate a MAC PDU). Other functions for delayed transactions can also be employed.

[0070] Therefore, in some implementations, the UE or gNB can use radio resource configuration information elements to define a time-based concept of "aggregation" or "synchronization point" by specifying when data must be transmitted. In some implementations, this can be achieved using a new type of resource with parameters that allow radio resource delays of a configurable amount of time. In some implementations, resource delays can also be achieved by configuring a "synchronization point" that allows radio resources to be delayed until a specific time. This can be achieved by the UE or gNB setting activity alignment parameters for the resource (including the specific time to be executed). In some implementations, the UE can be allowed to delay MAC PDUs based on network-known service-related information (such as the QoS characteristics inherent to a particular 5QI / QoS flow), based on the synchronization tolerance value reported by the MAC PDU, or based on implicit requirements of the service (service-induced).

[0071] In some implementations, the gNB can also facilitate delayed transmission based on PDB margin as an optional feature. In such implementations, it is assumed that the UE has available data for transmission over the logical channel, and the delay budget is still sufficiently large (below a threshold or below the synchronization tolerance). If the UE has a CG that is still close enough in the future to meet the service-related delay target, the UE can skip the current CG and delay the transmission of UL data for the maximum duration. It should be noted that the latter CG does not necessarily have to come from the same CG configuration; this feature is more applicable to multiple CGs linked to the LCH (or even multiple LCHs).

[0072] Figure 3 This is a comparison illustration 300 between an example of an unaligned network transaction 310 according to this disclosure and an example of the same transaction 320 that has been aligned on the same component carrier.

[0073] exist Figure 3 In the example, the UE may analyze current radio resource usage (such as those described in a set of network transactions 310) distributed across multiple active transmission cycles 312, 314, 316, and determine that these transactions can be aligned within the same active transmission cycle 322. The UE may trigger a realignment request based on the detection of a set of resources (such as configuration grants) that: (i) are each associated with a packet arrival time that meets a threshold arrival time or (ii) are each associated with data requiring synchronized transmission. Based on the detection of one of these triggers, the UE may generate synchronization assistance information including one or more active alignment parameters to request the gNB to adjust, align, or realign network resources to meet the active alignment parameters in the generated synchronization assistance information, such that each of the resources (e.g., CG1, GG2, CG3, CG4) is implemented on the same component carrier in a single cycle of transmission activity. In this example, the generated synchronization assistance information may include at least: (i) data identifying configuration grants CG1, CG2, CG3, and CG4; and (ii) data identifying group synchronization tolerances of configuration grants CG1, CG2, CG3, and CG4. The UE may transmit the generated synchronization assistance information to the gNB as a request to adjust resources CG1, CG2, CG3, and CG4 to execute within the same active transmission period, such as... Figure 3 As shown in Figure 320.

[0074] Figure 3The examples provided illustrate how a UE generates synchronization assistance information that requests resource realignment that can be performed within a single cycle of a transmission activity. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. Rather, in some implementations, the generated synchronization assistance information may also include parameters requesting the execution of a set of resources within a single transport block. This can be achieved using single transport block parameters of the generated synchronization assistance information.

[0075] In other implementations, the UE determines that multiple sets of resources have different periodicities. Different periodicities could be, for example, a first set of resources requiring a first periodicity during a first period of transmission activity, and a second set of resources requiring a second periodicity during a second period of transmission activity. In such implementations, the UE can generate synchronization assistance information requesting the aggregation of the first set of resources with the first periodicity during the first period of transmission activity and the aggregation of the second set of resources with the second periodicity during the second period of transmission activity. In some implementations, this can be achieved by using its synchronization delay / jitter tolerance requirement to assist the network in finding a better activity alignment midpoint. However, if the periodicities of the CGs involved are significantly different, the UE may still want to request and indicate to the network a suitable subset of aligned CGs. Such indication can be done in a list or bitmap provided in the synchronization assistance information. Alternatively, this issue of different periodicities can also be addressed by signaling multiple smaller CG groups, for example, placing CG1 and CG2 in one group and CG3 and CG4 in another. In another alternative, the UE can also signal to the entire group of CG1-4, while requesting that the allocation be divided into two "merged CGs".

[0076] Figure 4This is a comparative illustration between an example of an unaligned network transaction according to this disclosure and an example of the same transaction that has been aligned on different component carriers. The UE may trigger a realignment request based on the detection of a set of resources (such as configuration grants), which are: (i) each associated with a packet arrival time that meets a threshold arrival time or (ii) each associated with data that requires synchronous transmission. Based on the detection of one of these triggers, the UE may generate synchronization assistance information including one or more active alignment parameters to request the gNB to adjust, align, or realign network resources to meet the active alignment parameters in the generated synchronization assistance information, such that each resource (e.g., CG1, GG2, CG3, CG4) is implemented by the UE using a different component carrier in a single cycle of transmission activity. Therefore, the UE may generate synchronization assistance information that adjusts resources to be implemented in parallel across multiple component carriers within a single transmission activity cycle. In this example, the generated synchronization assistance information may include at least: (i) data identifying multiple configuration licenses CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4; (ii) data identifying each of the component carriers; and (iii) data identifying the group synchronization tolerances of the multiple configuration licenses CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4.

[0077] Figure 5 This is a comparison illustration 500 between an example of an unaligned network transaction 510 according to this disclosure and an example of the same transaction 520 aligned on the same component carrier using delayed transmission.

[0078] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The foregoing examples describe a UE for which resources have been detected as needing adjustment, alignment, or realignment based on current radio resource usage. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, refer to Figure 5 The network (e.g., gNB) generates resource allocation alignment information that can be sent to the UE to adjust, align, or realign the UE's radio resource usage. The resource allocation alignment information may include values ​​for one or more alignment activity parameters described herein.

[0079] exist Figure 5 In this example, the network (e.g., a gNB) can identify a specific radio resource as a synchronization point. In this example, the network has identified the configured License 4 (CG4) as a synchronization point. The network can then determine... Figure 5In this example, multiple sets of resources, configured with grants CG1, CG2, CG3, and CG4, are each associated with a synchronization delay tolerance less than a threshold synchronization delay tolerance for a specific radio resource. Therefore, the network can generate resource allocation alignment information with multiple activity alignment parameters configured to delay resources CG1, CG2, and CG3 such that they are not implemented until the same period as the active transmission of the synchronization point radio resource CG4. In this case, the multiple activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying multiple resources (e.g., CG1, CG2, CG3, CG3); (ii) the radio resource for the synchronization point (e.g., CG4); and (iii) data identifying the individual delay tolerance of each of the multiple configuration grants CG1, CG2, and CG3, which will be delayed to the same period of transmission activity as the synchronization point radio resource.

[0080] Therefore, the detection of the need to adjust, align, or realign resources, and the generation of requests to adjust, align, or realign resources, are not limited to the UE. Instead, the network (e.g., gNB) can also perform such operations and generate information control elements (such as MAC PDUs) that can specify alignment activity parameters in order to configure the UE to adjust, align, or realign resources under the command of the network.

[0081] Figure 6 An example of a wireless communication system 600 is shown. For convenience and not limitation, the exemplary system 100 is described in the context of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication standards as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical specifications. More specifically, the wireless communication system 600 is described in the context of a non-standalone (NSA) network that includes both LTE and NR (e.g., E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) - NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) network and NE-DC network). However, the wireless communication system 600 could also be a standalone (SA) network that includes only NR. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are also possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc.

[0082] like Figure 6As shown, system 600 includes UE 601a and UE 601b (collectively referred to as "UEs 601" or "UE 601"). In this example, UE 601 is shown as a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronics devices, mobile phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptops, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminal (MDT), electronic engine management system (EEMS), electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management system (EMS), connected or "smart" appliances, MTC devices, M2M, IoT devices, etc.

[0083] In some implementations, any of UEs in UE 601 can be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connections. The IoT UE may use technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe, or D2D communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0084] UE 601 can be configured to connect to RAN 610 (e.g., communicatively coupled). In implementations, RAN 610 can be an NG RAN or 5G RAN, E-UTRAN, or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN," etc., can refer to RAN 610 operating in an NR or 5G system 600, while the term "E-UTRAN," etc., can refer to RAN 610 operating in an LTE or 4G system 600. UE 601 utilizes connections (or channels) 603 and 604, each connection including a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0085] In this example, connections 603 and 604 are shown as air interfaces for implementing communication coupling and may be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as GSM, CDMA network protocols, PTT, POC, UMTS, 3GPP LTE, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced Long Term Evolution), LTE-U (LTE-U), 5G, NR, NR-U (NR-U), and / or any other communication protocols discussed herein. In an implementation, UE 601 may directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 605. ProSe interface 605 may also be referred to as SL interface 605 and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0086] UE 601b is shown configured to access AP 606 (also referred to as "WLAN node 606", "WLAN 606", "WLAN terminal 606", "WT 606", etc.) via connection 607. Connection 607 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 606 will include Wireless Fibre. Router. In this example, AP 606 is shown connected to the Internet but not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various implementations, UE 601b, RAN 610, and AP 606 can be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. LWA operation may involve RAN nodes 611a-b configuring UE 601b, which is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, to utilize LTE and WLAN resources. LWIP operation may involve UE 601b using WLAN resources (e.g., connection 607) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) transmitted through connection 607. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header to protect the original header of the IP packet.

[0087] RAN 610 includes one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 611a and 611b (collectively referred to as "RAN node 611") that enable connections to 603 and 604. As used herein, the terms "access node," "access point," etc., can describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between the network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, or TRP, etc., and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms "NG RAN node," etc., can refer to RAN node 611 (e.g., gNB) operating in NR or 5G system 600, while the terms "E-UT RAN node," etc., can refer to RAN node 611 (e.g., eNB) operating in LTE or 4G system 600. According to various implementation schemes, RAN node 611 can be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as macro cell base stations and / or low-power (LP) base stations for providing smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macro cells.

[0088] In some implementations, all or part of RAN node 611 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as CRAN and / or Virtual Baseband Unit Pool (vBBUP). In these implementations, CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN function partitioning, such as PDCP partitioning, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 611; MAC / PHY partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 611; or “lower PHY” partitioning, where the upper portion of the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers is operated by CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portion of the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 611. This virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of RAN node 611 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, a single RAN node 611 may represent a virtual network via a separate F1 interface (…). Figure 6 (Not shown) A separate gNB-DU connected to the gNB-CU. In these specific implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio head units or RFEMs (see, for example...). Figure 9The gNB-CU can be operated by a server (not shown) located in RAN 610 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 611 can be a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a RAN node providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminals to UE 601 and connected to 5GC (e.g., via an ng interface (discussed below)). Figure 8 CN 820).

[0089] In a V2X scenario, one or more RAN nodes in RAN node 611 can be RSUs or act as RSUs. The term "roadside unit" or "RSU" can refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein an RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a "UE-type RSU," an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU," an RSU implemented in or by a gNB can be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU," and so on. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled to radio frequency circuitry located on the roadside, which provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 601 (vUE 601). An RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Near Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low-latency communication required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance and traffic warnings. Alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low-latency communication as well as other cellular communication services. Alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communication. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's radio frequency circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant package suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller to provide wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) to traffic signal controllers and / or backhaul networks.

[0090] Any of the RAN nodes 611 can terminate the air interface protocol and can serve as the first contact point for UE 601. In some implementations, any of the RAN nodes 611 can fulfill various logical functions of RAN 610, including but not limited to the functions of the Radio Network Controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0091] In the implementation, UE 601 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 611 on a multi-carrier communication channel using OFDM communication signals according to various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, OFDMA communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or SC-FDMA communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0092] In some implementations, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any node in RAN 611 to UE 601, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which represents the physical resources in the downlink within each time slot. This time-frequency plane representation is common practice for OFDM systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises multiple resource blocks that describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources currently available for allocation. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0093] According to various implementations, UE 601 and RAN node 611 transmit (e.g., transmit and receive) data through licensed media (also referred to as “licensed spectrum” and / or “licensed band”) and unlicensed shared media (also referred to as “unlicensed spectrum” and / or “unlicensed band”). Licensed spectrum may include channels operating in the frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U, and LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0094] To operate in unlicensed spectrum, UE 601 and RAN node 611 may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these specific implementations, UE 601 and RAN node 611 may perform one or more known medium sensing and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmission in the unlicensed spectrum can proceed. Medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a Listen-After-Talk (LBT) protocol.

[0095] LBT is a mechanism by which equipment (e.g., UE 601 RAN node 611, etc.) senses a medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmits when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a specific channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include CCA, which utilizes at least ED to determine the presence of other signals on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or idle. This LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy in the intended transmission band over a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy with a predefined or configured threshold.

[0096] Typically, existing systems in the 5GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 601, AP 606, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node can first perform CCA before transmitting. Additionally, in cases where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits simultaneously, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collisions. This backoff mechanism can be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS, which increases exponentially upon collision and resets to a minimum value upon successful transmission. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to WLAN's CSMA / CA. In some specific implementations, the LBT process for DL ​​or UL transmission bursts (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmissions) can have a variable-length LAA contention window between the X and Y ECCA time slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the LAA's CWS. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmission can be 9 microseconds (s); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0097] The LAA mechanism is built upon the CA technology of LTE-Advanced systems. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a CC. A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and a maximum of five CCs can be aggregated, thus the maximum aggregated bandwidth is 100 MHz. In FDD systems, the number of aggregated carriers can differ for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or less than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, individual CCs can have different bandwidths than the other CCs. In TDD systems, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are usually the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0098] The CA also includes individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of serving cells can differ, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell, or PCell, provides PCCs for both UL and DL and handles activities related to RRC and NAS. Other serving cells are called SCells, and each SCell provides individual SCCs for both UL and DL. SCCs can be added and removed as needed, and changing the PCC may require UE 601 to undergo a handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells can operate in unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and LAA SCells are assisted by PCells operating in licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured to have more than one LAA SCell, the UE can receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0099] The PDSCH carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 601. Among other information, the PDCCH carries information about the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It can also inform UE 601 about the transmission format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 601b within the cell) can be performed on any of the RAN nodes 611 based on channel quality information fed back from any of UE 601. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each UE in UE 601.

[0100] PDCCH uses CCEs to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the complex-valued symbols of the PDCCH can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets, called REGs, each with four physical resource elements. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the DCI size and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L = 1, 2, 4, or 8) can exist.

[0101] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize EPDCCH, which uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similarly, each ECCE may correspond to a set of nine, each consisting of four physical resource elements, called EREG. In some cases, an ECCE may have a different number of EREGs.

[0102] RAN nodes 611 can be configured to communicate with each other via interface 612. In implementations where system 600 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 620 is...), Figure 7 In the case of EPC 620, interface 612 can be an X2 interface 612. The X2 interface can be defined between two or more RAN nodes 611 (e.g., two or more eNBs) connected to EPC 620, and / or between two eNBs connected to EPC 620. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). X2-U can provide flow control mechanisms for user packets transmitted via the X2 interface and can be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, X2-U can provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from MeNB to SeNB; information about the successful in-order delivery of PDCP PDUs from SeNB to UE 601 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs not delivered to UE 601; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and so on. The X2-C provides LTE intra-eNB access mobility functions, including context transmission from the source eNB to the destination eNB, user plane transmission control, load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0103] In system 600, which is a 5G or NR system (e.g., when CN 620 is as follows), Figure 8In an implementation of 5GC 620, interface 612 may be an Xn interface 612. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 611 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to 5GC 620, between a RAN node 611 (e.g., a gNB) connected to 5GC 620 and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to 5GC 620. In some specific implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. Xn-U provides non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and supports / provides data forwarding and flow control functions. Xn-C provides management and error handling functions for managing the functionality of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for UE 601 in connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 611. This mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 611 to the new (destination) serving RAN node 611; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 611 and the new (destination) serving RAN node 611. The Xn-U protocol stack may include a transport network layer built on top of the Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of the UDP and / or IP layers for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on top of SCTP. SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and provides guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transmission is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same as or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0104] RAN 610 is shown communicatively coupled to the core network—in this embodiment, communicatively coupled to the core network (CN) 620. CN 620 may include multiple network elements 622 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / users (e.g., users of UE 601) connected to CN 620 via RAN 610. Components of CN 620 may be implemented in a single physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 620 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 620 may be referred to as a network subslice. NFV architectures and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (optionally implemented by proprietary hardware). In other words, an NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable concrete implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0105] Generally, application server 630 can be a component that provides IP bearer resources for applications to use with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). Application server 630 can also be configured to support one or more communication services for UE 601 via EPC 620 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.).

[0106] In the implementation, CN 620 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 620", etc.), and RAN 610 may be connected to CN 620 via NG interface 613. In the implementation, NG interface 613 may be divided into two parts: NG User Plane (NG-U) interface 614, which carries traffic data between RAN node 611 and UPF; and S1 Control Plane (NG-C) interface 615, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 611 and AMF. (See reference...) Figure 8 The implementation scheme of CN 620 as 5GC 620 is discussed in more detail.

[0107] In one implementation, CN 620 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 620", etc.), while in other implementations, CN 620 may be an EPC. When CN 620 is an EPC (referred to as "EPC 620", etc.), RAN 610 may be connected to CN 620 via S1 interface 613. In one implementation, S1 interface 613 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 614, which carries traffic data between RAN node 611 and S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 615, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 611 and MME.

[0108] Figure 7 An exemplary architecture of a system 700 including a first CN 720 according to various embodiments is shown. In this example, the system 700 can implement the LTE standard, wherein the CN 720 is corresponding to... Figure 6 CN 620's EPC 720. Additionally, UE 701 can be used with... Figure 6 The UE 601 is the same as or similar to it, and the E-UTRAN 710 can be the same as... Figure 6 The RAN 610 is the same as or similar to the RAN 611 discussed earlier. CN 720 may include MME 721, S-GW 722, P-GW 723, HSS 724, and SGSN 725.

[0109] The MME 721 is functionally similar to the control plane of a traditional SGSN and can implement MM functions to keep track of the current location of the UE 701. The MME 721 can perform various MM procedures to manage mobility aspects of access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. MM (also known as “EPS MM” or “EMM” in E-UTRAN systems) can refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data storage, etc., used to maintain knowledge about the current location of the UE 701, provide user / subscriber confidentiality, and / or perform other similar services. Each UE 701 and MME 721 may include an MM or EMM sublayer, and an MM context can be established in both the UE 701 and MME 721 upon successful attachment. The MM context can be a data structure or database object storing MM-related information for the UE 701. The MME 721 can be coupled to the HSS 724 via the S6a reference point, to the SGSN 725 via the S3 reference point, and to the S-GW 722 via the S11 reference point.

[0110] The SGSN 725 can serve the node UE 701 by tracking the location of the individual UE 701 and performing security functions. Furthermore, the SGSN 725 can perform inter-EPC node signaling for mobility between 2G / 3G and E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks; such as PDN and S-GW selection as specified by the MME 721; processing of UE 701 time zone functions as specified by the MME 721; and MME selection for handover to the E-UTRAN 3GPP access network. The S3 reference point between the MME 721 and the SGSN 725 can enable user and bearer information exchange for 3GPP indirect access network mobility in idle and / or active states.

[0111] The HSS 724 may include a database for network users, containing subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions. The EPC 720 may include one or more HSS 724s, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, etc. For example, the HSS 724 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing solutions, location dependencies, etc. An S6a reference point between the HSS 724 and the MME 721 can enable the transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticated / authorized user access to the EPC 720 between the HSS 724 and the MME 721.

[0112] S-GW 722 can terminate the S1 interface 613 toward RAN 710 (in Figure 7 The S-GW 722 (referred to as "S1-U") routes data packets between RAN 710 and EPC 720. Additionally, the S-GW 722 can serve as a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handover and can also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, billing, and enforcement of certain policies. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 722 and MME 721 provides a control plane between MME 721 and S-GW 722. The S-GW 722 can be coupled to the P-GW 723 via the S5 reference point.

[0113] The P-GW 723 can terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN 730. The P-GW 723 can be accessed via IP interface 625 (see, for example, Figure 6 The P-GW 723 routes data packets between the EPC 720 and external networks, such as a network including an application server 630 (optionally referred to as "AF"). In an implementation, the P-GW 723 may be located via an IP communication interface 625 (see, for example, ...). Figure 6 Communication is coupled to the application server. Figure 6 Application server 630 or Figure 7The S5 reference point between P-GW 723 and S-GW 722 can provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between P-GW 723 and S-GW 722. The S5 reference point can also be used for S-GW 722 relocation due to the mobility of UE 701 and whether S-GW 722 needs to connect to the non-co-located P-GW 723 for required PDN connectivity. P-GW 723 may also include nodes for policy enforcement and charging data collection (e.g., PCEF (not shown)). Additionally, the SGi reference point between P-GW 723 and Packet Data Network (PDN) 730 can be an external public or private PDN or an internal carrier packet data network, for example, for providing IMS services. P-GW 723 can be coupled to PCRF 726 via a Gx reference point.

[0114] PCRF 726 is the policy and charging control element of EPC 720. In non-roaming scenarios, a single PCRF 726 may exist in the domestic Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of UE 701. In roaming scenarios with local traffic breaches, two PCRFs may exist associated with the IP-CAN session of UE 701: the domestic PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and the visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). PCRF 726 can be communicatively coupled to application server 730 via P-GW 723. Application server 730 can signal PCRF 726 to indicate new service flows and select appropriate QoS and charging parameters. PCRF 726 can configure the rule to have a PCEF (not shown) with appropriate TFT and QCI, which initiates QoS and charging as specified by application server 730. The Gx reference point between PCRF 726 and P-GW 723 allows QoS policies and charging rules to be transferred from PCRF 726 to PCRF in P-GW 723. The Rx reference point can reside between PDN 730 (or "AF 730") and PCRF 726.

[0115] Figure 8The architecture of a system 800 including a second CN 820 according to various embodiments is shown. System 800 is shown as including a UE 801, which may be the same as or similar to the previously discussed UE 601 and UE 701; (R)AN 810, which may be the same as or similar to the previously discussed RAN 610 and RAN 710, and may include the previously discussed RAN node 611; and DN 803, which may be, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services; and 5GC 820. 5GC 820 may include AUSF 822; AMF 821; SMF 824; NEF 823; PCF 826; NRF 825; UDM 827; AF 828; UPF 802; and NSSF 829.

[0116] UPF 802 can act as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external PDU session point interconnected with DN 803, and a branch point supporting multihomed PDU sessions. UPF 802 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion of policy rules, lawful packet interception (UP collection), traffic usage reporting, QoS processing on the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic authentication (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 802 may include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network. DN 803 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 803 may include or be similar to the previously discussed application server 630. UPF 802 can interact with SMF 824 via an N4 reference point between SMF 824 and UPF 802.

[0117] The AUSF 822 stores data for UE 801 authentication and handles authentication-related functions. The AUSF 822 facilitates a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 822 can communicate with the AMF 821 via the N12 reference point between the AMF 821 and the AUSF 822; and with the UDM 827 via the N13 reference point between the UDM 827 and the AUSF 822. Additionally, the AUSF 822 can present an interface based on Nausf services.

[0118] AMF 821 can handle registration management (e.g., registering UE 801, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 821 can be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 821 and SMF 824. AMF 821 can provide transmission for SM messages between UE 801 and SMF 824 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 821 can also provide transmission for UE 801 and SMSF (... Figure 8 SMS messages are transmitted between (not shown in the image). AMF 821 can act as a SEAF, which may include interaction with AUSF 822 and UE 801, receiving an intermediate key established due to the UE 801 authentication process. In the case of USIM-based authentication, AMF 821 may retrieve security material from AUSF 822. AMF 821 may also include an SCM function that receives a key from the SEA for deriving a network-specific key for access. Furthermore, AMF 821 may be the termination point of the RAN CP interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between (R)AN 810 and AMF 821; and AMF 821 may be the termination point of NAS (N1) signaling and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0119] The AMF 821 can also support NAS signaling with the UE 801 via the N3 IWF interface. The N3 IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3 IWF can be the termination point of the N2 interface between the (R)AN 810 and AMF 821 in the control plane, and can be the termination point of the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 810 and UPF 802 in the user plane. Therefore, the AMF 821 can process N2 signaling from the SMF 824 and AMF 821 for PDU sessions and QoS, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPsec and N3 tunneling, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and enforce QoS corresponding to the N3 packet markings, taking into account the QoS requirements associated with such markings received via N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between UE 801 and AMF 821 via the N1 reference point between UE 801 and AMF 821, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between UE 801 and UPF 802. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing IPsec tunnels using UE 801. AMF 821 can present an interface based on Namf services and can be the N14 reference point between two AMF 821s and between AMF 821 and 5G-EIR (…). Figure 8 The endpoint of the N17 reference point (not shown).

[0120] UE 801 may need to register with AMF 821 to receive network services. The RM is used to register or deregister UE 801 with the network (e.g., AMF 821) and to establish a UE context within the network (e.g., AMF 821). UE 801 can operate in either RM-REGISTERED or RM-DEREGISTERED state. In RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 801 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 does not maintain valid location or routing information for UE 801; therefore, AMF 821 cannot reach UE 801. In RM-REGISTERED state, UE 801 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 can maintain valid location or routing information for UE 801; therefore, AMF 821 can reach UE 801. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 801 can perform a mobility registration update procedure, a periodic registration update procedure triggered by the expiration of a periodic update timer (e.g., to notify the network that UE 801 is still active), and a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0121] AMF 821 can store one or more RM contexts for UE 801, where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context can be a data structure, database object, etc., indicating or storing, in particular, the registration status and periodic update timers for each access type. AMF 821 can also store 5GC MM contexts that are the same as or similar to the previously discussed (E)MM contexts. In various implementations, AMF 821 can store CE Mode B limitation parameters of UE 801 in the associated MM or RM context. AMF 821 can also derive values ​​from UE usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when needed.

[0122] The CM can be used to establish and release signaling connections between UE 801 and AMF 821 via the N1 interface. The signaling connection enables NAS signaling exchange between UE 801 and CN 820, and includes signaling connections between the UE and AN (e.g., RRC connections or UE-N3IWF connections for non-3GPP access) and N2 connections between the AN (e.g., RAN 810) and AMF 821 for UE 801. UE 801 can operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When UE 801 operates in CM-IDLE state / mode, UE 801 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 821 via the N1 interface, and (R)AN 810 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) may exist for UE 801. When UE 801 operates in CM-CONNECTED state / mode, UE 801 may have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 821 via the N1 interface, and may have (R)AN 810 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) for UE 801. Establishing an N2 connection between (R)AN 810 and AMF 821 can cause UE 801 to transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM-CONNECTED mode, and UE 801 can transition from CM-CONNECTED mode to CM-IDLE mode when the N2 signaling between (R)AN 810 and AMF 821 is released.

[0123] SMF 824 can be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, modification, and publication, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic redirection of the UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface toward policy control functions; policy enforcement and QoS control portions; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to the AN via N2 through the AMF; and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM can refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" can refer to the PDU connectivity service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 801, identified by the Data Network Name (DNN), and Data Network (DN) 803. A PDU session can be established upon request from UE 801, modified upon request from both UE 801 and 5GC820, and released upon request from both UE 801 and 5GC 820 using NAS SM signaling exchanged via the N1 reference point between UE 801 and SMF 824. Upon request from the application server, 5GC 820 can trigger a specific application in UE 801. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 801 can pass the trigger message (or relevant portions / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 801. The identified applications in UE 801 can establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 824 can check whether the UE 801 request matches the user subscription information associated with UE 801. In this regard, SMF 824 can retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications regarding SMF 824 level subscription data from UDM 827.

[0124] The SMF 824 may include the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS SLAs (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system, in the VPLMN); and support for interaction with external DNs to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication via external DNs. In roaming scenarios, an N16 reference point between two SMF 824s may be included in System 800, which may be located between an SMF 824 in the visited network and another SMF 824 in the home network. Additionally, the SMF 824 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0125] The NEF 823 provides means for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 828), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such implementations, the NEF 823 can authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict AFs. The NEF 823 can also translate information exchanged with AF 828 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 823 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. The NEF 823 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposure capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data at the NEF 823 or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information can then be re-exposed by the NEF 823 to other NFs and AFs, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. Additionally, the NEF 823 can present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0126] The NRF 825 supports service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to them. The NRF 825 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, terms such as "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. Additionally, the NRF 825 can present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0127] PCF 826 provides control plane functions to enforce their policy rules and also supports a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. PCF 826 also implements a FE to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of UDM 827. PCF 826 can communicate with AMF 821 via the N15 reference point between PCF 826 and AMF 821, which can include PCF 826 in the visited network and AMF 821 in roaming scenarios. PCF 826 can communicate with AF 828 via the N5 reference point between PCF 826 and AF 828; and with SMF 824 via the N7 reference point between PCF 826 and SMF 824. System 800 and / or CN 820 may also include an N24 reference point between PCF 826 (in the home network) and PCF 826 in the visited network. Additionally, PCF 826 can present an interface based on NPCF services.

[0128] The UDM 827 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and can store the subscription data of the UE 801. For example, subscription data can be transmitted between the UDM 827 and the AMF via the N8 reference point between the UDM 827 and the AMF 821. The UDM 827 may include two parts: the application FE and the UDR ( Figure 8 (FE and UDR are not shown). The UDR may store subscription data and policy data of UDM827 and PCF826, and / or structured data for exposure of NEF823, as well as application data (including PFD for application detection, application request information of multiple UE 801s). The interface based on the Nudr service may be presented by UDR221 to allow UDM827, PCF826, and NEF823 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as notifications for reading, updating (e.g., adding, modifying), deleting, and subscribing to relevant data changes in the UDR. The UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR may interact with SMF824 via the N10 reference point between UDM827 and SMF824. The UDM 827 also supports SMS management, with SMS-FE implementing similar application logic as described above. Additionally, the UDM 827 can present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0129] AF 828 can provide application-level influence on traffic routing, provide access to the NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. The NCE can be a mechanism allowing 5GC 820 and AF 828 to provide information to each other via NEF 823, which can be used in edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 801 access point to achieve efficient service delivery through reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, 5GC can select UPF 802 near UE 801 and perform traffic redirection from UPF 802 to DN 803 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 828. Thus, AF 828 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 828 is considered a trusted entity, network operators can allow AF 828 to interact directly with the relevant NF. Additionally, AF 828 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0130] NSSF 829 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 801. If needed, NSSF 829 can also determine the allowed NSSAIs and the mapping to subscribed S-NSSAIs. NSSF 829 can also determine the AMF set, or list of candidate AMFs 821, for serving UE 801 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 825. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 801 can be triggered by AMF 821, where UE 801 registers by interacting with NSSF 829, which can cause changes to AMF 821. NSSF 829 can interact with AMF 821 via the N22 reference point between AMF 821 and NSSF 829; and via the N31 reference point (…). Figure 8 (Not shown) Communicates with another NSSF 829 in the visited network. Additionally, the NSSF 829 can present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0131] As discussed above, CN 820 may include an SMSF responsible for SMS subscription checks and authentication, and for relaying SM messages to / from UE 801 and to / from other entities such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers. SMS may also interact with AMF 821 and UDM 827 for notification procedures indicating that UE 801 is available for SMS delivery (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 827 when UE 801 is available for SMS).

[0132] CN 120 may also include Figure 8 Other elements not shown include data storage systems / architecture, 5G-EIR, SEPP, etc. Data storage systems may include SDSF, UDSF, etc. Any NF can communicate with UDSF via any NF ( Figure 8 The N18 reference points (not shown) between NFs store unstructured data in or retrieve it from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs may share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data, or each NF may have its own UDSF located at or near the respective NF. Additionally, the UDSF may present an interface based on the Nudsf service (…). Figure 8 (Not shown). 5G-EIR can be an NF that checks the status of PEI to determine whether to blacklist a specific device / entity from the network; and SEPP can be a non-transparent agent that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the control plane interface between PLMNs.

[0133] Furthermore, there can be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services; however, for clarity, Figure 8These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 820 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between the MME (e.g., MME 721) and AMF 821 to enable interoperability between CN 820 and CN 720. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5g-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between an NRF in the visited network and an NRF in the home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in the visited network and an NSSF in the home network.

[0134] Figure 9 Examples of infrastructure equipment 900 according to various implementations are shown. Infrastructure equipment 900 (or “system 900”) may be implemented as a base station, a radio head unit, a RAN node (such as RAN node 611 and / or AP 606 previously shown and described), an application server 630, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 900 may be implemented in or by a UE.

[0135] System 900 includes application circuitry 905, baseband circuitry 910, one or more radio front-end modules 915, memory circuitry 920, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 925, power tee circuitry 930, network controller circuitry 935, network interface connector 940, satellite positioning circuitry 945, and user interface 950. In some embodiments, device 900 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, these components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, or other similar implementations.

[0136] Application circuitry 905 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low-dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C, or a universal programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), timers (including interval timers and watchdog timers), general-purpose input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a Secure Digital (SD) Multimedia Card (MMC) or similar, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interface, and a Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 905 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage elements to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 900. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit, which may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0137] The processor of application circuit 905 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC machine (ARM) processors, one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuit 905 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to the various embodiments described herein. As an example, the processor of application circuit 905 may include one or more Apple A-series processors, Intel processors, etc. or Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processors; ARM-based processors licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors supplied by Cavium™, Inc. MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some implementations, system 900 may not utilize application circuitry 905 and may instead include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from an EPC or 5GC.

[0138] In some implementations, application circuitry 905 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. These hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, programmable processing devices may be one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs), such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and so on. In such implementations, the circuitry of application circuitry 905 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, and other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as processes, methods, functions, etc., as discussed in the various embodiments herein. In such implementations, the circuitry of application circuit 905 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in lookup tables (LUTs).

[0139] The baseband circuit 910 can be implemented, for example, as a soldered substrate, comprising one or more integrated circuits, a single-package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. See below for reference. Figure 11 This paper discusses the various hardware electronic components of the 910 baseband circuit.

[0140] User interface circuitry 950 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with system 900, or peripheral interface designed to enable peripheral components to interact with system 900. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio transmitter, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, headphones, a display screen or display device, etc. Peripheral interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0141] The Radio Front-End Module (RFEM) 915 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some specific implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may be included with one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, for example, below). Figure 11 The antenna array 1111) is a connector, and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 915 that combines both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave antennas.

[0142] The memory circuitry 920 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and non-volatile memory (NVM) including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "flash memory"), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with and A three-dimensional (3D) XPOINT memory. The memory circuit 920 can be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and an insertable memory card.

[0143] The PMIC 925 may include a voltage regulator, surge protector, power alarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources, such as batteries or capacitors. The power alarm detection circuitry can detect one or more of a power outage (undervoltage) and a power surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 930 can provide power drawn from the network cable to provide both power and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 900 using a single cable.

[0144] Network controller circuitry 935 can provide connectivity to a network using standard network interface protocols such as Ethernet, GRE-tunneled Ethernet, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based Ethernet, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to / from infrastructure equipment 900 via a physical connection via network interface connector 940; this physical connection can be an electrical connection (typically referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. Network controller circuitry 935 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, network controller circuitry 935 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0145] Positioning circuit 945 includes circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcast by a positioning network of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler orbit chart and satellite integrated radio positioning (DORIS), etc.). Positioning circuit 945 includes various hardware components (e.g., hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc.) for facilitating OTA communication to communicate with components of the positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, positioning circuit 945 may include a micro-technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing, which performs position tracking / estimation using a master timing clock in the absence of GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 945 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 910 and / or RFEM 915 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 945 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 905, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures, such as RAN node 611.

[0146] Figure 9 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuitry, which may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended (PCIx), PCI Express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, etc.

[0147] Figure 10 Examples of platform 1000 (or “device 1000”) according to various embodiments are shown. In embodiments, computer platform 1000 may be adapted to function as UE 601, 701, 801, application server 630 and / or any other element / device discussed herein. Platform 1000 may include any combination of the components shown in the examples. Components of platform 1000 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of ICs, discrete electronic devices or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware or combinations thereof adapted in computer platform 1000, or implemented as components otherwise integrated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 10The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of the computer platform 1000. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other specific embodiments.

[0148] Application circuitry 1005 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: LDO, interrupt controller, serial interface (such as SPI), I2C or general programmable serial interface module, RTC, timers (including interval timers and watchdog timers), general-purpose I / O, memory card controller (such as SD MMC or similar controller), USB interface, MIPI interface, and JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 1005 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage elements to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 1000. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be on-chip memory circuitry that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0149] The processor of application circuit 905 may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuit 905 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to the various embodiments herein.

[0150] As an example, the processor of application circuit 1005 may include an Apple A-series processor. The processor of application circuit 1005 may also be one or more of the following: based on... Architecture Core TM processors, such as Quark TM Atom TM i3, i5, i7 or MCU-level processors, or available from Santa Clara, California. company( Another processor of this type from [Company Name], Santa Clara, CA; and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments Open Multimedia ApplicationsPlatform(OMAP) TM Processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some specific implementations, the application circuit 1005 may be part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC), where the application circuit 1005 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit.

[0151] In addition to or alternatively, application circuit 1005 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and so on. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuit 1005 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, and other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as processes, methods, functions, etc., as discussed in the various embodiments herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuit 1005 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), fuses, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc., in lookup tables (LUTs), etc.

[0152] The baseband circuit 1010 can be implemented, for example, as a soldered substrate, comprising one or more integrated circuits, a single-package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. References are made below. Figure 11 The various hardware electronic components of the baseband circuit 1010 are discussed.

[0153] RFEM 1015 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some specific implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may be included with one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, for example, below). Figure 11 The antenna array 1111) is a connector, and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 1015 that combines both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave antennas.

[0154] The memory circuit 1020 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a fixed amount of system memory. For example, the memory circuit 1020 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuit 1020 may be developed according to the Joint Electronic Equipment Committee (JEDEC) design based on low-power double data rate (LPDDR), such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 1020 can be implemented as one or more of the following: solder-in packaged integrated circuit, single-die package (SDP), dual-die package (DDP), or quad-die package (Q17P), socket memory module, dual in-line memory module (DIMM) including micro DIMM or mini DIMM, and / or soldered to the motherboard via ball grid array (BGA). In low-power implementations, the memory circuit 1020 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with application circuit 1005. To provide persistent storage for information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuit 1020 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, in particular, solid-state disk drives (SSDDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), miniature HDDs, resistance-changing memory, phase-change memory, holographic memory, or chemical memory, etc. For example, the computer platform 1000 may be combined with... and 3D XPOINT memory.

[0155] The removable memory circuitry 1023 may include devices, circuitry, enclosures / housings, ports, or sockets for coupling portable data storage devices to the platform 1000. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, Micro SD cards, xD picture cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical discs, external HDDs, etc.

[0156] Platform 1000 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) for connecting external devices to platform 1000. External devices connected to platform 1000 via this interface circuitry include sensor circuitry 1021 and electromechanical components (EMC) 1022, as well as a removable memory device coupled to removable memory circuitry 1023.

[0157] Sensor circuit 1021 includes devices, modules, or subsystems designed to detect events or changes in their environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular: inertial measurement units (IMUs) including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and / or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) including triaxial accelerometers, triaxial gyroscopes, and / or magnetometers; level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless aperture devices); light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detectors, etc.), depth sensors, ambient light sensors, ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices; etc.

[0158] EMC 1022 includes devices, modules, or subsystems intended to enable platform 1000 to change its state, position, and / or orientation, or to move or control mechanisms or (sub)systems. Additionally, EMC 1022 can be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of platform 1000 to indicate the current state of EMC 1022. Examples of EMC 1022 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, propellers, pawls, clamps, hooks, and / or other similar electromechanical components. In embodiments, platform 1000 is configured to operate one or more EMC 1022s based on one or more captured events and / or commands or control signals received from service providers and / or various clients.

[0159] In some implementations, interface circuitry can connect platform 1000 to positioning circuitry 1045. Positioning circuitry 1045 includes circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcast by a GNSS positioning network. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the US GPS, Russia's GLONASS, the EU's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, Japan's QZSS, France's DORIS, etc.). Positioning circuitry 1045 includes various hardware components (e.g., hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc.) for facilitating OTA communication to communicate with components of the positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some implementations, positioning circuitry 1045 may include a miniature PNT IC that performs position tracking / estimation using a master timing clock without GNSS assistance. Positioning circuitry 1045 may also be part of or interact with baseband circuitry 910 and / or RFEM 1015 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 1045 can also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 1005, which can use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures (e.g., radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, etc.

[0160] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect platform 1000 to near-field communication (NFC) circuitry 1040. NFC circuitry 1040 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, where magnetic field sensing is used to enable communication between NFC circuitry 1040 and NFC-enabled devices (e.g., “NFC contacts”) external to platform 1000. NFC circuitry 1040 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller can be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to NFC circuitry 1040 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack can be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware can be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit short-range RF signals. The RF signals can power passive NFC tags (e.g., microchips embedded in stickers or wristbands) to transmit stored data to NFC circuitry 1040, or initiate data transfer between NFC circuitry 1040 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) located near platform 1000.

[0161] The driving circuit 1046 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 1000. The driving circuit 1046 may include various drivers that allow other components of the platform 1000 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may exist within or be connected to the platform. For example, the driving circuit 1046 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device; a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface of the platform 1000; a sensor driver for acquiring sensor readings of sensor circuit 1021 and controlling and allowing access to sensor circuit 1021; an EMC driver for acquiring actuator position of EMC 1022 and / or controlling and allowing access to EMC 1022; a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device; and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0162] The power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1025 (also referred to as "power management circuit 1025") manages the power supplied to various components of the platform 1000. Specifically, relative to the baseband circuit 1010, the PMIC 1025 controls power selection, voltage regulation, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMIC 1025 is typically included when the platform 1000 can be powered by the battery 1030, for example, when the device is included in UE601, 701, 801.

[0163] In some implementations, the PMIC 1025 can be controlled or otherwise integrated into various power-saving mechanisms of the platform 1000. For example, if the platform 1000 is in the RRC_Connected state, where it remains connected to the RAN node as it anticipates receiving traffic soon, it can enter a state known as Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the platform 1000 can power down for short intervals to conserve power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period, the platform 1000 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, where the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The platform 1000 enters a very low-power state and performs paging, where the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then power down again. The platform 1000 may not receive data in this state; to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power-saving modes can allow the device to be unable to use the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will cause significant latency, and this latency is assumed to be acceptable.

[0164] Battery 1030 can power platform 1000, but in some examples, platform 1000 may be mounted in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the grid. Battery 1030 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in V2X applications, battery 1030 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0165] In some implementations, battery 1030 may be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in platform 1000 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of battery 1030. The BMS can be used to monitor other parameters of battery 1030, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of battery 1030, to provide fault prediction. The BMS can transmit information about battery 1030 to application circuitry 1005 or other components of platform 1000. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that allows application circuitry 1005 to directly monitor the voltage of battery 1030 or the current from battery 1030. Battery parameters can be used to determine actions that platform 1000 can perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0166] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 1030. In some examples, a wireless power receiver can replace the power block XS30 to wirelessly obtain power, for example, via a loop antenna in the computer platform 1000. In these examples, wireless battery charging circuitry can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuitry chosen may depend on the size of the battery 1030 and therefore on the required current. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standards published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Radio Power Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Radio Power Alliance.

[0167] User interface circuitry 1050 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present within or connected to platform 1000, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with platform 1000 and / or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable interaction with peripheral components of platform 1000. User interface circuitry 1050 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual device for accepting input, particularly including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual device for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), wherein the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc., is generated or produced by the operation of platform 1000. The output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio transmitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, sensor circuitry 1021 may be used as input device circuitry (e.g., image capture devices, motion capture devices, etc.), and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuitry (e.g., actuators for providing haptic feedback, etc.). In another example, NFC circuitry may be included for reading electronic tags and / or connecting to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and processing device coupled to an antenna element. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, USB ports, audio jacks, power interfaces, etc.

[0168] Although not shown, components of Platform 1000 may communicate with each other using suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technologies, which may include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, Time Triggered Protocol (TTP) systems, FlexRay systems, or any other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus / IX, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, etc.

[0169] Figure 11 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit 1110 and a radio front-end module (RFEM) 1115 according to various embodiments are shown. The baseband circuit 1110 corresponds to... Figure 9 and Figure 10 The baseband circuits 910 and 1010. RFEM 1115 corresponds to respectively Figure 9 and Figure 10 RFEMs 915 and 1015. As shown, RFEM 1115 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry 1106, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1108, and at least an antenna array 1111 coupled together as shown.

[0170] Baseband circuit 1110 includes circuitry and / or control logic components configured to perform various radio / network protocols and radio control functions for communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuit 1106. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of baseband circuit 1110 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of baseband circuit 1110 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Implementations of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments. Baseband circuit 1110 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuit 1106 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuit 1106. Baseband circuit 1110 is configured to work with application circuit 905 / XS205 (see...) Figure 9 and Figure 10 The interface connection is used to generate and process baseband signals and to control the operation of RF circuit 1106. Baseband circuit 1110 can handle various radio control functions.

[0171] The aforementioned circuitry and / or control logic components of baseband circuitry 1110 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 1104A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 1104B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 1104C, or other baseband processors 1104D for other existing, developing, or future generations (e.g., sixth generation (6G)). In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of baseband processors 1104A-D may be included in modules stored in memory 1104G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 1104E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of baseband processors 1104A to 1104D may be provided as hardware accelerators (e.g., FPGAs, ASICs, etc.) loaded with appropriate bitstreams or logic blocks stored in the respective memory units. In various implementations, memory 1104G may store program code for a real-time operating system (RTOS), which, when executed by CPU 1104E (or other baseband processor), causes CPU 1104E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of baseband circuitry 1110, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of RTOS may include those developed by... The provided Operating System Embedded (OSE) TM By Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM By Mentor The provided Versatile Real-Time Executive (VRTX) is by Express. ThreadX provided TM ,Depend on The provided FreeRTOS and REX OS are based on the Open Kernel (OK). The provided OKL4, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. Furthermore, the baseband circuitry 1110 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1104F. The audio DSP 1104F includes elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements.

[0172] In some implementations, each of processors 1104A-1104E includes a corresponding memory interface for sending data to / receiving data from memory 1104G. Baseband circuitry 1110 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuitry / devices, such as interfaces for sending data to / receiving data from memory external to baseband circuitry 1110; interfaces for sending data to / receiving data from memory external to baseband circuitry 1110; and interfaces for sending data to / receiving data from memory external to baseband circuitry 1110. Figures 9 to X The application circuit interface for sending data to / receiving data from the application circuit 905 / XS205 of T; used for sending / receiving data from the application circuit of T. Figure 11 RF circuit 1106 is an RF circuit interface for transmitting / receiving data from / from one or more wireless hardware components (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components). Low power components A wireless hardware connection interface for transmitting data to / receiving data from these wireless hardware components; and a power management interface for transmitting power or control signals to / receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 1025.

[0173] In an alternative embodiment (which may be combined with the embodiments described above), baseband circuitry 1110 includes one or more digital baseband systems coupled to each other and to a CPU subsystem, an audio subsystem, and an interface subsystem via interconnect subsystems. The digital baseband subsystems may also be coupled to a digital baseband interface and a mixed-signal baseband subsystem via another interconnect subsystem. Each of the interconnect subsystems may include a bus system, point-to-point connections, a network-on-chip (NOC) architecture, and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include DSP circuitry, buffer memory, program memory, voice processing accelerator circuitry, data converter circuitry such as analog-to-digital converter circuitry and digital-to-analog converter circuitry, analog circuitry including one or more amplifiers and filters, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of this disclosure, baseband circuitry 1110 may include protocol processing circuitry having one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuitry and / or radio frequency circuitry (e.g., radio front-end module 1115).

[0174] although Figure 11Not shown, but in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1110 includes various processing devices (e.g., a "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuit") for operating one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices for implementing PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuit operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when baseband circuitry 1110 and / or RF circuitry 1106 are part of millimeter-wave communication circuitry or some other suitable cellular communication circuitry, the protocol processing circuit can operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In the first example, the protocol processing circuit will operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when baseband circuitry 1110 and / or RF circuitry 1106 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuit can operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In the second example, the protocol processing circuit will operate Wi-Fi MAC and Logical Link Control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuitry may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 1104G) for storing program code and data for operating protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing the program code and performing various operations using the data. The baseband circuitry 1110 may also support radio communication using more than one wireless protocol.

[0175] The various hardware components of the baseband circuit 1110 discussed herein can be implemented, for example, as a solderable substrate comprising one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single-packaged IC soldered to a main board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs. In one example, components of the baseband circuit 1110 may be suitably combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on the same board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1110 and the RF circuit 1106 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system-on-a-chip (SOC) or a system-in-package (SiP). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1110 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 1106 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 1106). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1110 and the application circuit 905 / XS205 may be implemented together as a separate SoC mounted to the same board (e.g., a “multi-chip package”).

[0176] In some implementations, baseband circuit 1110 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 1110 can support communication with E-UTRAN or other WMAN, WLAN, WPAN. Implementations in which baseband circuit 1110 is configured to support radio communication with more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0177] RF circuit 1106 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 1106 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 1106 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 1108 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 1110. RF circuit 1106 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1110 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 1108.

[0178] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 1106 may include mixer circuit 1106a, amplifier circuit 1106b, and filter circuit 1106c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 1106 may include filter circuit 1106c and mixer circuit 1106a. RF circuit 1106 may also include synthesizer circuit 1106d for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 1106a for both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1106a for the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 1108 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 1106d. Amplifier circuit 1106b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 1106c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal can be provided to the baseband circuit 1110 for further processing. In some embodiments, although not required, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1106a receiving the signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0179] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1106a of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1106d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1108. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1110 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1106c.

[0180] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1106a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1106a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and quadrature upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1106a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1106a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1106a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1106a for the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1106a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1106a for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0181] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 1106 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuit 1110 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with RF circuit 1106.

[0182] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0183] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 1106d may be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1106d may be a Δ-Σ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0184] Synthesizer circuit 1106d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 1106a of RF circuit 1106. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1106d can be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0185] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not mandatory. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1110 or the application circuit 905 / XS205 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined based on a lookup table according to the channel indicated by the application circuit 905 / XS205.

[0186] The synthesizer circuit 1106d of the RF circuit 1106 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some exemplary embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable set of delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0187] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1106d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and may be used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at that carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuit 1106 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0188] FEM circuit 1108 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from antenna array 1111, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 1106 for further processing. FEM circuit 1108 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 1106 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in antenna array 1111. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 1106, only in FEM circuit 1108, or in both RF circuit 1106 and FEM circuit 1108.

[0189] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 1108 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 1108 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 1108 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 1106). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 1108 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying the input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 1106), and one or more filters for generating the RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of antenna array 1111.

[0190] Antenna array 1111 includes one or more antenna elements, each configured to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves back into electrical signals. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1110 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of antenna array 1111, which includes one or more antenna elements (not shown). Antenna elements can be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. Antenna elements can be arranged in various configurations as known and / or discussed herein. Antenna array 1111 may include a microstrip antenna or a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. Antenna array 1111 may be formed as a patch of metal foil of various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and may be coupled to RF circuit 1106 and / or FEM circuit 1108 using metal transmission lines, etc.

[0191] The processors of the application circuitry 905 / XS205 and the baseband circuitry 1110 are elements that can be used to execute one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuitry 1110 can be used alone or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuitry 905 / XS205 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP and UDP layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the MAC layer, RLC layer, and PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the PHY layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0192] Figure 12 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in wireless communication devices according to various implementation schemes are illustrated. Specifically, Figure 12This includes an arrangement 1200 illustrating the interconnections between various protocol layers / entities. It provides various protocol layers / entities operating in conjunction with 5G / NR system standards and LTE system standards. Figure 12 The following description, but Figure 12 Some or all of these aspects may also be applicable to other wireless communication network systems.

[0193] In addition to other higher-layer functions not shown, the protocol layers of arrangement 1200 may also include one or more of PHY 1210, MAC 1220, RLC 1230, PDCP 1240, SDAP 1247, RRC 1255, and NAS layer 1257. These protocol layers may include one or more service access points (e.g., capable of providing communication between two or more protocol layers). Figure 12 Items 1259, 1256, 1250, 1249, 1245, 1235, 1225, and 1215.

[0194] PHY 1210 can transmit and receive physical layer signals 1205, which can be received from or transmitted to one or more other communication devices. Physical layer signals 1205 may include one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. PHY 1210 can also perform link adaptive or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers (e.g., RRC1255). PHY 1210 can further perform error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of transport channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. In some embodiments, instances of PHY 1210 can process requests from instances of MAC 1220 and provide indications to them via one or more PHY-SAP 1215. According to some embodiments, requests and indications transmitted via PHY-SAP 1215 may include one or more transport channels.

[0195] An instance of MAC 1220 can process requests from instances of RLC 1230 and provide instructions to them via one or more MAC-SAP 1225s. These requests and instructions transmitted via MAC-SAP 1225s may include one or more logical channels. MAC 1220 can perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto a TB to be delivered to PHY 1210 via a transport channel, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from a TB delivered from PHY 1210 via a transport channel onto one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, and logical channel prioritization.

[0196] An instance of RLC 1230 can process requests from instances of PDCP 1240 and provide instructions to them via one or more Radio Link Control Service Access Points (RLC-SAP) 1235. These requests and instructions transmitted via RLC-SAP 1235 may include one or more logical channels. RLC 1230 can operate in several modes, including: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). RLC 1230 can perform transmission of Upper Layer Protocol Data Units (PDUs), error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLCSDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC 1230 can also re-segment RLC data PDUs for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0197] An instance of PDCP 1240 can handle requests from instances of RRC 1255 and / or SDAP 1247, and provide instructions to them via one or more Packet Data Convergence Protocol Service Points (PDCP-SAP) 1245. These requests and instructions transmitted via PDCP-SAP 1245 may include one or more radio bearers. PDCP 1240 can perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform sequential delivery of upper-layer PDUs during lower-layer re-establishment, eliminate duplication of lower-layer SDUs during lower-layer re-establishment of radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification on control plane data, control timer-based data discarding, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0198] An instance of SDAP 1247 can process requests from one or more higher-layer protocol entities and provide them with indications via one or more SDAP-SAP 1249s. These requests and indications transmitted via SDAP-SAP 1249s may include one or more QoS flows. SDAP 1247 can map QoS flows to DRBs and vice versa, and can also tag QFIs in DL and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 1247 can be configured for a single PDU session. In the UL direction, NG-RAN 610 can control the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs in two different ways (reflective mapping or explicit mapping). For reflective mapping, UE 601's SDAP 1247 can monitor the QFI of DL packets for each DRB and can apply the same mapping for packets flowing in the UL direction. For DRBs, UE 601's SDAP 1247 can map UL packets belonging to a QoS flow that corresponds to the QoS flow ID and PDU session observed in the DL packets of that DRB. To implement reflection mapping, the NG-RAN 810 can tag DL packets with QoS flow IDs via the Uu interface. Explicit mapping may involve the RRC 1255 configuring the SDAP 1247 with explicit mapping rules from QoS flows to the DRB; these rules can be stored and followed by the SDAP 1247. In implementations, the SDAP 1247 may be used only in NR-specific implementations and may not be used in LTE-specific implementations.

[0199] The RRC 1255 can be configured with aspects of one or more protocol layers via one or more Management Service Access Points (M-SAPs), which may include one or more instances of PHY 1210, MAC 1220, RLC 1230, PDCP 1240, and SDAP 1247. In an implementation, an instance of RRC 1255 may handle requests from one or more NAS entities 1257 and provide them with instructions via one or more RRC-SAPs 1256. The main services and functions of the RRC 1255 may include broadcasting system information (e.g., included in NAS-related MIBs or SIBs), broadcasting system information related to the Access Layer (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections between UE 601 and RAN 610 (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. These MIBs and SIBs may include one or more IEs, each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0200] The NAS 1257 forms the highest layer of the control plane between UE 601 and AMF 821. The NAS 1257 supports the mobility and session management procedures of UE 601 to establish and maintain IP connections between UE 601 and the P-GW in an LTE system.

[0201] According to various implementation schemes, one or more protocol entities deployed in 1200 may be implemented in UE 601, RAN node 611, AMF 821 in NR implementation or MME 721 in LTE implementation, UPF 802 in NR implementation or S-GW 722 and P-GW 723 in LTE implementation, etc., for use in the control plane or user plane communication protocol stack between the aforementioned devices. In such implementation schemes, one or more protocol entities that may be implemented in one or more of UE 601, gNB 611, AMF 821, etc., may communicate with corresponding peer protocol entities that may be implemented in another device or on another device (using the services of the corresponding lower-level protocol entity to perform such communication). In some implementations, the gNB-CU of gNB 611 may host the RRC 1255, SDAP 1247, and PDCP 1240 of gNB controlling one or more gNB-DU operations, and the gNB-DU of gNB 611 may each host the RLC 1230, MAC 1220, and PHY 1210 of gNB 611.

[0202] In the first example, the control plane protocol stack may include NAS 1257, RRC1255, PDCP 1240, RLC 1230, MAC 1220, and PHY 1210 in order from the highest to the lowest layer. In this example, the upper layer 1260 may be built on top of NAS1257, which includes IP layer 1261, SCTP 1262, and application layer signaling protocol (AP) 1263.

[0203] In a specific NR implementation, AP 1263 may be an NG application protocol layer (NGAP or NG-AP) 1263 for an NG interface 613 that is limited between NG-RAN nodes 611 and AMF 821, or AP 1263 may be an Xn application protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 1263 for an Xn interface 612 that is limited between two or more RAN nodes 611.

[0204] NG-AP 1263 can support the functionality of NG interface 613 and may include an initial procedure (EP). The NG-AP EP can be the interaction unit between NG-RAN node 611 and AMF 821. NG-AP 1263 services may include two groups: UE-related services (e.g., services related to UE 601) and non-UE-related services (e.g., services related to the entire NG interface instance between NG-RAN node 611 and AMF 821). These services may include, but are not limited to: paging functions for sending paging requests to NG-RAN nodes 611 involved in a specific paging area; UE context management functions for allowing AMF 821 to establish, modify, and / or release UE contexts in AMF 821 and NG-RAN nodes 611; mobility functions for UE 601 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, for intra-system HO support of mobility within NG-RAN, and for inter-system HO support of mobility from / to EPS systems; NAS signaling transmission functions for transmitting or rerouting NAS messages between UE 601 and AMF 821; NAS node selection functions for determining the association between AMF 821 and UE 601; NG interface management functions for setting up the NG interface and monitoring for errors via the NG interface; warning message transmission functions for providing means of transmitting warning messages or canceling ongoing warning message broadcasts via the NG interface; and functions for transmitting warning messages via CN. 620 has configuration transmission functions for requesting and transmitting RAN configuration information (e.g., SON information, performance measurement (PM) data, etc.) between two RAN nodes 611; and / or other similar functions.

[0205] XnAP 1263 supports the functions of Xn interface 612 and may include XnAP basic mobility procedures and XnAP global procedures. XnAP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within NG RAN 611 (or E-UTRAN 710), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transmission procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, and procedures related to dual connectivity. XnAP global procedures may include procedures independent of a specific UE 601, such as Xn interface setup and reset procedures, NG-RAN update procedures, and cell activation procedures.

[0206] In a specific LTE implementation, AP 1263 can be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 1263 for an S1 interface 613 defined between E-UTRAN node 611 and MME, or AP 1263 can be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 1263 for an X2 interface 612 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 611.

[0207] The S1 Application Protocol Layer (S1-AP) 1263 supports the functions of the S1 interface and, similar to the previously discussed NG-AP, may include an S1-AP EP. The S1-AP EP can be the interaction unit between the E-UTRAN node 611 and the MME 721 within the LTE CN 620. The S1-AP 1263 services may include two sets: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. These services perform functions including, but not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0208] X2AP 1263 supports the functions of X2 interface 612 and may include X2AP basic mobility procedures and X2AP global procedures. X2AP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within E-UTRAN 620, such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transmission procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, and procedures related to dual connectivity. X2AP global procedures may include procedures independent of a specific UE 601, such as X2 interface setup and reset procedures, load indication procedures, error indication procedures, and cell activation procedures.

[0209] The SCTP layer (optionally referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 1262 provides guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., NGAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). SCTP 1262 can, in part, rely on the IP protocol supported by IP 1261 to ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between RAN node 611 and AMF 821 / MME 721. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 1261 can be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. In some implementations, IP layer 1261 can use point-to-point transmission to deliver and transmit PDUs. In this regard, RAN node 611 may include L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0210] In the second example, the user plane protocol stack may include SDAP 1247, PDCP 1240, RLC 1230, MAC 1220, and PHY 1210 in order from the highest to the lowest layer. The user plane protocol stack can be used for communication between UE601, RAN node 611, and UPF 802 in an NR implementation, or between S-GW 722 and P-GW 723 in an LTE implementation. In this example, the upper layer 1251 may be built on top of SDAP 1247 and may include User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and IP Security Layer (UDP / IP) 1252, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol for User Plane Layer (GTP-U) 1253, and User Plane PDU Layer (UP PDU) 1263.

[0211] The transport network layer 1254 (also known as the "transport layer") can be built on top of IP transport, and the GTP-U 1253 can be used on top of the UDP / IP layer 1252 (which includes the UDP and IP layers) to carry user plane PDUs (UP-PDUs). The IP layer (also known as the "Internet layer") can be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. The IP layer can assign IP addresses to user data packets in any of the formats, such as IPv4, IPv6, or PPP.

[0212] The GTP-U 1253 can be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data can be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats. The UDP / IP 1252 provides checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication for selected data streams. RAN node 611 and S-GW 722 can exchange user plane data via the S1-U interface through a protocol stack including L1 layer (e.g., PHY 1210), L2 layer (e.g., MAC 1220, RLC 1230, PDCP 1240, and / or SDAP 1247), UDP / IP layer 1252, and GTP-U 1253. The S-GW 722 and P-GW 723 can exchange user plane data via an S5 / S8a interface through a protocol stack including L1, L2, UDP / IP layer 1252, and GTP-U 1253. As previously discussed, the NAS protocol supports the mobility and session management procedures of UE 601 to establish and maintain the IP connection between UE 601 and P-GW 723.

[0213] Furthermore, despite Figure 12Not shown, but the application layer may exist above AP 1263 and / or transport network layer 1254. The application layer may be a layer where users of UE 601, RAN node 611, or other network elements interact with software applications, for example, executed by application circuitry 905 or application circuitry 1005. The application layer may also provide one or more interfaces for software applications to interact with the communication systems of UE 601 or RAN node 611, such as baseband circuitry 1110. In some implementations, the IP layer and / or application layer may provide the same or similar functionality as layers 5 through 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, or portions thereof (e.g., OSI layer 7—application layer, OSI layer 6—presentation layer, and OSI layer 5—session layer).

[0214] Figure 13 Components of a core network according to various embodiments are illustrated; components of CN 720 may be implemented in a physical node or a separate physical node, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In embodiments, components of CN 820 may be implemented in the same or similar manner as those discussed herein with respect to components of CN 720. In some embodiments, NFV is used to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 720 may be referred to as network slice 1301, and each logical instance of CN 720 may provide specific network functions and network characteristics. A logical instance of a portion of CN 720 may be referred to as network subslice 1302 (e.g., network subslice 1302 is shown as including P-GW 723 and PCRF 726).

[0215] As used herein, the term "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. A network instance can refer to information identifying a domain that can be used for traffic detection and routing in the case of different IP domains or overlapping IP addresses. A network slice instance can refer to a set of network function (NF) instances and the resources (e.g., compute, storage, and network resources) required to deploy a network slice.

[0216] Compared to 5G systems (see example) Figure 8Network slices always consist of RAN and CN portions. Support for network slices relies on the principle that traffic for different slices is handled by different PDU sessions. Different network slices can be implemented through scheduling and by providing different L1 / L2 configurations. If the NAS has provided an RRC message, the UE 801 provides auxiliary information for network slice selection in the appropriate RRC message. Although the network can support a large number of slices, the UE does not need to support more than eight slices simultaneously.

[0217] Network slices may include the CN 820 control plane and user plane NF, NG-RAN 810 in the serving PLMN, and N3IWF functionality in the serving PLMN. Each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI and / or a different SST. An NSSAI includes one or more S-NSSAIs, and each network slice is uniquely identified by its S-NSSAI. Network slices may differ for supported features and network function optimizations, and / or multiple network slice instances may deliver the same services / features but differ for different groups of UEs 801 (e.g., enterprise users). For example, each network slice may deliver different committed services and / or be dedicated to a specific customer or enterprise. In this example, each network slice may have different S-NSSAIs with the same SST but different slice differentiators. Additionally, a single UE may be served simultaneously by one or more network slice instances via 5G AN and associated with eight different S-NSSAIs. Furthermore, the AMF 821 instance serving a single UE 801 may belong to each network slice instance serving that UE.

[0218] Network slicing in NG-RAN 810 involves RAN slice awareness. RAN slice awareness includes the differentiation processing of traffic for different pre-configured network slices. Slice awareness in NG-RAN 810 is introduced at the PDU session level by indicating the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session in all signaling, including PDU session resource information. How NG-RAN 810 supports slicing in terms of NG-RAN functions (e.g., a set of network functions per slice) depends on the specific implementation. NG-RAN 810 uses auxiliary information provided by UE 801 or 5GC 820 to select the RAN portion of a network slice, which explicitly identifies one or more pre-configured network slices in the PLMN. NG-RAN 810 also supports resource management and policy enforcement across slices according to SLAs. A single NG-RAN node can support multiple slices, and NG-RAN 810 can also appropriately apply appropriate RRM policies for each supported slice according to the SLA. NG-RAN 810 also supports QoS differentiation within slices.

[0219] NG-RAN 810 can also select AMF 821 during initial attachment using UE assistance information (if available). NG-RAN 810 uses the assistance information to route the initial NAS to AMF 821. If NG-RAN 810 cannot select AMF 821 using the assistance information, or if UE 801 does not provide any such information, NG-RAN 810 sends NAS signaling to the default AMF 821, which may be in the AMF 821 pool. For subsequent access, UE 801 provides a temporary ID assigned to UE 801 by 5GC 820 to enable NG-RAN 810 to route NAS messages to the appropriate AMF 821, provided that temporary ID is valid. NG-RAN 810 knows and can reach the AMF 821 associated with the temporary ID. Otherwise, the method used for initial attachment is applied.

[0220] NG-RAN 810 supports resource isolation between slices. NG-RAN 810 resource isolation is achieved through RRM policies and protection mechanisms that should prevent the lack of shared resources if one slice interrupts the service level agreement used by another slice. In some implementations, NG-RAN 810 resources can be completely assigned to a single slice. How NG-RAN 810 supports resource isolation depends on the specific implementation.

[0221] Some slices may only be partially available in the network. The awareness of slices supported in neighboring cells within the NG-RAN 810 can be beneficial for inter-frequency mobility in connected modes. Slice availability may remain unchanged within the UE's registered area. The NG-RAN 810 and 5GC 820 are responsible for processing service requests for slices that may or may not be available in a given area. Granting or denying access to a slice may depend on factors such as support for that slice, resource availability, and NG-RAN 810 support for the requested service.

[0222] UE 801 can be associated with multiple network slices simultaneously. When UE 801 is associated with multiple slices, only one signaling connection is maintained, and for intra-frequency cell reselection, UE 801 attempts to pre-allocate the best cell. For inter-frequency cell reselection, a dedicated priority can be used to control the frequency pre-allocated by UE 801. 5GC 820 will verify that UE 801 has the right to access network slices. Before receiving the Initial Context Setup Request message, based on awareness of the specific slice UE 801 is requesting access to, NG-RAN 810 may apply some temporary / local policies. During the Initial Context Setup, NG-RAN 810 is notified of the slices requesting its resources.

[0223] NFV architectures and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more NFs onto a physical resource that includes a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (or alternatively, proprietary hardware). In other words, NFV systems can be used to implement virtual or reconfigurable concrete implementations of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0224] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating components of a system 1400 for supporting NFV according to some exemplary embodiments. System 1400 is shown as including VIM 1402, NFVI 1404, VNFM 1406, VNF 1408, EM 1410, NFVO 1412, and NM 1414.

[0225] VIM 1402 manages the resources of NFVI 1404. NFVI 1404 may include physical or virtual resources and applications (including hypervisors) used to run system 1400. VIM 1402 can utilize NFVI 1404 to manage the lifecycle of virtual resources (e.g., the creation, maintenance, and teardown of VMs associated with one or more physical resources), track VM instances, track the performance, failure, and security of VM instances and associated physical resources, and expose VM instances and associated physical resources to other management systems.

[0226] VNFM 1406 manages VNF 1408. VNF 1408 can be used to perform EPC components / functions. VNFM 1406 manages the lifecycle of VNF 1408 and tracks the performance, faults, and security of VNF 1408 virtualization. EM 1410 tracks the performance, faults, and security of VNF 1408 functionality. Tracking data from VNFM 1406 and EM 1410 may include, for example, PM data used by VIM 1402 or NFVI 1404. Both VNFM 1406 and EM 1410 can scale the number of VNFs in system 1400.

[0227] NFVO 1412 can coordinate, authorize, release, and engage the resources of NFVI 1404 to provide requested services (e.g., to perform EPC functions, components, or slices). NM 1414 can provide end-user function packages responsible for network management, which may include network elements with VNFs, non-virtualized network functions, or both (management of VNFs may occur via EM 1410).

[0228] Figure 15This is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Figure 15 A schematic diagram of hardware resource 1500 is shown, which includes one or more processors (or processor cores) 1510, one or more memory / storage devices 1520, and one or more communication resources 1530, each of which is communicatively coupled via bus 1540. For an implementation utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 1502 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resource 1500.

[0229] Processor 1510 may include, for example, processor 1512 and processor 1514. Processor 1510 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0230] Memory / storage device 1520 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. Memory / storage device 1520 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0231] Communication resource 1530 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1504 or one or more databases 1506 via network 1508. For example, communication resource 1530 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. (or Low-power components Components and other communication components.

[0232] Instructions 1550 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least any one of processors 1510 to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. Instructions 1550 may reside wholly or partially within processor 1510 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), memory / storage device 1520, or at least one of any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instructions 1550 may be transferred to hardware resource 1500 from any combination of peripheral device 1504 or database 1506. Thus, the memory of processor 1510, memory / storage device 1520, peripheral device 1504, and database 1506 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0233] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data transmission activities to be performed at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The alignment for determining the subsequent use of resources for the UE based on the current use of resources will be adjusted; Data is generated indicating a plurality of active alignment parameters to be adjusted so as to cause the adjusted alignment for subsequent use of the resource, wherein the data indicating the plurality of active alignment parameters includes: The first data indicates the appropriate transmission direction for each of the multiple resources to be synchronized; The second data indicates the corresponding latency tolerance for each of the plurality of resources to be synchronized; and The third piece of data indicates a request to map a set of network traffic to multiple transport blocks; The generated data is encoded for transmission to the base station; and The encoded data is transmitted to the base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Data is received from the base station, which configures the UE to adjust subsequent resource usage; as well as Adjusting subsequent resource usage based on multiple network parameters.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The data indicating the plurality of active alignment parameters includes: (i) Fourth data, which indicates the data transmission activity to be synchronized; and (ii) Fifth data, which indicates one or more of the following: group synchronization tolerance, synchronization point, request for a single transport block.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the resources include or are associated with one or more Data Radio Bearers (DRBs), one or more Logical Channels (LCHs), one or more Component Carriers (CCs), one or more Logical Channel Groups (LCGs), one or more Quality of Service (QoS) streams, or one or more Configuration Authorization (CGs), one or more SPSs, or one or more application requirements of one or more applications.

5. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of resources for the UE based on the current use of resources will be adjusted including: The UE determines that multiple resources are each associated with a packet arrival time that meets a threshold arrival time; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that instructs the base station to aggregate the multiple resources using the same component carrier (CC) within a single period of transmission activity.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The plurality of active alignment parameters include at least one of the parameters determined in claim 4.

7. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of resources for the UE based on the current use of resources will be adjusted including: The UE determines that multiple configuration grants are each associated with data requiring synchronous transmission; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting to aggregate the multiple resources using the same component carrier CC within a single cycle of the transmission activity performed by the UE.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The plurality of activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data that identifies multiple configuration authorizations; and (ii) data that identifies group synchronization tolerances.

9. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of resources for the UE based on the current use of resources will be adjusted including: Each of the multiple resources is associated with a group arrival time that meets a threshold arrival time; and The adjustment alignment, in which the UE generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to cause subsequent use of resources, includes: Data is generated that instructs the base station to aggregate the plurality of resources using different component carriers (CCs) for each of the plurality of resources within a single period of transmission activity.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The plurality of activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data that identifies a plurality of configuration authorizations; (ii) data that identifies each of the different CCs; and (iii) data that identifies group synchronization tolerance.

11. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of a resource based on its current usage will be adjusted to include: The UE determines that multiple resources are each associated with data that requires synchronous transmission; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that instructs the base station that the UE will request to aggregate the multiple resources using different component carriers (CCs) for each of the multiple resources within a single cycle of the transmission activity performed by the UE.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The multiple activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data that identifies multiple configuration authorizations; (ii) data that identifies each of the different LCHs; and (iii) data that identifies group synchronization tolerance.

13. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of a resource based on its current usage will be adjusted to include: The UE determines that multiple resources require synchronous transmission; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting to aggregate the multiple resources using a single transport block within a single cycle of the transmission activity performed by the UE.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The plurality of activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying the plurality of configuration authorizations; and (ii) data including a request to transfer the plurality of configuration authorizations into a single transport block.

15. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of a resource based on its current usage will be adjusted to include: The UE determines that multiple groups of resources have different periodicities; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting the aggregation of a first set of resources with a first periodicity in a first period of transmission activity and the aggregation of a second set of resources with a second periodicity in a second period of transmission activity.

16. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of resources based on current radio resource usage will be adjusted to include: The UE identifies a specific radio resource among multiple resources as a synchronization point; The UE determines that the remaining resources among the plurality of resources have a synchronization delay tolerance smaller than the threshold synchronization delay tolerance of the specific radio resource; and The process of generating data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to induce adjustment alignment for subsequent use of radio resources includes: Data is generated that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting a delay in using a single carrier to implement the remaining resources until the transmission activity period when the specific radio resource is to be implemented.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The plurality of active alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying a plurality of UL licenses or DL ​​assignments; and (ii) data identifying the individual delay tolerance of each of the plurality of UL licenses or DL ​​assignments.

18. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining subsequent radio resource usage based on current radio resource usage will be adjusted to include: The UE identifies a specific radio resource among multiple resources as a synchronization point; The UE determines that the remaining resources among the plurality of resources have a synchronization delay tolerance smaller than the threshold synchronization delay tolerance of the specific radio resource; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that indicates to the base station that the UE is requesting a delay in using multiple component carriers (CCs) to implement the remaining resources until the transmission period when the specific radio resource is to be implemented.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The plurality of active alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying a plurality of UL licenses or DL ​​assignments; (ii) data identifying each of the plurality of component carriers (CCs); and (iii) data identifying the individual delay tolerance of each of the plurality of UL licenses or DL ​​assignments.

20. The method according to claim 1, in, The alignment for determining the subsequent use of resources based on current radio usage will be adjusted to include: The UE identifies a specific radio resource among multiple resources as a synchronization point; The UE determines that the remaining resources among the plurality of resources have a synchronization delay tolerance smaller than the threshold synchronization delay tolerance of the specific radio resource; and The adjustment alignment, which generates data indicating multiple active alignment parameters to be adjusted in order to trigger subsequent use of the resource, includes: Data is generated that instructs the base station that the UE will request a delay in using a single transport block on a single component carrier to implement the remaining resources until the transmission period when the specific radio resource is to be implemented.

21. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The plurality of activity alignment parameters include at least: (i) data identifying a plurality of configuration grants or SPSs; (ii) data identifying individual delay tolerances for each of the plurality of configuration grants / SPSs; and (iii) data identifying requests to transmit the plurality of configuration grants / SPSs into a single transport block.

22. A UE, the UE comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing instructions, the instructions, when executed, causing the UE to perform operations according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing instructions, which, when executed, cause the UE to perform operations according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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