Method and apparatus for inactive state initial uplink transmission at user equipment using preconfigured grants in wireless communications

Abstract

The present invention describes a user equipment (UE) device comprising an antenna, a memory, an RF circuit communicatively coupled to the antenna, and a processor configured to perform operations. In an exemplary embodiment, the operations include: receiving one or more pre-configured grant (pre-CG) configurations for an RRC_INACTIVE state from a network node. The one or more pre-CG configurations are used for initial data transmission when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations also include: when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, performing the initial data transmission using pre-CG resources based on the received one or more pre-CG configurations. Each of the one or more pre-CG configurations includes a configuration of the pre-CG resource and one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resource. The one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resource include one or more of an access type, a transmission priority, a mapped logical channel (LCH) / dedicated radio bearer (DRB) / quality of service (QoS) flow, and an effective timing advance (TA).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to wireless technologies, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for data transmission using pre-configured grants for user equipment (UE) in an inactive state. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication networks, 5G New Radio (NR) provides faster networks with higher capacity, which can facilitate applications such as the control of remote devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) where real-time network performance is critical. With the growing demand for faster data exchange and seamless communication, reducing latency and battery consumption has become a key factor in supporting this need to maintain the performance of 5G NR technology.

[0003] 5G NR supports three RRC states: RRC CONNECTED, RRC INACTIVE, and RRC IDLE. UEs with small, infrequent data transmissions are typically maintained in the RRC_INACTIVE state by the network. Examples of small, infrequent data traffic include services from instant messaging services and push notifications from mobile applications and smartphone applications.

[0004] The 5G NR protocol stack, consisting of the control plane and user plane, provides connectivity between the UE and the gNB or core network (CN). For the control plane in the INACTIVE state, the UE has a non-access stratum (NAS) connection to the CN. Additionally, the UE does not have dedicated access stratum (AS) resources, and the UE maintains the RRC configuration prior to entering the INACTIVE state. For the user plane in the INACTIVE state, the UE cannot perform any dedicated data transmission / reception. If the UE has dedicated data transmission / reception, it should enter the CONNECTED state. Specifically, for DL ​​data transmission, the gNodeB pages the UE via the RAN paging mechanism to trigger the UE to enter the CONNECTED state. For uplink (UL) data transmission, the UE triggers a RACH procedure to enter the CONNECTED state. Regarding mobility in the INACTIVE state, a UE in the INACTIVE state can move within the RNA (i.e., RAN Notification Area) without notifying the NG-RAN. The cell selection / reselection process is the same as in the RRC_IDLE state.

[0005] There are three common state transition scenarios between the INACTIVE state and the CONNECTED state. First, the state transition from the CONNECTED state to the INACTIVE state includes an RRC release including suspend information. The state transition from the INACTIVE state to the CONNECTED state includes the RRC recovery process. The state transition from the INACTIVE state to the IDLE state includes (1) RRC release and (2) abnormal conditions (unable to find a cell for camping).

[0006] In legacy networks, when a UE is in the CONNECTED state, configuration grant transmission is used only for data transmission. Furthermore, in legacy networks, configuration grant resources are UE-specific and do not support contention resolution for shared resource scenarios. Furthermore, in legacy networks, when a UE in the INACTIVE state triggers an initial transmission for the RRC recovery procedure, the initial access procedure between the UE and the network (gNB) is exclusively via the RACH procedure.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for an enhanced mechanism for pre-configuring uplink (UL) grants that can be used for initial transmissions at a UE in the INACTIVE state, thereby reducing data transmission delays and signaling overhead incurred during state transitions. Thus, the enhanced mechanism can support small-scale data transmissions by a UE in the INACTIVE state without transitioning to the RRC CONNECTED state. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Methods and apparatus from the perspective of a user equipment (UE) and a baseband (BB) processor are described. The described embodiments relate to methods and apparatus for enabling an apparatus to perform an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources based on one or more received pre-CG configurations.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the UE has a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving one or more pre-configuration grant (pre-CG) configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state from a network node. The term network node may also refer to a base station, and generally the two terms are used interchangeably. The one or more pre-CG configurations are used for initial data transmission when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations also include: when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, performing an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources based on the received one or more pre-CG configurations.

[0010] In some embodiments, each of the one or more pre-CG configurations includes a configuration of pre-CG resources and one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resources. In these embodiments, the one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resources include one or more of access type, transmission priority, mapped logical channel (LCH) / dedicated radio bearer (DRB) / quality of service (QoS) flow, and effective timing advance (TA).

[0011] In some embodiments, the operations of receiving one or more pre-CG configurations include: receiving a dedicated RRC message that includes one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations include: entering the RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations also include: receiving a broadcast message that includes an indication as to whether the cell sending the broadcast message supports initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. The operations include: triggering, based on the indication in the broadcast message and based on the received one or more pre-CG configurations, an initial data transmission to the cell using pre-CG resources.

[0012] In some embodiments, the operations of receiving one or more pre-CG configurations include: receiving a dedicated RRC message including one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state and a list of cells for which the one or more pre-CG configurations are valid; and the UE entering the RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations also include: determining whether the currently camped cell is included in the list of cells for which the one or more pre-CG configurations are valid. The operations include: triggering an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources to the currently camped cell based on the determination.

[0013] In some embodiments, the operations of receiving one or more pre-CG configurations include entering an RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations also include receiving a system information block (SIB) including one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state from a currently camped cell. The operations include triggering an initial data transmission using configuration grant (CG) resources.

[0014] In some other embodiments, the operations include: determining whether the UE has data to transmit when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. The operations include: determining whether one or more pre-CG configurations have been configured and whether one or more conditions for using pre-CG resources are met. If one or more conditions for using pre-CG resources are met, the operations include: performing initial data transmission using the received one or more pre-CG configurations. If one or more conditions for using pre-CG resources are not met, the operations include: determining whether the UE is allowed to perform initial data transmission via a random access channel (RACH) process in the currently occupied cell. If the UE is allowed to perform initial data transmission via a RACH process, the operations include: performing initial data transmission via a RACH process. If the UE is not allowed to perform initial data transmission via a RACH process, the operations include: performing a first transmission via an RRC connection recovery process.

[0015] In some embodiments, the operations include including a UE identifier (ID) in a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) for initial data transmission. The operations also include monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window after the initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. The UE determines whether the initial data transmission is successful.

[0016] In some implementations, the UE ID is an Inactive RNTI (I-RNTI).

[0017] In some embodiments, determination of a successful initial data transmission is based on receiving network feedback including an Inactive RNTI (I-RNTI) of the UE.

[0018] In some embodiments, the CG configuration in one or more pre-CG configurations includes a CG-RNTI, and determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving network feedback including a downlink MAC PDU with a UE ID, which is scheduled using the CG-RNTI of the CG configuration for initial data transmission.

[0019] In some embodiments, the operations include determining that the initial data transmission was unsuccessful when the UE does not receive network feedback within a predefined time window.

[0020] In some embodiments, the operations include monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window after the initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. The operations include determining that the initial data transmission was successful when the UE receives network feedback, the network feedback including layer 1 acknowledgement (ACK) feedback, or downlink control information (DCI) for an uplink (UL) grant or downlink (DL) assignment with a corresponding CG-RNTI for the UE, or an I-RNTI for the UE.

[0021] In some embodiments, the operations include determining whether the UE has a valid TA to trigger initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. The determination includes determining that the UE has a valid TA when UE mobility is restricted due to the UE entering RRC_INACTIVE mode. The valid TA is the TA used in the previous RRC_CONNECTED state. The operations also include determining that the UE has a valid TA when the current camped cell indicates that pre-CG resources are allowed, wherein the value of the valid TA is equal to zero.

[0022] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a baseband processor configured to execute the process as described above.

[0023] In another aspect of the present disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a method for performing the above process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements.

[0025] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 2 A base station (BS) is shown in communication with a user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments is shown.

[0028] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments is shown.

[0029] Figure 5 An exemplary block diagram of cellular communication circuitry is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0030] Figure 6is an illustration of a UE-triggered transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state for legacy procedures according to some embodiments.

[0031] Figure 7A is an illustration of some embodiments of a conventional process according to some embodiments.

[0032] Figure 7B is an illustration of some embodiments of small-scale data transmission when the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state according to some embodiments.

[0033] Figure 8A is an illustration of some embodiments of a small scale data process at a UE according to some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 8B is an illustration of some embodiments of a small-scale data process at a base station according to some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 8C is an illustration of some embodiments of one or more pre-configured authorization configurations according to some embodiments.

[0036] Figures 9A to 9C is a communication flow for some embodiments of signaling between a UE and a base station to enable initial data transmission using a pre-CG configuration according to some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating UE operations for initiating initial transmission via pre-CG configuration according to some embodiments.

[0038] Figure 11 is an illustration of some implementations of a contention resolution mechanism for initial transmissions via a pre-CG configuration, according to some implementations.

[0039] Figures 12 to 13 is a flow chart of some embodiments of a process for pre-configured uplink (UL) grant for initial transmission at a UE in an INACTIVE state according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Described herein are methods and apparatus that enable an apparatus of a device to perform an initial data transmission using one or more pre-configured grant (pre-CG) configurations when the apparatus of the device is in an RRC_INACTIVE state. The one or more pre-CG configurations refer to pre-configured physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource configurations. An implementation of the method and apparatus receives one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state from a network node, wherein the one or more pre-CG configurations are used for initial data transmission when the apparatus of the device is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. Thereafter, the method and apparatus execute while the apparatus of the device is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. The initial data transmission uses the pre-CG resources based on the received one or more pre-CG configurations. Therefore, an implementation of the method and apparatus can support small-scale data transmission of an apparatus of the device in the RRC_INACTIVE state without the need for a state transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0041] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough explanation of the embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail in order to avoid obscuring the understanding of this description.

[0042] Reference in this specification to "some embodiments" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of the phrase "in some embodiments" in various places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0043] In the following description and claims, the terms "coupled" and "connected" and their derivatives may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended to be synonymous with each other. "Coupled" is used to indicate that two or more elements that may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other cooperate or interact with each other. "Connected" is used to indicate the establishment of communication between two or more elements that are coupled to each other.

[0044] The processes illustrated in the following figures are performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such as software running on a general-purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or a combination of both. Although the processes are described below as operating in certain sequential order, it should be understood that some of the operations described may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, some operations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.

[0045] The terms "server," "client," and "device" are intended to refer generally to data processing systems and not specifically to a particular form factor of a server, client, and / or device.

[0046] Figure 1 1 shows a simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 1 The system is only one example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0047] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, 106N, etc. via a transmission medium. Each user device may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0048] Base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with UEs 106A through 106N.

[0049] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell." The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G-NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), and the like. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB." Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB."

[0050] As shown, base station 102A may also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a cellular service provider's core network, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, base station 102A may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A may provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0051] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore provide a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE 106A to UE 106N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0052] Thus, although base station 102A may function as Figure 1 106N, each UE 106 may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communications between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells of any other variety of granularities of service area size. For example, in Figure 1 The base stations 102A-102B shown in FIG may be macro cells, while the base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0053] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or "gNB." In some embodiments, a gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0054] It is noted that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, the UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocols. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0055] Figure 2 User equipment 106A and 106B are shown that can communicate directly with each other (also known as device-to-device or sidelink). Sidelink communications can utilize dedicated sidelink channels and sidelink protocols to facilitate communication directly between devices. For example, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) can be used for actual data transmission between devices, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) can be used to transmit sidelink control information (SCI), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) can be used for HARQ feedback information, and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH) can be used for synchronization. Additional details are discussed in other sections.

[0056] In addition, sidelink communications can be used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and other types of direct communications.

[0057] According to some embodiments, UE 106A may also communicate with base station 102 via uplink and downlink communications. UEs may each be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, or tablet computer, or in fact any type of wireless device. UE 106A-B may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106A-B may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106A-B may include a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any part of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0058] UEs 106A-B may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UEs 106A-B may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Generally, the radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, UEs 106A-B may share one or more portions of receive and / or transmit chains between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0059] In some embodiments, the UE 106A-B may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106A-B may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used only by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106A-B may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5GNR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0060] Figure 3 1 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments. Figure 3The block diagram of the communication device is only an example of a possible communication device. According to an embodiment, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (such as a laptop computer, a notebook or a portable computing device), a tablet computer and / or a combination of devices, in addition to other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a group of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the group of components can be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the group of components 300 can be implemented as a separate component or group of components for various purposes. This group of components 300 can be coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106 (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly).

[0061] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as a connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; input devices such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard; output devices such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with the communication device 106 or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0062] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336, as shown. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338, as shown. Alternatively, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 335 and 336, in addition to or in lieu of being (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 337 and 338. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0063] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a single transmit chain that can switch between radios dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio can be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio, such as a second radio that can be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with both the dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0064] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0065] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards) 345 .

[0066] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 that may execute program instructions for the communication device 106 and a display circuit 304 that may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (the MMU 340 may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or to other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, the short-range wireless communication circuit 229, the cellular communication circuit 330, the connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0067] As described above, the communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. The communication device 106 can also be configured to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for the user equipment device and the base station. In addition, the communication device 106 can be configured to select and group CCs from the wireless link and determine virtual CCs from the selected CC group. The wireless device can also be configured to perform physical downlink resource mapping based on the aggregate resource matching pattern of the CC group.

[0068] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features for determining physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for the communication device 106 and the base station. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0069] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more functions of processor 302.

[0070] Furthermore, as described herein, both cellular communication circuitry 330 and short-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in cellular communication circuitry 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in short-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Thus, cellular communication circuitry 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry 230. Similarly, short-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of short-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of short-range wireless communication circuitry 329.

[0071] Figure 4 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments. Figure 4 The base station 102 is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuit or device that may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0072] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Multiple devices of the telephone network described in, such as UE device 106.

[0073] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0074] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0075] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 434 may be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio 430 via communication chain 432. Communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. Radio 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5GNR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0076] The base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, the base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communications according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communications according to 5G NR. In this case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communications according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0077] As further described later herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting a specific implementation of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a specific implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support a specific implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0078] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 404 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 404. Thus, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 404.

[0079] Additionally, as described herein, radio 430 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio 430. Thus, radio 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 430.

[0080] Figure 5An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry is only one example of possible cellular communication circuitry. Depending on the embodiment, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0081] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (eg, communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 3 In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). For example, Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0082] As shown, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with the processor 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0083] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 in communication with the processor 522. The modem 520 may communicate with an RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 542 may communicate with a DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0084] In some embodiments, the switch 570 can couple the transmit circuitry 534 to the uplink (UL) front end 572. Furthermore, the switch 570 can couple the transmit circuitry 544 to the UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 can include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via the antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 534 and the UL front end 572), the switch 570 can be switched to a first state that allows the modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 544 and the UL front end 572), the switch 570 can be switched to a second state that allows the modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuitry 544 and the UL front end 572).

[0085] As described herein, the modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for selecting periodic resource portions for user equipment devices and base stations, as well as for various other technologies described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 512 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), the processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 512 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0086] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0087] As described herein, the modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for selecting a periodic resource portion on a wireless link between a UE and a base station, as well as for various other technologies described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the feature parts described herein. Alternatively (or in addition thereto), the processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition thereto), in combination with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0088] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 522. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0089] Figure 6 The figure shows a state transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state 610 to the RRC_CONNECTED state 620 triggered by the UE (e.g., 602) for a conventional process. The RRC_INACTIVE state 610 hides the radio connection state from the core network to reduce signaling overhead and establishes a tunnel between the radio network and the core network. For example, in a smartphone, even if the smartphone screen is turned off, background applications such as instant messaging tools continue to exchange data with the network to maintain a frequent connection.

[0090] The network (e.g., 604) may instruct the UE 602 to transition to the RRC_INACTIVE state 610 using an RRC release message containing "suspendConfig." When the UE needs to transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state 610 to the RRC_CONNECTED state 620, the resumption of the suspended RRC connection may be initiated by upper layers or the RRC layer performing an RNA update or by a RAN paging from the NG-RAN. The RRC connection resumption procedure reactivates AS security and reestablishes SRBs and DRBs.

[0091] For example, when UE 602 has uplink data, the UE triggers the process of transitioning from RRC_INACTIVE state 610 to RRC_CONNECTED state 620 in response to a paging request. While in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE triggers the RRC connection reactivation process by sending an RRCResumeRequest to the network (e.g., base station or gNB 604). During the RRC_INACTIVE state, UE 602 remains CM-CONNECTED. Upon receiving RRCResumeRequest 612, the network 604 retrieves UE Context Request 616 based on the UE Context ID, performs the necessary mobility actions, and responds with UE Context Response 618. Upon receiving RRCResume 614, UE 602 acknowledges the successful completion of the RRC connection recovery process by sending an RRCResumeComplete(DCCH) message 622 on SRB1 using AM mode.

[0092] Figure 7B 706 state for an initial data transmission 708 when the UE 702 is in the RRC_INACTIVE 706 state, the embodiment 700 described in the present disclosure is compared to conventional procedures (e.g., Figure 7A ) enhancement. Compared with traditional processes (e.g., Figure 7A In contrast, the embodiment 700 described in the present disclosure can be used for initial transmissions 708 when the UE 702 is in the RRC_INACTIVE state 706 without transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state, thereby reducing data transmission delays and signaling overhead incurred during state transitions. The described embodiment 700 allows data (e.g., small-scale data) to be transmitted in the RRC_INACTIVE state 706 without requiring a state transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In this way, the energy efficiency of the UE 702 can be improved when transmitting small-scale data in the RRC_INACTIVE state 706.

[0093] Figure 8A A flowchart 800 is shown according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, at block 802, the UE receives one or more pre-configured grant (pre-CG) configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state from a network node. The one or more pre-CG configurations enable initial data transmission when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state without transitioning to the CONNECTED state. After the UE receives the one or more pre-CG configurations, at block 804, when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE performs an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources based on the received one or more pre-CG configurations.

[0094] Figure 8B A flowchart 810 is shown according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, at block 802, the base station generates one or more pre-configuration grant (pre-CG) configurations. The base station also transmits the one or more pre-CG configurations to a user equipment (UE) to enable the UE to perform an initial transmission using pre-CG resources when the UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state based on the transmitted one or more pre-CG configurations.

[0095] Figure 8C Some embodiments of one or more pre-configured authorization configurations 820 are shown according to some embodiments. Figure 8C As shown, in some embodiments, for example, a base station (e.g., 704) may provide multiple pre-CG configurations 820 (e.g., pre-CG configuration #1 822, pre-CG configuration #2 824, ..., pre-CG configuration #n 826). Different pre-CG configurations may serve different purposes, including different access types (e.g., paging trigger, UE trigger, signaling trigger), different transmission priorities (priority may be derived based on LCH priority), different mapped LCH / DRB / QoS flows, and effective TA. Optionally, the base station may configure an applicable cell list for each pre-CG configuration.

[0096] In some embodiments, the one or more pre-CG configurations 810 include the configuration of pre-CG resources and one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resources. In some embodiments, the one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resources include one or more of access type, transmission priority, mapped logical channel (LCH) / dedicated radio bearer (DRB) / quality of service (QoS) flow, and effective timing advance (TA). The one or more conditions for using the pre-CG resources also include radio quality, allowed access type, and data volume.

[0097] According to various embodiments, one or more pre-CG configurations may be provided for initial data transmission. In some embodiments, pre-configuration for initial transmission may be provided via dedicated signaling and broadcast signaling.

[0098] Figure 9A Example embodiments of a communication flow 900 between a UE (e.g., 902) and a base station (e.g., 904) are shown. In these embodiments, the communication flow 900 includes the UE 902 and the base station 904, where the UE 902 may perform an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources while the UE is in an INACTIVE state.

[0099] In these embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a dedicated RRC message including one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state. The base station also configures the UE to enter the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0100] In some embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a broadcast message that includes an indication of whether the cell sending the broadcast message supports initial data transmission using pre-CG resources.

[0101] In these embodiments, the UE 902 receives a dedicated RRC message 906 including a pre-CG configuration for the RRC_INACTIVE state from a base station (e.g., cell 1 904). The RRC message 906 may also include an RRCRelease message including a suspendConfig to transition the UE from the CONNECTED state to the INACTIVE state. In this way, one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state may be provided by the base station via dedicated signaling. The UE may store the received pre-CG configurations. After the UE receives the RRC message and the pre-CG configurations, the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state 908. The UE then receives a broadcast message 910 including an indication of whether the cell that sent the broadcast message supports initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. If the cell 912 that sent the broadcast message supports initial data transmission using pre-CG resources, the UE 902 triggers an initial data transmission 914 to the cell using the configured granted (pre-CG) resources based on the received one or more pre-CG configurations based on the indication in the broadcast message. Note that when the UE is in the INACTIVE state, the initial data transmission is a small-scale data transmission. In contrast to conventional procedures, the pre-CG configuration received by the UE can be used for initial transmissions using pre-CG resources while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, without the need to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. This reduces data transmission delays and signaling overhead incurred during state transitions. In this way, UE energy efficiency can be improved when transmitting data (e.g., small-scale data) in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0102] Figure 9B An exemplary embodiment of a communication flow 900 between a UE (e.g., 902) and a base station (e.g., 904) is shown. In some embodiments, the base station 904 transmits a dedicated RRC message that includes one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state and a list of cells for which the one or more pre-CG configurations are valid. The base station 904 also configures the UE to enter the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0103] In some other embodiments, the base station 904 configures the UE to enter the RRC_INACTIVE state. The base station also transmits a system information block (SIB) including one or more pre-CG configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state. In addition, the base station receives an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources.

[0104] In some embodiments, the UE 902 receives a dedicated RRC message 906 from the base station. The RRC message 906 includes a pre-CG configuration for the RRC_INACTIVE state and a list of cells for which the one or more pre-CG configurations are valid. After the UE 902 receives the dedicated RRC message 906, the UE 902 enters the RRC_INACTIVE state 908. The UE then determines whether the current camped cell is included in the list of cells for which the one or more pre-CG configurations are valid. If the current camped cell is included in the list of cells for which the one or more pre-CG configurations are valid, the UE triggers an initial data transmission 904 to the current camped cell using pre-CG resources based on the determination.

[0105] Figure 9C An exemplary embodiment of a communication flow 900 between a UE (e.g., 902) and a base station (e.g., 904) is shown. In some other embodiments, the UE enters an RRC_INACTIVE state 908. The UE receives a system information block (SIB) including a pre-CG configuration for the RRC_INACTIVE state from a currently camped cell 912. The UE 902 triggers an initial data transmission 914 using configuration grant (CG) resources.

[0106] Figure 10 A flowchart of UE operations 1000 for initiating an initial transmission via a pre-CG configuration according to some embodiments is shown. At box 1002, the UE determines whether the UE has data to transmit when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. At box 1004, the UE determines whether one or more pre-CG configurations have been configured and whether one or more conditions for using pre-CG resources are met. If one or more conditions for using pre-CG resources are met, at box 1006, the UE performs an initial data transmission using the received one or more pre-CG configurations. In contrast to conventional procedures, the pre-CG configuration received by the UE can be used for initial transmission using pre-CG resources when the UE is in the INACTIVE state without transitioning to the CONNECTED state, thereby reducing data transmission delays and signaling overhead incurred during state transitions. In this way, UE energy efficiency can be improved when transmitting data (e.g., small-scale data) in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0107] If one or more conditions for using pre-CG resources are not met, then at block 1008, the UE determines whether the UE is allowed to perform initial data transmission via a random access channel (RACH) procedure in the currently camped cell. If the UE is allowed to perform initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, then at block 1012, the UE performs initial data transmission via the RACH procedure. If the UE is not allowed to perform initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, then at block 1010, the UE performs a first transmission via an RRC connection recovery procedure.

[0108] Figure 11 A communication flow between a UE and a base station according to some embodiments is shown. In some embodiments, the UE includes a UE identifier (ID) in the MAC protocol data unit (PDU) for initial data transmission. The UE monitors network feedback within a predefined time window 1102 after the initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. The UE determines whether the initial data transmission is successful. In these embodiments, the UE ID is an inactive RNTI (I-RNTI) (e.g., 1106 and 1108).

[0109] In some embodiments, the base station receives a UE identifier (ID) in a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) for an initial data transmission. The base station transmits network feedback within a predefined time window after the initial data transmission using pre-CG resources.

[0110] In some embodiments, the CG configuration in one or more pre-CG configurations includes a CG-RNTI, and the transmitted network feedback includes a downlink MAC PDU with a UE ID, which is scheduled using the CG-RNTI of the CG configuration for initial data transmission.

[0111] In some other implementations, if the UE receives the network schedule via the UE's I-RNTI within a predefined time window, the UE may consider the contention resolution successful and the initial transmission successful.

[0112] In some embodiments, determination of a successful initial data transmission is based on receiving network feedback including an Inactive RNTI (I-RNTI) of the UE.

[0113] In some embodiments, a pre-CG configuration in one or more pre-CG configurations includes a CG-RNTI, and determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving network feedback including a downlink MAC PDU with a UE ID, which is scheduled using the CG-RNTI of the CG configuration for initial data transmission.

[0114] In some embodiments, the UE determines that the initial data transmission was unsuccessful when the UE does not receive network feedback within the predefined time window 1102. Therefore, the UE may trigger a conventional recovery process 1104.

[0115] In conventional procedures, uplink data transmission does not provide feedback to the UE, and therefore, the UE cannot determine whether the data transmission is successful.

[0116] After performing data transmission using pre-CG resources, the UE monitors network feedback within a predefined window. In some embodiments, if the UE receives network scheduling via the UE's I-RNTI within the predefined window, the UE may consider the contention resolution successful and the initial data transmission successful.

[0117] In some other embodiments, if the UE receives a network downlink schedule via a CG-RNTI (configured according to the pre-CG configuration) and the UE ID is included in the scheduled downlink MAC PDU, the UE may consider the initial data transmission successful. In some other embodiments, if the UE receives a layer 1 ACK feedback, the UE may assume that the initial data transmission was successful.

[0118] In some other embodiments, if the UE fails to receive its feedback within the window, the UE may consider the transmission unsuccessful and the UE may trigger a conventional recovery process.

[0119] In some embodiments, the base station transmits network feedback within a predefined time window after the initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. The network feedback includes layer 1 acknowledgement (ACK) feedback, downlink control information (DCI) for uplink (UL) grants or downlink (DL) assignments with corresponding CG-RNTI, or DCI for UL grant assignments with UE I-RNTI.

[0120] Figure 12 A flowchart 1200 is shown according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, at block 1202, the UE monitors network feedback within a predefined time window after an initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. At block 1204, the UE determines that the initial data transmission was successful when it receives network feedback including a layer 1 acknowledgement (ACK) feedback, downlink control information (DCI) for an uplink (UL) grant or downlink (DL) assignment with a corresponding CG-RNTI, or DCI for a UL grant assignment with the UE's I-RNTI.

[0121] Data transmission using pre-CG resources may be based on an effective TA for uplink data transmission. The effective TA may be based on a previous TA value or a TA value equal to 0.

[0122] Figure 13 Flowchart 1300 is shown according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, at block 1302, the UE determines whether the UE has a valid TA to trigger initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. In these embodiments, at block 1304, when UE mobility is restricted due to the UE entering RRC_INACTIVE mode, the UE determines that the UE has a valid TA. The valid TA can be the TA used in the previous RRC_CONNECTED state. At block 1306, when the current camped cell indicates that pre-CG resources are allowed, the UE determines that the UE has a valid TA. The value of the valid TA is equal to 0.

[0123] In some embodiments, the UE stays in the same cell and triggers direct transmission. In these embodiments, if the UE is static, the UE may use the previously stored TA (which was used in the previous CONNECTED state) to perform pre-CG transmission.

[0124] If the UE is moving within the cell, in some embodiments, the UE may calculate the TA based on the downlink timing change and use the updated TA to perform initial data transmission using pre-CG resources. In some other embodiments, if the UE does not have a valid TA, the UE may trigger a traditional recovery procedure or trigger data transmission via a RACH procedure. In some embodiments, when a timer set in the CONNECTED state expires, the UE does not have a valid TA.

[0125] In some embodiments, if the UE moves to a new cell and the cell indicates that data transmission using pre-CG resources is allowed, the UE may use a TA value equal to 0 to initiate an initial transmission using pre-CG resources.

[0126] In some other embodiments, the processes or methods depicted in the previous figures may be performed by a baseband processor.

[0127] The part of the above content can be realized by utilizing a logic circuit such as a dedicated logic circuit or utilizing a microcontroller or other form of processing core for executing program code instructions.Thus, program code such as machine executable instructions can be utilized to execute the process taught by the above discussion, and the machine executable instructions make the machine execute these instructions to perform certain functions.In this context, "machine" can be a machine that converts an intermediate form (or "abstract") instruction into an instruction specific to a processor (for example, an abstract execution environment such as a "virtual machine" (for example, a Java virtual machine), an interpreter, a common language runtime, a high-level language virtual machine, etc.), and / or an electronic circuit that is arranged on a semiconductor chip (for example, a "logic circuit" realized using a transistor), and the electronic circuit is designed to execute instructions, and the processor is such as a general-purpose processor and / or a special-purpose processor.The process taught by the above discussion can also be executed by (as a substitute of a machine or in combination with a machine) an electronic circuit, and the electronic circuit is designed to execute a process (or a part thereof) without executing program code.

[0128] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. The apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purpose, or may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk, including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.

[0129] A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, machine-readable media include read-only memory ("ROM"); random access memory ("RAM"); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; etc.

[0130] Articles of manufacture can be used to store program code. Articles of manufacture storing program code can be implemented as, but not limited to, one or more memories (e.g., one or more flash memories, random access memories (static, dynamic, or other)), optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or other types of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Program code can also be downloaded from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) via a data signal contained in a propagation medium (e.g., via a communication link (e.g., a network connection)).

[0131] The foregoing detailed description has been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the tools used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm, as used here and generally, refers to a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. These operations are those requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient, primarily for common sense, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

[0132] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless otherwise specifically stated, it will be apparent from the foregoing discussion that discussions throughout this specification using terms such as "select," "determine," "receive," "form," "group," "aggregate," "generate," "remove," and the like will be understood to refer to actions and processes on a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the computer system's registers and memories and converts it into other data similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system's memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0133] The process presented herein and display are not inherently relevant to any particular computer or other device. According to the teaching content of this paper, various general-purpose systems can be used together with program, or can prove that it is convenient to construct the more special-purpose device for carrying out described operation. According to the description below, the required structure for various these systems will be apparent. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any specific programming language. Should be appreciated that multiple programming languages ​​can be used for realizing the teaching content of the present invention as described herein.

[0134] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining 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 stated to users.

[0135] The foregoing discussion describes only some exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from these discussions, drawings and claims that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: antenna; Memory; a radio frequency (RF) circuit communicatively coupled to the antenna; as well as A processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a network node, a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message including one or more pre-configured grant configurations for an RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are for initial data transmission when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; Entering the RRC_INACTIVE state; receiving a broadcast message including an indication of whether a cell sending the broadcast message supports the initial data transmission using pre-configured granted resources; triggering, based on the indication in the broadcast message and based on the received one or more preconfigured grant configurations, the initial data transmission to the cell using the preconfigured grant resources; and When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources is performed based on the received one or more pre-configured grant configurations. 2 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more preconfigured authorization configurations comprises a configuration of the preconfigured authorization resources and one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorization resources.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured granted resources include one or more of access type, transmission priority, mapped logical channel LCH / dedicated radio bearer DRB / quality of service QoS flow and effective timing advance TA.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein The dedicated RRC message includes a list of cells for which the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are valid; and The operations further include: determining whether the currently camped cell is included in the list of cells for which the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are valid; as well as The initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources is triggered to the currently camped cell based on the determination.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: A system information block (SIB) including the one or more pre-configured grant configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state is received from a currently camped cell.

6. The UE of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: determining whether the UE has data to transmit when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; determining whether the one or more preconfigured authorization configurations have been configured and whether the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorization resources are satisfied; If the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorized resources are met, performing the initial data transmission using the one or more preconfigured authorized configurations; If the one or more conditions for using the pre-configured granted resources are not met, determining whether to allow the UE to perform the initial data transmission via a random access channel (RACH) procedure in a currently camped cell; If the UE is allowed to perform the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, performing the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure; as well as If the UE is not allowed to perform the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, performing the initial data transmission via an RRC connection recovery procedure.

7. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: Including a UE identifier ID in a medium access control MAC protocol data unit PDU for the initial data transmission; monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window following said initial data transmission using said preconfigured granted resources; and A determination is made as to whether the initial data transmission is successful. The UE according to claim 7 , wherein the UE ID is an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI).

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein the determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving the network feedback including an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) of the UE.

10. The UE according to claim 7, wherein the configuration authorization CG configuration in the one or more pre-configured authorization configurations includes a CG radio network temporary identifier CG-RNTI, and the determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving the network feedback including a downlink MAC PDU containing the UE ID, and the downlink MAC PDU is scheduled using the CG-RNTI configured by the CG for the initial data transmission.

11. The UE of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: When the UE does not receive the network feedback within the predefined time window, it is determined that the initial data transmission is unsuccessful.

12. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window following said initial data transmission using said preconfigured granted resources; and The UE determines that the initial data transmission is successful when it receives the network feedback, wherein the network feedback includes a layer 1 acknowledgement (ACK) feedback, or downlink control information (DCI) for an uplink (UL) grant or downlink (DL) assignment with a corresponding configured grant radio network temporary identifier (CG-RNTI) for the UE, or an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for the UE.

13. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising: Determining whether the UE has a valid timing advance TA to trigger the initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources includes: When UE mobility is restricted due to the UE entering the RRC_INACTIVE state, determining that the UE has the valid TA, wherein the valid TA is a TA used in a previous RRC_CONNECTED state; as well as When the currently camped cell indicates that the pre-configured granted resources are allowed, it is determined that the UE has the valid TA, wherein a value of the valid TA is equal to zero.

14. A baseband (BB) processor of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the BB processor being configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a network node, a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message including one or more pre-configured grant configurations for an RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are for initial data transmission when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; Entering the RRC_INACTIVE state; receiving a broadcast message including an indication of whether a cell sending the broadcast message supports the initial data transmission using pre-configured granted resources; triggering, based on the indication in the broadcast message and based on the received one or more preconfigured grant configurations, the initial data transmission to the cell using the preconfigured grant resources; as well as When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources is performed based on the received one or more pre-configured grant configurations. 15 . The BB processor of claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more preconfigured authorization configurations comprises a configuration of the preconfigured authorization resource and one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorization resource.

16. The BB processor of claim 15, wherein the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured granted resources include one or more of access type, transmission priority, mapped logical channel (LCH) / dedicated radio bearer (DRB) / quality of service (QoS) flow, and effective timing advance (TA).

17. The BB processor according to claim 14, wherein The dedicated RRC message includes a list of cells for which the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are valid; and The operations further include: determining whether the currently camped cell is included in the list of cells for which the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are valid; as well as The initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources is triggered to the currently camped cell based on the determination.

18. The BB processor of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: A system information block (SIB) including the one or more pre-configured grant configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state is received from a currently camped cell.

19. The BB processor of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: determining whether the UE has data to transmit when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; determining whether the one or more preconfigured authorization configurations have been configured and whether the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorization resources are satisfied; If the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorized resources are met, performing the initial data transmission using the one or more preconfigured authorized configurations; If the one or more conditions for using the pre-configured granted resources are not met, determining whether to allow the UE to perform the initial data transmission via a random access channel (RACH) procedure in a currently camped cell; If the UE is allowed to perform the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, performing the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure; as well as If the UE is not allowed to perform the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, performing the initial data transmission via an RRC connection recovery procedure.

20. The BB processor of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: Including a UE identifier ID in a medium access control MAC protocol data unit PDU for the initial data transmission; monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window following said initial data transmission using said preconfigured granted resources; as well as A determination is made as to whether the initial data transmission is successful.

21. The BB processor according to claim 20, wherein the UE ID is an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI).

22. The BB processor of claim 20, wherein determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving the network feedback including an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI) of the UE.

23. The BB processor of claim 20, wherein the configured authorization CG configuration in the one or more pre-configured authorization configurations includes a CG radio network temporary identifier CG-RNTI, and the determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving the network feedback including a downlink MAC PDU containing the UE ID, wherein the downlink MAC PDU is scheduled using the CG-RNTI configured by the CG for the initial data transmission.

24. The BB processor of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise: When the UE does not receive the network feedback within the predefined time window, it is determined that the initial data transmission is unsuccessful.

25. The BB processor of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window following said initial data transmission using said preconfigured granted resources; as well as The UE determines that the initial data transmission is successful when it receives the network feedback, wherein the network feedback includes a layer 1 acknowledgement (ACK) feedback, or downlink control information (DCI) for an uplink (UL) grant or downlink (DL) assignment with a corresponding configured grant radio network temporary identifier (CG-RNTI) for the UE, or an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for the UE.

26. The BB processor of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: Determining whether the UE has a valid timing advance TA to trigger the initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources includes: When UE mobility is restricted due to the UE entering the RRC_INACTIVE state, determining that the UE has the valid TA, wherein the valid TA is a TA used in a previous RRC_CONNECTED state; and When the currently camped cell indicates that the pre-configured granted resources are allowed, it is determined that the UE has the valid TA, wherein a value of the valid TA is equal to zero.

27. A method for user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network node, a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message including one or more pre-configured grant configurations for an RRC_INACTIVE state, wherein the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are for initial data transmission when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; Entering the RRC_INACTIVE state; receiving a broadcast message including an indication of whether a cell sending the broadcast message supports the initial data transmission using pre-configured granted resources; triggering, based on the indication in the broadcast message and based on the received one or more preconfigured grant configurations, the initial data transmission to the cell using the preconfigured grant resources; as well as When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources is performed based on the received one or more pre-configured grant configurations.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein each of the one or more preconfigured authorization configurations comprises a configuration of the preconfigured authorization resource and one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorization resource.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorized resources include one or more of access type, transmission priority, mapped logical channel LCH / dedicated radio bearer DRB / quality of service QoS flow, and effective timing advance TA.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein The dedicated RRC message includes a list of cells for which the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are valid; and The method further comprises: determining whether the currently camped cell is included in the list of cells for which the one or more pre-configured grant configurations are valid; as well as The initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources is triggered to the currently camped cell based on the determination.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising: A system information block (SIB) including the one or more pre-configured grant configurations for the RRC_INACTIVE state is received from a currently camped cell.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising: determining whether the UE has data to transmit when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; determining whether the one or more preconfigured authorization configurations have been configured and whether the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorization resources are satisfied; If the one or more conditions for using the preconfigured authorized resources are met, performing the initial data transmission using the one or more preconfigured authorized configurations; If the one or more conditions for using the pre-configured granted resources are not met, determining whether to allow the UE to perform the initial data transmission via a random access channel (RACH) procedure in a currently camped cell; If the UE is allowed to perform the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, performing the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure; as well as If the UE is not allowed to perform the initial data transmission via the RACH procedure, performing the initial data transmission via an RRC connection recovery procedure.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising: Including a UE identifier ID in a medium access control MAC protocol data unit PDU for the initial data transmission; monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window following said initial data transmission using said preconfigured granted resources; as well as A determination is made as to whether the initial data transmission is successful.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the UE ID is an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI).

35. The method of claim 33, wherein determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving the network feedback including an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) of the UE.

36. A method according to claim 33, wherein the configuration authorization CG configuration in the one or more pre-configured authorization configurations includes a CG radio network temporary identifier CG-RNTI, and the determination of successful initial data transmission is based on receiving the network feedback including a downlink MAC PDU containing the UE ID, and the downlink MAC PDU is scheduled using the CG-RNTI configured by the CG for the initial data transmission.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising: When the UE does not receive the network feedback within the predefined time window, it is determined that the initial data transmission is unsuccessful.

38. The method of claim 27, further comprising: monitoring network feedback within a predefined time window following said initial data transmission using said preconfigured granted resources; as well as The UE determines that the initial data transmission is successful when it receives the network feedback, wherein the network feedback includes a layer 1 acknowledgement (ACK) feedback, or downlink control information (DCI) for an uplink (UL) grant or downlink (DL) assignment with a corresponding configured grant radio network temporary identifier (CG-RNTI) for the UE, or an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for the UE.

39. The method of claim 27, further comprising: Determining whether the UE has a valid timing advance TA to trigger the initial data transmission using the pre-configured granted resources includes: When UE mobility is restricted due to the UE entering the RRC_INACTIVE state, determining that the UE has the valid TA, wherein the valid TA is a TA used in a previous RRC_CONNECTED state; and When the currently camped cell indicates that the pre-configured granted resources are allowed, it is determined that the UE has the valid TA, wherein a value of the valid TA is equal to zero.

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